cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weight loss after bariatric surgery in cancer survivors.

Abstract Background With improved methods of identification and treatment, the numbers of cancer survivors are increasing. Weight loss is encouraged to reduce recurrence. After cancer treatment, will survivors respond to weight change and receive the benefits of bariatric surgery? Objective To compare weight loss after bariatric surgery of patients treated for cancer with those never diagnosed with cancer. Setting The 10 surgical centers participating in the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS2). Methods A retrospective review of the LABS database of 2458 participants was completed to determine which patients had answered the question that they had been told they had cancer with a positive response. Cancer survivors were compared for body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) at baseline and 1, 3, 5, and 7 years after bariatric surgery with those who responded negatively to this question. Descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact tests, 2-sample independent t tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and multiple linear regression were used. Results Groups were significantly different in age (P Conclusions Patients treated for cancer are not different than the general population in their capacity for long-term weight loss with surgical assistance.
Constelaciones chilenas de María Zambrano

In this essay we discuss Maria Zambrano’ visit to Chile during 1936-1937. We analyze various pieces she wrote during this period, under to the impact of Chilean’s solidarity with Spain, and also we discuss her views of Pablo Neruda’s poetry and her correspondence with Gabriela Mistral. Our purpose is to underline the influence of Latin American culture on her work and cosmovision.
miRNA profiling of primate cervicovaginal lavage and extracellular vesicles reveals miR-186-5p as a potential antiretroviral factor in macrophages.

Cervicovaginal secretions, or their components collected, are referred to as cervicovaginal lavage (CVL). CVL constituents have utility as biomarkers and play protective roles in wound healing and against HIV-1 infection. However, several components of cervicovaginal fluids are less well understood, such as extracellular RNAs and their carriers, for example, extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs comprise a wide array of double-leaflet membrane extracellular particles and range in diameter from 30 nm to over one micron. The aim of this study was to determine whether differentially regulated CVL microRNAs (miRNAs) might influence retrovirus replication. To this end, we characterized EVs and miRNAs of primate CVL during the menstrual cycle and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of macaques. EVs were enriched by stepped ultracentrifugation, and miRNA profiles were assessed with a medium-throughput stem-loop/hydrolysis probe qPCR platform. Whereas hormone cycling was abnormal in infected subjects, EV concentration correlated with progesterone concentration in uninfected subjects. miRNAs were present predominantly in the EV-depleted CVL supernatant. Only a small number of CVL miRNAs changed during the menstrual cycle or SIV infection, for example, miR-186-5p, which was depleted in retroviral infection. This miRNA inhibited HIV replication in infected macrophages in vitro. In silico target prediction and pathway enrichment analyses shed light on the probable functions of miR-186-5p in hindering HIV infections via immunoregulation, T-cell regulation, disruption of viral pathways, etc. These results provide further evidence for the potential of EVs and small RNAs as biomarkers or effectors of disease processes in the reproductive tract.
Letters to Chican@s from Oaxaca

These poetic epistles emerged from the political and academic puzzling of a type of forgetting and of a recurrent practice in certain communities of Chican@s. I noticed the forgetting of transnational ties that bound diasporas with the territories of their ancestors. Also, I witnessed an increasingly recurrent practice of (mis)uses of decolonial vocabularies, such as ancestry, barrio, or gente, in art/ivism circles and circuits for their commodity value in neoliberal diversity writing (programs). These poems decried the importance of noticing fetishized contacts between cultures, places, and people.
Distributional Effects of a Carbon Tax in Broader US Fiscal Reform

This paper analyzes the distributional implications of an illustrative $15 carbon tax imposed in 2010 on carbon in fossil fuels. We analyze its incidence across income classes and regions, both in isolation and when combined with measures that apply the carbon tax revenue to lowering other distortionary taxes in the economy. The analysis first uses an input-output table approach to estimate the effect of the carbon tax on consumer prices, assuming that the tax is passed through fully to retail prices. Then, using Consumer Expenditure Survey data on consumption patterns, we estimate the burdens across households, assuming no behavioral response to the new prices.Consistent with earlier findings, we find that a carbon tax is regressive. Taking into account both direct and indirect energy costs, the carbon tax burden would comprise 3.5 percent of the income of the poorest decile of households and only 0.6 percent of the income of the highest decile. In the consumption approach, the carbon tax is substantially less regressive, with the ratio of average taxes paid by the bottom and top deciles equal to about 1.7. In the tax swap simulations, we subtract the burden of other taxes that the carbon tax revenue could displace, such as the corporate and personal income taxes, and compute the net effect on households. We analyze revenue-neutral tax shifts under three assumptions about how those other taxes lower households' capital and labor income: all borne by labor, all borne by capital, and a 50/50 split. Although all of the tax swaps lower the overall burden of the carbon tax (as a share of household income) on the poorest two deciles, tax swaps also exacerbate the regressivity of the carbon tax on the high end. This means that the benefit to the highest income households of the reduction in other taxes is greater than their share of the burden of the carbon tax. Results suggest that if policymakers direct about 11 percent of the tax revenue towards the poorest two deciles, for example through greater spending on social safety net programs than would otherwise occur, then on average those households would be no worse off after the carbon tax than they were before.The degree of variation in the carbon tax incidence across regions (with no offsetting tax decreases) is modest; the maximum difference in the average rate across regions is 0.45 percentage points of income. Of the tax swaps, the labor tax swap results in the least variation in net burdens across regions, with a maximum difference across regions of 0.5 percentage points of income. In contrast, the capital tax swap produces a maximum difference across regions of 1.66 percentage points. This suggests that capital incomes are more unevenly distributed across regions than labor incomes.
Pituitary-adrenal and related syndromes of childhood: effects on IQ and learning.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several clinical syndromes in which evidence may be expected, if such there be, of a relationship between intelligence and hormones, in particular those produced by the pituitary and adrenal cortex. The hypothesis of a favorable intellectual effect of fetal androgenic steroids on the developing cerebral cortex gains some support from the study of girls exogenously masculinized in utero. In a study described in the chapter, 10 girls born with this type of masculinization, all accurately diagnosed and sex-assigned at birth, were surgically corrected early in life, as needed. Subsequently they returned for psychological study. The results of a survey presented in the chapter show that the children of progesterone-treated pregnancies were rated as above average more often than their matched controls and the children of toxemic untreated pregnancies were so rated least often.
Strong-coupling branching between edges of fractional quantum Hall liquids

We have developed a theory of quasiparticle backscattering in a system of point contacts formed between single-mode edges of several Fractional Quantum Hall Liquids (FQHLs) with in general different filling factors $\nu_j$ and one common single-mode edge $\nu_0$ of another FQHL. In the strong-tunneling limit, the model of quasiparticle backscattering is obtained by the duality transformation of the electron tunneling model. The new physics introduced by the multi-point-contact geometry of the system is coherent splitting of backscattered quasiparticles at the point contacts in the course of propagation along the common edge $\nu_0$. The ``branching ratios'' characterizing the splitting determine the charge and exchange statistics of the edge quasiparticles that can be different from those of Laughlin's quasiparticles in the bulk of FQHLs. Accounting for the edge statistics is essential for the system of more than one point contact and requires the proper description of the flux attachement to tunneling electrons.
Regulation of Escherichia coli starvation sigma factor (sigma s) by ClpXP protease.

In Escherichia coli, starvation (stationary-phase)-mediated differentiation involves 50 or more genes and is triggered by an increase in cellular sigma s levels. Western immunoblot analysis showed that in mutants lacking the protease ClpP or its cognate ATPase-containing subunit ClpX, sigma s levels of exponential-phase cells increased to those of stationary-phase wild-type cells. Lack of other potential partners of ClpP, i.e., ClpA or ClpB, or of Lon protease had no effect. In ClpXP-proficient cells, the stability of sigma s increased markedly in stationary-phase compared with exponential-phase cells, but in ClpP-deficient cells, sigma s became virtually completely stable in both phases. There was no decrease in ClpXP levels in stationary-phase wild-type cells. Thus, sigma s probably becomes more resistant to this protease in stationary phase. The reported sigma s-stabilizing effect of the hns mutation also was not due to decreased protease levels. Studies with translational fusions containing different lengths of sigma s coding region suggest that amino acid residues 173 to 188 of this sigma factor may directly or indirectly serve as at least part of the target for ClpXP protease.
Stochastic adaptive control: a unified analysis

In this paper we present the first stage of a unified two-stage approach to analyzing stochastic adaptive control. Here, we study the issue of potential self-tuning where we ask the question whether a certainty-equivalence (CE) adaptive control scheme achieves the same control objective as the ideal control design at the potential convergence points of the estimation algorithm. We exploit the fact that this important property can be analyzed independent of the estimation method that is used, without restoring to complicated convergence analysis. For linear time-invariant systems, this reduces to simply studying two identifiability equations: the identifiability equation for internal excitation (IEIE); and the identifiability equation for external excitation (IE/sup 3/) whose solutions determine the potential convergence points of the parameter estimates. Sufficient conditions and necessary conditions are then derived for potential self-tuning and identifiability of general control schemes.
Autologous endometrial coculture biopsy: is timing everything?

Objective To determine whether endometrial biopsy timing affects implantation rates and pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) with autologous endometrial coculture (AECC). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic medical center. Patient(s) All patients with a history of at least one failed IVF cycle who underwent an IVF-AECC cycle at our center from May 2004 to November 2013 were included. Intervention(s) Patients underwent luteal-phase endometrial biopsy in preparation for IVF. Biopsy samples were used for IVF in either the subsequent menstrual cycle or a future cycle. Embryos were cultured in AECC media and transferred on day 3. Main Outcome Measure(s) A total of 2,533 cycles of 1,719 patients who underwent an IVF-AECC cycle were identified. Cycles were stratified by endometrial biopsy timing. Clinical outcomes, including implantation, pregnancy, and live birth rates, were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Result(s) A total of 1,416 coculture biopsies were performed in the menstrual cycle before IVF and 1,117 were performed more than one cycle before IVF. The two groups were similar in age, body mass index, number of mature oocytes retrieved, and best embryo grade. There were no significant differences in implantation, clinical pregnancy, or live birth rates, with adjusted relative risks of 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92–1.13), 1.02 (95% CI 0.91–1.14), and 0.99 (95% CI 0.86–1.16), respectively. Conclusion(s) Coculture biopsy in the cycle preceding IVF does not increase implantation, clinical pregnancy, or live birth rates compared with biopsies performed more than one cycle before IVF. Previously demonstrated improvements in embryo quality and pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing IVF with AECC are probably not attributable to biopsy-induced endometrial injury.
Systemic allergic reaction to initial insulin therapy in a juvenile diabetic. Enhanced blast transformation to insulin.

: Dacou-Voutetakis, C. Thomaidis, Th., Roma, E., Katpini-Mavrou, A. and Economou-Mavrou, C. (First Department of Paediatrics, Athens University, Greece). Systemic allergic reaction to initial insulin therapy in a juvenile diabetic. Enhanced blast transformation to insulin. Acta Paediatr Scand, 64: 773, 1975–A 14-year-old girl with recent onset of diabetes developed a severe systemic allergic reaction to beef-pork insulin on the third day of insulin therapy. The same reaction developed following the injection of pork insulin and monocomponent insulin. The patient was induced to tolerate pork insulin by systemic de-sensitization to this insulin over an interval of 6 days. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from the patient cultured in the presence of insulin responded by increased blast cell transformation, as compared with controls, who either had previously presented local allergic reactions to insulin or never had manifested insulin allergy.
Selective Response of the Japanese Quail to Various Strains of Rous Sarcoma Virus

Abstract Shipman, Charles Jr. (Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis), and Alvin S. Levine. Selective response of the Japanese quail to various strains of Rous sarcoma virus. J. Bacteriol. 92:161–163. 1966.—The Bryan “high-titer,” Carr-Zilber, Harris, Prague, Schmidt-Ruppin, and “29” strains of Rous sarcoma virus were used to initiate tumors in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Although all strains produced tumors upon primary inoculation, only the Bryan “high-titer” and Harris strains could be serially passaged with cell-free tumor extracts. Analysis by means of the end-point dilution technique and the interference test revealed that the tumor extract of the Bryan “high-titer” strain passaged 10 times in the quail contained a Rous-associated virus.
Studies on acellular bovine glomeruli. Isolation, chemical composition, and demonstration of collagen with an unusual hydroxylysine: hydroxyproline ratio.

Abstract Bovine glomeruli from which most cellular elements were removed contained a protein that shared several properties with collagen. These included the presence of hydroxylysine and hydroxyproline, digestion with collagenase, dissolution by heating, resistance to tryptic digestion, and an electron diffraction pattern characteristic of collagens. A distinctive feature of glomerular collagen was an unusually high content of hydroxylysine expressed as the hydroxylysine: hydroxyproline ratio. This collagen constituted about one half of the acellular glomerular mass.
A low-Ca2+ response (LCR) secretion (ysc) locus lies within the lcrB region of the LCR plasmid in Yersinia pestis.

The causative agent of plague, Yersinia pestis, contains a 75-kb plasmid, pCD1, which carries a virulence-related stimulon called the low-Ca2+ response stimulon (LCRS). LCRS operons are regulated by the environmental signals of temperature and Ca2+. This study characterized a portion of the lcrB region of pCD1, known to contain at least one gene necessary for the regulation of LCRS operons by Ca2+. The sequence of a 2-kb region revealed three open reading frames, designated yscQ, yscR, and yscS, predicted to encode acidic proteins of 34.4, 24.4, and 8.5 kDa. All three proteins were homologous to proteins involved in flagellar function or virulence. An antipeptide antibody specific for YscR was used to localize YscR to the inner membrane of Y. pestis. Analysis of yscR-phoA fusions supported a model for yscR which predicts four transmembrane regions and a large, central hydrophilic domain. In-frame deletion mutations of yscQ and yscR were constructed and moved into Y. pestis. Both mutants failed to show the restriction of growth that normally accompanies maximal LCRS induction. Unlike the parent Y. pestis, the yscR mutant did not respond to the absence of Ca2+ by increasing the net transcription or translation of the LCRS-encoded V antigen, YopM, or LcrG. The yscR mutant also was defective for secretion of V antigen, YopM, and LcrG. These findings implicate a dual role for YscR in regulation of LCRS operons and secretion of LCRS proteins and add to the developing picture of how secretion of virulence proteins may be coupled to transcriptional regulation in yersiniae. Images
Cutting Edge: Critical Role of Inducible Costimulator in Germinal Center Reactions

Inducible costimulator (ICOS) is a new member of the CD28/CTLA-4 family that is expressed on activated and germinal center (GC) T cells. Recently, we reported that ICOS-deficient mice exhibited profound defects in T cell activation and effector function. Ab responses in a T-dependent primary reaction and in a murine asthma model were also diminished. In the current study, we investigate the mechanism by which ICOS regulates humoral immunity and examine B cell GC reactions in the absence of ICOS. We found that ICOS(-/-) mice, when immunized with SRBC, had smaller GCs. Furthermore, IgG1 class switching in the GCs was impaired. Remarkably, GC formation in response to a secondary recall challenge was completely absent in ICOS knockout mice. These data establish a critical role of ICOS in regulation of humoral immunity.
Comparació de dues tècniques d'eliminació de conducta: extinció i sacietat

En este trabajo se analizan los efectos de la extincion y la saciedad despues de un programa de Razon Fija (RF 25), en ratas macho de la cepa Wistar. El objetivo del presente experimento es ver hasta que punto se pueden generalizar los resultados sobre la extincion obtenidos por HOLTZ y AZRIN (1963) y los de SIDMAN y STEBBIN (1954) sobre la saciedad. Los resultados del experimento confirman los de los trabajos anteriores en el sentido de que la extincion y la saciedad tienen un efecto casi inmediato, aunque ninguno de los dos procedimientos produzca una supresion completa de conducta, ni tenga efectos irreversibles. Sin embargo, hay que puntualizar respecto a los trabajos de HOLTZ y AZRIN (1963) y SIDMAN y STEBBIN (1954) que: a) la extincion despues de una RF es un procedimiento mucho mas efectivo para reducir respuestas que la saciedad; b ) la extincion es mas efectiva en la eliminacion de respuestas despues de una RF que despues de un reforzamiento diferencial de tasas bajas (RDB); c ) en una RF, la saciedad produce una reduccion de respuestas moderada, debida casi exclusivamente al alargamiento de alguna de las pausas post-refuerzo; y d ) la saciedad producida por dar comida ad lib. antes de la sesion experimental tiene un efecto menor en la reduccion de respuestas que la saciedad obtenida con el agua ad lib. Las diferencias entre los. Resultados del presente trabajo y los de HOLTZ y AZRIN (1963) y SIDMAN y STEBBIN (19 54) se discuten en funcion del diferente programa de reforzamiento y del diferente tipo de reforzador utilizado.
Bunched Beam Neutralization

One of the steps involved in producing an intense ion beam from conventional accelerators for Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) is beam bunching. To maintain space charge neutralized transport, neutralization must occur more quickly as the beam bunches. It has been demonstrated at BNL that a 60 mA proton beam from a 750 kV Cockcroft-Walton can be neutralized within a micro-second. The special problem in HIF is that the neutralization must occur in a time scale of nano-seconds. To study neutralization on a faster time scale, a 40 mA, 450 kV proton beam was bunched at 16 MHz. A biased Faraday cup sampled the bunched beam at the position where maximum bunching was nominally expected, about 2.5 meters from the buncher. Part of the drift region, about 1.8 meters, was occupied by a series of Gabor lenses. In addition to enhancing beam transport by transverse focussing, the background cloud of electrons in the lenses provided an extra degree of neutralization. With no lens, the best bunch factor was at least 20. Bunch factor is defined here as the ratio of the distance between bunches to the FWHM bunch length. With the lens, it was hoped that the increased plasma frequency would decrease the neutralization time and cause an increase in the bunch factor. In fact, with the lens, the instantaneous current increased about three times, but the bunch factor dropped to about 10.
Brain cholecystokinin and β-endorphin systems may antagonistically interact to regulate tissue DNA synthesis in rat pups

Abstract Previously, we have shown that intracisternal (i.c.) administration of β-endorphin suppresses brain and liver DNA synthesis in rat pups. This finding is consistent with the view that endogeneous CNS β-endorphin plays an important role in controlling postnatal growth. Recent evidence suggests that brain CCK 8 , the sulfated carboxyterminal octapeptide fragment of cholecystokinin, may function physiologically as an endogenous opioid antagonist. We now report that CCK 8 injected i.c. together with β-endorphin effectively prevented β-endorphin from inhibiting brain and liver DNA synthesis in 10-day-old rats. CCK 8 blocked the liver DNA effect of β-endorphin via actions within the brain, as subcutaneous administration of CCK 8 was ineffective. In contrast to CCK 8 , i.c. administration of CCK 8U (the unsulfated form of CCK 8 ) together with β-endorphin did not prevent β-endorphin from inhibiting liver DNA synthesis, and only slightly reversed the brain DNA effect. The results obtained support a role for endogenous brain CCK 8 in the modulation of tissue DNA responses to CNS β-endorphin and possibly to other endogenous opioids. If so, interference with brain CCK function could disrupt tissue growth. Thus, normal mammalian development may require a close functional interaction between the cholecystokinin and β-endorphin systems in the brain.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

(1999). LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education: Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 215-219.
Effect of body mass index on bleeding frequency and activated partial thromboplastin time in weight-based dosing of unfractionated heparin: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE To assess bleeding and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in relation to body mass index (BMI) in patients prescribed weight-based dosing of intravenous unfractionated heparin (UFH) for cardiac indications without a maximum (dose-capped) initial bolus or capped initial infusion rate. PATIENTS AND METHODS Consecutive patients admitted to an academic medical center from February 1, 2002, through November 31, 2003, who were treated with a UFH nomogram consisting of a 60-U/kg intravenous bolus plus an initial continuous intravenous infusion of 12 U/kg hourly and titrated to a goal APTT range corresponding to thromboplastin-adjusted target heparin levels of 0.3 to 0.7 U/mL by anti-Xa assay were evaluated for this retrospective cohort study. Patients were excluded if they concomitantly received a fibrinolytic, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, or any other antithrombotic agent (except warfarin). Study patients were divided into quartiles by BMI. RESULTS Of the 1054 patients included in the study, 807 (76.6%) had an initial bolus dose higher than 4000 U, and 477 (45.3%) had an initial infusion rate higher than 1000 U/h. Despite a significant difference among BMI quartiles in proportion of supratherapeutic first APTT values ( P P =.26) or frequency of first APTT within the goal range ( P =.27). Logistic regression analyses revealed that BMI was not a significant predictor of bleeding or first APTT within the goal range. CONCLUSION We did not find any difference in the proportion of first APTT values in the goal range or an increased risk of bleeding in obese patients treated with UFH without a capped initial dose. Our data demonstrate the safe use of weight-based UFH without a capped initial bolus dose or capped initial infusion rate in patients with medical cardiac conditions.
Cardiovascular findings with bronchogenic cyst

A child with a bronchogenic cyst is described who manifested clinical findings indicative of pulmonary arterial stenosis. Compression of the right pulmonary artery by the cyst with a significant pressure gradient between the proximal and distal segments of the right pulmonary artery was verified at surgery. The post-operative follow-up findings have confirmed relief of the stenosis with absence of the murmur originating from it.
Early Stomal Complications

The creation of intestinal stomas for diversion of enteric contents is an important component of the surgical management of several gastroenterologic disease processes. Despite the frequency with which these procedures are performed, complications of stoma creation remain common, despite extensive measures aimed at reducing them. Early postoperative complications (those seen less than one month postoperatively) can lead to significant cost, both financially and psychologically, and incur significant morbidity. Commonly seen early postoperative stomal complications include improper stoma site selection, vascular compromise, retraction, peristomal skin irritation, peristomal infection/abscess/fistula, acute parastomal herniation and bowel obstruction, and pure technical errors. The author reviews these early complications associated with stoma creation, discusses means of preventing them, and outlines the management strategy for such complications when they do occur.
Timing of discharge follow-up for acute pulmonary embolism: retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Historically, emergency department (ED) patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) have been admitted for several days of inpatient care. Growing evidence suggests that selected ED patients with PE can be safely discharged home after a short length of stay. However, the optimal timing of follow up is unknown. We hypothesized that higher-risk patients with short length of stay (<24 hours from ED registration) would more commonly receive expedited follow up (≤3 days). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adults treated for acute PE in six community EDs. We ascertained the PE Severity Index risk class (for 30-day mortality), facility length of stay, the first follow-up clinician encounter, unscheduled return ED visits ≤3 days, 5-day PE-related readmissions, and 30-day all-cause mortality. Stratifying by risk class, we used multivariable analysis to examine age- and sex-adjusted associations between length of stay and expedited follow up. Results: The mean age of our 175 patients was 63.2 (±16.8) years. Overall, 93.1% (n=163) of our cohort received follow up within one week of discharge. Fifty-six patients (32.0%) were sent home within 24 hours and 100 (57.1%) received expedited follow up, often by telephone (67/100). The short and longer length-of-stay groups were comparable in age and sex, but differed in rates of low-risk status (63% vs 37%; p<0.01) and expedited follow up (70% vs 51%; p=0.03). After adjustment, we found that short length of stay was independently associated with expedited follow up in higher-risk patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.5; 95% CI [1.0-11.8]; p=0.04), but not in low-risk patients (aOR 2.2; 95% CI [0.8-5.7]; p=0.11). Adverse outcomes were uncommon (<2%) and were not significantly different between the two length-of-stay groups. Conclusion: Higher-risk patients with acute PE and short length of stay more commonly received expedited follow up in our community setting than other groups of patients. These practice patterns are associated with low rates of 30-day adverse events. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(1):–0.]
Application of electron microscopy in the observation of technetium and technetium dioxide nanostructures.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was applied to characterize the microstructure of Tc metal and technetium dioxide synthesized by the decomposition of NH4TcO4. The morphology of the Tc metal and well-resolved TcO2 particles were characterized using bright-field TEM and scanning TEM modes. Structural characterization of these two samples using high-resolution (HR) TEM was successfully performed for the first time on the nanoscale. The morphology of Tc metal showed significant differences when compared to TcO2. The crystal structure of Tc metal on the nanoscale was shown to contain well-resolved lattice fringes without any defects. Because of the deficiency in point resolution, however, the two-dimensional structure details of Tc metal could not be observed as expected. On the other hand, structural details of TcO2 were prominent at high resolution. With a 2-fold multiplicity in both directions, TcO2 showed a unique atomic distribution corresponding to a monoclinic unit cell. Furthermore, the lattice ...
The Function of Amino Groups in the Binding of Iron by Transferrin

Succinylation and a combination of succinylation with reductive alkylation and trinitrophenylation procedures were used to investigate the function of amino groups of transferrin. It was shown that apo-transferrin had two types of amino groups: those that were easily accessible to chemical modification reagents (60–61 in number) and those that were more difficult to modify (6–7 in number), which were also concerned with the maintenance of the conformation of the protein. The latter type of amino groups became even less accessible to the environment upon the binding of the iron by transferrin. However, the unreactive amino groups were not directly involved in the binding of iron by transferrin, since iron-binding properties could be partially recovered in the extensively succinylated protein. It was concluded that the function of the amino groups in question was probably to stabilize the three-dimensional structure of transferrin.
Health-related anxiety and the effect of open-access endoscopy in US patients with dyspepsia.

Summary Background : The role of endoscopy in dyspepsia is the subject of debate. The detection of lesions is infrequent, but patients may benefit from the knowledge that the examination is normal. We sought to determine the prevalence of health-related anxiety in dyspeptic patients referred for open-access endoscopy and to investigate the effect of endoscopy on health-related anxiety. Methods : Consecutive patients referred for open-access endoscopy from primary care were studied using a validated questionnaire for health-related anxiety before and after endoscopy, at 1 month and 6 months. Symptoms were assessed using a validated questionnaire at 1 and 6 months. Results : One hundred and nine patients were studied (69 women and 40 men; mean age, 49 ± 15 years). Thirty-six of the 109 patients (33%) had high anxiety scores at baseline (mean score, 41 ± 1), which decreased after endoscopy to 35 ± 1 (P < 0.05). The changes persisted at 1 month (33 ± 1) and 6 months (33 ± 1). Endoscopic findings were as follows: normal examination, 120; erosive oesophagitis, 11 (Grade A); erosive duodenitis (all Helicobacter pylori-negative), 6. Scales for preoccupation with health and fear of illness and death showed significant improvement after endoscopy, and the effects were preserved for 6 months. Anxiety scores in our population were substantially higher than in a corresponding UK population. Conclusions : Health-related anxiety is common in dyspeptic patients referred for endoscopy. Endoscopy decreases the preoccupation with health and fear of illness and death in patients with severe anxiety, and the effects persist for 6 months.
Robust spacecraft attitude determination using global positioning system receivers

This work presents the development of a new attitude determination system based on global positioning system signals. This new algorithm utilizes signal-to-noise-ratio measurements from canted antennas to produce three-axis attitude solutions. These solutions are then used to determine the integer ambiguities for double-difference carrier-phase measurements. The two measurement types are processed through an extended Kalman filter to produce attitude solutions. The algorithm is tested using both hardware-in-the-loop orbit simulations and static rooftop data. These experiments demonstrate the speed of the integer resolution process and the accuracy of the resulting carrier-phase attitude solutions. Further tests demonstrate that the canting of the antennas has little or no effect on the double-difference carrier-phase measurements for antenna baselines of 1 m. The algorithm is modified to include magnetometer measurements. Simulation demonstrates how this addition further improves the integer resolution. The results of the rooftop and simulation experiments demonstrate that this new algorithm can quickly and accurately resolve the integer ambiguities associated with carrier-phase attitude determination. Once the integers are resolved, the resulting algorithm generates solutions of less than 0.5 deg in accuracy. To conclude this work, some possible future work is discussed.
Stringing the fiddle: the inner ear's two-part invention.

The identity of the tip link, which converts mechanical force to channel opening in hair cells, has been controversial, with different groups promoting cadherin 23 or protocadherin 15. A new paper in Nature shows that both proteins are involved.
Molecular Basis of Substrate Selectivity in the ADP/ATP Carrier

The ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) is a membrane transporter that mediates the exchange of ADP and ATP across the mitochondrial inner membrane. During an exchange cycle, AAC switches between two conformational states, the cytoplasm-open state (c-state), and the matrix-open state (m-state). Our recent molecular dynamics simulations revealed spontaneous binding of ADP to the c-state AAC, and identified the unknown binding site for ADP as a pocket deeply positioned inside the lumen that forms through significant conformational changes of several basic residues in response to substrate binding. We also showed that ADP binding likely triggers AAC transition to the m-state by breaking a salt bridge network. The identified binding site has allowed us to explore substrate selectivity in AAC by simulating the “binding” of various ligands, e.g., AMP and Mg-ADP, to AAC. AMP does bind but is not transported by AAC, and Mg is known to have an inhibitory effect on AAC. However, the molecular details involved in these processes are largely unknown. Our results suggest that the presence of a minimum of two phosphate groups in their Mg-free form is absolutely necessary for proper binding and for initiating the structural changes required for activation of AAC. AMP and Mg-ADP cannot establish sufficient contact with the salt bridge ring at the bottom of AAC lumen, either due to lack of the beta-phosphate in AMP, or interference of Mg2+ with the phosphate groups in Mg-ADP. These results provide additional evidence for the ADP binding site characterized in our earlier study, and suggest a mechanism for substrate selectivity in AAC.
Reducing the propensity for unphysical wavefunction symmetry breaking in multireference calculations of the excited states of semiconductor clusters

Unphysical spatial symmetry breaking in multiconfigurational self-consistent field calculations can lead to undesirable artifacts in the potential energy surfaces and electronic properties of molecules. Herein, we report several examples of such symmetry breaking in calculations of the excited states of small semiconductor clusters and related molecules at the state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field (SA-CASSCF) level of theory. A multireference approach is proposed to reduce its incidence: the singly excited active space complete active space configuration interaction (SEAS-CASCI) method. In SEAS-CASCI, the orbitals are determined by variationally minimizing an energy expression that does not depend on the off-diagonal Hamiltonian matrix elements which drive symmetry breaking at the SA-CASSCF level of theory. By application to several highly symmetric molecules, SEAS-CASCI is demonstrated to reduce the propensity for unphysical spatial symmetry breaking and eliminate resulting errors in the potential energy surfaces and molecular properties relative to the SA-CASSCF description. The SEAS method is also found to eliminate unphysical wavefunction distortion in asymmetric molecules. Finally, SEAS-CASCI is demonstrated to accurately describe the biradicaloid region of the potential energy surface of ethylene.
Corneal Clouding with Increased Acid Mucopolysaccharide Accumulation in Bowman's Membrane

Two infants had bilateral congenital corneal clouding and abnormal acid mucopolysaccharide accumulation in a thickened Bowman's membrane. This unusual entity was not associated with acid mucopolysaccharide deposits in the skin and visceral tissues or with increased levels of acid mucopolysaccharide in the urine. The similarity and differences have been compared to the systemic mucopolysaccharidosis and macular corneal dystrophy.
An algebraic model for blood chemistry

Abstract The concentration of substances in the blood has been previously studied by scator models. By the introduction of reaction matrices and scators a model that describes both exchanges and chemical reactions is constructed. The model introduces a new element called a vectrix.
Genome‐Wide Reprogramming in Hybrids of Somatic Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells

Recent experiments demonstrate that somatic nuclei can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state when fused to ESCs. The resulting hybrids are pluripotent as judged by developmental assays, but detailed analyses of the underlying molecular-genetic control of reprogrammed transcription in such hybrids are required to better understand fusion-mediated reprogramming. We produced hybrids of mouse ESCs and fibroblasts that, although nearly tetraploid, exhibit characteristics of normal ESCs, including apparent immortality in culture, ESC-like colony morphology, and pluripotency. Comprehensive analysis of the mouse embryonic fibroblast/ESC hybrid transcriptome revealed global patterns of gene expression reminiscent of ESCs. However, combined analysis of variance and hierarchical clustering analyses revealed at least seven distinct classes of differentially regulated genes in comparisons of hybrids, ESCs, and somatic cells. The largest class includes somatic genes that are silenced in hybrids and ESCs, but a smaller class includes genes that are expressed at nearly equivalent levels in hybrids and ESCs that contain many genes implicated in pluripotency and chromatin function. Reprogrammed genes are distributed throughout the genome. Reprogramming events include both transcriptional silencing and activation of genes residing on chromosomes of somatic origin. Somatic/ESC hybrid cell lines resemble their pre-fusion ESC partners in terms of behavior in culture and pluripotency. However, they contain unique expression profiles that are similar but not identical to normal ESCs. ESC fusion-mediated reprogramming provides a tractable system for the investigation of mechanisms of reprogramming. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Implementing exertional heat illness prevention strategies in US high school football.

PURPOSE: Approximately 6500 high school football athletes are treated annually for exertional heat illness (EHI). In 2009, the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA)-led Inter-Association Task Force (NATA-IATF) released preseason heat acclimatization guidelines to help athletes become accustomed to environmental factors contributing to EHI. This study examines compliance with NATA-IATF guidelines and related EHI prevention strategies. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional survey completed by 1142 certified athletic trainers (AT), which captured compliance with 17 NATA-IATF guidelines and EHI prevention strategies in high school football during the 2011 preseason. RESULTS: On average, AT reported football programs complying with 10.4 NATA-IATF guidelines (SD = 3.2); 29 AT (2.5%) reported compliance with all 17. Guidelines with the lowest compliance were as follows: "Single-practice days consisted of practice no more than three hours in length" (39.7%); and "During days 3-5 of acclimatization, only helmets and shoulder pads should be worn" (39.0%). An average of 7.6 EHI prevention strategies (SD = 2.5) were used. Common EHI prevention strategies were as follows: having ice bags/cooler available (98.5%) and having a policy with written instructions for initiating emergency medical service response (87.8%). Programs in states with mandated guidelines had higher levels of compliance with guidelines and greater prevalence of EHI prevention strategies. CONCLUSION: A low proportion of surveyed high school football programs fully complied with all 17 NATA-IATF guidelines. However, many EHI prevention strategies were voluntarily implemented. State-level mandated EHI prevention guidelines may increase compliance with recognized best practices recommendations. Ongoing longitudinal monitoring of compliance is also recommended. Keywords: American football; Language: en
MS2Grouper: group assessment and synthetic replacement of duplicate proteomic tandem mass spectra.

Shotgun proteomics experiments require the collection of thousands of tandem mass spectra; these sets of data will continue to grow as new instruments become available that can scan at even higher rates. Such data contain substantial amounts of redundancy with spectra from a particular peptide being acquired many times during a single LC-MS/MS experiment. In this article, we present MS2Grouper, an algorithm that detects spectral duplication, assesses groups of related spectra, and replaces these groups with synthetic representative spectra. Errors in detecting spectral similarity are corrected using a paraclique criterion—spectra are only assessed as groups if they are part of a clique of at least three completely interrelated spectra or are subsequently added to such cliques by being similar to all but one of the clique members. A greedy algorithm constructs a representative spectrum for each group by iteratively removing the tallest peaks from the spectral collection and matching to peaks in the other spectra. This strategy is shown to be effective in reducing spectral counts by up to 20% in LC-MS/MS datasets from protein standard mixtures and proteomes, reducing database search times without a concomitant reduction in identified peptides.
Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With an Autologous Semitendinosus-Gracilis Graft on Neuromuscular Function

The quadrupled semitendinosus-gracilis (ST-G) graft is rapidly becoming the graft of choice for orthopaedic surgeons when reconstructing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). During this procedure orthopaedic surgeons harvest the distal semitendinosus and gracilis tendons and use them to replace the ruptured ACL. Although people who undergo this procedure have good functional outcomes over the short-term, we do not know the effect that harvesting these two tendons has on neuromuscular function. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that ACL reconstruction with an autologous ST-G had on musculotendinous morphology. The methods used in the study included digital reconstruction of knee musculature from magnetic resonance images (MRI). Marked reductions in muscle volume, cross-sectional area, and length were observed in the semitendinosus and gracilis when reassessed approximately 6 months following surgery (after the subjects had returned to sports participation). The subjects appeared to compensate for the diminished medial knee flexor function with the biceps femoris (a lateral muscle) and semimembranosus muscles. These findings may have important implications for joint loading, the long term health of the knee, and surgical decision-making.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Nature of the Wind River thrust, Wyoming, from COCORP deep-reflection data and from gravity data

Critical data for the interpretation of Laramide structure, a major tectonic problem bearing on the formation of the Rocky Mountains, have been obtained by the Consortium for Continental Reflection Profiling (COCORP) in the form of deep crustal seismic-reflection profiles. The Wind River Mountains in Wyoming have been uplifted by the Wind River thrust, which can be traced on COCORP seismic-reflection profiles to at least 24-km depth with an average dip of 30° to 35°. This Laramide uplift is thus the result of extensive horizontal compression with a minimum horizontal displacement of 21 km and a minimum vertical displacement of 13 km. The crust appears to have deformed essentially as a rigid plate. Gravity anomalies across the uplift can be modeled by a thrust, with the same geometry as indicated by the seismic-reflection profiles.
The misuse of relative humidity in ecological studies of hibernating bats

Field biologists almost invariably report relative humidity as a measure of moisture in the air and assume that relative humidity somehow predicts evaporative water loss from an animal. In this paper, I use the vapor pressure gradient to show that, under conditions of constant relative humidity, evaporative water loss from the body surface of a hibernating bat can vary by more than 100%, depending on ambient temperature. Potential evaporative water loss at constant relative humidity is an increasing curvilinear function of ambient temperature for a torpid bat that has a surface temperature equal to surrounding air temperature, but a decreasing curvilinear function of air temperature for an aroused bat in the hibernaculum. Under some circumstances, evaporative loss actually can be greater in a hibernaculum with higher relative humidity than in one with lower relative humidity. When examining potential differences in evaporative water loss between sites, habitats, or treatments, biologists should consider t...
New Fragments of the Homilies of Origen

In the April number of this journal I, B. Pighi published a papyrus leaf from the late third century which contained exegetical fragments on the gospels (Vigiliae Christianae 2 [1948], 109-12). These fragments are evidently part of a codex which contained homilies of Origen. The first part (I 1-8) is the concluding section of Origen's thirty-fifth homily on Luke (p. 215 Rauer). The Latin version of Jerome is as follows: