cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in Disease Presentation, Management, Cost of Care and Outcomes: A Comprehensive Look at Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma (MM)

Abstract Background: Disparities in MM survival among different racial groups persist despite improvements in overall survival (OS). We report a comprehensive review of the SEER Medicare database to elucidate the causes of differences in disease presentation, management practices, cost of care and their relationships to outcomes among the MM patients (pts) from different racial groups. Methods: Pts diagnosed with MM between 1991-2010 with continuous Medicare coverage (1 year prior to diagnosis-date of death/end of 2012) were included. MM complications (MM-C); hypercalcemia (C), renal dysfunction (R), anemia (An), bone fractures (B), dialysis (D) occurring prior to/within 30 days of MM diagnosis (at diagnosis; AT-D), or any time later (after diagnosis; AF-D) were summarized. Demographics, survival (PEDSAF files) and disease characteristics, drug/stem cell transplant (SCT) utilization (NCH, OUTSAF, PDESAF files) were obtained. Trends in incidence of MM-C, treatment type over time (proportional odds) and their association with race (logistic regressions) were compared. Associations between race, MM-C AT-D and MM related death using Fine and Gray's competing risk methods were analyzed. Medicare claims adjusted for inflation (2013) within the first 6 months (mth)/total MM care were summed by drug and total charges. Median cost of care by race and year of diagnosis were evaluated by Kruskal-Wallis (univariate) and proportional odds models (multivariate). Results: A total of 35842 pts (52.1% males) with median age of 76 yr (range 18-104) were included. Mutually exclusive racial subgroups were: White (W, 72%), Hispanic (H: 7.3%), African-American (AA, 16.2%), Asian (A, 4.1%), other (0.3%). A significantly increasing trend in the prevalence of all MM-C AT-D was seen over time (all p Conclusion: MM-C have generally decreased AF-D due to improved therapeutics although AA continue to have the highest rates of MM-C. Our data shows that utilization and cost of MM care have increased tremendously with resulting improved outcomes, but significant racial disparities persist. These disparities may be in part due to impaired access to new agents from lack of supplemental insurance for certain racial groups. Drug utilization and cost of care disparities may also be due to differences in co-morbidities, MM-C or access leading to differential healthcare utilization and should be explored in order to ameliorate disparities in outcomes. Download : Download high-res image (145KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (158KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures Ailawadhi: Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Amgen Inc: Consultancy; Takeda Oncology: Consultancy.
Comparison of Halstead-Reitan and Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Batteries

The field of neuropsychology is one in which the data base is growing at an explosive rate. The tools used to attempt to measure and understand complex human brain-behavior relationships remain varied. Presently, two test batteries have gained wide acceptance by clinicians favoring a standard-battery approach. The two batteries, the Halstead-Reitan Battery (HRB) and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) will be examined in this chapter in a comparison of research data from studies using both batteries with the same group of patients.
Coarse Ricci Curvature as a Function on $$\varvec{M\times M}$$

We use the framework used by Bakry and Emery in their work on logarithmic Sobolev inequalities to define a notion of coarse Ricci curvature on smooth metric measure spaces alternative to the notion proposed by Y. Ollivier. This function can be used to recover the Ricci tensor on smooth Riemannian manifolds by the formula $$\begin{aligned} \mathrm {Ric}(\gamma ^{\prime }\left( 0\right) ,\gamma ^{\prime }\left( 0\right) )=\frac{1}{2}\frac{{d}^{2}}{{d}s^{2}}\mathrm {Ric}_{\triangle _{g} }(x,\gamma \left( s\right) ) \end{aligned}$$ for any curve $$\gamma (s)$$ .
Neonatal Intracranial Ultrasound

Further significant progress has been made in the field of neonatal intracranial ultrasound using the anterior fontanelle approach. The mechanical sector scanner using a high-frequency 5- or 7-MHz transducer continues to be the optimal system for this area. Detailed correlations of ultrasound and pathological material have been made. A number of normal structures have been identified [3, 7].
Wide spectral tuning range in an Anderson localizing fiber laser

Wavelength sensitivity of Anderson localized modes in a disordered optical fiber is exploited to obtain a tunable fiber laser. The lasing wavelength varies upon excitation of various localized modes across the fiber.
Beyond LDL Cholesterol: The Role of Elevated Triglycerides and Low HDL Cholesterol in Residual CVD Risk Remaining After Statin Therapy

Managed care initiatives to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk have, to date, focused almost exclusively on statins, which are primarily low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering agents and have limited effects on triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol at commonly used doses. Significant residual CVD risk (ie, risk of recurrent CVD events) remains after treatment with statins and may stem, at least partially, from low HDL cholesterol and/or elevated triglycerides. Consequently, national treatment guidelines suggest that combination therapy may be necessary to address multiple lipid targets and adding niacin or a fibrate to a statin is a strategy to be considered. Recent clinical trial evidence has demonstrated the efficacy of niacin/statin and fenofibric acid/statin combination therapies in treating multiple lipid abnormalities.
Discovering Student Models with a Clustering Algorithm Using Problem Content

One of the key factors that affects automated tutoring systems in making instructional decisions is the quality of the student model built in the system. A student model is a model that can solve problems in various ways as human students. A good student model that matches with student behavior patterns often provides useful information on learning task difficulty and transfer of learning between related problems, and thus often yields better instruction on intelligent tutoring systems. However, traditional ways of constructing such models are often time consuming, and may still miss distinctions in content and learning that have important instructional implications. Automated methods can be used to find better student models, but usually require some engineering effort, and can be hard to interpret. In this paper, we propose an automated approach that finds student models using a clustering algorithm based on automaticallygenerated problem content features. We demonstrate the proposed approach using an algebra dataset. Experimental results show that the discovered model is as good as one of the best existing models, which is a model found by a previous automated approach, but without the knowledge engineering effort.
Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase as a biomarker for cannabinoid receptor 2 activation.

Abstract Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) is a therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases; its activation by agonists provides important clinical information, but there are currently no methods to quantify CB2R activation in humans. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells and mouse and human whole blood cells were used for experiments. CB2R was activated in cells by treatment with the agonist CP55,940. Cells were also pretreated with proprietary Compound A and B (experimental agonists). We developed our method based on the finding that CB2R ligand binding and activation stimulates acute-phase extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation in human and rodent immune cells, after which CB2R becomes unresponsive to stimulation by a second CB2R agonist CP55940 for a certain time period. We detected ERK phosphorylation as a measure of target engagement in mouse and human whole blood cells by flow cytometry. In cells overexpressing human or mouse CB2R, pretreatment with Compound A dose-dependently inhibited ERK phosphorylation for 2 h, prolonging the time window for measuring ERK phosphorylation. Our method enables measurement of CB2R activation by its agonists in human blood cells based on detection of ERK phosphorylation, which is useful for therapeutic drug monitoring and other clinical applications.
Developing attentional control in high school football: two case studies.

Attentional control (i.e., the capability to direct attention toward the most relevant information) is a psychological skill that has been researched extensively in the sport psychology and motor b...
Electron Decoupling with Chirped Microwave Pulses for Rapid Signal Acquisition and Electron Saturation Recovery

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) increases NMR sensitivity by transferring polarization from electron to nuclear spins. Herein, we demonstrate that electron decoupling with chirped microwave pulses enables improved observation of DNP-enhanced 13 C spins in direct dipolar contact with electron spins, thereby leading to an optimal delay between transients largely governed by relatively fast electron relaxation. We report the first measurement of electron longitudinal relaxation time (T1e ) during magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR by observation of DNP-enhanced NMR signals (T1e =40±6 ms, 40 mM trityl, 4.0 kHz MAS, 4.3 K). With a 5 ms DNP period, electron decoupling results in a 195 % increase in signal intensity. MAS at 4.3 K, DNP, electron decoupling, and short recycle delays improve the sensitivity of 13 C in the vicinity of the polarizing agent. This is the first demonstration of recovery times between MAS-NMR transients being governed by short electron T1 and fast DNP transfer.
Intelligent Analysis of Low-Count Scintillation Spectra Using Support Vector Regression and Fuzzy Logic

AbstractRadioisotope identification from low-count-rate spectra or spectra obtained through low-resolution detectors constitutes a challenging environment for accurate spectral analysis. The use of intelligent processing algorithms is a significant step in analyzing spectra, conceivably increasing the accuracy of the nuclide identification in such scenarios. This paper introduces an intelligent methodology for automated processing of low-count gamma-ray spectra acquired with a scintillation detector aimed at identifying radioisotope patterns, and it evaluates the performance of this methodology against a set of experimentally acquired gamma-ray spectra. The novel methodology adopts tools from the “artificial intelligence library” to preprocess the spectrum and subsequently identify radioisotopes. In particular, in the preprocessing step, the measured spectrum is divided into equally long energy intervals, whose values are replaced with those computed by a support vector regressor equipped with a linear ke...
Decoding Natural Positive Emotional Behaviors from Human Fronto-Temporal Mesolimbic Structures

Understanding the correlation between neural features and symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression, could provide objective measurements for diagnosis and facilitate clinical treatments. In this paper, we study the correlation of neural features with positive naturalistic emotional displays, e.g., smiling, in human subjects in a normal setup, without presenting any experimental stimuli to the subjects. We employed a data driven approach and utilized Random Forest classifiers to decode positive emotional displays from brain activity. Our results on all of our eight subjects show that neural features from mesolimbic circuits including cingulate, hippocampus, insula, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) can be used for decoding emotions (mean area under the ROC curve = 0.86 +− 0.04). The most important features based on the Random Forest models were mainly clustered in the gamma frequency band (30–100Hz) and low frequencies, with majority of them in theta band (4–8 Hz). These features were distributed across the limbic network, specific to each individual. Remarkably, the gamma cluster was selective to the positive emotions while the low frequency cluster showed selectivity to the neutral state. These results demonstrate that non-task-based emotions can be decoded from brain neuronal activity, and, may inform biomarker identification for objective symptom assessment in the treatment of severe mood disorders.
Teaching medical students to recognise and report errors

Background Medical student error reporting can potentially be increased through patient safety education, culture change and by teaching students how to report errors. There is scant literature on what kinds of errors students see during clinical rotations. The authors developed an intervention to better understand what kinds of errors students see and to train them to identify and report errors. Methods A safety curriculum was delivered during the Medicine clerkship for the academic year 2015–2016. Prior to the workshop, students completed a preintervention survey to determine whether they had reported a clinical error. Subsequently, they participated in an educational workshop. Facilitated discussions about conditions contributing to errors, types of errors, prevention of errors and importance of reporting followed. Students were required to submit a simulated error report about an error they personally observed. An end-of-year survey was sent to students who participated in the curriculum to determine clinical error reporting frequency. Results Students submitted 282 reports. Near miss errors were seen in 64% and adverse events in 36%. National Quality Forum serious events were reported in 14%, including one death. Recommendations to prevent similar events were weak (62%). Students correctly categorised 93% near miss, 88% adverse events, 67% diagnostic, 81% treatment and 78% preventative errors. On the preintervention survey, 8.5% stated they submitted an error report to their clinical site. On the end-of-year survey, 18% confirmed submitting a formal error report. Conclusion Training students to recognise and report errors can be successfully integrated into a clinical clerkship and impact clinical error reporting.
Hybrid quantum-dot microring laser on silicon

Future high-performance computers demand highly dynamic data rates, e.g., a few terabytes per second communication bandwidth between switch hubs, and hundreds of gigabytes per second bandwidth between nodes and hubs, in order to overcome the challenges to rapidly growing traffic. Integrated photonic interconnect on silicon is believed to be one of the best solutions for low-cost, energy efficient, and high-speed data communications because of its fundamental advantages in high-volume throughput and dense integration. Applied with signal multiplexing techniques, e.g., wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), large bandwidth data links have been proved to be achievable on silicon. In such a system, an on-chip, robust, low-power consumption laser source is the key component as well as one of the fundamental limits to the silicon platform. In this work, we report the first hybrid silicon microring lasers with quantum-dot (QD) gain material to show great potential for uncooled, highly energy efficient, and isolator-free operation. The hybrid silicon QD lasers have a microring cavity with a 50 μm diameter that incorporates InAs/GaAs QD gain material at a 1.3 μm emission wavelength. The threshold current is as low as 0.7 mA under continuous wave (CW) operation at room temperature, and the laser operates at stage temperatures of up to 70°C. We demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, a hybrid QD laser with non-return-to-zero (NRZ) communication at a record-high direct modulation rate of 15 Gb/s with energy efficiency of 1.2 pJ/bit. We believe this work shows huge benefits from superior QD lasing material and hybrid photonic integration not only for data communications but also optical memory and many other emerging applications.
Diagnostic Studies in Workup for Vocal Fold Paralysis: When and Why

This chapter will present varying paradigms regarding diagnostic testing in the workup of vocal fold paralysis. After thorough history-taking and physical exam, these tests should be considered to elucidate an underlying cause of vocal fold immobility. This evidence-based discussion will center around imaging studies, serologic studies, laryngeal electromyography (L-EMG), and office-based cricoarytenoid joint assessment. Several different imaging modalities will be compared including their benefits and limitations. Moreover, we will discuss follow-up for patients with idiopathic vocal fold paralysis and the potential role for repeat examination and testing. The utilization of L-EMG in vocal fold paralysis will be included specifically detailing indications and prognostic value. Lastly, we will ask the reader to consider serologic studies as part of diagnostic workup especially in cases of potential rheumatologic disease.
Fairness and Controlling for the Uncontrollable

Prior literature suggests that the welfare of principals and agents is increased by designing contracts that reduce the effect of uncontrollable factors on agents’ compensation. In this paper, we provide evidence that this is not always the case. Specifically, using two experiments, we show that when a favorable state of nature is realized, agents believe their compensation is less fair if they are compensated according to a state-dependent contract that reduces the effect of the state of nature on their compensation – even if they accepted the contract and viewed it as relatively fair ex ante. Furthermore, we provide evidence that this perceived unfairness can lead agents to take actions (e.g., misreporting) that adversely affect principals’ welfare. Combined, our evidence supports the notion that agents expect to be rewarded for uncontrollable factors that increase firm performance without being punished for uncontrollable factors that decrease firm performance.
Quantitative attenuation accuracy of virtual non-enhanced imaging compared to that of true non-enhanced imaging on dual-source dual-energy CT.

To evaluate the quantitative attenuation and reliability of virtual non-contrast (VNC) images of the abdomen acquired from multiphasic scans with a dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) system and compare it with that of true non-enhanced images (TNC) on second- (Flash) and third- (Force) generation DECT scanners. This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and included 123 patients with pancreatic cancer who had undergone routine clinical multiphasic DECT examinations at our institution using Flash and Force scanners between March and August 2017. VNC images of the abdomen were reconstructed from late arterial phase images. For every patient, regions-of-interest were defined in the aorta, fluid-containing structures (gallbladder, pleural effusion, and renal cysts > 10 mm), paravertebral muscles, subcutaneous fat, spleen, pancreas, renal cortex, and liver (eight locations) on TNC and VNC images. The mean attenuation of VNC was compared with TNC by organ for each CT scanner using an equivalence test and the Bland–Altman plot. The mean attenuations for TNC or VNC were compared between the Force and Flash CT scanners using a two-sample t test. The VNC attenuation of organs on the Force scanner was lower than was that on the Flash, and the mean attenuation difference in different organs on the Force was closer to 0. The estimated means of TNC and VNC were equivalent for an equivalence margin of 10 on the Force scanner. VNC images in DECT are a promising alternative to TNC images. In clinical scenarios in which non-enhanced CT images are required but are not available for accurate diagnosis, VNC images can potentially serve as an alternative to TNC images without the radiation exposure risks.
The art of youthful restraint: negotiating youth-adult relations in digital media literacy

Scholarship on youth digital media literacy programs has focused on how adults practice restraint as a means of allowing young people to exercise agency in decision-making experiences. Yet youth al...
Patients' and Providers' Needs and Preferences When Considering Fertility Preservation Before Cancer Treatment: Decision-Making Needs Assessment.

Background: As cancer treatments continue to improve, it is increasingly important that women of reproductive age have an opportunity to decide whether they want to undergo fertility preservation treatments to try to protect their ability to have a child after cancer. Clinical practice guidelines recommend that providers offer fertility counseling to all young women with cancer; however, as few as 12% of women recall discussing fertility preservation. The long-term goal of this program is to develop an interactive web-based patient decision aid to improve awareness, access, knowledge, and decision making for all young women with cancer. The International Patient Decision Aid Standards collaboration recommends a formal decision-making needs assessment to inform and guide the design of understandable, meaningful, and usable patient decision aid interventions. Objective: This study aims to assess providers’ and survivors’ fertility preservation decision-making experiences, unmet needs, and initial design preferences to inform the development of a web-based patient decision aid. Methods: Semistructured interviews and an ad hoc focus group assessed current decision-making experiences, unmet needs, and recommendations for a patient decision aid. Two researchers coded and analyzed the transcripts using NVivo (QSR International). A stakeholder advisory panel guided the study and interpretation of results. Results: A total of 51 participants participated in 46 interviews (18 providers and 28 survivors) and 1 ad hoc focus group (7 survivors). The primary themes included the importance of fertility decisions for survivorship, the existence of significant but potentially modifiable barriers to optimal decision making, and a strong support for developing a carefully designed patient decision aid website. Providers reported needing an intervention that could quickly raise awareness and facilitate timely referrals. Survivors reported needing understandable information and help with managing uncertainty, costs, and pressures. Design recommendations included providing tailored information (eg, by age and cancer type), optional interactive features, and multimedia delivery at multiple time points, preferably outside the consultation. Conclusions: Decision making about fertility preservation is an important step in providing high-quality comprehensive cancer care and a priority for many survivors’ optimal quality of life. Decision support interventions are needed to address gaps in care and help women quickly navigate toward an informed, values-congruent decision. Survivors and providers support developing a patient decision aid website to make information directly available to women outside of the consultation and to provide self-tailored content according to women’s clinical characteristics and their information-seeking and deliberative styles. Trial Registration:
Applying crisis standards of care to critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Does race/ethnicity affect triage scoring?

Abstract Objective Given the variability in crisis standards of care (CSC) guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the racial and ethnic differences in prioritization between 3 different CSC triage policies (New York, Massachusetts, USA), as well as a first come, first served (FCFS) approach, using a single patient population. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with intensive care unit (ICU) needs at a tertiary hospital on its peak COVID-19 ICU census day. We used medical record data to calculate a CSC score under 3 criteria: New York, Massachusetts with full comorbidity list (Massachusetts1), and MA with a modified comorbidity list (Massachusetts2). The CSC scores, as well as FCFS, determined which patients were eligible to receive critical care under 2 scarcity scenarios: 50 versus 100 ICU bed capacity. We assessed the association between race/ethnicity and eligibility for critical care with logistic regression. Results Of 211 patients, 139 (66%) were male, 95 (45%) were Hispanic, 23 (11%) were non-Hispanic Black, and 69 (33%) were non-Hispanic White. Hispanic patients had the fewest comorbidities. Assuming a 50 ICU bed capacity, Hispanic patients had significantly higher odds of receiving critical care services across all CSC guidelines, except FCFS. However, assuming a 100 ICU bed capacity, Hispanic patients had greater odds of receiving critical care services under only the Massachusetts2 guidelines (odds ratio, 2.05;95% CI, 1.09 to 3.85). Conclusion Varying CSC guidelines differentially affect racial and ethnic minority groups with regard to risk stratification. The equity implications of CSC guidelines require thorough investigation before CSC guidelines are implemented.
Problems of Plenty: The American Farmer in the Twentieth Century

Part 1 Preface ix Part 2 THE PROGRESSIVE ERA 3 Chapter 3 A regional survey. Age of prosperity. The Country Life movement. Agricultural organizations. Reformers, farmers, and the regulatory state. Agricultural education. Expansion of federal power. World War I. Part 4 THE AGE OF UNCERTAINTY 41 Chapter 5 Postwar decline. Science and technology. The Farm Bloc. The McNary-Haugen plan. The Agricultural Marketing Act. Part 6 THE NEW DEAL 67 Chapter 7 The Agricultural Adjustment Administration. The Commodity Credit Corporation. Dust Bowl. Resettlement and Farm Security. Rural electrification. The farm lobby. Part 8 PROSPERITY AND DECLINE 97 Chapter 9 World War II. Postwar problems. Science and technology. Agribusiness. Agricultural organizations. Part 10 FALLOUT 124 Chapter 11 The policy of dependency. Collapse. Embargo. Agricultural organizations. Science and technology. Part 12 CENTURY'S END 154 Chapter 13 Farm subsidies. Genetically modified crops. Agribusiness. Environmental concerns. A new agricultural policy. Part 14 A Note on Sources 175 Part 15 Index 183
Update in Internal Cardioverter Defibrillators

This chapter will describe some of the major technological advances in the field of internal cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy. In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the release of two transvenous leads, allowing the majority of ICD patients less intrusive surgery and a reduced length of hospital stay and shortened recovery time. (see appendix A). In addition, the third generation pulse generators were released, extending the advantage of tiered therapies to a broader patient population. These devices can not only defibrillate and cardiovert, but also have the capability of back-up ventricular demand pacing, anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) (burst or rapid overdrive pacing) and sophisticated programming options for ECG sensing and delivery of shocks and/or pacing stimuli (Table 1).
New macroeconomic modeling approaches: Hierarchical dynamics and mean-field approximation☆

Abstract This paper proposes hierarchical structures and mean-field approximation schemes as two potentially useful ways of modeling collective behavior in macroeconomics. Economics systems with hierarchically organized state spaces or agents can exhibit the sluggish response patterns typical of economic time series with unit or near-unit roots. We describe how such hierarchies may arise in several ways, and how dynamics can exhibit behavior with multiple time scales. Then, we describe the use of the mean-field approximation method to model a system composed of many (heterogeneous) agents subject to nonlocalized externalities, and give two brief examples.
Effects of temperature and prior flooding on intensity and sorption of phosphorus in soil

Effects of temperature and flooded-drained soil conditions on 0.01M CaCl2 extractable phosphorus (soluble P) were investigated in four soils over the period of 42 days after fertilizer-P application. These soils show severe induced P deficiency problem in crops following flooded rice culture. The effects of temperature on the reaction rate constants were determined and activation energy was calculated.
Future prospects for biomarkers of alcohol consumption and alcohol-induced disorders

The lack of reliable measures of alcohol intake is a major obstacle to the diagnosis, treatment, and research of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Successful development of a biomarker that allows for accurate assessment of alcohol intake and drinking patterns would not only be a major advance in clinical care but also a valuable research tool. A number of advances have been made in testing the validity of proposed biomarkers as well as in identifying potential new biomarkers through systems biology approaches. This commentary will examine the definition of a biomarker of heavy drinking, the types of potential biomarkers, the steps in biomarker development, the current state of biomarker development, and critical obstacles for the field. The challenges in developing biomarkers for alcohol treatment and research are similar to those found in other fields. However, the alcohol research field must reach a competitive level of rigor and organization. We recommend that NIAAA consider taking a leadership role in organizing investigators in the field and providing a common set of clinical specimens for biomarker validation studies.
Dynamic Supply Chain Structuring for Electronic Commerce Among Agents

Electronic commerce and the vast amounts of real-time information available through means of EDI and the Internet are reshaping the way enterprises conduct business. A new computational infrastructure and models are needed for a business to gain a competitive edge through effective use of this information base. One of the key issues in competing in the electronic marketplace is product/service differentiation. Currently there are no computational models for multi-issue decision making in electronic commerce.
A direct-methane fuel cell with a ceria-based anode

Fuel cells constitute an attractive power-generation technology that converts chemical energy directly and with high efficiency into electricity while causing little pollution. Most fuel cells require hydrogen as the fuel, but viable near-term applications will need to use the more readily available hydrocarbons, such as methane. Present-day demonstration power plants and planned fuel-cell electric vehicles therefore include a reformer that converts hydrocarbon fuel into hydrogen. Operating fuel cells directly on hydrocarbons would obviously eliminate the need for such a reformer and improve efficiency. In the case of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells, which have been studied for vehicle applications, the direct use of methanol fuel has been reported, but resulted in fuel permeating the electrolyte1,2. Solid oxide fuel cells — promising candidates for stationary power generation — can also use hydrocarbon fuel directly to generate energy, but this mode of operation resulted in either carbon deposition at high temperatures or poor power output at low operating temperatures3,4,5. Here we report the direct electrochemical oxidation of methane in solid oxide fuel cells that generate power densities upto 0.37 W cm−2 at 650 °C. This performance is comparable to that of fuel cells using hydrogen6,7 and is achieved by using ceria-containing anodes and low operating temperatures to avoid carbon deposition. We expect that the incorporation of more advanced cathodes would further improve the performance of our cells, making this solid oxide fuel cell a promising candidate for practical and efficient fuel-cell applications.
Mutant of Salmonella typhimurium That Channels Infecting Bacteriophage P22 Toward Lysogenization

A slowly growing, polymyxin-sensitive mutant of Salmonella typhimurium was isolated. Wild-type phage P22 form plaques on the mutant at 5 × 10−4, the frequency observed on wild-type hosts. All P22 clear mutants form plaques with near normal frequency. The inability of the mutant to form plaques is correlated with an increase in lysogenization frequency. The cause of the increased lysogenization frequency is not known, but it is not the result of overproduction of cyclic adenosine 5′-monophosphate.
Expression and gene sequence of outer surface protein C of Borrelia burgdorferi reisolated from chronically infected mice

OspC from Borrelia burgdorferi reisolated from mice persistently infected with cloned spirochetes was examined. In all cases, the sequence of the ospC gene was identical to that of the original inoculant. We conclude that variation of ospC is not necessary for evasion of the host immune system.
Rare Middle Mediastinal Paraganglioma Mimicking Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumor

Mediastinal paragangliomas are rare neural crest derived tumors that may produce symptoms of excess catecholamine production or mass effect. Paragangliomas can histologically mimic neuroendocrine tumors. Further, both can arise in similar locations. We report a patient who presented with a right upper lobe as well as middle mediastinal lesion. Preoperative biopsy as well as intraoperative frozen section of these lesions failed to distinguish between paraganlioma or neuroendocrine tumor, necessitating a right upper lobectomy and complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Final pathology revealed carcinoid tumorlets in the right upper lobe and a middle mediastinal paraganglioma.
Enhancement of Biocontrol of Blue Mold with the Nutrient Analog 2-Deoxy-d-Glucose on Apples and Pears

The glucose analog, 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DOG) enhanced biocontrol of blue mold (caused by Penicillium expansum), the most important postharvest disease of apples and pears. 2-DOG strongly inhibited P. expansum, and of the two antagonists investigated, Pseudomonas syringae was resistant to 2-DOG at 10 mg/ml whereas Sporobolomyces roseus was susceptible. A mutant of S. roseus resistant to 2-DOG was developed. Addition of 2-DOG at 4 mg/ml allowed more than a 10-fold reduction in the concentration of the antagonists applied to fruits without diminishing control. This effect was still apparent at an inoculum of 5 × 104 conidia of P. expansum per ml, which greatly exceeds concentrations found under normal commercial conditions. The effect of 2-DOG on biocontrol was stronger on apples than on pears. 2-DOG had no effect on populations of the antagonists, which increased greatly in wounds on apples and pears. The reduction in the concentration of the antagonists needed for control may improve the reliability and economy of the biocontrol system and may have a significant impact on commercialization of this new technology.
Multiple cis elements and GATA factors regulate a cuticle collagen gene in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Summary The cuticle of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a specialized extracellular matrix whose major component is collagen. Cuticle collagens are encoded by a large multigene family consisting of more than 150 members. Cuticle collagen genes are expressed in epidermis (hypodermis) and may be stage-specific or cyclically expressed. We identified cuticle collagen genes as transcriptional targets of the DBL-1 TGF-β-related signaling pathway. These studies prompted us to investigate the cis-regulatory sequences required for transcription of one of the target genes, col-41. We generated reporter constructs that reproduce stage- and tissue-specific expression of fluorescent markers. We identify four conserved sequence elements that are required for transcription of reporters. Finally, we provide evidence that col-41 expression is controlled by a sequence element containing two GATA sites and by the epidermal GATA transcription factors ELT-1 and ELT-3. genesis 53:278–284, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Esophageal leukoplakia: a rare cause of white patches in esophagus with malignant potential.

A white patch within the oral cavity, termed as oral leukoplakia, is a premalignant condition, with risk for progression to squamous cell carcinoma. An analogous condition in the esophagus is termed as esophageal leukoplakia. The malignant potential of esophageal leukoplakia is unknown despite its association with squamous cell carcinoma in few cases. On endoscopy, these lesions appear similar to those in the oral cavity, featuring well-demarcated white patches or plaques. A 75-year-old male was referred to us for evaluation of gastroesophageal reflux. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed esophagitis, and a well-demarcated white plaque in lower third of esophagus (Fig. 1), consistent with esophageal
The Roman ‘Clarification’ of the Doctrine of the Filioque

This article offers an exposition of a recent Roman Catholic document on the disputed issue of the Filioque, and of some of the discussion that has followed it. Drawing on the Council of Florence in particular, it is here argued that there is a danger of a watering down of the developed Western trinitarian position encapsulated in the Filioque. A way of holding on to the fullness of that tradition, whilst taking seriously the need for a fuller recognition of the decisive Eastern insight concerning the monarchy of the Father, is offered.
Frequency-Dependent Selection and Competition: Empirical Approaches

When Darwin and Wallace first formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection, they were greatly influenced by the idea that populations tend to increase geometrically and rapidly outgrow the resources available to them. They argued that the ensuing competition among individuals would be a major agent of natural selection. Since their day, competition has become almost synonymous with the idea of natural selection or survival of the fittest. In this paper we examine the relation between competition and selection by using simple competition models, consider the interaction of density and frequency in determining competitive outcome, and review the literature on frequency-dependent competitive interactions among genotypes within populations.
A spider and a fly in a web: Seeing myself in the details of praxis

Exposing the details of our teaching practices, how we interact with and respond to students, is essential to teaching from the heart. The author shares a self‐study of one teaching practice to highlight that by analysing praxis in detail, we can understand unique ways of teaching from the heart and come to understand ourselves. The analysis reveals consistent response patterns and missed opportunities to be present as a full participant in a reciprocal written conversation with students. It is in these findings that facets of the author's identity become visible. As she works to weave a web of connections between her students, her subject matter, and herself she finds that she is both a spider spinning a web and a fly caught in it.
AUGMENTED HISTAMINE TEST

Summary (1) The value of and the applications for the augmented histamine test are discussed. Proposals are put forth in reference to the nomenclature of gastric acid and the interpretation of the augmented histamine test for routine clinical purposes. (2) The results of the augmented histamine test in 14 patients with proven gastric ulcer and in 68 subjects with proven duodenal ulcer are presented. The mean acid outputs of men with gastric ulcer (all sites) for basal and histamine-stimulated secretion were about one-half that of men with duodenal ulcer. These differences were significant, statistically. (3) Duodenal ulcer patients with complications had a significantly higher maximal acid output to histamine than those without complication. The finding of a maximal acid output greater than 40 mEq/hr is highly suggestive of the presence or the imminence of a complication. (4) We prefer the use of the augmented histamine test as a routine gastric analysis procedure, since it is a quantitative test and, as such, gives reproducible acid output in the same individual, provides an estimate of the parietal cell mass, and gives a positive lead to the diagnosis of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Calcineurin in the postnatal striatum of the rat: an immunohistochemical study.

This report concerns the postnatal expression of calcineurin (CaN) in rat striatum. For this purpose an immunohistochemical procedure was used. In neonatal striatum CaN immunoreactivity was found in discrete patches composed of many immature cells. With development there was an increase in staining intensity and in the proportion of positively reacting cells. CaN expression and localization in the striatum of 22–25 day old rats were similar to those of adult animals.
The contribution of vibration—phonon interaction to the vibrational line-shape of diatomics in noble gas matrices

Abstract We examine the vibrational line-shape of an anharmonic, one-dimensional model of CO in argon. The width thus obtained is too small and is linearly dependent on temperature below 20K. The lattice-induced shift has the wrong sign and temperature dependece. We conclude that librations must be important.
Capturing essential understandings of the urban science learning environment

This research is distinctive in that a mixed-methods approach, employing both cogenerative dialogues and student responses from the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), was used to help to understand 9th grade urban students’ experiences in their biochemistry class in New York City. Factor analyses of student responses demonstrated that empirically there were four robust scales rather than five. Qualitative analyses, using cogenerative dialogues and informal interviewing, demonstrated that more adaptable forms of teaching, learning and assessing could support a variety of students. Shared with students, the contents of the CLES and cogenerative dialogues created opportunities for understanding ontologies and helped to create, access and appropriate resources that assist in bringing about success in the science classroom.
Impact of Cultural Exposure and Message Framing on Oral Health Behavior: Exploring the Role of Message Memory.

Background. Health messages are more effective when framed to be congruent with recipient characteristics, and health practitioners can strategically choose message features to promote adherence to recommended behaviors. We present exposure to US culture as a moderator of the impact of gain-frame versus loss-frame messages. Since US culture emphasizes individualism and approach orientation, greater cultural exposure was expected to predict improved patient choices and memory for gain-framed messages, whereas individuals with less exposure to US culture would show these advantages for loss-framed messages. Methods. 223 participants viewed a written oral health message in 1 of 3 randomized conditions— gain-frame, loss-frame, or no-message control—and were given 10 flosses. Cultural exposure was measured with the proportions of life spent and parents born in the US. At baseline and 1 week later, participants completed recall tests and reported recent flossing behavior. Results. Message frame and cultural exposure interacted to predict improved patient decisions (increased flossing) and memory maintenance for the health message over 1 week; for example, those with low cultural exposure who saw a loss-frame message flossed more. Incongruent messages led to the same flossing rates as no message. Memory retention did not explain the effect of message congruency on flossing. Limitations. Flossing behavior was self-reported. Cultural exposure may only have practical application in either highly individualistic or collectivistic countries. Conclusions .I n health care settings where patients are urged to follow a behavior, asking basic demographic questions could allow medical practitioners to intentionally communicate in terms of gains or losses to improve patient decision making and treatment adherence. Key words: oral health; memory; culture; acculturation; message frame. (Med Decis Making XXXX;XX:xx–xx)
Control by Basal Phosphorylation of Cell Cycle-Dependent, Hormone-Induced Glucocorticoid Receptor Hyperphosphorylation

Mouse glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) are phosphorylated in the N-terminal domain at serine/ threonine residues, most lying in consensus sequences for cell cycle-associated kinases. Glucocorticoid agonists, but not antagonists, induce hyperphosphorylation. Phosphorylation of GRs overexpressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells is cell cycle-dependent: basal phosphorylation in S phase is one third that in G2/M; glucocorticoids induce hyperphosphorylation in S but not G2/M, paralleling the reported sensitivity in S and resistance in G2/M of proliferating cells to transcriptional activation by glucocorticoids. This parallel led us to investigate what controls hyperphosphorylation. We tested three hypotheses: hyperphosphorylation is controlled by 1) negative charge due to basal GR phosphorylation, being permitted in S by low charge and blocked in G2/M by high charge; 2) presence in S and absence in G2/M of required kinases; 3) availability in S and lack in G2/M of unoccupied phosphorylatable sites. Our results are inconsistent with 2) and 3), but strongly support 1). GR mutants with alanines (A7GR) or glutamates (E7GR) replacing all but one phosphorylated site were overexpressed in CHO cells. Serine 122 remained intact to report GR phosphorylation. Consistent with hypothesis 1, with A7GRs hormone-induced hyperphosphorylation occurred in both S and G2/M (thus revealing kinase activity for hyperphosphorylation of at least serine 122 in both phases), whereas with E7GRs it occurred in neither phase. We conclude that basal GR phosphorylation controls hormone-induced GR hyperphosphorylation by modulating negative charge in the N-terminal domain and could potentially control other cell cycle-dependent GR properties.
Shadow enhancers as a source of evolutionary novelty.

Some developmentally important genes can be regulated via two enhancers, one located nearby and the other, a "shadow" enhancer, 10 to 20 kilobases away.
Drift velocities and magnetic deflection in CF4 based gases

Abstract Measured in magnetic fields of 0–1 T and electric fields of up to 6 kV/cm, we present the drift velocity and the magnetic deflection angle for 39 CF 4 based gases with admixtures of CH 4 , C 2 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , iC 4 H 10 , and CO 2 . The behavior of the velocities under magnetic fields can be understood by an effective scaling law. For comparison, we give a figure-of-merit for the deflection of different mixtures.
MINDO/3 Study of N-Substituted Monocyclic β-Lactam Structures†

Molecular orbital computer experiments are used to determine the conformational preferences of N-R-3-aminoazetidin-2-ones, where R is methyl or vinyl. These structures, which model both monocyclic and bicyclic antibacterial agents, are found to be most stable when the R substituent is coplanar with the four-membered ring. Only 1–2 kcal/mole and 5–7 kcal/mole are required to twist the model structures into conformations with the CC-NCR dihedral angle around the β-lactam C-N bond equal to that in Δ3-cephalosporins and penicillins, respectively. Twisting is shown to weaken the C-N bond and to make the carbonyl more susceptible to nucleophilic attack. Implications of the results to understanding structure-activity relationships of β-lactam antibiotics are discussed. The MINDO/3 method predicts the inversion barrier of NH3 satisfactorily at about 6 kcal/mole.
Extended abstract: A high-performance, low-overhead, power-analysis-resistant, single-rail logic style

Differential power analysis (DPA) has been shown to be an effective attack on cryptographic systems capable of revealing secret data by measuring power consumption. DPA-resistant circuits currently incur severe penalties in terms of performance, area, and power - as much as 4times in each. Additionally, most are dual-rail logic families, which can require careful attention to wire routing to ensure balanced output loads. We present three-phase single-rail precharge logic (TSPL), a single-rail dynamic logic family with high DPA resistance and significantly lower overheads in performance, area, and power than other DPA-resistant logic styles.