cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diversity of maize shoot apical meristem architecture and its relationship to plant morphology

The shoot apical meristem contains a pool of undifferentiated stem cells and controls initiation of all aerial plant organs. In maize (Zea mays), leaves are formed throughout vegetative development; on transition to floral development, the shoot meristem forms the tassel. Due to the regulated balance between stem cell maintenance and organogenesis, the structure and morphology of the shoot meristem are constrained during vegetative development. Previous work identified loci controlling meristem architecture in a recombinant inbred line population. The study presented here expanded on this by investigating shoot apical meristem morphology across a diverse set of maize inbred lines. Crosses of these lines to common parents showed varying phenotypic expression in the F1, with some form of heterosis occasionally observed. An investigation of meristematic growth throughout vegetative development in diverse lines linked the timing of reproductive transition to flowering time. Phenotypic correlations of meristem morphology with adult plant traits showed an association between the meristem and flowering time, leaf shape, and yield traits, revealing links between the control and architecture of undifferentiated and differentiated plant organs. Finally, quantitative trait loci mapping was utilized to map the genetic architecture of these meristem traits in two divergent populations. Control of meristem architecture was mainly population-specific, with 15 total unique loci mapped across the two populations with only one locus identified in both populations.
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Potentially Underrecognized Association With Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, Severe Sepsis, and Septic Shock in Adults

Background Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) was originally described as a genetic disorder of immune regulation, presenting in neonates with protracted fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and cytopenia. A secondary form of HLH, triggered by serious infections, was subsequently described in adults. Methods We report three adult patients who presented with systemic inflammatory response syndrome and features consistent with severe sepsis and septic shock, who subsequently received a diagnosis of secondary HLH. We reviewed the relationship between infection-triggered HLH and septic shock from the perspective of the adult intensivist. Results The hyperinflammatory pathophysiologic characteristics of HLH and septic shock are closely intertwined. Clinical and laboratory features of HLH and septic shock overlap in some patients, making the syndromes difficult to distinguish. In our experience and review, progressive pancytopenia was the feature most likely to suggest secondary HLH in the adult patient with presumed (or definite) septic shock. Use of other HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria is hindered by the poor operating characteristics of these tests in critically ill adults. Bone marrow aspiration is the most useful diagnostic test, but may yield an initial false-negative result. Conclusion The HLH-2004 treatment protocol is not of proven benefit in critically ill adults, but observational data suggest that aggressive immunosuppressive therapy should not be delayed. Further study of HLH in the critical care setting might provide important insights into the pathogenesis and clinical treatment of sepsis.
Clinical outcomes of solid organ transplant recipients with ehrlichiosis.

Because of our experience with severe Ehrlichia infections in lung transplant recipients, we reviewed all cases of ehrlichiosis in solid organ transplant recipients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Between 1996 and 2007, 25 cases of ehrlichiosis were identified. We retrospectively collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and outcomes data, and we compared the 5 cases in lung transplant recipients with 20 cases in other solid organ transplant recipients (heart, 2; kidney, 13; liver, 5). The presenting symptoms in the majority of both groups consisted of fever and headache. Clinical outcomes were worse in the lung transplant group and included a greater need for intensive care unit treatment (80% vs. 20%, P = 0.02), longer length of hospital stay (21 vs. 5 days, P = 0.02), and propensity to develop acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome (60 % vs. 10 %, P = 0.04). No mortalities occurred in either group of patients. In an endemic area, ehrlichiosis is not unusual in solid organ transplant recipients, and lung transplant recipients tend to have a more severe illness.
An Evolutionary Response to Adult Learners: The Urban Small College

This paper explores the emergence of a new species of institution-the urban small college-which is distinguished in part by degree programs for adults. The discussion is intended to be a useful resource for academic and student service personnel at these small colleges who, usually without any training in adult education, must develop programs for local, working adults and integrate them with their existing curricula and services for traditional-aged, residential students. Five specific recommendations are made based on a transcript study of graduates at an urban small college in Portland, Oregon.
I Tax You Tax; Quality of Life and Self Taxation

Citizens are occasionally asked to make specific policy decisions that elected officials are either unable or unwilling to make directly. Among the most common policies where specific voter approval is sought is the leveling of new taxes at the local level. I find that the quality of life of local communities is used by voters in deciding whether to support local tax increases.
Topical Versus Chronological Organization of Lifespan Development Does It Make a Difference in Student Retention and Understanding

This study aimed to determine whether taking a chronological approach (CA) or topical approach (TA) to teaching developmental psychology resulted in different learning outcomes. Across two semesters, in four classes, 354 students participated (Mage = 19.76, SDage = 2.93 years), 66% identifying as female. One instructor taught one course type across the two semesters. Identical information about Piaget’s theory was presented in each condition. Around 5 weeks after instruction, concept checks were administered to measure understanding. Exam performance was also compared across courses, as were instructor evaluations. The data suggest that CA-instructed students may be better able to comprehend more difficult concepts. This is informative for instructors with the option of presenting information in contrasting ways and may inform textbook choices.
A procedure for verifying security against type confusion attacks

A type confusion attack is one in which a principal accepts data of one type as data of another. Although it has been shown by Heather (et al., 2000) that there are simple formatting conventions that will guarantee that protocols are free from simple type confusions in which fields of one type are substituted for fields of another, it is not clear how well they defend against more complex attacks, or against attacks arising from interaction with protocols that are formatted according to different conventions. In this paper we show how type confusion attacks can arise in realistic situations even when the types are explicitly defined in at least some of the messages, using examples from our recent analysis of the Group Domain of Interpretation Protocol. We then develop a formal model of types that can capture potential ambiguity of type notation, and outline a procedure for determining whether or not the types of two messages can be confused. This work extends our earlier work on the subject in that it includes an explicit model of attacker and defender and extends the informal model of the type confusion attacks in terms of a game between an intruder and a set of honest principals in or earlier work to a more formal model in which actions of intruder and honest principals are described explicitly. This gives us a simpler, more intuitive approach that allows us to calculate probabilities in a more systematic manner, and to compare different intruder strategies and different assumptions about the way in which the protocol is implemented in terms of their effects on type confusion.
New ballasting method for MOS output drivers and power bus clamps

New layout styles for MOSFET output drivers and power bus ESD clamps are shown, which provide ballasting with reduced layout area and drain capacitance than the traditional method of using a salicide, blocked drain resistor. Also, an N well ring is placed inside the P+ substrate tie ring of an NFET to increase channel to substrate resistance and improve snap-back conduction uniformity.
Alterations in progesterone receptor membrane component 2 (PGRMC2) in the endometrium of macaques afflicted with advanced endometriosis

The hormonally driven expression and cell-specific localization patterns of the progesterone receptor membrane compo- nents (PGRMC1 and PGRMC2) in the macaque endometrium during the menstrual cycle are unknown. Additionally, the expression and localization patterns of PGRMC1 and PGRMC2 in the secretory eutopic endometrium of primates afflicted with endometriosis are also unknown. Therefore, we used real-time PCR to quantify transcript expression levels of the PGRMCs in well-defined samples of endometrium collected from artificially cycled macaques during the menstrual cycle, and in the secretory phase endometrium of naturally cycling macaques afflicted with endometriosis. In situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry were used to localize PGRMC1 and PGRMC2 mRNA and protein, respectively. We compared the patterns of expression and localization of the PGRMCs with the expression and localization patterns of nuclear progesterone receptor (PGR). PGRMC1 and PGR were elevated during the proliferative phases of the cycle, and then declined to nearly undetectable levels during the late secretory phase of the cycle. Levels of PGRMC2 were lowest during the proliferative phases of the cycle and then increased markedly during the secretory phases. Strong staining for PGRMC2 was localized to the luminal and glandular epi- thelia during the secretory phases. When compared with artificially cycled disease-free animals, macaques with endometriosis exhibited no changes in the expression or localization patterns for PGR and PGRMC1 but exhibited strikingly reduced levels of PGRMC2 transcript and altered intracellular staining patterns for the PGRMC2 protein. Collectively, these results suggest that membrane-bound PGRMC2 may provide a pathway of action that could potentially mediate the non-genomic effects of progesterone on the glandular epithelia during the secretory phase of the cycle. Further, reduced levels of membrane-bound PGRMC2 may be associated with the progesterone insensitivity often observed in the endometrium of primates afflicted with endometriosis.
F-region effects of solar eclipse at sunrise, September 1 , 1951

The annular eclipse of September 1, 1951 started before ground surmise along the east coast of the United States but did not reach maximum phase until later. Three high-speed ionospheric stations were operated by the D.T.M., C.I.W. for the eclipse observations. Locations at Charlottesville, Virginia, Derwood, Maryland, and Chincoteague, Virginia established a west-to-east chain with local time difference of approximately twelve minutes. The maximum phase of eclipse occurred at a time (twenty to thirty minutes after ground sunrise) when normal rate of production of ionization (established by control observations) was very high. The results show absence of any ion production at any station for a period of approximately one-half hour centered on time of eclipse maximum. From the moment when two-thirds of the sun was covered, through the maximum phase ( \pm 94 per cent), and until one-third of the sun was uncovered, no ionization was generated. Several possible explanations are discussed: (1) Emitting sources near center of sun's disc; (2) Uniform solar emission, but an effective limb darkening; (3) An atmosphere on the moon.
Multiple mechanisms generate Lorentzian and 1/fα power spectra in daily stream-flow time series

Abstract Power-law scaling is an ubiquitous feature of the power spectrum of streamflow on the daily to monthly timescales where the spectrum is most strongly affected by hydrologic catchment-scale processes. Numerous mechanistic explanations for the emergence of this power-law scaling have been proposed. This study employs empirical spectra obtained for eight river basins in the South Eastern US and synthetic spectra generated from a range of proposed mechanisms to explore these explanations. The empirical analysis suggested that streamflow spectra were characterized by multiple power-law scaling regimes with high-frequency exponents α in the range −1 to −5. In the studied basins, α tended to increase with drainage area. The power-law generating mechanisms analyzed included linear and nonlinear catchment water balance arguments, power-law recession behavior, autonomous and non-autonomous responses of channel hydraulics and the n-fold convolution of linear reservoirs underpinning Dooge or Nash hydrographs. Of these mechanisms, only n-fold convolutions with n = 2 or 3 generated power spectra with features that were consistent with the empirical cases. If the effects of daily streamflow sampling on truncating power spectra were considered, then the trends in α with drainage area were also consistent with this mechanism. Generalizing the linear convolution approach to a network of reservoirs with randomly distributed parameters preserved the features of the power spectrum and maintained consistency with empirical spectra.
Using zero-rate feedback on binary additive channels with individual noise sequences

Recently, Shayevitz and Feeler introduced an individual sequence formulation of channel coding under model uncertainty and an elegant coding strategy that adapts Horstein's scheme to this setting to achieve the empirical capacity of the channel. Their scheme requires both full-rate output feedback and common randomness. We present a strategy in the style of Hybrid ARQ that requires no output feedback by using common randomness and zero-rate active feedback. This strategy still asymptotically achieves the empirical capacity.
Monolithic Integration of a 4H-Silicon Carbide Vertical JFET and a JBS Diode

In many applications, it is desirable to integrate a power switch with an antiparallel diode on the same chip. In this letter, the monolithic integration of a silicon carbide vertical junction field-effect transistor (VJFET) with a junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diode is achieved, and the device is characterized at high voltage. The fabrication process involves no additional steps to that of the VJFET. The VJFET integrated with the JBS diode is measured up to 834 V when turned off and has a specific on-state resistance of 7.8 mΩ · cm2 at 100 A/cm2 when turned on. In addition to validating the high-voltage integration of the freewheeling diode with the power switch, reverse conduction shown here through the integrated diode and the JFET channel can be used in synchronous rectification to significantly reduce the device conduction loss.
Exposure to residual concentrations of elements from a remediated coal fly ash spill does not adversely influence stress and immune responses of nestling tree swallows

Anthropogenic activities often produce pollutants that can affect the physiology, growth and reproductive success of wildlife. Many metals and trace elements play important roles in physiological processes, and exposure to even moderately elevated concentrations of essential and non-essential elements could have subtle effects on physiology, particularly during develop ment. We examined the effects of exposure to a number of elements from a coal fly ash spill that occurred in December 2008 and has since been remediated on the stress and immune responses of nestling tree swallows. We found that nestlings at the site of the spill had significantly greater blood concentrations of Cu, Hg, Se and Zn in 2011, but greater concentrations only of Se in 2012, in comparison to reference colonies. The concentrations of elements were below levels of significant toxicological concern in both years. In 2011, we found no relationship between exposure to elements associated with the spill and basal or stress-induced corticosterone concentrations in nestlings. In 2012, we found that Se exposure was not associated with cellmediated immunity based on the response to phytohaemagglutinin injection. However, the bactericidal capacity of nestling plasma had a positive but weak association with blood Se concentrations, and this association was stronger at the spill site. Our results indicate that exposure to these low concentrations of elements had few effects on nestling endocrine and immune physiology. The long-term health consequences of low-level exposure to elements and of exposure to greater element concentrations in avian species require additional study.
On the evolution of Cs droplets in SIMS craters

The evolution of cesium droplets on silicon by Cs ion bombardment has been studied. For this work, a (100) Si substrate was sputtered with a 5 keV Cs+ primary ion beam at 45° until steady state was established. The evolution of Cs droplets was investigated under in situ O2 (oxygen jet) and ex situ atmospheric exposure conditions for controlled times. Additionally, the effect of sample heating on Cs droplets was also studied. The techniques used to characterize the Cs droplets were scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Our results indicate that Cs droplets evolve through a series of different morphologies before reaching their final form, and the rate of evolution depends strongly on environment (O2 or atmosphere) and the length of exposure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficient distributed algorithms for leader election in complete networks

An efficient protocol for leader election in an asynchronous complete network is presented. The time complexity of the protocol is better than the currently known protocols for this problem. A message optimal protocol is presented that requires O(N/log N) time, where N is the number of nodes in the network. Also given is family of protocols with message and time complexities O(Nk) and O(N/k) respectively, where log N >
Pulmonary Vascular Changes with Chronic Unilateral Pulmonary Hypoxia

One main bronchus was ligated in each of twelve dogs and three calves. In eight of the animals, the bronchus reopened spontaneously with a 2 to 4 mm aperture permitting re-expansion of the associated lung. Both smooth muscle hyperplasia and hypertrophy developed in small arteries of the poorly ventilated dog lungs. In the calves, muscular hyperplasia and hypertrophy developed in small pulmonary veins of the hypoxic lungs. Since arterial pressures and pulmonary arterial oxygen saturation were presumably identical in hypoxic and control lungs, changes in vascular muscle are postulated to be the result of altered oxygen tension of the surrounding alveolar gas.
Studies on growth of the mink blastocyst

In those mammals in which implantation is delayed, the embryo enters a diapause at the blastocyst stage. The present report describes experiments with mink over the last three breeding seasons, attempting to define the factors that limit development at this stage. Four approaches to the problem were used: (1) determination of growth of mink blastocysts in vitro with specific modifications of media; (2) transplantation of mink embryos to rabbit uteri; (3) direct treatment of pregnant female mink with ergosterol; (4) growth of rabbit blastocysts in vitro in medium containing mink serum. (1) The culture methods used for mink embryos were those developed for the rabbit and described in earlier publications (Daniel, 1963, 1965). Mink blastocysts (Plate 1) were isolated in culture medium after being flushed from the uteri of mothers bred 9-20 days earlier. Various components were added to the medium, F10 (Ham, 1963), in concentrations that were previously tested against rabbit blastocysts and found to be non-toxic, and, in some cases, beneficial to growth.
Population-based geographic access to endocrinologists in the United States, 2012

Increases in population and life expectancy of Americans may result in shortages of endocrinologists by 2020. This study aims to assess variations in geographic accessibility to endocrinologists in the US, by age group at state and county levels, and by urban/rural status, and distance. We used the 2012 National Provider Identifier Registry to obtain office locations of all adult and pediatric endocrinologists in the US. The population with geographic access to an endocrinologist within a series of 6 distance radii, centered on endocrinologist practice locations, was estimated using the US Census 2010 block-level population. We assumed that persons living within the same circular buffer zone of an endocrinologist location have the same geographic accessibility to that endocrinologist. The geographic accessibility (the percentage of the population with geographic access to at least one endocrinologist) and the population-to-endocrinologist ratio for each geographic area were estimated. By using 20 miles as the distance radius, geographic accessibility to at least one pediatric/adult endocrinologist for age groups 0–17, 18–64, and ≥65 years was 64.1 %, 85.4 %, and 82.1 %. The overall population-to-endocrinologist ratio within 20 miles was 39,492:1 for children, 29,887:1 for adults aged 18–64 years, and 6,194:1 for adults aged ≥65 years. These ratios varied considerably by state, county, urban/rural status, and distance. This study demonstrates that there are geographic variations of accessibility to endocrinologists in the US. The areas with poorer geographic accessibility warrant further study of the effect of these variations on disease prevention, detection, and management of endocrine diseases in the US population. Our findings of geographic access to endocrinologists also may provide valuable information for medical education and health resources allocation.
Osteoarthritis Year in Review 2015: Clinical

The purpose of this review is to highlight clinical research in osteoarthritis (OA). A literature search was conducted using PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) with the search terms "osteoarthritis [All Fields] AND treatment [All Fields]" and the following limits activated: humans, English language, all adult 19+ years, published between April 1, 2014 and April 1, 2015. A second literature search was then conducted with the search terms "osteoarthritis [All Fields] AND epidemiology [All Fields]", with the same limits. Reports of surgical outcome, case series, surgical technique, tissue sample or culture studies, trial protocols, and pilot studies were excluded. Of 1523, 150 were considered relevant. Among epidemiologic and observational clinical studies, themes included physical activity, early knee OA, and confidence/instability/falls. Symptom outcomes of pharmacologic treatments were reported for methotrexate, adalimumab, anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibodies, strontium ranelate, bisphosphonates, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate, and structural outcomes of pharmacologic treatments for strontium ranelate, recombinant human fibroblast growth factor 18, and glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Symptom outcomes of non-pharmacologic interventions were reported for: neuromuscular exercise, quadriceps strengthening, weight reduction and maintenance, TENS, therapeutic ultrasound, stepped care strategies, cognitive behavior therapy for sleep disturbance, acupuncture, gait modification, booster physical therapy, a web-based therapeutic exercise resource center for knee OA; hip physical therapy for hip OA; and joint protection and hand exercises for hand OA. Structure outcomes of non-pharmacologic interventions were reported for patellofemoral bracing.
Atlas of Orthopaedic Surgical Exposures.

Christopher Jordan and Edwin Mirzabeigi. New York: Thieme Medical; 2000. 218 pages. $149.00. The authors provide two reasons for having written this text: to more closely approximate the visual and technical realism found in actual patients at surgery, and to describe the anatomical landmarks and point out how to avoid problems with each approach. Sections I through VI cover the upper extremity from the shoulder to the hand, sections VII through XII cover the lower extremity from the hip to the foot, and section XIII covers the spine. Each section is organized into seven subsections: “Uses,” “Advantages,” “Disadvantages,” “Structures at Risk,” “Technique,” “Tricks,” and “How to Tell if You Are Lost.” The text’s strengths include the color photographs that are used throughout to illustrate the anatomical areas. The structures in each set of photographs are labeled with use of a numerical system, and each is accompanied by a legend. This provides a good visual reference …
Total Quality Managemet (TQM): Implementation and Common Pitfalls

This paper examines the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM), various implementation procedures, and common pitfalls. TQM means that the organization’s culture is defined by and supports the constant attainment of customer satisfaction through an integrated system of tools, techniques, and training. TQM can be regarded as a continuous, customer-centered, employee-driven improvement and is embedded in the organization’s culture. If not implemented properly, TQM often leads to the alienation of the workforce and decreased customer satisfaction. We also examine issues related to the quality of products and services, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and creating a “win-win” situation for the organization’s stakeholders.
What Factors Are Associated With Failure of Compressive Osseointegration Fixation

Background Compressive osseointegration is as an alternative to traditional intramedullary fixation. Two- to 10-year survivorship and modes of failure have been reported; however, as a result of relatively small numbers, these studies are limited in their ability to identify risk factors for failure.
Policy management and interoperation through negotiation in ubiquitous computing

Ubiquitous computing environments consist of autonomous domains that are not administered centrally and have independent goals and policies. These domains, which could be single mobile devices or networks of devices, are capable of communicating through standardized protocols and identifying external services. But true spontaneous interoperation leading to policy-compliant resource and service access agreements across domains is yet to be realized. The large number of possible interaction contexts, resource heterogeneity, and differing security policies of the domains make the use of application level protocols for every scenario impractical and non-scalable. Also, every domain cannot expect to identify or have a pre-arranged trust relationship with every other domain. We have designed and implemented a generic negotiation protocol based on illocutionary speech acts that enables domains to reach resource and service access agreements. This protocol is guided by the local private policies of each domain, which specify system invariants, goals, resource usage, and security constraints, in a declarative logical language. Negotiation was achieved within a broader policy management and mediation framework, which was designed and implemented as part of the Panoply ubiquitous computing middleware. This framework also provides other services, including dynamic context-sensitive access control through message filtering and event-driven system responses. In this dissertation, I will describe mobile and ubicomp applications that benefit from policy management and negotiation, and show that the protocol performance is adequate for practical scenarios. I will show how the negotiation protocol was modeled as a distributed policy resolution, where neither negotiator is privy to the other's policies, and analyze its theoretical correctness properties. I will describe how random test cases were generated for the purpose of comparing negotiation performance to centralized policy resolution that is optimal in the number of negotiation steps. The results indicate the feasibility of using the negotiation protocol to generate agreements in ubicomp scenarios.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT CHANGE DURING HOSPITALIZATION FOR ACUTE HEART FAILURE AND PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS, MARKERS OF CONGESTION, AND OUTCOMES: FINDINGS FROM ASCEND-HF

The clinical course of body weight change during hospitalization for acute heart failure (HF) and its relationship with outcomes have not been well-characterized. A post-hoc analysis was performed of the ASCEND-HF trial, which enrolled patients admitted for acute HF. Spearman rank correlations of
Response of adrenals, thymus, spleen and leucocytes to shuttle box and confinement stress.

SummaryChanges in organ weights and leucocytes following daily exposure to emotionally disturbing shuttle box or confinement stress were consistently observed. Adrenal hypertrophy and drops in circ...
Leading Change: A Case Study of Leadership Practices from the Development of the Niagara County Community College Culinary Institute.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this case study was to evaluate the lessons learned from the development of a project that set out to revitalize an economically depressed area with an innovative approach to workforce development through partnerships. The focus was to utilize the development of the Niagara County Community College Culinary Institute as an example of established leadership practices; strategies for overcoming challenges faced by leadership; and directions for future replication of similar projects in community college settings. Results from this study supported the following considerations for community college leaders: (a) Resource Dependency Theory as a framework in identifying resource relationships within the environment; (b) the Model of Market Responsive Institutions as a strategy when successfully applying Resource Dependency Theory; (c) American Association of Community College Leadership Competencies as a replicable guide; and (d) the distributed leadership model as a supported framework in...
PRELIMINARY DISCUSSING ABOUT THE WAY OF USING MATERIALS OF XIN-XU AND SHUO-YUAN

The new sequence of liuxiang compiled Xin-xu and Shuo-yuan said deco aims to argue.Two books for material mane is not disorderly arranged.After careful study,which is the first can be found in collecting material,then the layout of clear theme.Therefore,the materials(" chapters "),is often in a theme of distribution,also can be used by a thought.In turn,these materials in the format and have strengthened,the main form contrast,coherent,etc.In addition,the second book in a series of incidents mane is approximately the same plots of materials,sometimes an end,then another,rarely pause or transition.As such,is the story of coherent designedly for strengthening the theme.
How Well Can We Detect Shifts in Rates of Lineage Diversification? A Simulation Study of Sequential AIC Methods

Evolutionary biologists have long been fascinated by the extreme differences in species numbers across branches of the Tree of Life. This has motivated the development of statistical phy- logenetic methods for detecting shifts in the rate of lineage diversification (speciation – extinction). One of the most frequently used methods—implemented in the program MEDUSA—explores a set of diversification-rate models, where each model uniquely assigns branches of the phylogeny to a set of one or more diversification-rate categories. Each candidate model is first fit to the data, and the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) is then used to identify the optimal diversification model. Surprisingly, the statistical behavior of this popular method is completely unknown, which is a concern in light of the poor performance of the AIC as a means of choosing among models in other phylogenetic comparative contexts, and also because of the ad hoc algorithm used to visit models. Here, we perform an extensive simulation study demonstrating that, as implemented, MEDUSA (1) has an extremely high Type I error rate (on average, spurious diversification-rate shifts are identi- fied 42% of the time), and (2) provides severely biased parameter estimates (on average, estimated net-diversification and relative-extinction rates are 183% and 20% of their true values, respectively). We performed simulation experiments to reveal the source(s) of these pathologies, which include (1) the use of incorrect critical thresholds for model selection, and (2) errors in the likelihood function. Understanding the statistical behavior of MEDUSA is critical both to empirical researchers—in order to clarify whether these methods can reliably be applied to empirical datasets—and to theoretical biologists—in order to clarify whether new methods are required, and to reveal the specific problems that need to be solved in order to develop more reliable approaches for detecting shifts in the rate of lineage diversification.
Echocardiographic Linear Dimensions for Assessment of Right Ventricular Chamber Volume as Demonstrated by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

Background Echocardiography-derived linear dimensions offer straightforward indices of right ventricular (RV) structure but have not been systematically compared with RV volumes on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Methods Echocardiography and CMR were interpreted among patients with coronary artery disease imaged via prospective (90%) and retrospective (10%) registries. For echocardiography, American Society of Echocardiography–recommended RV dimensions were measured in apical four-chamber (basal RV width, mid RV width, and RV length), parasternal long-axis (proximal RV outflow tract [RVOT]), and short-axis (distal RVOT) views. For CMR, RV end-diastolic volume and RV end-systolic volume were quantified using border planimetry. Results Two hundred seventy-two patients underwent echocardiography and CMR within a narrow interval (0.4 ± 1.0 days); complete acquisition of all American Society of Echocardiography–recommended dimensions was feasible in 98%. All echocardiographic dimensions differed between patients with and those without RV dilation on CMR ( P r = 0.70), proximal RVOT width ( r = 0.68), and RV length ( r = 0.61) yielded the highest correlations with RV end-diastolic volume on CMR; end-systolic dimensions yielded similar correlations ( r = 0.68, r = 0.66, and r = 0.65, respectively). In multivariate regression, basal RV width (regression coefficient = 1.96 per mm; 95% CI, 1.22-2.70; P P P r = 0.80). RV end-systolic volume was similarly associated with echocardiographic dimensions (basal RV width: 1.59 per mm [95% CI, 1.06-2.13], P P P r = 0.79). Conclusions RV linear dimensions provide readily obtainable markers of RV chamber size. Proximal RVOT and basal width are independently associated with CMR volumes, supporting the use of multiple linear dimensions when assessing RV size on echocardiography.
Radiotherapy with and without chemotherapy after breast conservation surgery for early stage breast cancer: a review of timing.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effects in women of the timing of breast irradiation (BI) in relation to the application or non-application of adjuvant chemotherapy after breast conservation surgery (BCS) for early stage cancer. METHODS Between October 1981 and June 1995, 47 women with stage I and II breast cancer underwent BCS. Twenty-six patients did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and 21 women did (AC). In the NAC group, BI commenced within (n = 9) or after (n = 17) seven weeks following BCS; in the AC group, 18 women received BI more than 24 weeks after BCS and three patients within 24 weeks. RESULTS In the NAC group, there was a trend toward more local and systemic failures plus a definite correlation with poorer survival (p = 0.05) when BI was initiated more than 7 weeks after BCS. In the AC group, the locoregional and systemic failures occurred only in women with a delay of BI exceeding 24 weeks; survival was not different between the subgroups. CONCLUSION An undue delay of BI should be avoided in patients after BCS whether they require adjuvant chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer or not.
Na+/K+-ATPase from spontaneously hypertensive rats

The kidney is very rich in Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) or sodium pump which, being responsible for the Na reabsorption, constitutes about 20% of the membrane protein. In view of its essential role in Na metabolism, the NKA is also suspected to be involved in the pathogenesis of low-renin hypertension, a disease associated with insufficient natriuresis (2). Since blood pressure rises in previously normotensive rats after implantation of kidneys from genetically hypertensive rats, and since similar correlations have been established in men, some pathogenic factors leading to essential hypertension could be renal as formulated by the concept of the “defective kidney” (1). In view of the pivotal role of NKA in renal salt handling we wished to look whether renal NKA of genetically hypertensive rats was altered in such a way as to account for the possibly enhanced renal Na reabsorption. Either qualitative or quantitative defects could cause enhanced Na-transport: normally expressed NKA with hyperaffinity for Na ions or hyperexpressed NKA with normal Na-affinity. To assess the NKA content of genetically hypertensive rats, NKA was isolated simultaneously and quantitatively from renal outer medulla, renal cortex and brain of genetically normo- and hypertensive rats and the protein recovery, specific activity and yield compared.
Sequence-selective recognition of double-stranded RNA and enhanced cellular uptake of cationic nucleobase and backbone-modified peptide nucleic acids

Sequence-selective recognition of complex RNAs in live cells could find broad applications in biology, biomedical research, and biotechnology. However, specific recognition of structured RNA is challenging, and generally applicable and effective methods are lacking. Recently, we found that peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) were unusually well-suited ligands for recognition of double-stranded RNAs. Herein, we report that 2-aminopyridine (M) modified PNAs and their conjugates with lysine and arginine tripeptides form strong (Ka = 9.4 to 17 × 107 M-1) and sequence-selective triple helices with RNA hairpins at physiological pH and salt concentration. The affinity of PNA-peptide conjugates for the matched RNA hairpins was unusually high compared to the much lower affinity for DNA hairpins of the same sequence (Ka = 0.05 to 1.1 × 107 M-1). The binding of double-stranded RNA by M-modified PNA-peptide conjugates was a relatively fast process (kon = 2.9 × 104 M-1 sec-1) compared to the notoriously slow triple helix formation by oligodeoxynucleotides (kon ∼ 103 M-1 sec-1). M-modified PNA-peptide conjugates were not cytotoxic and were efficiently delivered in the cytosol of HEK293 cells at 10 µM. Surprisingly, M-modified PNAs without peptide conjugation were also taken up by HEK293 cells, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first example of heterocyclic base modification that enhances the cellular uptake of PNA. Our results suggest that M-modified PNA-peptide conjugates are promising probes for sequence-selective recognition of double-stranded RNA in live cells and other biological systems.
Systolic Blood Pressure Reduction and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis

Importance Clinical trials have documented that lowering blood pressure reduces cardiovascular disease and premature deaths. However, the optimal target for reduction of systolic blood pressure (SBP) is uncertain. Objective To assess the association of mean achieved SBP levels with the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in adults with hypertension treated with antihypertensive therapy. Data Sources MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from inception to December 15, 2015, supplemented by manual searches of the bibliographies of retrieved articles. Study Selection Studies included were clinical trials with random allocation to an antihypertensive medication, control, or treatment target. Studies had to have reported a difference in mean achieved SBP of 5 mm Hg or more between comparison groups. Data Extraction and Synthesis Data were extracted from each study independently and in duplicate by at least 2 investigators according to a standardized protocol. Network meta-analysis was used to obtain pooled randomized results comparing the association of each 5–mm Hg SBP category with clinical outcomes after adjusting for baseline risk. Main Outcomes and Measures Cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Results Forty-two trials, including 144 220 patients, met the eligibility criteria. In general, there were linear associations between mean achieved SBP and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, with the lowest risk at 120 to 124 mm Hg. Randomized groups with a mean achieved SBP of 120 to 124 mm Hg had a hazard ratio (HR) for major cardiovascular disease of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.60-0.83) compared with randomized groups with a mean achieved SBP of 130 to 134 mm Hg, an HR of 0.58 (95% CI, 0.48-0.72) compared with those with a mean achieved SBP of 140 to 144 mm Hg, an HR of 0.46 (95% CI, 0.34-0.63) compared with those with a mean achieved SBP of 150 to 154 mm Hg, and an HR of 0.36 (95% CI, 0.26-0.51) compared with those with a mean achieved SBP of 160 mm Hg or more. Likewise, randomized groups with a mean achieved SBP of 120 to 124 mm Hg had an HR for all-cause mortality of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.58-0.93) compared with randomized groups with a mean achieved SBP of 130 to 134 mm Hg, an HR of 0.59 (95% CI, 0.45-0.77) compared with those with a mean achieved SBP of 140 to 144 mm Hg, an HR of 0.51 (95% CI, 0.36-0.71) compared with those with a mean achieved SBP of 150 to 154 mm Hg, and an HR of 0.47 (95% CI, 0.32-0.67) compared with those with a mean achieved SBP of 160 mm Hg or more. Conclusions and Relevance This study suggests that reducing SBP to levels below currently recommended targets significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. These findings support more intensive control of SBP among adults with hypertension.
Integrating STEM in elementary classrooms using model-eliciting activities: responsive professional development for mathematics coaches and teachers

This research highlights a school-university collaboration to pilot a professional development framework for integrating STEM in K-6 mathematics classrooms in a mid-Atlantic suburban school division. Because mathematics within STEM integration is often characterized as the calculations or the data representations in science classrooms, technology labs, or outside-of-school programs, developing a reasonable and realistic conceptualization of STEM integration for mathematics teachers and coaches may be especially challenging. Using design-based implementation research, university facilitators worked with eight mathematics teachers and coaches to construct an accessible vision of STEM integration built upon the design features of model-eliciting activities (MEAs). The research team strategized a flexible and fluid professional development that would (1) situate participants’ breadth of experiences on a STEM curriculum integration continuum; (2) elicit a new vision of STEM integration through open-ended mathematics problems with client-driven, real-life contexts; and (3) focus on making mathematics content explicit. Qualitative analysis of participant discussions and written reflections from a four-day summer institute indicates that the daily tailoring of the professional development design supported an evolving participant envisioning of STEM integration. Opportunities to engage with MEAs as learners, contrast MEAs with problem-based learning and draw from MEA design features to modify existing curricular tasks allowed participants to think more broadly about mathematics content within STEM integration. Participants communicated a readiness to use MEAs as a vehicle for K-6 STEM integration which maintains an important grounding in the teaching realities of grade-level standards and standardized test preparation. They also acknowledged the need for ongoing support as they considered the challenges of curricular pacing and administrative expectation. The researchers continued to support the school division during monthly academic-year professional development sessions as the teachers and coaches created and enacted prototype lessons. Their shared investment in building STEM integration capacity with a specific focus on mathematics content can offer a model for STEM integration using MEAs that challenges one-size-fits-all professional development, encourages STEM instructional leadership, and promotes mathematical readiness for STEM citizenship and careers.
Biological Microanalysis Using SIMS — A Review

The utility of SIMS as a biological microanalysis technique is a reflection of the analytical merits of high-performance mass spectrometry coupled to recent advances in ion optics. Of special interest in this review is the application of SIMS to element localization in soft biological tissue. Although subcellular spatial resolution has been demonstrated in numerous instances [1–4], the quantitative relationship between secondary ion intensity observed in a fixed specimen and absolute concentration variations in the original tissue is highly complex. Indeed, many of the published ion images are probably influenced significantly by artifact contrast mechanisms.
Implementation of an advance directive focus in a chronic multi-organ rare disease clinic

Background: Education about an advance directive is frequently not addressed in the outpatient, ambulatory care setting. The objective of this study was to identify patients that do not have an advance directive in a Chronic Multi-Organ Rare Disease Clinic model, and define the role of a social worker in providing advance care planning (ACP). Methods: The Chronic Multi-Organ Rare Disease Clinic in-corporates a multi-disciplinary team to provide outpatient care to over 600 patients. A review of advance directives filed in the electronic health record (EHR) prior to hiring a clinic social worker was examined in this high risk population. Results: A total of 15 patients (2%) of this patient population were identified as having a completed, active advance directive filed with their EHR prior to hiring a clinic social worker. The clinic social worker began ACP discussions and inquiries about the status of patient advance directives with a total of 162 patients during September 2016–April 2017. Of these 162 patients, 14 patients (8.6%) submitted their completed advance directives for filing with their EHR after advanced care discussions were initiated by the clinic social worker. Two patients who completed an advance directive, died during this 7-month time period. Only three patients declined to complete advance directives during this same time period. Conclusions: Patient-centered care must incorporate ACP. A clinic social worker is an effective member of a multi-disciplinary team and can incorporate education about advance directives in order to improve health care quality.