cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of donor infections on outcome of orthotopic liver transplantation

Infection occurs when microbial agents enter the host, either through airborne transmission or by direct contact of a substance carrying the infectious agent with the host. Human body fluids, solid organs, or other tissues often are ideal vectors to support microbial agents and can transmit infections efficiently from donor to recipient. In the case of blood transfusion and tissue transplantation, the main consequence of such a transmission is infection of the recipient. However, in the case of solid-organ transplantation, and particularly for liver transplantation, donor infections are not only transmitted to the recipient, the donor infection also may affect the donated liver's preservability and subsequent function in the recipient irrespective of the systemic consequences of the infection. In addition, solid organ recipients of infected organs are less able to respond to the infectious agent because of their immunosuppressive treatment. Thus, transmission of infections from organ donor to liver recipient represents serious potential risks that must be weighed against a candidate's mortality risk without the transplant. However, the ever-increasing gap between the number of donors and those waiting for liver grafts makes consideration of every potential donor, regardless of the infection status, essential to minimize waiting list mortality. In this review, we will focus on assessing the risk of transmission of bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infectious agents from cadaveric liver donors to recipients and the effect such a transmission has on liver function, morbidity, and mortality. We will also discuss risk-benefit deliberations for using organs from infected donors for certain types of recipients. These issues are critically important to maximize the use of donated organs but also minimize recipient morbidity and graft dysfunction.
Characterization of a de novo 48,XX,+r(X),+r(17) by in situ hybridization in a patient with neurofibromatosis (NF1)

We describe a patient with familial neurofibromatosis (NF1), short stature, developmental delay, and a de novo chromosome abnormality. In sity hybridization was done using chromosome specific centromere probes to characterize the karyotype as 46,XX/47, XX,+r(X) (p11q11)/47,XX,+r(17) (p11q11)/48, XX,+r(X) (p11q11),+r(17) (p11q11). The NF1 mutation, as well as each superunmerary ring chromosome, may have played a role in perturbing the normal developmenal process of this patient. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Observation of the atomic surface structure of GaAs(001) films grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy

We present atomically resolved scanning tunneling micrographs of the surfaces of GaAs(001) films grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE). Thin films deposited in an MOVPE reactor were transferred to an (ultra high) vacuum system without air exposure. After heating the samples from 480 to 580°C, high-quality images of the (2 × 4)/c(2 × 8), (1 × 6)/(2 × 6) and (4 × 2)/c(8 × 2) reconstructions were obtained. In addition, a new Ga-rich (3 × 2)/(3 × n) phase was observed that forms during annealing at 540°C. This structure consists of single dimer rows running along the [110] direction with a spacing of 12 A. The rows vary in length, and are separated by line defects which occur on average every 20 A (n = 5). A model is proposed for the (3 × 2) which consists of rows of Ga dimers alternating between the first and third layers. Since this structure exhibits a deficit of one electron, line defects are required to expose As dimers in the second layer and neutralize the surface charge.
Effective many-body interactions in exact valence-shell hamiltonians

Abstract The theoretical many-body structure of the exact effective valence-shell hamiltonian ( H V ) is analyzed to derive experimentally observable values of many-electron effective interactions for the [2s, 2p] H V of N, O, and F, and the [2p] H V of F. Unique experimental values are presented for four-, five-, and six-electron effective integrals.
Dye Binding Capacity of Commercial Chitin Products

Dye binding capacity of different commercial chitins was investigated with two commercial chitin products and two dyes (FDC dye; FDC FD&C Yellow No. 5
Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Dimerization is Required For Hydrolase Activity

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) plays a key role in the metabolic conversion of the protective eicosanoid 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid to 14,15-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid. Accordingly, inhibition of sEH hydrolase activity has been shown to be beneficial in multiple models of cardiovascular diseases, thus identifying sEH as a valuable therapeutic target. Recently, a common human polymorphism (R287Q) was identified that reduces sEH hydrolase activity and is localized to the dimerization interface of the protein, suggesting a relationship between sEH dimerization and activity. To directly test the hypothesis that dimerization is essential for the proper function of sEH, we generated mutations within the sEH protein that would either disrupt or stabilize dimerization. We quantified the dimerization state of each mutant using a split firefly luciferase protein fragment-assisted complementation system. The hydrolase activity of each mutant was determined using a fluorescence-based substrate conversion assay. We found that mutations that disrupted dimerization also eliminated hydrolase enzymatic activity. In contrast, a mutation that stabilized dimerization restored hydrolase activity. Finally, we investigated the kinetics of sEH dimerization and found that the human R287Q polymorphism was metastable and capable of swapping dimer partners faster than the WT enzyme. These results indicate that dimerization is required for sEH hydrolase activity. Disrupting sEH dimerization may therefore serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for reducing sEH hydrolase activity.
The threat hypothesis: A conceptual and empirical defense

Abstract A detailed rebuttal of Chambers' critique of the death threat literature is presented. Close examination of Chambers' argument reveals that his position is grounded in an incomplete understanding of both personal construct theory and other cognitive theories, and fails to consider the substantial empirical literature demonstrating the validity of the Threat Index, Moreover, the results of a preliminary study conducted to test his assertions yielded little evidence supporting his criticism. It is concluded that the threat hypothesis remains viable, although further work might extend and clarify its implications for thanatological research.
Gene Network Learning Using Regulated Dynamic Bayesian Network Methods

Dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) methods have shown great promise in regulatory network reconstruction because of their capability of modeling causality and cyclic networks, and handling data with noises found in biological experiments. However, they tend to produce relative high false positives and are not computationally efficient even for networks of moderate size. This paper presents a novel DBN-based approach to address these issues. For each node, a differential mutual information is used to select potential parents and a Bayesian scoring metric with a Dirichlet prior for regulation is applied to evaluate its parents. The proposed method is applied to recover a network structure from simulated data with higher accuracy and computational efficiency compared to DBNs with other scoring metrics. When applied to infer a cell cycle pathway of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using real time-series expression data, the proposed method is capable of identifying most gene interactions in the pathways.
Textiles with New Properties from Cellulose Triacetate

This paper outlines why cellulose triacetate, which has been known for 90 years, has only recently become a fiber-forming material of considerable commercial interest. After giving a brief historical background, it describes the structure of triacetate as developed by heat treatment and the utilization of heat treatment for the improvement of fiber and fabric properties. It further presents data on the durability of triacetate yarns and fabrics when exposed to various service conditions and outlines the possible use in so- called "ease-of-care" and "wash-and-wear" fabrics and garments.
Marijuana in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Marijuana has been proposed as treatment for a widening spectrum of medical conditions. Marijuana is a substance with many properties that may be applicable to the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These include analgesia, muscle relaxation, bronchodilation, saliva reduction, appetite stimulation, and sleep induction. In addition, marijuana has now been shown to have strong antioxidative and neuroprotective effects, which may prolong neuronal cell survival. In areas where it is legal to do so, marijuana should be considered in the pharmacological management of ALS. Further investigation into the usefulness of marijuana in this setting is warranted.
Product design for energy reduction in concurrent engineering: an inverted pyramid approach

The consideration of energy aspects as X in the design for X (DFX) paradigm in concurrent engineering (CE) is important for enabling reductions in operating costs, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing sustainability. This research presents a CE methodology for the consideration of energy use in product development and manufacturing, specifically addressing the machining process. The research reported in this paper showcases the effectiveness of using a systematic integrated approach towards consideration of energy in product development, addressed through product, process, and system level parameters. It adds an important tool to the DFX toolbox for evaluation of the impact of design decisions on the product manufacturing energy requirement early during the design phases. The use of the inverted pyramid approach (IPA) has been described as an effective methodology for incorporation in expansion of the DFX toolbox.
Hitler's New Disorder: The Second World War in Yugoslavia – By Stevan K. Pavlowitch

The forward to this fine work begins with the following sentence: “A synthetic treatment of a complex topic it may be, but it has had a long gestation.” Seldom were truer words spoken.Let us start ...
A new nonparametric method for linear system phase recovery from bispectrum

For input signals with nonzero third order moment, the phase of a linear system transfer function can be identified from the bispectrum of its output signal. Instead of using partial bispectrum phase information which is more sensitive to noises and measurement errors, a new nonparametric method is proposed to utilize all the available bispectrum phase information. The proposed new method is computationally simple. It does not require finding the pseudo-inverse of a gigantic matrix as some existing methods do. Its effectiveness is demonstrated through computer simulations. >
Frequent Itemset Counting Across Multiple Tables

Available technology for mining data usually applies to centrally stored data (i.e., homogeneous, and in one single repository and schema). The few extensions to mining algorithms for decentralized data have largely been for load balancing. In this paper, we examine mining decentralized data for the task of finding frequent itemsets. In contrast to current techniques where data is first joined to form a single table, we exploit the inter-table foreign key relationships to obtain decentralized algorithms that execute concurrently on the separate tables, and thereafter, merge the results. In particular, for typical warehouse schema designs, our approach adapts standard algorithms, and works efficiently. We provide analyses and empirical validation for important cases to exhibit how our approach performs well. In doing so, we also compare two of our approaches in merging results from individual tables, and thereby, we exhibit certain memory vs I/O trade-offs that are inherent in merging of decentralized partial results.
Complex actions of estradiol-3-sulfate in late gestation fetal brain.

The most abundant form of estrogen circulating in fetal plasma is sulfo-conjugated estrogen; for example, estradiol-3-sulfate (E2SO4) is more highly abundant than estradiol (E2). The present study investigated the ontogeny of the deconjugating (steroid sulfatase [STS]) and conjugating (estrogen sulfotransferase [STF]) enzymes in ovine fetal brain and tested the hypothesis that treatment with E2SO4 would alter the expression of one or both enzymes. Steroid sulfatase was more highly expressed than STF, and both changed as a function of gestational age. Estradiol-3-sulfate infused intracerebroventricularly (icv) significantly increased plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations. Plasma E2 and E2SO4 were increased, and brain expression of estrogen receptor α was decreased. The proteins STS and STF were up- and downregulated, respectively. Pituitary proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) messenger RNA (mRNA) was decreased. We conclude that E2SO4 has complex actions on the fetal brain, which might involve deconjugation by STS, but that the net result of direct E2SO4 icv infusion is more complex than can be accounted for by infusion of E2 alone.
Considerations on Parallelizing Nonnegative Matrix Factorization for Hyperspectral Data Unmixing

Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a recently developed linear unmixing technique that assumes that the original sources and transform were positively defined. Given that the linear mixing model (LMM) for hyperspectral data requires positive endmembers and abundances, with only minor modifications, NMF can be used to solve LMM. Traditionally, NMF solutions include an iterative process resulting in considerable execution times. In this letter, we provide two novel algorithms aimed at speeding the NMF through parallel processing: the first based on the traditional multiplicative solution and the second modifying an adaptive projected gradient technique known to provide better convergence. The algorithms' implementations were tested on various data sets; the results suggest that a significant speedup can be achieved without decrease in accuracy. This supports the further use of NMF for linear unmixing.
Amphiphilic Telechelics Incorporating Polyhedral Oligosilsesquioxane: 1. Synthesis and Characterization

Well-defined amphiphilic telechelics incorporating polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS) were synthesized by direct urethane linkage between the diol end groups of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) homopolymers and the monoisocyanate group of POSS macromers. The hydrophobicity of the amphiphilic telechelics was varied by using a series of PEG homopolymers of increasing molecular weight, resulting in control over molecular architecture by hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance. The synthesized amphiphilic telechelics were characterized by 1H NMR, FT-IR, GPC, DSC, and TGA, showed a relatively narrow and unimodal molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn < 1.1) that had close to 2.0 end groups per PEG chain, and revealed strongly modified thermal behavior. Amphiphilic telechelics with POSS contents of 19.8, 23.6, 40.7, 52.7, and 68.1% depending on the molecular weights of PEG homopolymers could be obtained. Modification to crystallization behavior is observed and attributed to the bulkiness of POSS groups with respect to crys...
Lung dendritic cells imprint T cell lung homing and promote lung immunity through the chemokine receptor CCR4

T cell trafficking into the lung is critical for lung immunity, but the mechanisms that mediate T cell lung homing are not well understood. Here, we show that lung dendritic cells (DCs) imprint T cell lung homing, as lung DC–activated T cells traffic more efficiently into the lung in response to inhaled antigen and at homeostasis compared with T cells activated by DCs from other tissues. Consequently, lung DC–imprinted T cells protect against influenza more effectively than do gut and skin DC–imprinted T cells. Lung DCs imprint the expression of CCR4 on T cells, and CCR4 contributes to T cell lung imprinting. Lung DC–activated, CCR4-deficient T cells fail to traffic into the lung as efficiently and to protect against influenza as effectively as lung DC–activated, CCR4-sufficient T cells. Thus, lung DCs imprint T cell lung homing and promote lung immunity in part through CCR4.
High-Performance Control of Two Three Phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines in an Integrated Inverter for Automotive Applications

The closed loop DSP control of an integrated dual inverter, able to independently drive two three-phase permanent magnet motors, is presented. By utilizing the neutral point of the main traction motor, only two inverter legs are needed for the three-phase auxiliary motor. Utilizing this topology one inverter leg is eliminated and an integrated, reduced component count drive is achieved.
Effective Dynamic Thermal Management for MPEG-4 decoding

This paper proposes dynamic thermal management (DTM) based on a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique for MPEG-4 decoding to guarantee thermal safety while maintaining a quality of service (QoS) constraint. Although many low-power and low-temperature multimedia playback techniques have been proposed, most of them are impractical in real-time and have several restricting assumptions. Multimedia data consists of several frames requiring different decoding efforts. Since both temperature and performance of a multimedia system are affected by the complexity of scenes, our main idea is to use the information on scene complexity to find an appropriate frequency. In order to predict the complexity of the current scene, we extract information from the previous group of pictures (GOP) using feedback control with a display buffer. Experimental results with twelve movies show that our DTM scheme guarantees the threshold of temperature (70degC) while maintaining 0% frame miss ratio. Also, our DTM scheme decreases the average temperature by up to 13% without any additional hardware and playback latency.
Improved methods for quantitative analysis of three-dimensional porphyroblastic textures

New data-processing methods for making three-dimensional measurements in volumetric data sets, described in a companion paper1, are applied here for quantitative textural analysis of porphyroblastic rocks. In a reexamination of a suite of garnetiferous rocks from the Picuris Mountains, New Mexico, Whitt Ranch, Texas, and Mica Dam, British Columbia, signals that in earlier studies indicated ordering of porphyroblast nucleation sites and competition for nutrients are significantly altered but generally confirmed in the improved data. Better-resolution tomographic imagery greatly enhances the observation and measurement of small crystals, in some cases substantially modifying the shape of the crystal size distributions. The enhanced analysis also enables detection of instances of strong impingement among neighboring porphyroblasts that were probably previously interpreted as single crystals, which may have spuriously enhanced ordering signals. Overall the results of this study corroborate earlier findings of diffusioncontrolled nucleation and growth of garnet in the specimens examined. They also document, however, the critical importance of high-quality data, which are required to ensure that subtle mechanistic signals can emerge from statistical noise and to ensure that failure of crystal impingement to be detected or preserved does not generate a bias toward ordering.
More Mayo Please? Temporary Regulations after Mayo Foundation V. United States

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mayo Found. for Med. Educ. & Research v. United States, 131 S. Ct. 704 (2011), helped clarify the degree of deference courts should afford Treasury regulations. However, Mayo did not involve or address temporary regulations. This “Point to Remember” essay examines the effect Mayo may have on the Treasury Department’s reliance on temporary regulations. It discusses, among other authorities, recent Court of Appeals cases, such as Home Concrete & Supply, LLC v. United States, 634 F.3d 249 (4th Cir.), cert. granted, 180 L. Ed. 2d 940 (2011), and Intermountain Ins. Serv. of Vail, LLC v. Commissioner, 650 F.3d 691 (D.C. Cir. 2011), which arose in the context of whether a 6-year statute of limitations applies to overstatements of basis outside of the trade or business context.
Medial axis registration of supine and prone CT colonography data

Computed Tomographic Colonography (CTC) is a minimally invasive method that allows the examination of the colon wall from the source CT sections or in a virtual environment. The primary goal of CTC is the detection of colonic polyps. There are typically two data sets recorded in supine and prone positions. An important step in polyp detection is the anatomical registration of these datasets. We developed and experimentally validated a method to register complementary supine and prone CTC datasets anatomically, using linear stretching/shrinking operations on the media axis colonic path based on the relative path geometries. To compare improvement in spatial registration of supine and prone datasets, a radiologist determined 5 unique reference points (RP) in the registered and unregistered datasets from each of 5 patients by viewing supine and prone data simultaneously. Initial results suggest that our algorithm is capable of registering supine and prone CTC data anatomically within an approximate range of /spl plusmn/13.2 mm, which corresponds to 0.8% error with respect to the average colon length.
Genetics and Molecular Biology of the Electron Flow for Sulfate Respiration in Desulfovibrio

Progress in the genetic manipulation of the Desulfovibrio strains has provided an opportunity to explore electron flow pathways during sulfate respiration. Most bacteria in this genus couple the oxidation of organic acids or ethanol with the reduction of sulfate, sulfite, or thiosulfate. Both fermentation of pyruvate in the absence of an alternative terminal electron acceptor, disproportionation of fumarate and growth on H(2) with CO(2) during sulfate reduction are exhibited by some strains. The ability to produce or consume H(2) provides Desulfovibrio strains the capacity to participate as either partner in interspecies H(2) transfer. Interestingly the mechanisms of energy conversion, pathways of electron flow and the parameters determining the pathways used remain to be elucidated. Recent application of molecular genetic tools for the exploration of the metabolism of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough has provided several new datasets that might provide insights and constraints to the electron flow pathways. These datasets include (1) gene expression changes measured in microarrays for cells cultured with different electron donors and acceptors, (2) relative mRNA abundances for cells growing exponentially in defined medium with lactate as carbon source and electron donor plus sulfate as terminal electron acceptor, and (3) a random transposon mutant library selected on medium containing lactate plus sulfate supplemented with yeast extract. Studies of directed mutations eliminating apparent key components, the quinone-interacting membrane-bound oxidoreductase (Qmo) complex, the Type 1 tetraheme cytochrome c(3) (Tp1-c(3)), or the Type 1 cytochrome c(3):menaquinone oxidoreductase (Qrc) complex, suggest a greater flexibility in electron flow than previously considered. The new datasets revealed the absence of random transposons in the genes encoding an enzyme with homology to Coo membrane-bound hydrogenase. From this result, we infer that Coo hydrogenase plays an important role in D. vulgaris growth on lactate plus sulfate. These observations along with those reported previously have been combined in a model showing dual pathways of electrons from the oxidation of both lactate and pyruvate during sulfate respiration. Continuing genetic and biochemical analyses of key genes in Desulfovibrio strains will allow further clarification of a general model for sulfate respiration.
CASE STUDY 4: INORGANIC ARSENIC—AMBIENT LEVEL APPROACH TO THE CONTROL OF OCCUPATIONAL CANCERIGENIC EXPOSURES

In 1820 the first malignancies ascribed as due to occupational arsenic exposure were reported as scrotal cancers among smelters. A century later the causal relationship between chronic occupational, environmental or medical arsenical exposure and skin carcinogenesis was firmly established. From 1948 to 1975, nine out of eleven epidemiological studies have shown, initially or upon review, significant excess mortality from respiratory cancer among diverse occupations exposed to various inorganic arsenicals. Two of the nine studies have shown concommitant, significant excess mortality from lymphatic cancer, and another, from skin cancer. Additionally, two such studies have revealed a dose-response relationship between arsenical exposure and lung carcinogenesis. In the first, reported in 1969, the relationship was semi-quantitative, with a possible interactive role by sulfur dioxide or other contaminants. The other demonstrated a dose-response which was quantitative for arsenic per se. Upon our reinterpretation, this dose-response also demonstrated an increased lung cancer mortality risk apparently at arsenic concentrations above 1 mug/M3, calculated as the 8-hour TWA daily exposure over a 40-year working life. However, these and related data do not reveal a definite no-effect exposure level. Thus, in the absence of data documenting a cancerigenically safe level of occupational exposure and because of the environmental ubiquity of arsenic, the conclusion is drawn that the arsenic body burden of workers should not be occupationally increased above that produced by the ambient level.
Flow cytometric assessment of TCR-Vbeta expression in the evaluation of peripheral blood involvement by T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders: a comparison with conventional T-cell immunophenotyping and molecular genetic techniques.

Molecular genetic T-cell receptor (TCR) and flow cytometric analysis using antibodies to conventional Tcell antigens and TCR β-chain variable region families (TCR-V β ) were performed in 65 peripheral blood specimens evaluated for potential involvement by a Tcell lymphoproliferative disorder (TCLPD). A normal or reactive conventional T-cell immunophenotype was present in 36 cases; TCR-V β flow cytometric and molecular TCR analyses were negative for clonality in 32 and 27 of these cases, respectively. In the remaining normal and reactive cases, one or both methods seemed to detect dominant cell populations in settings with limited T-cell diversity. We identified 29 TCLPDs; all studied cases had clonal molecular TCR results; 23 TCLPDs had clonal TCR-V β flow cytometric results; the remaining were suggestive of (n = 3) or negative (n = 3) for clonality. TCR-V β flow cytometric analysis is a powerful clinical laboratory tool that can be used to aid in the rapid diagnosis of peripheral blood involvement by T-cell malignant neoplasms. Providing evidence of clonality is a fundamental element in establishing a diagnosis of peripheral blood involvement by chronic lymphoproliferative disorders. In B-cell neoplasms, the demonstration of restricted surface immunoglobulin light chain expression by flow cytometric immunophenotyping analysis is used commonly as proof of clonality. In contrast with B cells, antibody reagents to assess for T-cell receptor (TCR) “restriction” have not been available traditionally owing to the structural diversity of the TCR heterodimer. For this reason, molecular genetic analysis of TCR gene structure typically is used in the evaluation of potentially clonal T-cell lineage lymphoproliferative disorders.
Estimation of nonlinear sequence-dependent constitutive law for DNA molecules

Long length-scale structural deformations of DNA play a central role in many biological processes including gene expression. While all-atom based molecular dynamics (MD) tools fall short to simulate the long-length and time scale mechanics of DNA, continuum rod model of DNA has emerged as a viable tool. The continuum rod model predictions are however very sensitive to the constitutive law (material properties) of the molecule which, in turn, vary along the molecule?s length according to its base-pair sequence. Identification of the sequence-dependent constitutive law from experimental data and feasible all-atom MD simulations remains a significant challenge. The primary goal of the paper is to formulate the general identification problem in a form that is amenable to system identification/estimation methods. To this end, we suggest several simplifications to the continuum rod model of DNA. Finally, we suggest a possible approach to solving the identification problem for a simplified case with a nonlinear constitutive law. A secondary goal of this paper is to bring this important problem to the attention of the system identification community.
Incidence and risk factors for pneumonia following anterior cervical decompression and fusion procedures: an ACS-NSQIP study.

Abstract Background Context Postoperative pneumonia has important clinical consequences for both patients and the health-care system. Few studies have examined pneumonia following anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) procedures. Purpose This study aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors for development of pneumonia following ACDF procedures. Study Design/Setting A retrospective cohort study of data collected prospectively by the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was carried out. Patient Sample This study comprised 11,353 patients undergoing ACDF procedures during 2011–2013. Outcome Measures The primary outcome was diagnosis of pneumonia in the first 30 postoperative days. Methods Independent risk factors for the development of pneumonia were identified using multivariate regression. Readmission rates were compared between patients who did and did not develop pneumonia using multivariate regression that adjusted for all demographic, comorbidity, and procedural characteristics. Results The incidence of pneumonia was 0.45% (95% confidence interval=0.33%–0.57%). In the multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for the development of pneumonia were greater age (p Patients who developed pneumonia following discharge had a higher readmission rate than other patients (72.7% vs. 2.4%, adjusted RR=24.5, p Conclusions Pneumonia occurs in approximately 1 in 200 patients following ACDF procedures. Patients who are older, are functionally dependent, or have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at greater risk. These patients should be counseled, monitored, and targeted with preventative interventions accordingly. Greater operative duration is also an independent risk factor. Approximately three in four patients who develop pneumonia following hospitalization for ACDF procedures are readmitted. This elevated readmission rate has implications for bundled payments and hospital performance reports.
El Niño and Southern Oscillation

The Southern Oscillation is a sea level pressure oscillation over the equatorial latitudes between the Eastern Pacific and the Indian Ocean. El Nino is a phenomenon that is characterized by the occurrence of warmer than normal sea surface temperatures over the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean. These two phenomena are intimately interwoven, so much so that they are usually considered together, under the name of ENSO, or El Nino-Southern Oscillation. The Southern Oscillation has a time scale of roughly 4–6 years. Within that period warm SST anomalies over the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean (El Nino) are followed by cold SST anomalies (La Nina). This chapter is devoted to the observational, theoretical and modeling aspects of ENSO.
Massive splenomegaly and lymphopenia: a unique case of obstructive shock

We present a patient with intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL)-induced obstructive shock. This case represents a unique presentation of the disease, while highlighting the difficulty of establishing the diagnosis. Although there was a high clinical suspicion for a lymphomatous process, the obstructive shock component of the patient9s presentation was perplexing. It was not until the autopsy reports demonstrated lymphocytes within the pulmonary vasculature that the clinical picture of altered mental status, weight loss and obstructive shock were unified to the diagnosis of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma.
Taxonomic Studies in the Myxomycetes. III. Clastodermataceae: A New Family of the Echinosteliales

(1971). Taxonomic Studies in the Myxomycetes. III. Clastodermataceae: A New Family of the Echinosteliales. Mycologia: Vol. 63, No. 4, pp. 925-928.
Art, Violence, and Women

What do "violence" and "peace" mean in the lives of women? The Supreme Court in 2000's U.S. v. Morrison didn't have a clue. Artist Wangechi Mutu does, though. In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, Yxta Maya Murray offers the artist's studies of both of these conditions as an antidote to Morrison's etiolated vision.
Organizing a Global Labor Movement from Top and Bottom

While the prospects for a global labor movement are ripe, working people and their supporters may fail to take full advantage of this historical opening. A potential barrier is the existence of a strategic myopia when it comes to the role of preexisting labor organizations at the national and international levels. Specifically, these higher-tier institutions are often viewed by labor activists and the rank-and-file as inherently autocratic and imperialistic, and are thus deemed to have little value for efforts at fostering global labor solidarity. A consequence is that many in the labor movement concentrate their energies solely at a local or community level, with the idea that it is only here that true progressive change can result. In terms of broader solidarity and resistance, it is felt that cross-regional and cross-national linkages will eventually develop to expand the struggle to a truly global level. In effect, it is presumed by many that a global labor movement will, and in fact must, be built strictly from the "bottom-up" ( e.g. Brecher and Costello, 1994).
Professor Wang Lianzheng's Soybean Breeding Achievements: from Northeast to North of China——Dedication to the 80~(th) Birthday of Professor Wang Lianzheng,a Famous Soybean Breeder in China

This paper is dedicated to professor Wang Lianzheng,a distinguished soybean geneticist and breeder in China on the occasion of celebrating his 80th birthday on October 15,2010.Here we review great achievements made by Professor Wang in genetics,breeding,and biotechnology of soybean during his fifty-six-year research career.Professor Wang has developed thirty new soybean varieties in total.The cultivars bred by professor Wang have been extended to 7.7 million hectares of soybean field in China,among which Zhonghuang 13 is the largest extended soybean cultivar in last three years.He has published more than 160 research papers and books and trained many young scientists.Finally,professor Wang has provided outstanding service to plant sciences community in China and around the world.
Criteria for Evaluating Patient Responses to Treatment Modalities for Prostatic Cancer

SUMMARY Problems concerned with the determination of response to therapy for both early and late stages of prostate cancer are discussed. The criteria of the National Prostatic Cancer Project for patients in early stages of disease in adjuvant trials and for patients with late-stage disease who were hormone treatment failures in randomized chemotherapy efficacy trials are presented. The criteria for both types of trials in this disease depend primarily on detection of, or monitoring changes in, bone metastases. Improvements in the standardization and quantitation of bone scanning techniques have seen this procedure replace bone surveys, although the latter are still useful to help resolve situations that may be difficult to interpret. Applications of the NPCP criteria for advanced disease demonstrate the validity of these criteria.
Historical Development and Extent of Acidification of Shallow Soft Waters in the Netherlands

On the pleistocene sandy soils in the eastern and southern part of The Netherlands and in the coastal dune area 563 sites are known to be originally characterized by the occurrence of the isoetids Littorella uniflora (L.)Aschers., Lobelia dortmanna L., Isoetes lacustris L. and/or Isoetes echinospora Durieu. In the period 1983 – 1985 a sample survey of 147 still existing waters indicated that 55 % of them now were either characterized by the submerged peat mosses Sphagnum cuspidatum Hoffm. and/or Sphagnum denticulatum Bridel Brideri or by the complete absence of submerged macrophytes. Taking into account the autecology of aquatic macrophytes as well as old and recent pH and alkalinity data, the observed changes must be attributed to the effects of acidification.
The Impact of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Child Screening Policy on Service Utilization.

Objective:In 2008, Massachusetts Medicaid implemented a pediatric behavioral health (BH) screening mandate. This study conducted a population-level, longitudinal policy analysis to determine the impact of the policy on ambulatory, emergency, and inpatient BH care in comparison with use of these services in California, where no similar policy exists.Methods:With Medicaid Analytic Extract (MAX) data, an interrupted time-series analysis with control series design was performed to assess changes in service utilization in the 18 months (January 2008–June 2009) after a BH screening policy was implemented in Massachusetts and to compare service utilization with California’s. Outcomes included population rates of BH screening, BH-related outpatient visits, BH-related emergency department visits, BH-related hospitalizations, and psychotropic drug use. Medicaid-eligible children from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2009, with at least ten months of Medicaid eligibility who were older than 4.5 years and younger tha...
Gifts: intertwining market and moral economies and the rise of store bought gifts

ABSTRACTGifts are a major part of both economic and social life. This intertwined relationship between the market and moral economies has long been unsettling to those concerned about rationalized marketplace meanings contaminating and eroding the sacred social role of gift giving. Consumer researchers have analysed the important relationship work done through gift giving in the moral economy and the ways that the marketplace facilitates such work (or not). However, little has explored when, how, and why a store bought gift, rather than a homemade one, actually became acceptable. This article uses three case studies from the early to mid-1800s to trace the rise of the store bought gift in the American marketplace. It highlights how the sociocultural context, marketing innovations, retailers, and meanings surrounding gifting all helped to ensconce gift giving as both a central component in the contemporary marketplace and a tool for symbolic communication in social life.
Children's concepts of death. Implications for pediatric practice

This article has reviewed the developmental evolution of the concept of death in children. As has been illustrated, the child's perception of death is significantly different from that of adults and goes through several successive changes before the mature concept is grasped. Application has been demonstrated in reference to children who are hospitalized. Interventions that nurses can utilize to help children deal with their fears have been suggested.
Spatial scale and duration of one microburst region on 13 August 2015

Prior studies of microburst precipitation have largely relied on estimates of the spatial scale and temporal duration of the microburst region in order to determine the radiation belt loss rate of relativistic electrons. These estimates have often relied on the statistical distribution of microburst events. However, few studies have directly observed the spatial and temporal evolution of a single microburst event. In this study, we combine Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses balloon-borne X-ray measurements with Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Burst: Intensity, Range, and Dynamics II and AeroCube-6 CubeSat electron measurements to determine the spatial and temporal evolution of a microburst region in the morning MLT sector on 13 August 2015. The microburst region is found to extend across at least 4 h in local time in the morning sector, from 09:00 to 13:00 MLT, and from L of 5 out to 10. The microburst event lasts for nearly 9 h. Smaller scale structure is investigated using the dual AeroCube-6 CubeSats, and is found to be consistent with the spatial size of whistler mode chorus wave observations near the equatorial plane.
Chapter 10 – The Small–Large Divide: A Case of Incompatible Numerical Representations in Infancy

Abstract Converging evidence in the field of numerical cognition suggests that humans and nonhuman animals have access to two distinct systems for representing number: an exact object file system that can precisely track a small number of items and an approximate number system used to represent large sets. In this chapter, we review behavioral and neuroscientific evidence indicating that these distinct systems are evolutionarily ancient, emerge early in the lifespan, and do so in a linguistic-free capacity. We discuss those circumstances under which infants overcome the representational incompatibilities presented by the interaction of these two systems, characterizing those circumstances that promote the employment of a single system for representation across small and large sets. Finally, we address the question of how, over the course of development, we overcome these discrimination difficulties, presenting two hypotheses to account for this change.
The Affordable Care Act, state exchanges and the self-employed in the USA

In 2015, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 15 million people were self-employed in the United States. This represented about 10% of total employment. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the self-employed without employees are treated as individuals and are subject to the individual mandates of the policy. Less than half of the American states created health exchanges to act as a marketplace for health insurance under the new policy while the remaining states defaulted to the federal exchange. Using Current Population Survey data from 2013 and 2015, this study finds that the ACA increased the likelihood that the self-employed would privately purchase health insurance. Also, states with health exchanges saw an increase in the likelihood that the self-employed would privately purchase insurance as compared with the states that defaulted. This is important for entrepreneurship since benefits, including insurance, is often cited as a reason for individuals to remain employed as wage earners inst...
Antitumor Drugs and Nitrenium Ions

Abstract The metabolism of arylamines (AAs) into reactive metabolites giving rise to N -arylnitrenium ions that are ultimately responsible for the carcinogenic activity of the amines has been thoroughly investigated for over 50 years. The metabolic activation pathways are now well understood, as are the properties of the nitrenium ions involved. It is less well known that nitrenium ions, generated by unanticipated metabolic processes, have been implicated in the unwanted side effects of certain drugs such as clozapine. It is even less well known that nitrenium ions appear to be the cytotoxic warheads of two emerging classes of antitumor drugs, 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazoles and 5,4′-diaminoflavones, that owe their selectivity to some of the same metabolic paths that are responsible for the activation of carcinogenic AAs. In this chapter, the evidence for the involvement of nitrenium ions in chemical carcinogenesis is briefly reviewed, but more emphasis is placed on the involvement of nitrenium ions in drug side effects and in antitumor drugs. Clozapine and aristolochic acid are presented as two examples in which the evidence for the involvement of nitrenium ions in dangerous drug side effects is particularly strong. The last half of the chapter is devoted to the two classes of antitumor drugs, 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazoles and 5,4′-diaminoflavones, that appear to use nitrenium ions to exert their cytotoxic effects. The evidence for the involvement of nitrenium ions in the mode of action of these two classes of drugs is presented with emphasis on the metabolic activation pathways for the drugs that are responsible for the specificity of these drugs and the nitrenium ion chemistry that has been examined carefully for the 2-(4-aminophenyl)benzothiazoles.
Preventive Cardiology: Counseling Older At-Risk Adults on Nutrition

Preventive cardiology brings a detailed understanding of the interplay between known and emerging risk factors to the long-term treatment of cardiac patients particularly targeting cardiometabolic risk factors. In essence, it translates a growing scientific knowledge base into clinical practice. The discipline of preventive cardiology applies research in vascular biology, clinical genetics, cardiovascular epidemiology, clinical pharmacology, and clinical trials to practical prevention strategies for patients.
Evaluation of Daily Meatal Care with Poly-Antibiotic Ointment in Prevention of Urinary Catheter-Associated Bacteriuria

AbstractMeatal care with a poly-antibiotic ointment twice daily was evaluated in a prospective, randomized, controlled study of patients with temporary indwelling urethral catheters. Bacteriuria was acquired in 14 of 214 patients treated (6.5 per cent), compared to 16 of 214 patients not given treatment (7.5 per cent). The rate of bacteriuria was slightly lower in the treated than in the untreated group by each of 4 different statistical methods. In a subset of female patients at high risk a significant reduction in the rate of bacteriuria in treated patients was found by 1 method of analysis. These results contrast to previous studies in our hospital in which meatal care, using either nonantiseptic soap and water or an iodophor solution and ointment, was found to predispose to bacteriuria in high risk female patients. The benefit, if any, of meatal care with poly-antibiotic ointment appears to be small.
The effect of surface wettability on frost melting

Abstract Frost melting on a vertical surface is divided into three stages: absorption, accumulation and draining, and the effect of surface wettability on melting is investigated analytically. The ratio of the volume flux of water to the melting rate is the key factor that determines meltwater motion. In the absorption stage, the ratio is greater than unity with meltwater is absorbed into the frost layer by capillary force. The volume flux of water depends on porosity and permeability of the frost layer, which are affected by the surface wettability. When the frost layer is saturated, meltwater accumulates on the surface, and the retention water is related to surface wettability. In the draining stage, meltwater flows along the surface, and the draining velocity depends on boundary conditions at the interfaces. Draining velocity increases on hydrophobic surfaces compared to that on hydrophilic surfaces owning to the presence of a slip velocity.