cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the Generic Structure and Stability of Stackelberg Equilibria

We consider a noncooperative Stackelberg game, where the two players choose their strategies within domains $$X\subseteq {{\mathbb {R}}}^m$$ and $$Y\subseteq {{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$ . Assuming that the cost functions F, G for the two players are sufficiently smooth, we study the structure of the best reply map for the follower and the optimal strategy for the leader. Two main cases are considered: either $$X=Y=[0,1]$$ , or $$X={{\mathbb {R}}}, Y={{\mathbb {R}}}^n$$ with $$n\ge 1$$ . Using techniques from differential geometry, including a multi-jet version of Thom’s transversality theorem, we prove that, for an open dense set of cost functions $$F\in {{\mathcal {C}}}^2$$ and $$G\in {{\mathcal {C}}}^3$$ , the Stackelberg equilibrium is unique and is stable w.r.t. small perturbations of the two cost functions.
Concomitant Aorto-Caval Reconstruction for Inferior Vena Cava Leiomyosarcoma

Abstract Introduction Leiomyosarcoma of the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) is a rare smooth muscle neoplasm typically presenting in the fifth to sixth decades of life with both intraluminal and extraluminal growth patterns. Surgical resection remains the gold standard for non-metastatic disease and often requires vascular reconstruction. We present an atypical case of leiomyosarcoma involving both the IVC and infrarenal abdominal aorta necessitating reconstruction with intraoperative veno-venous bypass. Methods A 63-year-old man initially presenting with back pain was found to have a large mass adjacent to the IVC on MRI, subsequently confirmed to be leiomyosarcoma by biopsy. After six months of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy the patient was taken for resection. However, intra-operatively the tumor was found to involve the aorta necessitating combined aorto-caval reconstruction. To facilitate en-bloc resection of the tumor, the aorta was reconstructed first followed by the inferior vena cava using veno-venous bypass. Results Post-operatively, the patient was taken to the intensive care unit for resuscitation and had an uncomplicated hospital course. He was discharged to rehab six days post-operatively and at one year remains free of significant tumor burden with patent aorto-caval bypass grafts. Conclusion Primary leiomyosarcoma of the IVC is estimated to have aortic involvement in
Review on organosulfur materials for rechargeable lithium batteries

Organic electrode materials have been considered as promising candidates for the next generation rechargeable battery systems due to their high theoretical capacity, versatility, and environmentally friendly nature. Among them, organosulfur compounds have been receiving more attention in conjunction with the development of lithium–sulfur batteries. Usually, organosulfide electrodes can deliver a relatively high theoretical capacity based on reversible breakage and formation of disulfide (S–S) bonds. In this review, we provide an overview of organosulfur materials for rechargeable lithium batteries, including their molecular structural design, structure related electrochemical performance study and electrochemical performance optimization. In addition, recent progress of advanced characterization techniques for investigation of the structure and lithium storage mechanism of organosulfur electrodes are elaborated. To further understand the perspective application, the additive effect of organosulfur compounds for lithium metal anodes, sulfur cathodes and high voltage inorganic cathode materials are reviewed with typical examples. Finally, some remaining challenges and perspectives of the organosulfur compounds as lithium battery components are also discussed. This review is intended to serve as general guidance for researchers to facilitate the development of organosulfur compounds.
Towards a Real-Time Cognitive Load Assessment System for Industrial Human-Robot Cooperation

Robots are increasingly present in environments shared with humans. Robots can cooperate with their human teammates to achieve common goals and complete tasks. This paper focuses on developing a real-time framework that assesses the cognitive load of a human while cooperating with a robot to complete a collaborative assembly task. The framework uses multi-modal sensory data from Electrocardiography (ECG) and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) sensors, extracts novel features from the data, and utilizes machine learning methodologies to detect high or low cognitive load. The developed framework was evaluated on a collaborative assembly scenario with a user study. The results show that the framework is able to reliably recognize high cognitive load and it is a first step in enabling robots to understand better about their human teammates.
Clinically significant estimated glomerular filtration rate decline is common in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors: implications for long-term cancer survivors

PurposeImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are now indicated in more than one in three cancer patients. Acute kidney injury has emerged as an important complication of ICIs; however, there are no studies characterizing the long-term effects of ICIs on kidney function. MethodsRetrospective cohort study of consecutive adult cancer patients treated with ICIs between 2010-2018 at two major cancer centers. The primary aim was to determine the composite outcome of incident or progressive CKD, defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 90 days among patients surviving [≥]1 year. The secondary objective was to determine the proportion of patients experiencing rapid eGFR decline defined as >3mL/min/1.73m2 per year decline. ResultsA total of 5004 adult patients with cancer (mean [SD] age, 64 [13] years; 2699 [54%] male; 4529 [91%] White non-Hispanic) were included, and 2563 surviving [≥]1 year were analyzed. During a median follow-up of 688 days (interquartile range, 496 to 1031), the overall event rate of the primary composite outcome was 17% and 20% at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Fine-Gray subdistribution multivariable hazard mode demonstrated that age and coronary artery disease were each independently associated with the primary outcome, adjusted HR (95% CI) 1.12 (1.06, 1.19) per 5 years and 1.27 (1.00-1.62), p < 0.001 and p=0.49, respectively. ConclusionNew onset CKD or 30% eGFR decline is common in patients receiving ICIs who survive [≥]1 year. As ICIs are increasingly used in earlier stage cancers, the impact of long term kidney function decline among survivors is extremely important. Additional studies are needed to determine the risk factors and potential modifiers for eGFR decline among patients receiving ICIs.
Transient Cardiac Dysfunction Following a Cerebrovascular Accident.

Acute cerebral injuries are often accompanied by sudden electrocardiogram (ECG) changes such as cardiac arrhythmias, QT prolongation, and abnormal T-wave morphology. One rare phenomenon is "cerebral T-waves", which are T-waves observed in the context of stroke and described as transient, symmetric, and deeply inverted. The classic cerebral T wave is defined as a T-wave inversion of ≥5 mm depth in at least four contiguous precordial leads, and it is more commonly observed in the setting of acute ischemic stroke rather than hemorrhagic stroke. We describe the case of a patient who initially presented with acute pulmonary edema, T-wave inversions in the precordial leads, and left ventricular dysfunction on echocardiogram raising suspicion of an ischemic cardiac event. However, a brain CT scan performed on the third day of admission proved us wrong.
Effect sizes and intra-cluster correlation coefficients measured from the Green Dot High School study for guiding sample size calculations when designing future violence prevention cluster randomized trials in school settings.

Abstract Purpose Cluster randomized controlled trials (cRCTs) are popular in school-based research designs where schools are randomized to different trial arms. To help guide future study planning, we provide information on anticipated effect sizes and intra-cluster correlation coefficients (ICCs), as well as school sizes, for dating violence (DV) and interpersonal violence outcomes based on data from a cRCT which evaluated the bystander-based violence intervention ‘Green Dot’. Methods We utilized data from 25 schools from the Green Dot High School study. Effect size and ICC values corresponding to dating and interpersonal violence outcomes are obtained from linear mixed effect models. We also calculated the required number of schools needed for future studies utilizing available methods that do and do not consider variation in school size. Results Observed effect sizes for DV outcomes range from 0.06 to 0.11. Observed ICC values for DV outcomes range from 0.0006 to 0.0032. The upper limit of 95% CIs for the true ICCs range from 0.0023 to 0.0070. Conclusion School-based evaluations with violence outcomes are expected to have small effect sizes. Observed ICCs are less than 0.005 and upper limit of of 95% CIs for the true ICCs are less than 0.01. Designing school-based cRCTs should account for the ICC, even if its value is assumed to be negligible. Furthermore, variation in school sizes should also be accounted for to avoid having too few schools to achieve the desired power.
Hypothalamic Structures Involved in the Adrenocortical Feedback Action on Pituitary Corticotrophin Secretion

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the site of corticoid feedback action, by means of implantation of minute amounts of crystalline adrenocortical hormone into the hypophvsis, hypothalamus, and other brain stem areas of rabbits. Crystalline cortisol (hydrocortisone) acetate was mounted on the tip of the stainless steel tubing and implanted under stereotaxic guidance into the brain of female rabbits. The current results indicate that the corticoids do not exert their blocking action on the pituitary gland itself but on a rather circumscript area in the hypothalamus.
Housing Rights and Inequality in Postwar America

In the United States the extension of social rights, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948, has been contested and uneven. The politics that have shaped the American welfare state has provided some population groups greater access to these rights than others. By examining the extension of government housing subsidies during the middle decades of the twentieth century era, this paper reveals the dynamics that created social rights for some groups of citizens but not for others.
Xinran, China Witness: Voices from a Silent Generation

When western students of modern Chinese history contemplate the story of the Mao years—with its dramatic policy swings, its mass campaigns that created almost unimaginable social, economic, and geo...
Laurel Phillipson, Using Stone Tools: the Evidence from Aksum, Ethiopia

Afr Archaeol Rev (2010) 27:173–176 DOI 10.1007/s10437-010-9075-z BOOK REVIEW Laurel Phillipson, Using Stone Tools: the Evidence from Aksum, Ethiopia Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology 77, Archaeopress, Oxford, 2009, 149 pp, ISBN 978 1 4073 0408 3 Matthew C. Curtis Published online: 2 July 2010 # The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com This volume focuses on flaked lithic tools from surface collections and excavated assemblages in the Aksum area in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. The study reported in the volume concerns descriptions of lithic material documented as part of several archaeological surveys carried out by the author and colleagues over more than a decade and from a number of surface collections and excavation assemblages from Bieta Giyorgis Hill, surveyed and excavated by a Boston University and University of Naples ‘l’Orientale’ project. The volume does not cover in detail excavated lithic material from the 1993–1997 excavations at Aksum sponsored by the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), as this material has been published elsewhere, and does not consider ground stone artifacts. Even without detailed consideration of the 1993–1997 BIEA lithic and ground stone material, the volume presents important insights into the production of lithic tools during the rise and development of sociopolitical complexity in the region between the early first millennium BC and late first millennium AD. While this time period, traditionally encompassing the Pre- Aksumite to early Post-Aksumite periods, is arguably the best studied period in the Holocene archaeology of the Horn of Africa, and the Aksum area is the most closely investigated region in Ethiopia, relatively little attention has been given over the years to the ways that flaked lithic artifacts were produced, utilized, and incorporated into local and regional economies and cultures of the Aksum area and wider highlands of the northern Horn. Therefore, the volume under review provides a most welcome contribution to an under-published and under-analyzed aspect of the region’s archaeology. The volume includes six chapters, several simple maps, dozens of drawn lithic illustrations, a short glossary of terms used, a bibliography, and a series of 15 plates containing close-up black and white photos of lithic forms and macroscopic wear on individual artifacts. Chapter 1 serves as a sort of preface and is guest-authored by Rodolfo Fattovich, providing a brief overview of research carried out in the Aksum M. C. Curtis (*) University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA e-mail: matthew-curtis@sbcglobal.net
Studies in vitro on single beating rat heart cells: IX. The restoration of beating by serum lipids and fatty acids

Abstract 1. 1. Heart cells incubated in lipid-deficient media lose their ability to beat. 2. 2. The presence of lipid-free serum proteins partially maintains growth but not beating. 3. 3. The presence of serum lipids maintains beating but not growth. 4. 4. The addition of lipid-free serum and serum lipids may reconstitute whole serum in its ability to maintain growth and beating. 5. 5. Lipid-free albumin maintains cells without growth or beating. 6. 6. The addition of serum lipids or fatty acids to cells, maintained either in lipid-free serum proteins or lipid-free albumin, and which have lost their beating, restores the ability to beat.
Purification and characterization of the extracellular alpha-amylase from Streptococcus bovis JB1.

The extracellular alpha-amylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucanglucanohydrolase; EC 3.2.1.1) from maltose-grown Streptococcus bovis JB1 was purified to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography (Mono Q). The enzyme had an isoelectric point of 4.50 and an apparent molecular mass of 77,000 Da, as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was rich in acidic and hydrophobic amino acids. The 15-amino-acid NH2-terminal sequence was 40% homologous with the Bacillus subtilis saccharifying alpha-amylase and 27% homologous with the Clostridium acetobutylicum alpha-amylase. alpha-Amylase activity on soluble starch was optimal at pH 5.0 to 6.0. The enzyme was relatively stable between pH 5.5 and 8.5 and at temperatures below 50 degrees C. When soluble potato starch was used as the substrate, the enzyme had a Km of 0.88 mg.ml-1 and a kcat of 2,510 mumol of reducing sugar.min-1.mg of protein-1. The enzyme exhibited neither pullulanase nor dextranase activity and was 40 to 70% as active on amylopectin as on amylose. The major end products of amylose hydrolysis were maltose, maltotriose, and maltotetraose. Images
Abstract 145: Outcome in Patients with Minor Stroke: The Effect of Itemized NIHSS Score Subsets

Background: The use of the National Insitutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) to assess stroke severity in minor stroke is controversial. We hypothesized that patients with cortical signs on the itemized NIHSS subsets (neglect, visual, or language) will have a worse outcome than those without. Methods: Data was retrieved from the Columbia SPOTRIAS dataset. All patients with NIHSS between 0 and 5 within 12 hours from symptom onset who were not treated with intravenous thrombolysis were included. Patients were followed prospectively as part of the “Stroke Warning Information and Faster Treatment” Study. Poor outcome was defined as not being discharged home and analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. The primary predictor was cortical features on the itemized NIHSS. Individual components of the NIHSS score, treated as a dichotomous variable, as well as the admission NIHSS score were assessed in secondary analyses. Results: The sample included 894 patients, of which 162 (18%) were not discharged home...
Stellar-Dynamical Evidence for Black Holes in Galaxy Nuclei

Our paradigm that active galaxies are powered by accreting black holes (BHs) motivates many BH searches. The situation is dangerous: it is easy to believe that we have proved what we expect to find. This paper reviews recent progress in stellar-dynamical BH searches.
Evaluation of computational linguistic techniques for identifying significant topics for browsing applications

Evaluation of natural language processing tools and systems must focus on two complementary aspects: first, evaluation of the accuracy of the output, and second, evaluation of the functionality of the output as embedded in an application. This paper presents evaluations of two aspects of LinkIT, a tool for noun phrase identification linking, sorting and filtering. LinkIT [Evans 1998] uses a head sorting method [Wacholder 1998] to organize and rank simplex noun phrases (SNPs). LinkIT is to identify significant topics in domainindependent documents. The first evaluation, reported in D.K.Evans et al. 2000 compares the output of the Noun Phrase finder in LinkIT to two other systems. Issues of establishing a gold standard and criteria for matching are discussed. The second evaluation directly concerns the construction of the browsing application. We present results from Wacholder et al. 2000 on a qualitative evaluation which compares three shallow processing methods for extracting
Schwarz reflection principle in complex spaces of dimension two

(1996). Schwarz reflection principle in complex spaces of dimension two. Communications in Partial Differential Equations: Vol. 21, No. 11-12, pp. 1781-1828.
Lawyers and the New Institutionalism

Drawing on the sociological theory of new institutionalism, this essay explores the ethical behavior and decision-making of lawyers by reference to the organizational context in which lawyers work. As the new institutionalism predicts, lawyers develop powerful assimilated informal norms, practices, habits, and customs that sometimes complement and other times supplant formal substantive law on professional conduct. Structural choices in practice settings influence the creation of these informal norms. The challenge for the legal profession, and particularly academics who teach legal ethics, is how to prepare law students and lawyers better to recognize and analyze the norms in their practice setting and to encourage management choices within practice settings that more likely provide norms that enhance rather than degrade ethical decision-making.
Memory while shadowing

Subjects were asked to repeat verbally (shadow) English words which were presented to one ear. They were then tested for their memory of two-digit numbers which were presented to their other ear. It is demonstrated that subjects have no memory for these digits if they must continue to shadow for 20 sec. before being tested on their memory for the digits. However, if tested immediately after the digit presentation, they do remember some digits. Hence, verbal material presented on non-attended channels gets into a short-term memory, but is not transferred into long-term memory.
Circadian variation of death from congestive heart failure after prior myocardial infarction in patients >60 years of age.

In the present prospective study, there was a circadian pattern in the number of deaths per hour in patients with congestive heart failure after prior myocardial infarction. The primary peak occurred between 6 A.M. and 12 P.M., with 202 of 517 deaths (39%) occurring in that 6-hour period.
Spectroscopic Temperatures of a Moderate-Power Argon Microwave-Induced Plasma

The present study reports rotational and excitation temperatures for a moderate-power Ar microwave-induced plasma (MIP) operating at 500 W forward power and zero W reflected power (as measured at the generator). We report rotational and excitation temperatures as a function of position in the plasma using both axial and lateral viewing modes with, and without, solution nebulization. For the sake of comparison, rotational temperatures (Trot) were determined both by the fundamental, or slope, method and by the isointensity method as described by Dieke and Crosswhite (see text for references). A discussion of rotational state distributions as they are related to local thermodynamic equilibrium and rotational temperature determinations is included. In determining Trot the principal spectral region of interest is the well-known 3064 A band characteristic of OH radical. With the use of isointensity method of calculation the temperature in the central region of this plasma was determined to be 3580 K. The excitation temperature (Texc) was determined by the
Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and the stages of drug development: Role of modeling and simulation

Pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling and simulation (MS clinical trial simulation can be used to forecast the probability of achieving a target response in patients based on information obtained in early phases of development. Framing the right question and capturing the key assumptions are critical components of the “learn-and-confirm” paradigm in the drug development process and are essential to delivering high-value PK/PD M&S results. Selected works of PK/PD modeling and simulation from preclinical to phase III are presented as case examples in this article.
On the crossover between the Gulf Stream and the Western Boundary Undercurrent

Abstract To determine how the Gulf Stream and Western Boundary Undercurrent cross each other near Cape Hatteras, six current meters were moored from May to July 1971 along a line normal to the Gulf Stream axis and 100 m above the ocean floor in depths from 1200 to 4200 m. Peak velocities of the six records (including one of 47 cm s −1 and the mean velocities of four of the deepest records (2800 to 4000m ) were in the southwest quadrant. During the observations the Gulf Stream did not extend to the bottom in this area except in brief current reversals to the northeast. The Western Boundary Undercurrent flowed southwest under the Gulf Stream parallel to the bottom contours. The transport of the undercurrent, estimated using two geostrophic velocity sections and deep current meter observations, was 24 × 10 6 m 3 s −1 .
Error characterization for the time-domain numerical solution of Maxwell's equations

The accuracy and stability of transient numerical methods in electromagnetics is an important consideration, for which an analytical measure is necessary. Of the several approaches commonly used to indicate accuracy of numerical methods, the modified equation of Warming and Hyett [1974] is examined, for several finite-difference and finite-element time-domain methods. In the method of Warming and Hyett, a Taylor-series representation of each unknown is substituted into the difference equation and, through a rather lengthy series of algebraic steps, reduced to what is known as a modified equation. From this modified equation, which represents the actual differential equation being solved by the numerical method, the stability, and relative phase and magnitude accuracy, of the method can be ascertained. As a final introductory note, the one-dimensional equations for each of the algorithms are used in the development of the modified equation and the dispersion relations. The extension of each of the one-dimensional results to two and three dimensions is discussed, in the context of each method. >
Multipath mitigation in high precision GPS systems using Artificial Magnetic Conductors

A low profile circularly polarized antenna based on Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) ground plane is presented in this paper. The AMC ground plane is utilized to reduce the effects of multipath by blocking the propagation of surface waves. Hence, the proposed antenna is suitable for high precision GPS systems which require sub centimeter level of precision. Typically, choke ring antennas are used to efficiently reduce the effects of multipath interference. However, they are bulky, heavy and expensive. The antenna presented here consists of a microstrip antenna resonating at the L1 band (1.575 GHz) based on an 8x8 unit cells AMC structure; the result is an antenna showing good multipath rejection and a low axial ratio over a wide angular range. The advantage of the integrated AMC ground plane is the low cost of manufacturing, light weight, and a relatively low profile solution. I. INTRODUCTION The performance of high accuracy GPS is compromised by a major source of error known as multipath, which is the interference of multiple reflections with the direct GPS signal. Multipath signals, coming from reflections of the receiver's surroundings would significantly affect its performance (1). Choke ring based antennas are typically used to improve multipath rejection at the receiver's level. In general, these antennas are bulky, heavy (about 5 kg) and expensive. With the advent of new microwave technologies like Electromagnetic Bandgap (EBG), AMC and metamaterials, it is now possible to design light, compact and cheaper solutions. In (2), a metallo- dielectric EBG surface based on Sievenpiper's mushroom structures has been utilized to improve the interference mitigation of a GPS antenna in the L2 and L1 bands. Drawbacks of this system are: large dimensions, and fabrication complexity (including vias). In (3), a low profile antenna for geodesic applications is presented. The design consists of a rigid low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) patch antenna embedded in an EBG based substrate; though efficient, the antenna lacks conformability and involve vias which complicates the manufacturing process. In (4), a crossed dipole antenna integrated on a wideband AMC is proposed. This design demonstrates a good performance; however, it consists of four PCB layers. In this paper, a simple low profile and cost effective solution is proposed. The antenna exhibits an improved gain, polarization purity, low back radiation, and similar performance to the choke ring antenna.
Generation of guanine–amino acid cross-links by a free radical combination mechanism

A direct method has been developed for the in vitro synthesis of stable DNA–protein cross-links (DPC's) between guanine and amino acids (lysine and arginine). This method employs the combination of guanine neutral radicals, G(–H)˙, and side-chain C-centered amino acid radicals. The latter were generated indirectly after first causing the selective photoionization of 2-aminopurine (2AP) embedded in the oligonucleotide, 5′-d(CC[2AP]TCGCTACC), by intense nanosecond 308 nm excimer laser pulses. The 2AP radical cation deprotonates rapidly to form the 2AP(–H)˙ neutral radical which, in turn, oxidizes the nearby guanine to form the neutral guanine G(–H)˙ radical, as described previously (Shafirovich et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2001, 105, 8431). In parallel, the hydrated electrons, generated by the photoionization of 2AP, are scavenged by nitrous oxide to generate hydroxyl radicals. In the presence of a large excess of the amino acids, the hydroxyl radicals oxidize the latter to produce C-centered amino acid radicals that combine with the G(–H)˙ radicals to form the guanine–amino acid cross-linked oligonucleotide product. Analogous products were generated by photoionizing the free nucleoside, 2′,3′,5′-tri-O-acetylguanosine, (tri-O-Ac-Guo), using intense nanosecond 266 nm Nd:YAG laser pulse irradiation. The guanine–amino acid cross-links thus produced site-specifically positioned either in oligonucleotides, or in the free nucleoside tri-O-Ac-Guo were isolated by HPLC methods and identified by high resolution LC-TOF/MS and LC-MS/MS methods. The possibility that analogous guanine–amino acid cross-linked products could be formed in vivo using single hit radical generation mechanisms during oxidative stress is discussed.
Encapsulation of proteins for improved delivery

Two recent advances have enabled the development of clinically useful, injectable, sustained-release protein formulations. The first is a nonaqueous, cryogenic atomization process that encapsulates the protein into microspheres composed of a biodegradable polymer from which the protein is released slowly. The second consists of numerous ways of maintaining protein stability within the microspheres for extended periods after injection. In addition to allowing less frequent administration of protein drugs, at possibly lower overall doses, it is possible that sustained-release formulations will justify commercial development of proteins that could not be marketed as solution formulations.
The Unified International Gastric Cancer Staging Classification System

A unified international classification for staging of gastric cancer has been accomplished. The clinical stage classification is based on the clinical extent of the cancer as demonstrated by clinic...
Characterization of influenza A and B viruses recovered from immunocompromised patients treated with antivirals

Abstract Emergence of resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors (NAI) is an uncommon event in immunocompetent adults. We analyzed the drug sensitivity of influenza viruses recovered from three immunocompromised patients following prolonged treatment with antivirals. The sequential isolates recovered for each patient were tested in the NA inhibition (NAI) assay that revealed an emergence of resistance. Oseltamivir-resistant mutants of influenza A viruses acquired substitutions E119V (H3N2) and H274Y (H1N1) in the NA active site, which have previously been shown to confer resistance in immunocompetent humans. Additionally, we detected a novel substitution, D198N, in the NA of the influenza B virus recovered on day 28 of oseltamivir treatment. In the NAI assay, the D198N mutant exhibited a 10-fold reduction in susceptibility to oseltamivir compared with that of the first isolate (32 vs. 304 nM). The susceptibility of this mutant to A-315675 was unaltered (IC 50 value=1.7 nM), but was reduced 5–8 fold against zanamivir and peramivir. The influenza A isolates contained molecular markers of resistance to the M2 channel blockers. Failure to cease virus replication, despite the prolonged antiviral treatment and emergence of the mutants resistant to available drugs, indicates the need for improved strategies to control influenza infection in immunocompromised hosts.
Emerging therapies for colorectal cancer

Colorectal carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Survival for patients with metastatic disease is ∼ 2 years on average and there is an ongoing need for the identification of new therapeutic agents. As the cancer research community has appreciated, newly discovered pathways governing cancer cell growth, survival, apoptosis, invasion and angiogenesis – all a host of potential therapeutic targets – have come into view. Basic research, preclinical data and observations arising from early stage trials have pointed towards possible roles for many of these agents in the future treatment of colorectal cancer. In this review, the authors summarize agents in development, modulating several of the most promising molecules and pathways that are thought to be relevant to colorectal cancer.
“Missing pieces”—functional, social, and environmental barriers to recovery for vulnerable older adults transitioning from hospital to home

Objectives: To describe barriers to recovery at home for vulnerable older adults after leaving the hospital. Design: Standard qualitative research techniques, including purposeful sampling of participants according to age, sex, race, and English proficiency, were used to ensure a wide breadth of experiences. All participants were interviewed in their native language (English, Spanish, or Chinese). Two investigators independently coded interviews using the constant comparative method. The entire research team, with diverse backgrounds in primary care, hospital medicine, geriatrics, and nursing, performed thematic analysis. Setting: Urban public safety-net teaching hospital. Participants: Vulnerable older adults (low income and health literacy, limited English proficiency) enrolled in a larger discharge interventional study. Measurements: Qualitative data (participant quotations) were organized into themes. Results: Twenty-four individuals with a mean age of 63 (range 55–84), 66% male, 67% nonwhite, 16% Spanish speaking, 16% Chinese speaking were interviewed. An overarching theme of “missing pieces” was identified in the plan for postdischarge recovery at home, from which three specific subthemes emerged: functional limitations and difficulty with mobility and self-care tasks, social isolation and lack of support from family and friends, and challenges from poverty and the built environment at home. In contrast, participants described mostly supportive experiences with traditional focuses of transition, care such as following prescribed medication and diet regimens. Conclusion: Hospital-based discharge interventions that focus on traditional aspects of care may overlook social and functional gaps in postdischarge care at home for vulnerable older adults. Postdischarge interventions that address these challenges may be necessary to reduce readmissions in this population.
Effect of using an incorrect elimination rate constant in application of the Wagner–Nelson method to theophylline data in cases of zero order absorption

Some authors have used an elimination rate constant derived from one theophylline treatment (e.g. the elixir) to apply the Wagner--Nelson method to concentration--time data from another treatment (e.g. a sustained-release form). Since there is considerable intrasubject variation in the elimination rate constant of theophylline such a practice usually involves use of an incorrect rate constant. By means of theoretical treatment and simulations the effects of such a practice are shown and illustrated.
Exotic annuals reduce soil heterogeneity in coastal sage scrub soil chemical and biological characteristics.

Abstract Exotic plant invasions alter ecosystem structure and function above- and below-ground through plant–soil feedbacks. The resistance of ecosystems to invasion can be measured by the degree of change in microbial communities and soil chemical pools and fluxes, whereas their resilience can be measured by the ability to recover following restoration. Coastal sage scrub (CSS) is one of the most highly invaded ecosystems in the US but the response of CSS soils to exotic plant invasion is little known. We examined resistance and resilience of CSS soil chemical and biological characteristics following invasion of exotic annual grasses and forbs and restoration of the native plant community. We hypothesized that invasion of exotic plant species would change biological and chemical characteristics of CSS soils by altering soil nutrient inputs. Additionally, we expected that if exotic plants were controlled and native plants were restored, native soil characteristics would recover. We sampled two locations with invaded, restored and native CSS for plant community composition, soil chemistry and microbial communities, and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles. Communities invaded by exotic annuals were resistant to some measured parameters but not others. Extractable nitrogen pools decreased, nitrogen cycling rates increased, and microbial biomass and fungal:bacterial ratios were altered in invaded soils, and these effects were mediated by the phenological stage of the dominant plant species. The largest impact of invasion on soils was an overall reduction of spatial heterogeneity in soil nutrients, nutrient cycling and microbial communities. Restored plots tended to recover in most biotic and chemical parameters including increased resource heterogeneity compared to invaded plots, suggesting that CSS soils are resilient but not resistant to invasion.
Fatty acid aggregation in supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract EPR spectroscopy provides evidence that stearic acid forms molecular aggregates in supercritical carbon dioxide. The degree of aggregation depends on pressure.
Polarization-dependent EXAFS studies in layered copper oxide superconductors

ABSTRACTLinearly polarized synchrotron radiation is used to study the structure of magneticallyaligned layered copper oxide high temperature superconductors (HTSC). We report polarizedextended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements of oriented powders ofYBa2Cu3O69 at temperatures ranging from 20-300 K. Measurements made at the Cu K-edge with the x-ray polarization vector oriented perpendicular and parallel to the c axis can be used toeffectively probe the structure around the Cu-atoms in the ab (horizontal layer) plane as well as inthe c (vertical layer) plane. 1. INTRODUCTION Since the discovery of layered copper oxide as HTSC's [1] the structure and compositionof La2CuO4, Nd2CuO4, YBa2Cu3O69 and have been extensively studied via XRD [2], neutron diffraction[3] and EXAFS [4,5]. The first two techniques give more accurate results for long range order, while the EXAFS probes the local structure around the absorbing atom. Moreover due to the linearly polarized nature of the synchrotron radiation, the EXAFS will show anorientation dependence for an anisotropic sample, thereby yielding a determination of the
More flitting about FLT3

Comment on Gale et al, page [3658][1] An elegant analysis of FLT3 mutational status in a large cohort of acute myeloid leukemia patients assesses the role of transplantation for these poor-prognosis patients. The FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is expressed on the cell surface of hematopoietic
`What Holds The Earth Together': Agnes Chase And American Agrostology

Geison's model of a research school is appliedto the case of Agnes Chase (1869–1963),agrostologist at the Bureau of Plant Industry,United States Department of Agriculture, andcurator, U.S. National Herbarium, SmithsonianInstitution. Chase developed a geographicallydispersed research school in systematicagrostology across the Americas in the firsthalf of the twentieth century. Despite hergender-based lack of institutional power, Chaseused her scientific expertise, mentoringskills, and relationships based on women'sgroups to develop a cohesive school of grassspecialists focused on her research program tocollect, observe, describe, identify, andclassify the grasses of the Americas. Geison'smodel is extended to encompass geographicallydispersed schools led by a non-university basedmentor without institutional power.
Ovarian cancer. Use of multiple modality programs involving surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy

Appreciating the past reports of effectiveness for various therapeutic modalities in ovarian cancer, the Gynecologic Oncology Group activated eight protocols. Three involved epithelial lesions with randomized multimodality trials alone or in combination. The other protocols were devoted to registration of rare tumor case reports. Conclusions are still difficult to reach due to inconsistencies in pathologic diagnoses and deficiencies in radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery inherent in the initial phases of group development by diverse specialists in oncology. Adjuvant therapy for early cancer seems to have no advantage. Single drug, melphalan therapy may be as effective as multi-drug, irradiation or combined drug-irradiation therapy and less toxic. For the rare tumors, preliminary results suggest therapeutic advantage for at least one triple drug program in malignant teratoma. With the lessons of the past, it is anticipated that new studies briefly described herewith may be more effectively applied. Cancer 40:588–594, 1977.
Time weaver: a software-through-models framework for embedded real-time systems

Embedded real-time systems are deployed in a wide range of application domains including transportation systems, automated manufacturing, process control, defense, aerospace, and telecommunications. These systems must satisfy not only logical functional requirements but also para-functional properties such as timeliness, Quality of Service (QoS) and reliability. The cross-cutting behaviors imposed by these para-functional properties and dependencies on operational characteristics (e.g. hardware, OS and middleware platforms used) have traditionally led to hard-to-code, hard-to-understand and hard-to-change software. The net result is that productivity improvements in embedded software development have been miniscule compared to improvements in computing and network technologies. We propose a software-through-models framework for the concurrent construction of behavioral models and executable code. Our framework, which can lead to high degrees of cost-effective reuse of embedded software components, decomposes inter-component relationships with an abstraction named coupler. This decomposition enables the separation of para-functional aspects into multiple semantic dimensions (e.g. timing, event flow, concurrency, fault-tolerance, deployment) that can be modified independent of one another. The impact of changes in one dimension on the realization of other dimensions is automatically projected and managed. Platform dependencies are also captured separately, enabling a code-generation subsystem to re-use the same components across a wide range of heterogeneous platforms and applications. System components can be recursively composed or decomposed. An analyzable software structure is enforced such that the end-to-end timing behavior of the resulting system can be verified. A visual tool called Time Weaver supports the framework and has been used to model avionics systems, automotive systems and signal processing systems. The software can be downloaded from[4].
Distribution of specific intermediate-filament proteins in the goldfish retina.

The intermediate-filament proteins expressed in the goldfish retina were investigated by immunohistochemistry and by immunoblotting. Polyclonal antibodies that previously had been raised against the goldfish optic nerve neurofilament (ON1 and ON2) and glial filament (ON3 and ON4) proteins were used in this study. Anti-ON1/ON2 antiserum reacted on a retinal immunoblot with two proteins having molecular weights and isoelectric points corresponding to those of ON1 and ON2. Histologically, the most pronounced anti-ON1/ON2 reactivity was observed in the ganglion cell layer of the goldfish retina. The anti-ON3/ON4 antiserum reacted with a single protein on a retinal immunoblot. This protein had a molecular weight and isoelectric point which corresponded to the goldfish optic nerve glial filament proteins. This anti-serum labeled horizontal cells in retina sections. Three previously unidentified goldfish visual-pathway intermediate-filament proteins sharing a molecular weight of 60K were observed on two-dimensional gels of retinal cytoskeletal proteins and on retinal immunoblots which were probed with a monoclonal antibody which recognizes an epitope common to all intermediate Filament proteins. The possible existence of homologs of mammalian GFAP and vimentin in the goldfish retina was also explored. Antibodies directed against mammalian GFAP and vimentin labeled the Muller fibers and the cone horizontal cells, respectively. However, immunoblot analysis and a comparison of the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis patterns of goldfish retinal and rat spinal cord cytoskeletal proteins demonstrated a lack of goldfish proteins identical to the mammalian intermediate-filament proteins.
Growth Rate and Water Use by Legume Species at Three Soil Temperatures

Legumes may be used to reduce fertilizer inputs, provide ground cover for soil erosion protection, and reduce residual soil nitrates. Little data are available to guide a producer in selecting a legume that matches water and temperature conditions and produces acceptable growth and N-fixation rates. The purpose of the experiment reported here was to provide such information. After a 14-d germination period at 20 °C, we grew eight legume species at soil temperatures of 10, 20, and 30 °C (± 2 °) for 105 d in a greenhouse. Daily water use was recorded, and plant dry weights were measured every 21 d. Initially annual species such as soybean [ (L.) Merr.] and fababean (L.) grew fastest at all temperatures. For the first 42 d at 10 °C, white clover (L.), crimson clover (L.), and hairy vetch (L.) also exhibited rapid growth. With warmer temperatures and longer growth periods, lespedeza (L.) as well as soybean grew rapidly. At 20 and 30 °C, soybean growth was often more than double that of most other species. Growth was maximal at 10 °C for fieldpea (L.), hairy vetch, and crimson clover; at 20 °C for fababean and white clover; and at 30 °C for soybean, sweetclover (L.), and lespedeza. Average water-use rates and water-use efficiency generally paralleled growth, except water use increased and water-use efficiency decreased as soil temperature increased. These results indicate that growth and water use differed greatly among legume species, that each legume species has its own characteristic optimum growth temperature, and that this optimum temperature for a given species may change as growth progresses.
RPLC of Intact Proteins Using Sub-0.5 μm Particles and Commercial Instrumentation

This paper addresses whether one can gain an improvement in speed or resolution with a silica colloidal crystal (SCC) of nonporous 470 nm particles when using a commercial nano-UHPLC. Compared to a capillary packed with nonporous 1.3 μm particles and the same C4 bonded phase, the peak width for BSA is decreased by a factor of 6.8 for the SCC. Some of this improvement is attributable to slip flow since the ratio of particle diameters is only 2.8. Resolution in protein separations was compared for a 2-cm capillary of SCC vs a 5-cm column of porous 1.7 μm particles. Both used a C4 bonded phase, and on-column fluorescence detection was used for the SCC. Split flow (5:1) before the SCC decreased the gradient delay time to 0.4 min and the injected volume to 0.4 nL. For variants from the labeling of BSA, the SCC had a 5-fold higher speed and 2-fold higher resolution than did the commercial column. For a monoclonal antibody and its aggregates, the SCC had a 3-fold higher speed and a 3-fold higher resolution compa...
Modulated Beat Discrimination Among Musicians and Nonmusicians

The purpose of the study was to test auditory discrimination of modulated tempi. Two hundred musicians and nonmusicians participated. Stimuli consisted of selected tempi that were varied to increase, decrease, or remain constant. Tempi were presented in two sets of 25 trials each and were varied at the rate of 10 mm per minute. Subjects were asked to indicate if each trial seemed faster, slower, or remained the same. Subjects were also asked to estimate the final metronomic markings or beats per minute of each trial. Results of the study indicate that (1) all subjects better discriminate slower tempi compared to faster tempi; (2) all subjects estimate tempi to be slower than the actual speed of the tempi; and (3) musicians are more accurate in tempi assessments compared to nonmusicians.