cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Severe viral pneumonia and cardiac dysfunction

The incidence of severe viral pneumonia increased year on year, cardiac dysfunction is one of the commonest complications in severe pneumonia.But it is still controversial whether or not the severe pneumonia is associated with heart failure.This article focuses on the mechanisms and the treatment of severe pneumonia complicated with cardiac dysfunction. Key words: Severe pneumonia; Cardiac dysfunction; Pediatrics
Medidas administrativas con efectos expropiatorios en Colombia: el caso de los contratos de concesión minera

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether rights that derive from a mining concession are protected when governmental measures, that are not expropriatory per se, are adopted; but that nevertheless encroach upon the rights that derive from a mining concession. To this end, this article conducts a general study of the concepts of private property, acquired rights, and their social and environmental functions, based on a review of scholarly research and the case- law of the Corte Constitucional (Constitutional Court) and the Consejo de Estado (Council of State). In particular, this paper analyses how the social and environmental functions of property can be pursued with government measures that are not expropriations, and which thus affect private property or acquired rights indirectly. The State’s regulatory activity has affected the rights that derive from mining titles, limiting the title holders’ rights, without a previous formal expropriation procedure nor an indemnity. The paper concludes that the protection of these rights under Colombian law, implies, for the title holder, the costly procedure of resorting to administrative litigation to seek compensation, which goes against the general interest of the State and the rights of the title holder.
BRCA-Related Cancer Genetic Counseling is Indicated in Many Women Seeking Primary Care

Background: Guidelines updated by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2019 recommend referral to genetic counseling for asymptomatic women that have a family history of cancers potentially associated with variants in the breast cancer type 1 and 2 susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2). Methods: I performed a needs assessment for BRCA-related cancer genetic counseling among undifferentiated women seeking primary care at an urban, academic medical center with an underserved population. Adult, English-speaking women with outpatient primary care appointments were surveyed. Questions included personal and family history of potentially BRCA-related malignancies, history of genetic counseling and/or testing, and a version of the USPSTF-recommended 7-Question Family History Screening (FHS-7) tool, modified to promote accessibility among women with low health literacy. Results: Out of 397 women, 97 women (24.4% ± 4.2%, 95% CI) met criteria for referral to genetic counseling. Among women with referral indications, 80 women (82.4% ± 7.6%) had no prior contact with genetic counseling and/or testing services (comprising 20.1% ± 3.9% of all women surveyed). The most common indication for BRCA-related genetic counseling referral was family history of female breast cancer before age 50 years. Conclusions: The rate that undifferentiated women seeking primary care met 2019 USPSTF criteria for BRCA-related cancer genetic counseling referral (24.4% ± 4.2%) exceeds earlier estimates (4 to 5%) but agrees with later, population-level estimates (24.1%). Health systems will need to appropriately allocate capacity to genetic counseling services and/or reconsider the appropriateness of FHS-7 as a primary care risk-stratification tool.
"It seems like COVID-19 now is the only disease present on Earth": living with a rare or undiagnosed disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose Patients with rare and undiagnosed diseases (RUDs) face significant health challenges, which may be exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study was to identify specific impacts of the pandemic on RUD patients, and targets for improving support and health-care access. Methods We conducted an online survey of RUD patients and their family members from 21 April to 8 June 2020, recruited from 76 Facebook groups for RUDs. Questions assessed patient characteristics and impacts of the pandemic on RUD diagnosis and management. Results Respondents (n = 413), including 274 RUD patients and 139 family members, were predominantly female and white, though income varied. Impacts of the pandemic included (1) barriers to accessing essential health care, (2) specific impacts of restrictive COVID-19 visitation policies on ability to advocate in health-care settings, (3) uncertainty and fear regarding COVID-19 risk, (4) exacerbated physical and mental health challenges, (5) magnified impacts of reduced educational and therapeutic services, and (6) unexpected positive changes due to the pandemic. Conclusion There are specific, serious challenges affecting RUD patients and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an urgent need to develop approaches to mitigate these challenges both during and beyond the pandemic.
Chromosome Xq23 is associated with lower atherogenic lipid concentrations and favorable cardiometabolic indices.

Autosomal genetic analyses of blood lipids have yielded key insights for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, X chromosome genetic variation is understudied for blood lipids in large sample sizes. We now analyze genetic and blood lipid data in a high-coverage whole X chromosome sequencing study of 65,322 multi-ancestry participants and perform replication among 456,893 European participants. Common alleles on chromosome Xq23 are strongly associated with reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (min P = 8.5 × 10-72), with similar effects for males and females. Chromosome Xq23 lipid-lowering alleles are associated with reduced odds for CHD among 42,545 cases and 591,247 controls (P = 1.7 × 10-4), and reduced odds for diabetes mellitus type 2 among 54,095 cases and 573,885 controls (P = 1.4 × 10-5). Although we observe an association with increased BMI, waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI is reduced, bioimpedance analyses indicate increased gluteofemoral fat, and abdominal MRI analyses indicate reduced visceral adiposity. Co-localization analyses strongly correlate increased CHRDL1 gene expression, particularly in adipose tissue, with reduced concentrations of blood lipids.
719 Insomnia in Those Diagnosed with COVID-19

Introduction: Recent meta-analyses suggest that as many as 75% of COVID-19 patients report sleep problems. Here, we sought to characterize this in terms of self-reported insomnia. We hypothesized that those endorsing a positive COVID-19 diagnosis would also report greater levels of insomnia than those with a negative diagnosis. Methods: Between April and September 2020 we administered the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), each month to a total of 6162 English speaking adults in the United States ranging in age from 18-84 (M=36.2 years, SD=12.1;53.9% female), recruited from all 50 states and the District of Columbia using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing platform. Data collections occurred cross-sectionally, approximately one month apart. Data were analyzed using Kruskal- Wallis H tests. Results: In total, 247 (4.01%) participants responded “Yes” to the question “Have you been formally diagnosed with COVID-19?” (male=128, female=119). Those reporting “yes” had a higher mean score on the ISI (M=14.52, SD=5.56) compared to reporting “no” (M=9.98, SD=6.55). Total ISI scores were higher for those who reported that they were diagnosed with COVID-19 than those that did not, χ2(1)=121.818, p=0.0001. Among those that reported that they were diagnosed with COVID-19, 57.11% had ISI scores indicating moderate to severe clinical insomnia compared to 25.42% of those who were not diagnosed with COVID-19. Conclusion: Those who reported that they had been diagnosed with COVID 19 had greater insomnia compared to those without such a diagnosis. This could be due to greater stress and anxiety in those who had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis due to the many uncertainties surrounding the short and long-term prognosis as well as potential impacts on the individual's family and workplace. However, it is important to consider the broader health picture of those diagnosed with COVID-19. This study is limited by the nature of the self-reported data, where we cannot verify a positive COVID-19 test. Causality cannot be inferred due to the cross-sectional nature of this study. Future work will need to determine the extent to which sleep-related factors are due to biological versus psychological factors associated with the diagnosis of COVID-19.
Intestinal Infection Is Associated With Impaired Lung Innate Immunity to Secondary Respiratory Infection.

Background Pneumonia and diarrhea are among the leading causes of death worldwide, and epidemiological studies have demonstrated that diarrhea is associated with an increased risk of subsequent pneumonia. Our aim was to determine the impact of intestinal infection on innate immune responses in the lung. Methods Using a mouse model of intestinal infection by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium [ST]), we investigated associations between gastrointestinal infections and lung innate immune responses to bacterial (Klebsiella pneumoniae) challenge. Results We found alterations in frequencies of innate immune cells in the lungs of intestinally infected mice compared with uninfected mice. On subsequent challenge with K. pneumoniae, we found that mice with prior intestinal infection have higher lung bacterial burden and inflammation, increased neutrophil margination, and neutrophil extracellular traps, but lower overall numbers of neutrophils, compared with mice without prior intestinal infection. Total numbers of dendritic cells, innate-like T cells, and natural killer cells were not different between mice with and without prior intestinal infection. Conclusions Together, these results suggest that intestinal infection impacts lung innate immune responses, most notably neutrophil characteristics, potentially resulting in increased susceptibility to secondary pneumonia.
Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) Score as a Predictor of In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: A Novel Approach to a Classic Scoring System

Background Limited data is available for reliable and accurate predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods This scientific study is a retrospective cohort study of patients without a known history of liver diseases who were hospitalized with COVID-19 viral infection. Patients were stratified into low score groups (Model of End-Stage Liver Disease [MELD] score <10) and high score groups (MELD = 10). Clinical outcomes were evaluated, including in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, and intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS). Results Our cohort of 186 COVID-19 positive patients included 88 (47%) women with a mean age of 60 years in the low score group and mean age of 73 years in the high score group. Patients in the high score group were older in age (p<0.0001) and more likely to have history of diabetes mellitus (p=0.0020), stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) (p=0.0013), hypertension (p<0.0001), stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) (p=0.0163), asthma (p=0.0356), dementia (p<0.0001), and chronic heart failure (p=0.0055). The in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice rate was significantly higher in the high-score group as opposed to the low-score group (p=0.0014). Conversely, there was no significant difference among both groups in the hospital length of stay (LOS) and ICU LOS (p=0.6929 and p=0.7689, respectively). Conclusion Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection and found to have a MELD score greater than or equal to 10 were found to have a higher mortality as compared to their counterparts. Conversely a low MELD score is a very strong indicator of a more favorable prognosis, indicating hospital survival. We propose using the MELD score as an adjunct for risk stratifying patients diagnosed with COVID-19 without prior history of liver dysfunction.
Contrasting Perceptions of Video Surveillance and Security Patrols in Quasi-Public Spaces

Business owners employ a variety of security and surveillance techniques to keep their property safe from crime and, in some cases, the threat of terrorism. Given the many security measures available to business owners, it is beneficial to understand how such security measures stand in the eyes of the public. This is especially relevant for proprietors that operate large venues and complexes (e.g., shopping plazas, sports arenas) that, due to their size and traffic, function more similarly to large public spaces than individual places of business. We assessed the attitudes of n=860 respondents regarding two commonly employed security techniques (CCTV surveillance and uniformed security guards) in shopping malls and stadiums. Perceptions of both techniques were generally favorable, though respondents perceived uniformed security guards as safer and less invasive of privacy. Respondents also believed security guards were more effective at deterring crime and terrorism, while CCTV surveillance better allowed for identifying and apprehending suspects after a crime. We discuss the results’ implications for proprietors’ choice of security techniques and the role that public perceptions play in such decisions.
German Philosophy 1760–1860: Conclusion: the legacy of idealism

By the 1860s, Schelling's early comment that “[t]he beginning and end of all philosophy is freedom!” had lost the rhetorical force it had earlier in the century; even if people uttered it, it had become a cliche, even a shorthand for something else not being said and which was not itself about freedom. In terms of the more general intellectual culture, philosophy, which from Kant to Hegel had been at the leading edge of the way educated Germans tried to come to grips with what things meant to them, had been replaced by the natural sciences – at first by chemistry and physiology, then later in the century by physics and biology. For many people, the Industrial Revolution and the shattering disappointments of 1848–1849 seemed to have shown that the entire movement from Kant to Hegel was overblown, something with far too much metaphysics and far too little practicality. For those people, progress was from now on to be marked by materialism and industry, not by invocations of the development of spirit. Names like Helmholz and Virchow became the heroes of the new generation of intellectuals who shifted their faith to the authority of the natural sciences (and therefore of “reason” itself, interpreted differently than Kant and Hegel had thought) to contribute to the progress of humankind. If anything, the generation following the 1850s tended to see the generations that had embraced idealism as ancient relics, a part of the pre-industrial past, incapable of giving any guidance to the future.
Specific staining of DNA with the fluorescent antibiotics, mithramycin, chromomycin, and olivomycin.

Publisher Summary Mithramycin (MI), chromomycin A3 (CH), and olivomycin (OL) are closely related, fluorescent antibiotics that show a high specificity for double-helical DNA but not RNA. When complexed with magnesium, these compounds have an affinity for the 2-amino group of guanine in DNA. Binding of the metal–antibiotic complex to DNA occurs by nonintercalating mechanisms and is noncovalent in nature. Spectrofluorometric analysis of MI- and CH-Mg complexes bound to calf thymus DNA in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) shows two excitation peaks: a minor peak at 320 nm and a major peak at ∼ 445 nm. A broad emission peak is observed at ∼ 575 nm, the green–yellow region of the spectrum. The ease of the application of these antibiotics for staining cells in suspension coupled with the high specificity for DNA made these compounds, especially attractive for use in flow cytometry. Also the 457.9 nm line for fluorescence excitation was available in most argon ion lasers in flow cytometry (FCM). Together these features provided considerable advantages over the more cumbersome and lengthy Feulgen procedure that had been previously employed in FCM.
Fragment-Based Screening of Ligand Databases

Lead structure identification in databases of substantial size is a difficult task in computer-aided drug design. Several approaches to this problem have been suggested in the literature [1], including fingerprints, substructure matching, rigid-body superposition, grid-and graph-based field overlay, and flexible fitting. Although 2D molecular descriptors outperformed their 3D analogues in a comparative study [2], current research efforts focus on 3D approaches. Despite recent advances [3], especially the appropriate consideration of molecular flexibility remains a challenging problem. In general, two kinds of approaches have been used to tackle this problem. Either a multi-conformer database is compiled in a preprocessing step, at the expense of increased memory requirements, or conformers are generated on the fly at the expense of increased computational costs. However, both of these approaches are only compromises, since in any case only a limited number of conformers can be considered. We propose a novel strategy for database screening on the basis of molecular fragments. From the computational point of view, a fragment-based approach is especially effective for two reasons. First, fragments often comprise only a small number of atoms and the runtime usually depends linearly on this quantity. Thus, a fragment-based search should be quite fast. Second, fragments frequently show only limited flexibility, thus allowing to ignore the flexibility in a first order approximation.
IKKbeta and p53 as therapeutic targets for arthritis

The disparity between the proportion of cells with DNA strand breaks and the low number of apoptotic cells in rheumatoid synovial tissue suggests impaired apoptosis. Therefore, therapeutic strategies aimed at induction of apoptosis in rheumatoid synovial tissue may be attractive. Adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats is among the most commonly used model for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To characterize the extent to which apoptosis occurs in the natural course of the disease, we evaluated the number of apoptotic cells and the expression of p53 in various phases of AA. We found that significant apoptosis only occurs late in AA and this is concordant with marked p53 overexpression, making it a useful model for testing proapoptotic therapies. Intra-articular adenoviral gene transfer of wild-type p53 resulted in an incremental increase in p53 expression in the injected joints, but this therapy did not have a beneficial clinical effect, since there was already dramatic p53 overexpression in the later stages of AA. NF-κB activation is another factor involved in the persistent activation of synovial cells and impaired apoptosis. IκB kinase β (IKKβ) is a key regulator of NF-κB. We observed the development of arthritis after intra-articular adenoviral gene transfer of IKKβ-wt into the joints of normal rats. Increased IKK activity was detectable in the Ad.IKKβ-wt injected ankle joints, coincident with enhanced NF-κB binding activity. Conversely, intra-articular gene transfer of Ad.IKKβ-dn significantly ameliorated the severity of adjuvant arthritis in Lewis rats. This effect was accompanied by a significant decrease in levels of NF-κB binding activity. Targeting IKK activity may represent a valid new strategy for the treatment of RA.
The Complex Relationship between Taxes and Health Insurance

Our current system of tax preferences for the purchase of health insurance and for unreimbursed medical expenses has few fans, particularly among economists. Economists argue that excluding the cost of health insurance from taxable income leads individuals to purchase more health insurance than they would if they were bearing the full cost of such coverage. The resulting “over insurance” leads to individuals consuming more medical care than they would if they had purchased optimal insurance. This over consumption increases health care costs and therefore health insurance premiums. Similarly, preferencing the consumption of medical goods and services over other goods and services through various tax-advantaged vehicles such as flexible spending accounts distorts decision making and leads individuals to consume more medical care than they would in the absence of a subsidy. After examining these efficiency-based arguments against our current tax treatment of health insurance and unreimbursed medical expenses, this paper argues that focusing solely on efficiency concerns in this context fails to take into account the complex relationship between taxes and health insurance. The final section of the paper examines how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act impacts the relationship between taxes and health insurance in terms of both efficiency and broader reform goals.
Cytokine concentration in stored canine erythrocyte concentrates

Objective To evaluate the effect of leukoreduction (LR) as compared to standard nonleukoreduced (NLR) units on cytokine concentrations in canine erythrocyte concentrates during regular storage time. Design Randomized, experimental study. Setting University teaching hospital. Animals Ten random-source research dogs. Interventions One unit of whole blood was collected from each dog and randomized to standard processing (NLR, n = 5) or prestorage LR (n = 5). All units were stored at 4°C. Samples were aseptically collected from each unit weekly for 5 weeks. On day 35, 1 mL of blood was collected from each unit and submitted for aerobic culture. Measurement and Main Results An ELISA assay was used to analyze the concentrations of IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α, and IL-10. There were no significant effects of either group or storage time for IL-1β, IL-10, or TNF-α. IL-8 concentration was significantly increased over the storage period in NLR units, and was significantly higher compared to LR units on days 28 and 35. Aerobic culture was negative on all units. Conclusions This study demonstrated a marked, storage time-dependent accumulation of IL-8 in canine erythrocyte concentrates. Prestorage LR attenuated the accumulation of IL-8. This chemokine may contribute to the proinflammatory effects of transfusion of stored erythrocyte concentrates.
Investor perceptions of CEO successor selection in the wake of integrity and competence failures: A policy capturing study

Research summary: Drawing on theory about signaling, sensemaking, and the romance of leadership, we extend inquiry on investors' perceptions of CEO succession following misconduct. Whereas past studies have treated misconduct monolithically, we examine failures of integrity and competence separately. Using a policy capturing methodology that isolates investors' decision making from potential confounds, we find that, following an integrity failure, investors perceive outside and interim successors positively but inside successors negatively. Following a competence failure, investors perceive outside successors positively but are ambivalent toward inside and interim successors. Our findings indicate that whether an act of misconduct was an integrity failure or a competence failure, and what type of successor the firm chooses, are important considerations when using CEO succession as a means to restore investor confidence. Managerial summary: Business headlines regularly feature episodes of organizational misconduct, such as product safety problems, environmental violations, employee mistreatment, and securities lawsuits, and their aftermath. In such scenarios, shareholders demand answers from the people at the top, even if those people were not directly responsible for the problem. As a result, companies often fire the CEO as a means to restore investor confidence. Does this work? It depends on the type of misconduct and who is the CEO's successor. Following a competence failure, investors welcome the appointment of an outsider, but they are indifferent to inside and interim successors. Following an integrity failure, shareholders greet outside and interim CEO successors favorably while frowning on the promotion of insiders. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Distribution of the first return time in fractional Brownian motion and its application to the study of on-off intermittency

Herein, the term fractional Brownian motion is used to refer to a class of random walks with long-range correlated steps where the mean square displacement of the walker at large time t is proportional to ${\mathit{t}}^{2\mathit{H}}$ with 0H1. For ordinary Brownian motion we obtain H=1/2. Let T denote the time at which the random walker starting at the origin first returns to the origin. The purpose of this paper is to show that the probability distribution of T scales with T as P(T)\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{T}}^{\mathit{H}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$. Theoretical arguments and numerical simulations are presented to support the result. Additional issues explored include modification to the power law distribution when the random walk is biased and the application of the result to the characterization of on-off intermittency, a recently proposed mechanism for bursting.
Timers on ventilators

Jewish religious law considers human intervention to end the life of dying patients unethical. Timers on ventilators are proposed as a solution to prevent unnecessary suffering Is there a distinction between withholding and withdrawing medical treatment at the end of life? In the past two decades, courts and bioethicists in most Western countries have rejected this distinction.1 However, some doctors, patients, and families still find the distinction to have important ethical implications. A proposed Israeli law offers a unique approach that attempts to respect the cultural reluctance to withdraw treatment while finding a practical solution that respects the wishes of patients and families and allows patients to end their lives with dignity. The Israeli case offers important insights for other countries that want to combine their cultural identity and heritage with democratic and liberal values as well as for doctors in Western countries caring for patients and families that espouse different communal cultural traditions. The standard Western response to the reluctance of doctors and families to withdraw care is to dismiss it as an emotional reaction. The solution offered is to employ rational reasoning and not be misled by the apparent distinction.2 This approach is difficult for individuals or cultures who take the distinction seriously. Israel is a case in point. Although in many ways Israel is part of the Western medical world, it “Deviates considerably from Western norms in certain fundamental respects.”3 Israel defines itself as a “Jewish and democratic state” and attempts to integrate a liberal democracy with a Jewish communitarian approach. Israel does not share the strong Western, especially Anglo-American, consensus regarding the over-riding ethical priority accorded to individual autonomy. Traditional values that Judaism shares with other religions are also at play. These place an enormous emphasis on the value of human life up …
Infrared spectra of hydrogen and water on germania gel surfaces

Abstract The reactions of H2, D2, H2O, and D2O with oxidized and reduced germania gel surfaces were studied. Bands at 3673, 3550, 3450 and 1620, and 2180 cm−1 were respectively ascribed to isolated Ge-OH groups, hydrogen-bonded surface hydroxyls, physically adsorbed H2O, and surface Ge-H structures. The extents to which the various structures were formed changed when the gel surface was reduced. Reduction almost completely eliminated the formation of isolated Ge-OH structures, although hydrogen-bonded structures were formed, and increased the surface Ge-H concentration.
Petroderma and Porterinema in the New World

Two species of crustose brown algae (Ralfsiaceae) are discussed. Petroderma maculiforme is described from several Massachusetts collections and Porterinema fluviatile is described for the first time from North America. The known world-wide distribution of both species is cited, and data are given on their ecology, and vegetative and reproductive periodicities. The wide range of salinities from which plants of these species have been collected indicate that they are both euryhaline. Lithoderma lignicola Kjeliman (1883) is synonymized with Petroderma maculiforme (Wollny) Kuckuck (1897) and Porterinema marina Jaasund (1965) with. P. fluviatile (Porter) Waern (1952).
The electronic origin of the cool green phosphorus flame

Abstract The major electronic origin of the cool green phosphorus flame is an excited state dimer (PO) 2 * of phosphorus monoxide. A spectroscopic investigation of the gas phase oxidation of P 4 vapor in moist air has established that the visible continuum which is the main spectral feature of phosphorus chemiluminescence originates from a (PO) 2 * excimer complex. When complex formation is inhibited by increasing the reaction temperature and by diluting the reactants with buffer gas, a new emission from the electronically excited monomer appears. This emission can be assigned to the PO β-system and its appearance is kinetically and spectrally consistent with the following equilibria for the excimer: (PO) 2 * PO(X 2 Π) + PO( 4 Π) PO(B 2 Σ + ) + PO(X 2 Π).
Plated-wire memories--Problems and progress

Plated magnetic film wire memory elements must remain cost competitive with alternate memory elements or they will disappear from the commercial market. Substantial progress toward this goal is continuing in four areas. 1) High capacity memory modules with 5000 bits per square inch, or more, are being developed. 2) Use of new tests and substrate preparation processes make possible 50 bits per inch of wire on 2.5 mil diameter wire. 3) Plating process improvements make stable, repeatable high yield possible. Peak yield of 90% to 95% and large volume yield of 45% to 55% have been achieved. 4) Better understanding and new tests for disturb phenomena avoid design and performance problems. Automatic memory array test equiment provides economical high precision testing.
Manipulations of the renin-angiotensin system and intake of a sweetened alcoholic beverage among rats

Abstract Standard laboratory rats were maintained on a daily regiment involving deprivation of fluids for 22 h followed by a 2-h opportunity to drink water and a sweetened alcoholic beverage. Angiotensin II, in doses ranging from 0.1 to 1.25 mg/kg, dose relatedly decreased rats' mean intake of ethanol. All doses increased rats' mean intake of water. Angiotensin II, 0.25 mg/kg, reliably reduced intake of ethanol when it was presented alone during the 1st h of the daily 2-h drinking session, and reliably increased intake of water when it was subsequently presented alone during the 2nd h. Thus the reduction in intake of ethanol seen when the alcoholic beverage is presented concurrently with water is probably not merely due to the increase in intake of water. Lisinopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, in doses of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg, dose relatedly decreased intake of ethanol, but only after several days of injections. Concurrent intake of water was increased dose relatedly. When injections of lisinopril ceased, intakes of both ethanol and water took several days to return to control levels. Pretreatment with lisinopril, 3.0 mg/kg, for 8 days, had no effect on subsequent intakes of either water or ethanol. Lisinopril, 3.0 mg/kg, had no effect on rats' intake of a sweet solution without ethanol. These results confirm previous work and extend the data base supporting the idea that the renin-angiotensin system plays a role in modulating intake of ethanol.
Epitaxial growth of ultrathin Pt films on basal-plane sapphire: the emergence of a continuous atomically flat film

Abstract Epitaxial Pt films of various thicknesses were grown on basal-plane sapphire using ion beam sputtering. Scanning tunneling microscope images are used to characterize the film morphologies and their dependence on deposition temperature, T D . Epitaxial characteristics are determined, in a qualitative sense, by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The film morphologies are very sensitive to T D — exceeding the narrow ideal temperature range of 580–590°C means the difference between a relatively flat Pt film and a surface with tall Pt mounds separated by bare sapphire patches. Within this temperature range, Pt islands are observed at 10 A, these islands begin to coalesce at 15 A, and continuous films are observed at 30 A and 50 A. The continuous films are nearly ideal atomically flat surfaces, but both show several exposed Pt layers and the 30 A film has many pinholes. Also, images of 5 A Pt films deposited at room temperature are used to characterize the substrate morphology.
Entry flow of fiber suspensions in a straight channel

Abstract The planar channel entry flow of a Newtown fluid containing neutrally buoyant, non-Brownian, slender particles is studied numerically. In particular, the effects of Reynolds number, Re, and a nondimensional suspension parameter, C, on the developing velocity and orientation fields are investigated. The governing orientation equations are solved along particle paths, whereas the flow kinematics is determined from an Eulerian viewpoint. The fourth-order orientation tensor, which characterizes the orientation structure, is obtained from the differential orientation evolution equations and also from the Lagrangian description of the orientation angles of a number of fictitious fibers in the orientation space. It is found that both the second- and fourth-order orientation evolution equations, if used with quadratic closure approximations, inaccurately predict an earlier alignment of fibers in the flow direction. Furthermore, for higher values of suspension parameter C, convergent results are not obtained by using such evolution equations. On the other hand, the results obtained by following a number of orientation angles indicate that the entry length increases linearly with C, and the effect of Reynolds number on the entry length becomes negligible for high C values.
Tumor regression with regional distribution of the targeted toxin TF-CRM107 in patients with malignant brain tumors

We investigated regional therapy of recurrent malignant brain tumors with transferrin-CRM107, a conjugate of human transferrin (Tf) and a genetic mutant of diphtheria toxin (CRM107) that lacks native toxin binding. Physiological barriers to delivering proteins to tumor and surrounding infiltrated brain were circumvented with high-flow interstitial microinfusion. At least a 50% reduction in tumor volume on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) occurred in 9 of 15 patients who could be evaluated (60%), including two complete responses. Peritumoral toxicity developed 1–4 weeks after treatment in three of three patients at 1.0 μg/ml, but in zero of nine patients treated at lower concentrations. No symptomatic systemic toxicity occurred. Regional perfusion with Tf-CRM107 produces tumor responses without systemic toxicity in patients with malignant brain tumors refractory to conventional therapy. Direct interstitial infusion can be used successfully to distribute a large protein in the tumor and infiltrated brain surrounding the tumor.
Individual growth curve modeling of specific risk factors and memory in youth with type 1 diabetes: an accelerated longitudinal design

Objective: To examine if diabetes risk factors disrupt memory score trajectories in youth with T1D over three years with a powerful accelerated longitudinal method and individual growth curve modeling. Methods: Participants aged 9–17 completed memory measures at study enrollment and two years later. Results: Poorer metabolic control over the course of the study related to a significant decrease in visual memory scores. Compared to baseline, these youth scored 1.99 points lower at follow-up. Generally appropriate developmental gains were made in memory trajectories and girls' visual and verbal memory improved more than boys. No significant effects of disease duration, age of onset, or severe hypoglycemia were found on visual or verbal memory over three years time. Conclusions: Of the risk factors studied, only poorer metabolic control had a significant impact upon visual memory after three years. Verbal memory was unaffected. However, given that level of metabolic control tends to remain relatively consist...
Suppression of spin projection noise in broadband atomic magnetometry

We demonstrate that quantum nondemolition measurement, combined with a suitable parameter estimation procedure, can improve the sensitivity of a broadband atomic magnetometer by reducing uncertainty due to spin projection noise. Furthermore, we provide evidence that real-time quantum feedback control offers robustness to classical uncertainties, including shot-to-shot atom number fluctuations, that would otherwise prevent quantum-limited performance.
A Controlled Study Assessing the Effects of the Impulse Control and Problem Solving Unit of the "Second Step Curriculum".

The development of social and emotional competence is crucial for students. Second Step is a curriculum designed to promote prosocial development and prevent violence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing one unit of the Second Step curriculum (Impulse Control and Problem Solving). A controlled, repeated measures design was utilized to assess the level of change in knowledge of social-emotional skills. Results indicated that change was evident from pre- to post-test for third and fourth grade students (N=149). Third grade students receiving the intervention demonstrated significantly more knowledge growth than third grade control students. Notably, fourth grade students receiving the intervention demonstrated a similar level of knowledge growth as the fourth-grade control students. Discussion, limitations, and implications related to these findings are addressed.
Scaling of diastolic intraventricular pressure gradients is related to filling time duration.

In early diastole, pressure is lower in the apex than in the base of the left ventricle (LV). This early intraventricular pressure difference (IVPD) facilitates LV filling. We assessed how LV diast...
Digital neurofibrosarcoma in infancy.

Summary 1. Neurofibrosarcoma of the digits in infants, though rare, presents a distinct clinical picture. 2. Our experience with six cases is presented. 3. The multicentric origin is suggestive of an infectious (? virus) etiology of this malignant tumor. 4. Early recognition of its specific entity is imperative if cure without radical amputation is to be possible. 5. The preferred treatment in early cases is wide excision with application of a skin graft. In advanced cases, amputation gives the only possibility of a cure.
Nef-arious goings-on at the Golgi

HIV-1 avoids the immune detection of infected cells by preventing class I molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I) bound to viral peptides from reaching the cell surface. A new structure shows how Nef turns MHC-I from a noncargo into a cargo for the clathrin adaptor AP-1, thus directing MHC-I to the lysosome instead of the plasma membrane.
A disk rolling on a horizontal surface without slip

A circular disk rolling on a horizontal surface without slip is a common example of a nonholonomic problem of Lagrangian mechanics. In the literature, very few such problems have been attacked developing simple and interesting results. Here, it will be shown first that it is possible to find a steady motion of the system, which is rolling in a circle. Then it will be shown that it is possible to find the expression for the frequency of small oscillations about this steady motion, including an approximate expression for the speed required for stability of that steady motion, which is accurate for circles large in radius compared to the disk. The solution is shown to reduce to the well-known critical speed for a disk rolling in a straight line. It is then surprising to note that the critical speed for stability is slower for motion in a circle than for the straight line. This result will be developed entirely analytically which seems to be quite unusual for such a nonholonomic problem of this complexity.
THE ROLE OF PHYSICIAN GENDER IN THE EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH: TEST OF AN ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS

A 2002 evaluation of the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health (CoE) provided evidence that women receive higher-quality primary health care, as indicated by receipt of recommended preventive care and patient satisfaction, when they receive their care in comprehensive women's health centers. A potential rival explanation for the CoE evaluation findings, however, is that the higher quality of care in the CoE may be attributable to a predominance of female physicians in CoE settings. More women who receive health care in a CoE have a female regular physician and female physicians may provide more preventive health services. Additionally, women may self-select into the CoE because of their preference for female providers. This paper presents results of an analysis examining the role of physician gender in the CoE evaluation. Women seen in three CoE clinics and women seen in other settings in the same communities who had a female physician are compared to assess the CoE effect while controlled for physician gender. The findings confirm a positive CoE effect for many of the quality of care indicators that were observed in the original evaluation. Women seen in CoEs are more likely to receive physical breast examinations and mammograms (ages > or =50). In addition, positive CoE findings for counseling on domestic violence, sexually transmitted diseases, family or relationship concerns, and sexual function or concerns were upheld. The CoE model of care delivers advantages to women that are not explained by the greater number of female physicians in these settings.
Matched-pair analysis of cemented and cementless acetabular reconstruction in primary total hip arthroplasty

In a matched-pair study of primary total hip arthroplasty, 45 all-polyethylene cemented acetabular components were compared with 45 cementless, hemispheric, titanium acetabular components. At 9 to 12 years, 1 of the cemented acetabular components was revised for aseptic loosening, and 14 (31%) were radiographically loose. Nine (20%) cemented acetabular components had pelvic osteolysis. In the cementless acetabular component group, 2 well-fixed components were revised. No components were radiographically loose, and 3 (7%) had pelvic osteolysis. Thirty-eight (97%) of the patients in each group were satisfied with the surgery. The clinical results of the cemented and cementless components were excellent. The cementless components had less loosening (P < .001) than the cemented components.
Frequency distribution of weight loss percentage after gastric bypass and adjustable gastric banding

Abstract Background The results of surgical procedures for weight loss are often described in terms of the percentage of excess weight lost. Expressing outcomes using the mean and standard deviation might not adequately describe the clinical experience. This could in part be because the use of the mean ± standard deviation assumes a normal or random distribution of outcomes. It has been our perception that the weight loss results after gastric bypass are relatively normally and tightly distributed around the mean, making it relatively predictable. However, we have found that the results after adjustable gastric banding are more highly variable. In fact, there appears to be 2 groups of patients after this restrictive operation. One group, that is able to work well and does not struggle much against the restriction, accepts the limits that it imposes, and another group, that does not easily learn to deal with the restriction and hence mal-adapts. Methods To evaluate the validity of our clinical perception, we undertook an analysis of the distribution of weight loss by the percentiles of excess weight lost. All patients with follow-up of ≥1 years after gastric bypass or adjustable banding were evaluated for this analysis. The demographics and percentage of excess weight loss were evaluated. The distribution of the percentage of excess weight loss in 10% increments was evaluated. Results Both groups were similar with respect to the mean patient age. However, the patients in the gastric bypass group had had a significantly greater mean preoperative body mass index and were more likely to be women. As expected, the weight loss of the gastric bypass patients fell in a normal single-peak distribution for ≤5 years of follow-up. The data from the adjustable gastric band patients at 1 year demonstrated a normal single-peak distribution, with a longer rightward tail. At 2 and 3 years postoperatively, the data from the band patients had a 2-peaked curve. Conclusion The initial weight loss results after gastric banding are less predictable than those after gastric bypass. A similar analysis of long-term outcomes might be enlightening and assist in making clinical decisions.
Differential expression and intrachromosomal evolution of the sghC1q genes in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The secreted globular head C1q (sghC1q) genes can be characterized as a family of genetic loci encoding signal peptides followed by single complement component 1q globular (gC1q) motifs. Members of this family have been referred to as precerebellin-like (Cblnl), C1q-like or ovary specific C1q-like factors, and are transcribed in response to infection and/or during early development. This study was primarily undertaken to identify the zebrafish sghC1q (or DrsghC1q) genes that increase their transcription in response to infection and to examine their transcriptional patterns during early development. Twenty sghC1q genes were found in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome (Zv9). Two of the examined twenty genes showed significant up-regulation within 24 h of infection with the fish pathogen Streptococcus iniae, and eleven of the examined twenty were expressed during early development. Due to the clustered nature of these genes on chromosomes two and seven, intrachromosomal duplication events are hypothesized and explored.
Mass customization of travel packages: data mining approach

This article employs a mass customization strategy to design travel packages that minimize the operation and processing costs for the service provider on one hand, while aligning the components of the packages to maximize customer satisfaction on the other. Data mining is used to identify rules of association to develop this model. Hidden relations in the massive travel agencies’ databases are revealed by using the association rules technique to customize travel packages according to customers’ requirements. This approach leads to fewer, but more manageable and popular travel package promotions. The overall package selection problem is modeled as an integer program that minimizes costs of operation and processing. Two different solution approaches were used: a mathematical modeling language approach and a heuristic algorithm approach. An illustrative numerical example based on a synthetic data set is also presented.
Backscattering enhancement of a two-dimensional random rough surface (three-dimensional scattering) based on Monte Carlo simulations

The exact solution of scattering by a two-dimensional random rough surface (three-dimensional scattering problem) of an area of 80 square wavelengths with 4096 surface unknowns is computed, and the results show backscattering enhancement. The computation is based on a new numerical method called the sparse-matrix flat-surface iterative approach. The approach decomposes the matrix of the integral equation as a sum of a sparse matrix, a flat-surface block Toeplitz matrix, and a weak remainder that is followed by an iterative solution until convergence is achieved.