cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peregrination, Hermeneutics, Hospitality: On the Way to a Theologically Informed General Hermeneutics

The recent and laudable revival of ethical criticism, both in its neo-humanist and postmodern forms, leads inexorably to either elitist exclusivism or uncritical relativism. We are, at present, lacking an account of general hermeneutics that can transcend this divide, one that takes seriously the dangers involved in opening oneself to the other while also maintaining the intellectual and moral necessity of hospitality to strangers. An analysis of this problem points, via St Augustine, to the possibility of a theologically informed hermeneutics of hospitality, and the essay goes on to limn the contours, in theory and practice, of such a hermeneutic.
Justice, Power and Peace: Conflicting Interests and the Apprehension of ICC Suspects

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has the legal power to issue arrest warrants, but not the political power to arrest. Rather, it must rely on other national and international actors to enforce these requests. All the actors—the ICC, the suspected war criminals, and the key state actors—in these high stakes dramas involving the apprehension of suspected war criminals have distinct interests that guide their actions. Typically, as I argue, these contending interests lead to political disputes. I will argue that the principal interest of the International Criminal Court is justice; the principal interest of the actors indicted by the ICC is power; and the principal interests of international actors are peace and justice. Further, I contend that the ability of the ICC to gain custody of suspects will be determined by its ability to induce the international community to privilege justice over peace.
Inelastic Electron-Proton Scattering at Large Momentum Transfers and the Inelastic Structure Functions of the Proton

Differential cross sections for electrons scattered inelastically from hydrogen have been measured at 18\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, 26\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, and 34\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The range of incident energy was 4.5 to 18 GeV, and the range of four-momentum transfer squared was 1.5 to 21 ${(\frac{\mathrm{GeV}}{c})}^{2}$. With the use of these data in conjunction with previously measured data at 6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 10\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, the contributions from the longitudinal and transverse components of the exchanged photon have been separately determined. The values of the ratio of the photoabsorption cross sections $\frac{{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{S}}{{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{T}}$ are found to lie in the range 0 to 0.5. The question of scaling of $2{M}_{p}{W}_{1}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}{W}_{2}$ as a function of $\ensuremath{\omega}$ is discussed, and scaling is verified for a large kinematic range. Also, a new scaling variable which reduces to $\ensuremath{\omega}$ in the Bjorken limit is introduced which extends the scaling region. The behavior of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{T}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{S}$ is also discussed as a function of $\ensuremath{\nu}$ and ${q}^{2}$. Various weighted sum rules of $\ensuremath{\nu}{W}_{2}$ are evaluated.
Biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid in the vitreous. V. Studies on a particulate hyalocyte glycosyl transferase.

Abstract Previous studies on the in vitro, enzymatic biosynthesis of hyaluronic acid by extracts of calf vitreous hyalocytes have concentrated on the properties of a soluble glycosyl transferase. The present report describes the properties of a particulate glycosyl transferase from hyalocytes and its role in hyaluronic acid biosynthesis. The enzyme catalyzes the incorporation of radioactivity from UDP-[ 14 C]glucuronic acid (UDP-[ 14 C]GlcUA) and UDP-[ 3 H] N -acetylglucosamine (UDP-[ 3 H]GlcNAc) into high molecular weight soluble glycosaminoglycan which appears in the reaction medium. In addition, radioactive material is removed from the denatured enzyme by treatment with 1 m -NaCl, 7 m -urea, and leech hyaluronidase. Pronase treatment also solubilizes bound radioactive material. It is proposed that the tightly bound material, solubilized by Pronase or hyaluronidase, may represent the initial formation of enzyme-bound hyaluronic acid, which is subsequently released into the medium following further polymerization.
Insertion of carbon dioxide into Mg-N bonds. Structural characterization of a previously unknown η2 chelation mode to magnesium in magnesium carbamates

Insertion reactions of CO2 into magnesium amides that yield carbamates are known, and several different bonding modes of the −O2CNR2 moiety to magnesium have been previously identified. However, conspicuous by its absence is the simplest mode of chelation of the carbamate to a single Mg atom, the η2 chelating mode. We have now discovered that the insertion of CO2 into Mg2(NCy2)4 (Cy = cyclohexyl) in THF/HMPA (HMPA = hexamethylphosphoramide) forms the unsymmetrical dinuclear compound [Mg2(O2CNCy2)4(HMPA)] (1). X-ray diffraction analysis shows that 1 contains three different bonding modes of the carbamate to the Mg atoms, including the first example of the terminal bidentate η2 mode.
Substorm Behavior of Plasma Sheet Particles

The earth’s magnetotail plays an important role in the production of magnetospheric substorms. It evidently serves as a storehouse of magnetic energy (and also, perhaps, of particle kinetic energy) which is replenished by action of the solar wind. Accumulated energy is periodically released into the auroral regions of the earth in the form of kinetic energy of precipitating particles and joule heating of the upper atmosphere by intense electric currents. The release of most of the stored energy is often triggered quite suddenly by some as yet unknown process interior to the magnetosphere, resulting in the ‘breakup’ and the expansive phase of the substorm.
The quality case for information technology in healthcare

As described in the Institute of Medicine's Crossing the Quality Chasm report, the quality of health care in the U.S. today leaves much to be desired. One major opportunity for improving quality relates to increasing the use of information technology, or IT. Health care organizations currently invest less in IT than in any other information-intensive industry, and not surprisingly current systems are relatively primitive, compared with industries such as banking or aviation. Nonetheless, a number of organizations have demonstrated that quality can be substantially improved in a variety of ways if IT use is increased in ways that improve care. Specifically, computerization of processes that are error-prone and computerized decision support may substantially improve both efficiency and quality, as well as dramatically facilitate quality measurement. This report discusses the current levels of IT and quality in health care, how quality improvement and management are currently done, the evidence that more IT might be helpful, a vision of the future, and the barriers to getting there. This report suggests that there are five key policy domains that need to be addressed: standards, incentives, security and confidentiality, professional involvement, and research, with financial incentives representing the single most important lever.
A hybrid NoC design for cache coherence optimization for chip multiprocessors

On chip many-core systems, evolving from prior multi-pro cessor systems, are considered as a promising solution to the performance scalability and power consumption problems. The long communication distance between the traditional multi-processors makes directory-based cache coherence protocols better solutions compared to bus-based snooping protocols even with the overheads from indirections. However, much smaller distances between the CMPcores enhance the reachability of buses, revitalizing the applicability of snooping protocols for cache-to-cache transfers. In this work, we propose a hybrid NoC design to provide optimized support for cache coherency. In our design, on-chip links can be dynamically configured as either point-to-point links between NoC nodes or short buses to facilitate localized snooping. By taking advantage of the best of both worlds, bus-based snooping coherency and NoC-based directory coherency, our approach brings both power and performance benefits.
Understanding and Countering Insider Threats in Software Development

E-commerce and e-government depend on trustworthy software platforms. Unfortunately, barely a week goes by without the discovery of a "critical" software vulnerability that would give a remote party complete access to a large number of network-attached computers. Considering the rising financial incentives and the immeasurable strategic importance of such vulnerabilities, one should assume that there are parties within commercial software companies that are actively scouting out (and perhaps even inserting) such errors for future exploitation. For various reasons that we touch on briefly, software manufacturers appear to be unwilling to even discuss this possibility. We explain why open-source software development is not a solution, either. We then outline an approach that significantly reduces the problem, even when malicious insiders are part of the software development team. Our approach is based on running several slightly different versions of the same software in parallel on different cores of a multiprocessor. As a beneficial side effect, our method is able to locate actual programming errors.
Toe-cut terraces: A review and proposed criteria to differentiate from traditional fluvial terraces

Alluvial fans and fluvial terraces occur in nearly all climatic settings and often coexist within the same drainage basin. These landforms play an important role in understanding the geomorphic, hydrologic, sedimentologic and erosional histories of a basin. The juxtaposition of fans and fluvial terraces, in some instances, can lead to misinterpretation in distinguishing traditional fluvial terraces from the truncated toe of tributary alluvial fans. This becomes particularly troublesome for those attempting to interpret results from published field studies where fan-cut terrace, truncated alluvial fan, toe-cut alluvial fan, alluvial terrace, and incision of the lower end of a fan piedmont all refer to the same genetic landform. We call for use of the term “toe-cut terrace” to represent this landform. We also present criteria to aid in the identification of toe-cut terraces, defined as an abandoned alluvial surface, formed by the truncation of the distal portion of tributary alluvial fans by streams flowing...
Assimilation and Health Service Utilization of Korean Immigrant Women

In this case study, I present descriptive findings with regard to immigrant incorporation and health service utilization. Using focus groups and survey of Korean immigrant women in Wisconsin, I examine whether the ways in which they adapt to the U.S. society is relevant to their health services utilization and the alternatives they seek when available health services are less than satisfactory. The findings suggest that adherence to Korean identity appears to be associated with health service utilization. This is evident in the immigrants' evaluation of the U.S. health services as compared to those of Korea, and the consideration given by these immigrants to seeking health services in Korea instead of the United States. Such concerns on the part of these immigrants have important implications for health researchers, as they highlight the significance of immigrants' transnational experiences and their sense of personal agency in the use of health care.
Cardiac Action of Vasoactive Polypeptides in the Rat

Intravenous injection of bradykinin in ganglionically blocked rats has a predominantly pressor effect, instead of the depressor effect it is known to have in unblocked rats. Intra-arterial injection of bradykinin (0.01 to 0.02 µg) either before or after blockade produced a decrease of pressure in the hind limb perfused at a constant rate with autogenous blood. The response of the vascular bed was directly proportional to the perfusion pressure, but at a given pressure no difference was seen between blocked and unblocked animals. At the IV infusion rates used (12.5 and 25 µg/kg/min), bradykinin produced a large increase of CO. Because this action remains after autonomic blockade, it seems probable that its mechanism of action is largely independent of the carotid baroreceptor system. Bradykinin caused a slight increase in heart rate and a marked increase in stroke volume, apparently by a direct effect on the heart. In the blocked animal the vasodilator effect of bradykinin is less than its cardiac stimulat...
The "El Nino" image database system

The paper presents the main features of the image database El Nino. The main characteristic of El Nino is its search model which, rejecting the idea of querying image databases, proposes an approach based on a mix of browsing and querying that we call exploration. The paper presents the interface and query models of El Nino, as well as some of the architectural issues deriving from our query model.
Treating cervical dysplasia: why does it matter?

The cone biopsy described in the case series discussed by Mulhem et al[1][1] touches on several key issues in cervical cancer prevention and within the scope of practice of family physicians. In the current medical environment health care reform to bolster primary care to reduce health care costs
Long wavelength polarization in a spherical particle containing mobile charges

A transport-based formulation is developed for determining the electric polarization in a sphere excited by an axial dynamic electric field to address the resulting dipole moment in the long wavelength region. The difficulty arising from using bulk conductivity is seen to be absent from the newly obtained computation results. This can be attributed to the provision to incorporate the boundary condition for the charge carriers at material interface. For particles with a moderate charge concentration, such as the cases of semiconductor or imperfect dielectric, the frequency range where the dipole moment makes the transition to the static limit falls into the RF and microwave bands. As a result, composite materials containing such particles have the potential to be made to exhibit controllable electrical properties that could find applications in antennas and radio frequency devices.
An embedded DRAM architecture for large-scale spatial-lattice computations

Spatial-lattice computations with finite-range interactions are an important class of easily parallelized computations. This class includes many simple and direct algorithms for physical simulation, virtual-reality simulation, agent-based modeling, logic simulation, 2D and 3D image processing and rendering, and other volumetric data processing tasks. The range of applicability of such algorithms is completely dependant upon the lattice-sizes and processing speeds that are computationally feasible. Using embedded DRAM and a new technique for organizing SIMD memory and communications we can efficiently utilize 1 Tbit/sec of sustained memory bandwidth in each chip in an indefinitely scalable array of chips. This allows a 10,000-fold speedup per memory chip for these algorithms compared to the CAM-8 lattice gas computer, and is about one million times faster per memory chip for these calculations than a CM-2.
Linking to journal articles in an online teaching environment: The persistent link, DOI, and OpenURL

The growing availability of online journal literature and the license agreements that make such literature useable in an academic environment present educators opportunities for using journal articles in online teaching. The use of online journal articles avoids logistical challenges associated with the use of printed copies of journal articles, particularly when assembling course packs. Technological developments have improved the reliability of linking to journal articles via the World Wide Web. Three linking methods are described: persistent linking services available in online databases and journal collections; the digital object identifier (DOI), and OpenURL. Faculty who wish to reliably integrate links to journal articles in online instruction should be familiar with these linking methods.
Power system vulnerability metrics

In this paper we examine different scalar vulnerability metrics that account for system topology and power injection profile. We pose calculable metrics related to the ratio of power disrupted along a cutset to the number of lines on a cutset. It is intended that the metrics can be used to assess the system's susceptibility to large disturbances.
Basic Linguistic Composition Recruits the Left Anterior Temporal Lobe and Left Angular Gyrus During Both Listening and Reading

Language is experienced primarily through one of two mediums--spoken words and written text. Although substantially different in form, these two linguistic vehicles possess similar powers of expression. Consequently, one goal for the cognitive neuroscience of language is to determine where, if anywhere, along the neural path from sensory stimulation to ultimate comprehension these two processing streams converge. In the present study, we investigate the relationship between basic combinatorial operations in both reading and listening. Using magnetoencephalography, we measured neural activity elicited by the comprehension of simple adjective-noun phrases (red boat) using the same linguistic materials and tasks in both modalities. The present paradigm deviates from previous cross-modality studies by investigating only basic combinatorial mechanisms--specifically, those evoked by the construction of simple adjective-noun phrases. Our results indicate that both modalities rely upon shared neural mechanisms localized to the left anterior temporal lobe (lATL) and left angular gyrus (lAG) during such processing. Furthermore, we found that combinatorial mechanisms subserved by these regions are deployed in the same temporal order within each modality, with lATL activity preceding lAG activity. Modality-specific combinatorial effects were identified during initial perceptual processing, suggesting top-down modulation of low-level mechanisms even during basic composition.
Dataflow Models for Fault-Tolerant Control Systems

Dataflow concepts are used to generate a unified hardware/software model of redundant physical systems which are prone to faults. Basic results in input congruence and synchronization are shown to reduce to a simple model of data exchanges between processing sites. Procedures are given for the construction of congruence schemata, the distinguishing features of any correctly designed redundant system.
Disruption of the symphysis pubis during vaginal delivery. A case report.

Slight separation of the symphysis pubis during pregnancy is considered to be physiological and caused by hormonally induced ligamentous laxity. However, complete separation of the symphysis pubis during vaginal delivery is rare; the prevalence has been reported2,3,7,9 to range from one in 521 to one in 20,000. Separations of more than ten millimeters are usually associated with tenderness and difficulty with walking and are thought to be pathological3,5,7,9. In the current report, we describe the case of a patient who had a wide separation of the symphysis pubis during vaginal childbirth. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second reported case of disruption of the symphysis pubis during spontaneous vaginal delivery1. Our purpose is to emphasize that this type of disruption differs from other traumatic symphyseal diastases with respect to both natural history and treatment. A twenty-eight-year-old healthy woman (gravida two, para two) was transferred to our hospital after a vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery of a baby girl weighing eight pounds and fifteen ounces (four kilograms). Her previous delivery, three years earlier, had been spontaneous; there had been no need for forceps or vacuum assistance and no complications or …
DNA methylation profiles in primary cutaneous melanomas are associated with clinically significant pathologic features.

Summary DNA methylation studies have elucidated a methylation signature distinguishing primary melanomas from benign nevi and provided new insights about genes that may be important in melanoma development. However, it is unclear whether methylation differences among primary melanomas are related to tumor pathologic features with known clinical significance. We utilized the Illumina GoldenGate Cancer Panel array to investigate the methylation profiles of 47 primary cutaneous melanomas. Arraywide methylation patterns revealed a positive association of methylation with Breslow thickness and mutated BRAF, a negative association with mitotic rate, and a weak association with ulceration. Hierarchical clustering on CpG sites exhibiting the most variable methylation (n = 235) divided the melanoma samples into three clusters, including a highly methylated cluster that was positively associated with Breslow thickness and an intermediately methylated cluster associated with Breslow thickness and mitotic rate. Our findings provide support for the existence of methylation-defined subsets in melanomas with increased methylation associated with Breslow thickness.
A turbidimetric method for the assay of streptomycin and its critical evaluation.

A turbidimetric method for the assay of streptomycin is described. A statistical analysis of the factors entering into the test is presented. A nomograph and formula for the determination of the standard error of the assay are included. The turbidimetric assay method described is believed to be somewhat more precise than the B. subtilis plate assay method.
Observation of night OH in the mesosphere

[1] Satellite measurements from the Aura MLS instrument show a layer of OH near 82 km in the night. This layer confirms earlier measurements by ground-based LIDAR. The MLS and LIDAR observations measure OH in the lowest vibrational state and are distinct, but related chemically, from vibrationally-excited emission from the OH Meinel bands in the near infrared. The Caltech 1-D model has been extended to include vibrational dependence of OH reactions and shows good agreement with MLS OH data and with observations of the Meinel bands. The model shows a chemical lifetime of HOx that increases from less than a day at 80 km to over a month at 87 km. Above this altitude transport processes become an important part of HOx chemistry. The model predicts that ground state OH represents 99% of the total OH up to 84 km. Citation: Pickett, H. M., W. G. Read, K. K. Lee, and Y. L. Yung (2006), Observation of night OH in the mesosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L19808, doi:10.1029/2006GL026910.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis in 20 822 Infants: Analysis of Medical and Surgical Treatments

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common gastrointestinal emergency of the neonate. Previous information about this disease has largely been gathered from limited series. We analyzed 13 years of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and 3 years of the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID; 1997, 2000, 2003) to generate the most comprehensive profile of outcomes to date of medically versus surgically treated NEC. We identified 20 822 infants with NEC, of whom 15,419 (74.1%) and 5403 (25.9%) were undergoing medical and surgical management, respectively. Overall, surgical patients had greater length of stay, total hospital charges, and mortality. Among infants dying during admission, there was no significant difference in length of stay or charges between the medical and surgical groups. These findings highlight the need for developing a clinically relevant risk stratification tool to identify NEC patients at high risk for death.
Rostral ventral medullary surface activity during hypercapnic challenges in awake and anesthetized goats.

Abstract Regions within the rostral ventral medullary surface (RVMS) play an important role in cardiorespiratory responses to CO 2 during anesthesia. Activity within a RVMS area, in which local cooling elicited marked ventilatory and blood pressure reductions, was measured as 660 nm scattered light changes in 5 goats following 5% CO 2 challenges during waking and anesthetic states. During wakefulness, hypercapnia elicited a substantial, short latency transient (1–1.5 min) activity increase, followed by a sustained decrease. Stimulus cessation elicited a large and rapid off-transient activity increase which persisted for ≈20 min. In contrast, during halothane anesthesia, the initial activation was absent, and the later activity decline and off-response were much reduced. We conclude that biphasic RVMS activity responses emerge to CO 2 stimulation, and are state-dependent.
"Greenhouse Effect, Sea Level Rise, and Land Use"

Abstract The global warming from the greenhouse effect could raise the sea level by about a metre In the next century and several metres In the next few hundred years by expanding ocean water, melting mountain glaciers and causing Ice sheets to melt or slide Into the oceans. Such a rise would inundate deltas, coral atoll islands and other coastal lowlands, erode beaches, exacerbate coastal flooding and threaten water quality in estuaries and aquifers. Because the worst effects are well into the future, engineering responses will probably be unnecessary for several decades. However, because current land use policies can determine whether an area will be developed 100 years hence, officials should begin today to consider the options. The most Important decision will be determining which areas should be protected with dikes and which should be allowed to flood.
Relative Effects of Baiting and Supplemental Antlerless Seasons on Wisconsin's 2003 Deer Harvest

Establishing hunting regulations that facilitate population reduction is an important white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) management strategy. Increased opportunity to hunt antlerless deer and use of bait to attract are 2 strategies widely used by managers to increase harvests. While facilitating harvest, baiting deer also may increase disease transmission, create hunter conflict, or adversely impact other resources. Management for reduced deer populations requires that costs associated with baiting (e.g., disease transmission risk) be weighed against benefits (e.g., increased hunter efficiency). We quantified the effects of baiting on Wisconsin's firearm and archery deer harvests relative to supplemental antlerless-only firearm seasons (SAFS) by modeling changes in the 2002–2003 harvests as functions of deer density, population goals, supplemental antlerless seasons, and a partial ban on baiting in 2003. With other variables held constant, the 2003 bait ban equated to roughly 0.1 deer/km2 fewer deer harvested by archers (antlerless and antlered). The reduction was offset by an equivalent increase in harvest by deer hunters with firearms. Thus, the net impact of a baiting ban was negligible. In 2003, SAFS resulted in an increase of 1.2 antlerless deer/km2 killed even though a decrease of 1.6 antlerless deer/km2 killed was associated with SAFS in 2002. Our analysis suggests that creating additional opportunities for hunting antlerless deer with firearms was more effective at achieving herd reduction than baiting.
Damage on fused silica optics caused by laser ablation of surface-bound microparticles

High peak power laser systems are vulnerable to performance degradation due to particulate contamination on optical surfaces. In this work, we show using model contaminant particles that their optical properties decisively determine the nature of the optical damage. Borosilicate particles with low intrinsic optical absorption undergo ablation initiating in their sub-surface, leading to brittle fragmentation, distributed plasma formation, material dispersal and ultimately can lead to micro-fractures in the substrate optical surface. In contrast, energy coupling into metallic particles is highly localized near the particle-substrate interface leading to the formation of a confined plasma and subsequent etching of the substrate surface, accompanied by particle ejection driven by the recoil momentum of the ablation plume. While the tendency to create fractured surface pitting from borosilicate is stochastic, the smooth ablation pits created by metal particles is deterministic, with pit depths scaling linearly with laser fluence. A simple model is employed which predicts ~3x electric field intensity enhancement from surface-bound fragments. In addition, our results suggest that the amount of energy deposited in metal particles is at least twice that in transparent particles.
CULTURE MEDIUM FOR SUITABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF EMBRYONIC CHICK FEMORA IN VITRO.

SummaryWe have found that Way-mouth's medium MB 752/1, when modified (MB 752/1a has a higher level of calcium and a lower level of magnesium), plus embryo extract will support the growth and differentiation of cultured 7-day embryonic chick femora. The optimum level of embryo extract was 15 to 25% of the medium, and 25% was routinely used. In this medium the femora attain an 8-fold increase in dry weight and a 3-fold increase in calcium content during an 8-day culture period. Addition of chicken serum at 1, 5 or 10% of the medium did not improve these results.
Integrated-optic gyro chip

The optimization of guided wave electrooptic components for fiber-optic sensors, data processing, and telecommunication applications has been the focus of integrated-optic research for several years. Recently there has been a focus toward the design and fabrication of multicomponent chips. This paper will present recent experimental and theoretical data for a 0.83-μm wavelength integrated- optic fiber-optic sensor circuit. This chip contains three switches, a phase bias element, and polarizer. The topics to be discussed are device and chip design, fabrication, performance, fiber-to-chip coupling, and optical damage characteristics of the device.
Endogone food for mice.

Analysis of the contents of the digestive tracts of 450 mice trapped from 1955 to 1961 in a number of localities in northwestern Wyoming and north-central Colorado revealed 38% of the animals eating a hypogeous phycomycete, Endogone . The frequency of utilization was essentially the same for all species studied: Peromyscus maniculatus, Microtus longicaudus, Clethrionomys gapperi, Phenacomys intermedius and Zapus princeps . Consumption of the fungus appeared to be influenced by the season, the character and condition of the habitat and the availability of other foods. A comparison of data from stomach and cecal analyses suggests that stomach analyses alone provide a too conservative estimate of the frequency of utilization, but no dependable volumetric estimates of the amount of Endogone consumed can be made solely from cecal analyses.
IBUPROFEN FOR CLOSURE OF THE PATENT ARTERIAL DUCT IN PRETERM INFANTS

Premature infants are at high risk of having persistence of ductal patency which may lead to volume overload of the pulmonary vascular bed and the left heart. Indomethacin has been utilized as an alternative to surgical ligation of patent arterial ducts but has been associated with adverse events
Same-Day Discharge Following Laparoscopic Appendectomy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis as a Measure of Quality in the Pediatric Population.

Abstract Background: Acute appendicitis remains the most common surgical emergency in children, with laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) now the standard of care. Same-day discharge (SD) after LA is both feasible and safe in children treated for uncomplicated appendicitis. This study aims to determine if SD following LA for children with uncomplicated appendicitis would improve the quality of care with respect to cost of treatment, patient satisfaction, and complications when compared with a cohort admitted postoperatively. Methods: An IRB-approved retrospective review of children, 1–18 years old, treated with LA for uncomplicated appendicitis and eligible for same-day discharge at our hospital from August 2012 to April 2015, was performed with telephone follow-up and satisfaction survey for SD patients. Children discharged the same day postoperatively (SD) were compared with those who were admitted postoperatively and discharged the next day (ND) for baseline characteristics, complications, length of stay (LO...
Megestrol acetate therapy in geriatric patients: case reviews and associated deep vein thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a brief review of the literature discussing treatment of unplanned weight loss in geriatric patients, focusing on megestrol acetate and to report two cases of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) associated with megestrol acetate therapy in geriatric nursing facility residents. DATA SOURCES: Biomedical literature accessed through MEDLINE and PubMed (1990-2003); product manufacturer information. DISCUSSION: Unplanned weight loss, a common problem among frail geriatric nursing facility residents, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Once reversible causes of weight loss are identified and addressed, dietary changes, including the addition of nutritional supplements, may be of benefit. In some cases, medications are prescribed. Megestrol acetate oral suspension is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of anorexia, cachexia, or unexplained significant weight loss in patients with AIDS. Megestrol acetate tablets are FDA-approved for palliative treatment of advanced breast or endometrial cancer. In recent years, several published prospective and retrospective reports have described the use of megestrol acetate for unplanned weight loss in geriatric patients. While clinical efficacy trials reported diarrhea, impotence, and rash as the most commonly occurring adverse events, post-marketing reports have included deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. DVP has occurred in geriatric patients. CASE SUMMARIES: Case #1: An 86-year-old female with Alzheimer's disease and decreased oral intake was prescribed megestrol acetate suspension 400 mg po bid after a 30-day weight loss of 4.8 kg. Ten days later she developed DVT. Megestrol acetate was discontinued, and she was hospitalized and treated, recovering successfully. Case #2: An 85-year old female with Alzheimer's disease who had stopped eating was prescribed megestrol acetate tablets 40 mg po bid. Four months later she developed DVT. Megestrol acetate was discontinued and she was hospitalized and treated, recovering successfully. CONCLUSION: Thromboembolic events are potential adverse events associated with megestrol acetate therapy. Caution should be observed in using megestrol acetate in geriatric patients, especially nursing facility residents who often have impaired mobility.
Single-Cell Analysis of [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake by Droplet Radiofluidics

Radiolabels can be used to detect small biomolecules with high sensitivity and specificity without interfering with the biochemical activity of the labeled molecule. For instance, the radiolabeled glucose analogue, [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), is routinely used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans for cancer diagnosis, staging, and monitoring. However, despite their widespread usage, conventional radionuclide techniques are unable to measure the variability and modulation of FDG uptake in single cells. We present here a novel microfluidic technique, dubbed droplet radiofluidics, that can measure radiotracer uptake for single cells encapsulated into an array of microdroplets. The advantages of this approach are multiple. First, droplets can be quickly and easily positioned in a predetermined pattern for optimal imaging throughput. Second, droplet encapsulation reduces cell efflux as a confounding factor, because any effluxed radionuclide is trapped in the droplet. Last, multiplexed measurements ca...
My half-century saturated in semiotics: A spiralling confessional

Ordinarily, a confession would not be a reply to a request or even a response to an invitation; a classic confession precipitates from an inner compulsion. This essay is a confession, even though it was nudged into existence by Kalevi Kull, the “who”, inviting me, the “whom”, to write some nebulous “what”. There was a suggestion of “when” (yet deadlines fortunately never die), and an assumption that I would grasp the “how” and that the “where” would be irrelevant. Back to the “what”. “What” remains a humongous mystery, as does “why”; precisely, that is my first confession. Yet I picked up the dangled thread, by default exploring via narrative the fusion of semiotics with my very self. These tangled traces also qualify as confessions. Let me add that the human tool-toy of language has forced these signs of thought and speech and writing, into secondness. Sharing the thirdness weakened into secondness leaves behind the spatiotemporal-free firstness of potential, and the thirdness of habit, drawing on Peirce (cf. CP 1: 356). Consequently, to start, even with an unknown, I must defy the symmetry of ultimate potential. I’ll let Kull do this, with his suggested frame of “50 years”. Let’s round that out to a half-century and allow gravity to take over. A persisting habit of mine, of leaning forward more than reflecting back, turns out to characterize my whole life. Any process consumes me, while products, or consequences, seem inconsequential, inasmuch as I will have already moved on – figuratively if not actually – to something else. I’ve found various metaphors for this condition, admitting to being a gourmand without pretension of ever becoming a gourmet, a dedicated lumper sidestepping analytical splitting. By analogy, I have been a “goat”; with that pesky goat as a totem, I could browse high and low and all around, fuelled by curiosity, steeled for surprise. From that vantage point, I might consider some conspecifics as “sheep” – somewhat linear and predictable grazers.
Comparison of nonampullary duodenal adenomas in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis versus patients with sporadic adenomas

Background and Aims Nonampullary duodenal adenomas are either sporadic or associated with a hereditary syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). The aim of this study is to compare characteristics and outcomes of sporadic and FAP-associated duodenal adenomas. Methods We retrospectively collected clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic data in patients diagnosed with duodenal adenomas at our institution and included all available follow-up. Results Two hundred thirteen subjects were identified; 118 had FAP and 95 had sporadic adenomas. FAP subjects were more likely to have multifocal disease. Initial size was not significantly associated with dysplasia. Fourteen (12%) with FAP and 33 (35%) with sporadic adenomas underwent EMR. Among those subjects who did not undergo EMR or surgery, there was no difference between the FAP and sporadic groups with progression to new dysplasia or cancer. However, the FAP group was significantly more likely to have dysplasia at follow-up ( P = .05). There was a significant difference in overall survival between the FAP and sporadic groups (log-rank test, P Conclusions FAP subjects were more likely to be younger and have multifocal disease. Progression of pathology was more likely in the older FAP group compared with the sporadic group. Time to progression to cancer was widely variable and, therefore, unpredictable.
Managerial incentives in the presence of golden handshakes

Abstract This paper examines the effect of “golden handshakes” on managerial incentive compensation and risk-taking. Golden handshake, one on hand, increases CEO's pay-for-performance sensitivity by providing a high-powered incentive scheme. On the other hand, it also increases the sensitivity of CEO wealth to stock volatility, and induces CEOs to implement risky investment policy. I show the optimal incentive level increases in the presence of golden handshake. The results help to shed light on the important role of severance contract on the optimal executive compensation.
Synergistic Combinations of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors and Decitabine Induce a Unique Gene Expression and Epigenetic Profile In Models of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Abstract Abstract 435 Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of lymphoid malignancy, representing approximately 30–40% of all lymphomas. While significant progress has been made in treating this disease over the past decade, it is still regarded as a heterogeneous disease which, after being classified as relapsed or refractory, is fatal in about one-third of patients. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACI) are presently approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory cutaneous T- cell lymphomas (CTCL), and have marked activity in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL), though their effectiveness in DLBCL is less established. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are known to recruit and cooperate with histone deacetylases to induce gene silencing. Combinations of drugs affecting these pathways have emerged as active and important, mostly in myeloid leukemias. We hypothesized that the combination of HDACI and DNMT inhibitors (DNMTI) in DLBCL may be active only in combination and not as single agents. We examined the interaction between a broad range of HDACI including vorinostat, depsipeptide, panobinostat and DNMTI using in vivo and in vitro models of DLBCLs, clearly confirming that these agents are in fact synergistic with decitabine. Synergy was measured by relative risk ratio (RRR) and the values obtained were as low as 0.01, representing very strong synergy. This combination of drugs, specifically panobinostat and decitabine, was also shown to be strongly synergistic in a murine xenograft model of DLBCL. In addition, we analyzed the molecular basis for this synergistic effect by evaluating the global gene expression and methylation using microarrays on the cells treated with the single agents and combination in DLBCL. Three DLBCL lines (OCI-Ly1, OCI-Ly10 and Su-DHL6) were treated with decitabine alone (2.5 μ M), panobinostat alone (2.5 nM) or their combination for 48h hours. DNA and RNA from untreated and treated cells were used for genome wide methylation analysis through Illumina Humanmethyation27 platform and gene expression profiling analysis with Illumina HumanHT-12 v3 Expression arrays. 3D principal component analysis clearly clustered the samples treated with panobinostat and combination therapy together and at greater distances from untreated samples and samples treated by decitabine alone. Therefore, the contribution to the gene expression phenotype of the combination was greater from the HDACI than with DNMTI. Consistent with this observation, the top network of genes differentially expressed (p Download : Download high-res image (184KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1. . Venn diagrams of the overlap in differentially expressed genes (p Disclosure: O'Connor: Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.
Strategic Entry Decisions, Accounting Signals, and Risk Management Disclosure

This paper examines potential entrants’ strategic product market decisions in response to incumbents’ accounting information and related disclosure. I predict that potential entrants are more likely to enter markets in which the incumbents’ accounting information suggests higher future production costs that are specific to the incumbents themselves. I further hypothesize that the relation is stronger when the accounting signals are accompanied by more extensive supplementary disclosure. Using detailed U.S. airline industry data and hedge accounting disclosure under SFAS 133, I find that potential entrants are more likely to enter routes in which the incumbents’ lower accumulated other comprehensive income from fuel hedges suggests that the incumbent will have higher future production costs. This entry pattern is stronger when incumbents have more transparent annual report disclosure regarding their fuel hedge programs. The entry pattern is also stronger after a systematic increase in risk management disclosure requirements following the (exogenous) adoption of SFAS 161. The findings are consistent with the notion that accounting information and disclosure affect product market competition.
The threshold vs LNT showdown: Dose rate findings exposed flaws in the LNT model part 1. The Russell-Muller debate

This paper assesses the discovery of the dose-rate effect in radiation genetics and how it challenged fundamental tenets of the linear non-threshold (LNT) dose response model, including the assumptions that all mutational damage is cumulative and irreversible and that the dose-response is linear at low doses. Newly uncovered historical information also describes how a key 1964 report by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) addressed the effects of dose rate in the assessment of genetic risk. This unique story involves assessments by two leading radiation geneticists, Hermann J. Muller and William L. Russell, who independently argued that the report's Genetic Summary Section on dose rate was incorrect while simultaneously offering vastly different views as to what the report's summary should have contained. This paper reveals occurrences of scientific disagreements, how conflicts were resolved, which view(s) prevailed and why. During this process the Nobel Laureate, Muller, provided incorrect information to the ICRP in what appears to have been an attempt to manipulate the decision-making process and to prevent the dose-rate concept from being adopted into risk assessment practices.
Sensing Curvature: Lipid Phase Coexistence at Planar and Curved Monolayers

Current approaches for the biophysical investigation of ‘curved’ cell membranes, like giant unilamellar vesicles and pipette-pulled membrane tubes of controlled radius, offer a narrow range of curvature tuning to explore the impact on membrane structure and behavior. We have designed and fabricated a novel bubble and drop based air-aqueous or oil-aqueous interface setup, where spherical monolayers of broad range of curvatures (25-1000 µm radii) can be created besides planar monolayer. The curved monolayers formed under controlled conditions can be gradually or instantly switched to higher or lower curvatures. Our unique approach combines 3-D imaging capabilities of confocal microscopy with this setup, to resolve early structures and domain evolution in curved and planar monolayers with respect to the surface tension and time. Moreover, an oscillation mechanism is included to induce sinusoidal waves of surface area in curved monolayers, causing dilatation and compression of the membrane, which assists in deciphering the alterations in mechanical strength of the monolayer with curvature and/or lateral structure.Using a biologically relevant monolayer, formed from Survanta (a clinically approved pulmonary surfactant, and a complex mixture of lipids and proteins that rapidly adsorb on the interface), we will present the first-ever experimental elucidation of the impact of induced macro to microscale curvatures on the phase/raft morphology of membrane. Interestingly, the Survanta components show the formation of distinct patterns of phase-coexistence as they adsorb on the planar interface and when on the spherical interfaces of different curvatures. Modulation of the local phase structure with the background curvature is found reversible up to certain extent, however it certainly has impact on the mechanics of membrane. We will present a theoretical model to explain how electrostatic (dipole:dipole) interaction energy between phases and within domains compete with the line tension energy on a curved surface and yield distinct phase patterns in the monolayer and bilayer membranes.This study has importance in understanding such impacts on the raft morphology and the mechanics of cell membrane during cellular processes involving large variations in membrane curvature. Additionally, it may have implications in modulating the self-assembly process of amphiphiles at the interface, leading to formation of distinct two-dimensional patterns useful for the nanotech industries.