cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeted mutational analysis of ankyrin-B in 541 consecutive, unrelated patients referred for long QT syndrome genetic testing and 200 healthy subjects

Background Mutations in ANK2 -encoded ankyrin-B underlie long QT syndrome type 4 (LQT4) and various other dysrhythmia phenotypes. Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and spectrum of ankyrin-B mutations in a large cohort of unrelated patients referred for LQTS genetic testing and among healthy control subjects. Methods Between August 1997 and July 2004, 541 consecutive, unrelated patients (358 females, average age at diagnosis 24 years, average QTc 482 ms) were referred to Mayo Clinic's Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory for comprehensive mutational analysis of the five cardiac channel genes implicated in LQTS: KCNQ1 (LQT1), KCNH2 (LQT2), SCN5A (LQT3), KCNE1 (LQT5), and KCNE2 (LQT6). Based on this prior analysis, 269 of 541 cases lacked an identifiable mutation (genotype negative). In this study, targeted mutational analysis of 10 ANK2 exons (36,37,39–46) encoding the critical C-terminal regulatory domain or implicated previously as hosting pathogenic mutations was performed on genomic DNA from 541 patients and 200 control subjects using polymerase chain reaction, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography, and direct DNA sequencing. Results Overall, 14 distinct nonsynonymous variants (10 novel) were observed in 9 (3.3%) of 269 genotype-negative LQTS patients, 5 (1.8%) of 272 genotype-positive LQTS cases, 4 (4%) of 100 white controls, and 9 (9%) of 100 black controls. Four variants found in controls (L1622I, T1626N, R1788W, and E1813K) were implicated previously as LQT4-associated mutations and displayed functional perturbations in vitro. All genotype-negative LQTS cases hosting ANK2 variants had been diagnosed as "atypical" or "borderline" cases, most presenting with normal QTc, nonexertional syncope, U waves, and/or sinus bradycardia. Conclusion Nonsynonymous ankyrin-B variants were detected in nearly 3% of unrelated LQTS patients and nearly 7% of healthy control subjects. Genotype-negative LQTS patients with a single ANK2 variant displayed nonexertional syncope, U waves, sinus bradycardia, and extracardiac findings. Whether the identification of previously reported functionally significant variants residing in 2% of apparently healthy subjects suggests proarrhythmic potential or potential misclassification warrants further scrutiny.
Long-term stability of organic carbon-stimulated chromate reduction in contaminated soils and its relation to manganese redox status.

In-situ reduction of toxic Cr(V1) to less hazardous Cr(II1)is becoming a popular strategy for remediating contaminated soils.However, the long term stability of reduced Cr remains to be understood,especially given the common presence of MnfIIIJV) oxides that reoxidizeCr(II1). This 4.6 year laboratory study tracked Cr and Mn redoxtransformations in soils contaminated with Cr(V1) which were then treatedwith different amounts of organic carbon (OC). Changes in Cr and Mnoxidation states within soils were directly and nondestructively measuredusing micro X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. Chromatereduction was roughly lst-order, and the extent of reduction was enhancedwith higher OC additions. However, significant Cr(||1) reoxidationoccurred in soils exposed to the highest Cr(V1) concentrations (2,560 mgkg"'). Transient Cr(II1) reoxidation up to 420 mg kg1 was measured at 1.1years after OC treatment, followed by further reduction. Chromateconcentrations increased by 220 mg kgm1a t the end of the study (4.6years) in one soil. The causal role that Mn oxidation state had inreoxidizing Cr was supported by trends in Mn K-edge energies. Theseresults provide strong evidence for longterm dependence of soil Croxidation states on balances between OC availability and Mn redoxstatus.
Mean-reversion in income over feed cost margins: Evidence and implications for managing margin risk by US dairy producers

With the increased volatility of feed prices, dairy farm managers are no longer concerned with managing only milk price volatility, but are considering the adoption of risk management programs that address income over feed cost (IOFC) margin risk. Successful margin risk management should be founded on an understanding of the behavior of IOFC margins. To that end, we have constructed forward IOFC margins using Class III milk, corn, and soybean meal futures prices. We focus on the characteristics of the term structure of forward IOFC margins, that is, the sequence of forward margins for consecutive calendar months, all observed on the same trading day. What is apparent from the shapes of these term structures is that both in times when margins were exceptionally high and in times when they were disastrously low, market participants expected that a reversal back to average margin levels would not come quickly, but rather would take up to 9 mo. Slopes of the forward margin term structure before and after most of the major swings in IOFC indicate these shocks were mostly unanticipated, whereas the time needed for recovery to normal margin levels was successfully predicted. This suggests that IOFC margins may exhibit slow mean-reverting, rather than predictable cyclical behavior, as is often suggested in the popular press. This finding can be exploited to design a successful catastrophic risk management program by initiating protection at 9 to 12 mo before futures contract maturity. As a case study, we analyzed risk management strategies for managing IOFC margins that used Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Cattle insurance contracts and created 2 farm profiles. The first one represents dairy farms that grow most of their feed, whereas the second profile is designed to capture the risk exposure of dairy farms that purchase all their dairy herd, dry cow, and heifer feed. Our case study of this program encompasses the 2009 period, which was characterized by exceptionally poor IOFC margin conditions. We analyzed the dynamics of realized IOFC margins in 2009 under 4 different risk management strategies and found that optimal strategies that were founded on the principles delineated above succeeded in reducing the decline in IOFC margins in 2009 by 93% for the Home-Feed profile and by 47% for the Market-Feed profile, and they performed substantially better than alternative strategies suggested by earlier literature.
Role of uteroferrin in iron transport and macromolecular uptake by allantoic epithelium of the porcine conceptus.

Uteroferrin (UF) is an iron-containing, progesterone-induced glycoprotein present in allantoic fluid and uterine secretions of swine between Days 30 and 105 of gestation. The role of UF in maternal-to-fetal iron transport and uptake of macromolecules by allantoicepithelium were studied in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, 8 pregnant guts were assigned to treatment on either Day 30, 60, 90 or 105 of gestation. Three additional gifts were rendered unilaterally pregnant and assigned to treatment on Day 60. All gifts received 100 MCi "Fe injected intravenously. Twenty-four h after the "Fe treatment, guts were hysterectomized and fetal fluids and tissues collected. Uterine flushings were also collected from the nongravid uterine horn of unilaterally pregnant gifts. Fetal bone, spleen, liver, kidney and placenta accumulatedFe, but fetal spleen was the only tissue in which total " Fe accumulation was affected (P<0.05) by day of gestation. Radiolabeled UF was alsoisolated from uterine flushings (14 cpm/mg protein) and from concentrated allantotic fluid by carboxy- methyl cellulose (CMC) ion exchange chromatography. In Experiment 2, macromolecular uptake by the allantoic epithelium, both in vitro and in vivo, was examined. Sections of ailantois, chorion, amnion and fetal gut (FG) were collected from Day 60 pregnant gilts. Samples of each of the tissues were incubated in minimal essential medium (MEM) containing 1 of the following proteins labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC): 1) FITC-'y-globuiin; 2) FITC-uteroferrin; 3) FITC-transferrin or 4) FITC-�y-globulin with iOM Na-arsenite. Uptake of these proteins by chorion and allantois, but not amnion was observed. The Na-arsenite inhibited protein uptake. When FITC-'y-globulin was introduced into the allantoic fluid on Day 60 of pregnancy, uptake by the allantois was observed. Results of this study support the concept that uteroferrin (UF) plays a major role in iron transport to the conceptus. In addition, data indicate that the allantoic epithelium is capable of transporting proteins normally found in allantoic fluid, i.e., uteroferrin and transferrin, as well as a protein not normally found in either fetal serum or allantoic fluid, i.e., 7-globulin. Failure to detect uptake of these proteins when Na-arsenite was added to the incubation medium suggests that transport of these proteins is by an active process.
Abdominal foregut perforations in children: a 10-year experience.

Abstract Purpose Intraabdominal foregut perforations in children are rare. We conducted a retrospective review with the aim of defining their etiologies, treatment, outcomes, and prognosis. Methods Abdominal foregut perforations treated during a 10-year period were reviewed. Perforations secondary to blunt or penetrating trauma and inadvertent perforations sustained, recognized, and repaired during surgical procedures, were excluded. Results Fourteen perforations were identified, including 1 esophageal, 8 gastric, and 5 duodenal perforations. Seven perforations (50%) occurred in the neonatal period. Of the 7 neonates, 3 (43%) were premature. Nine patients (64%) had significant comorbidities. Six (43%) perforations were spontaneous, 5 (36%) were iatrogenic, and 3 (21%) were direct complications of underlying conditions. Primary repair of the perforation was completed in 11 patients (79%), and staged repair in 1 patient. Significant morbidities related to the perforation occurred in 36% of patients. Twelve patients (86%) survived to discharge. The 10 long-term survivors are on full oral feeds. Conclusions Pediatric abdominal foregut perforations have diverse etiologies. Half occur in neonates, evenly divided between term and premature babies. Major comorbidities are common. One third are iatrogenic and potentially preventable. Primary repair should be performed when feasible. Patients who survive the initial complications have excellent long-term outcomes.
Coordinating for the Collective Good A Study of Coastal Zone Planning

This article investigates resistance to the implementation of a federal program of coastal zone planning. Interviews were conducted with officials in New York State and Washington, D.C., to explore the dynamics of state and local responses to a federal grant-in-aid. Resistance was found at every level of government, as well as in the environments of these levels. Segmentation of the program and the displacement of federal intention were found to be common state and local tactics. A comparison with the progressive program in California is used to indicate the significance of political and economic conditions for program development. The successful resistance to the federal program in New York is discussed in terms of its implications for the future of federal land use planning.
The Impact of Housing Assistance on Child Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Housing Lottery

One long-standing motivation for low-income housing programs is the possibility that housing affordability and housing conditions generate externalities, including on children’s behavior and long-term life outcomes. We take advantage of a randomized housing voucher lottery in Chicago in 1997 to examine the longterm impact of housing assistance on a wide variety of child outcomes, including schooling, health, and criminal involvement. In contrast to most prior work focusing on families in public housing, we focus on families living in unsubsidized private housing at baseline, for whom voucher receipt generates large changes in both housing and nonhousing consumption. We find that the receipt of housing assistance has little, if any, impact on neighborhood or school quality or on a wide
The generation of impulse-equivalent pulse trains

The necessary and sufficient conditions for a function to be the autocorrelation function of a waveform consisting of a finite length train of pulses of various amplitudes is derived. The number of pulse trains having a given realizable autocorrelation function is determined. An "impulse-equivalent" pulse train is defined as one that yields, as closely as is theoretically possible, the same autocorrelation function that a single pulse gives. It is shown that impulse-equivalent pulse sequences exist for all lengths; the number of classes of these sequences is exponentially related to their length. It is demonstrated that all impulse-equivalent pulse trains can be generated by exciting a linear digital filter with two input pulses that correspond in time to the initiation and to the termination of the desired output sequence.
Capacities and probabilistic beliefs: a precarious coexistence

Abstract This paper raises the problem of how to define revealed probabilistic beliefs in the context of the capacity/Choquet Expected Utility model. At the center of the analysis is a decision-theoretically axiomatized definition of “revealed unambiguous events”. The definition is shown to impose surprisingly strong restrictions on the underlying capacity and on the set of unambiguous events; in particular, the latter is always an algebra. Alternative weaker definitions violate even minimal criteria of adequacy. Rather than finding fault with the proposed definition, we argue that our results indicate that the CEU model is epistemically restrictive, and point out that analogous problems do not arise within the Maximin Expected Utility model.
Analysis of heat and mass transfer between air and falling film in a cross flow configuration

Heat and mass transfer between air and falling solution film in a cross flow configuration is investigated. Effects of addition of Cu-ultrafine particles in enhancing heat and mass transfer process are also examined. A parametric study is employed to investigate the effects of pertinent controlling parameters on dehumidification and cooling processes and their subsequent optimization. It is found that low air Reynolds number enhances the dehumidification and cooling processes. An increase in the height and length of the channel and a decrease in the channel width enhance dehumidification and cooling processes. It is also found that an increase in the Cu-volume fraction increases dehumidification and cooling capabilities and produces more stable Cu-solutions.
A 5 Gb/s 3.2 mW/Gb/s 28 dB loss-compensating pulse-width modulated voltage-mode transmitter

A voltage mode transmitter employs pulse width modulation (PWM) based equalization of NRZ input data at 5 Gb/s and compensates 28 dB channel loss at 2.5 GHz. Fabricated in a 90 nm CMOS process, the proposed transmitter achieves a horizontal eye opening of 0.3UI with BER<; 10-12 and consumes only 16 mW power of which 2.5 mW is consumed by the digital PLL.
Cameleon calcium indicator reports cytoplasmic calcium dynamics in Arabidopsis guard cells

Cytoplasmic free calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) acts as a stimulus-induced second messenger in plant cells and multiple signal transduction pathways regulate [Ca2+]cyt in stomatal guard cells. Measuring [Ca2+]cyt in guard cells has previously required loading of calcium-sensitive dyes using invasive and technically difficult micro-injection techniques. To circumvent these problems, we have constitutively expressed the pH-independent, green fluorescent protein-based calcium indicator yellow cameleon 2.1 in Arabidopsis thaliana (Miyawaki et al. 1999; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 2135-2140). This yellow cameleon calcium indicator was expressed in guard cells and accumulated predominantly in the cytoplasm. Fluorescence ratio imaging of yellow cameleon 2.1 allowed time-dependent measurements of [Ca2+]cyt in Arabidopsis guard cells. Application of extracellular calcium or the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) induced repetitive [Ca2+]cyt transients in guard cells. [Ca2+]cyt changes could be semi-quantitatively determined following correction of the calibration procedure for chloroplast autofluorescence. Extracellular calcium induced repetitive [Ca2+]cyt transients with peak values of up to approximately 1.5 microM, whereas ABA-induced [Ca2+]cyt transients had peak values up to approximately 0.6 microM. These values are similar to stimulus-induced [Ca2+]cyt changes previously reported in plant cells using ratiometric dyes or aequorin. In some guard cells perfused with low extracellular KCl concentrations, spontaneous calcium transients were observed. As yellow cameleon 2.1 was expressed in all guard cells, [Ca2+]cyt was measured independently in the two guard cells of single stomates for the first time. ABA-induced, calcium-induced or spontaneous [Ca2+]cyt increases were not necessarily synchronized in the two guard cells. Overall, these data demonstrate that that GFP-based cameleon calcium indicators are suitable to measure [Ca2+]cyt changes in guard cells and enable the pattern of [Ca2+]cyt dynamics to be measured with a high level of reproducibility in Arabidopsis cells. This technical advance in combination with cell biological and molecular genetic approaches will become an invaluable tool in the dissection of plant cell signal transduction pathways.
Anorectal malformations in neonates

Background : Anorectal malformations (ARM) are associated with congenital anomalies and other risk factors, yielding a poor prognosis, especially in neonatal life. Objectives: This study was performed to identify the congenital anomalies as a factor of poor prognosis (mortality) in such patients. Settings: Department of Pediatric surgery, The Children's Hospital and The Institute of Child Health, Lahore. Design: Prospective observational study, with statistical support. Materials and Methods: The information on the demography, clinical features, investigations, management performed, and outcome was entered in the designed proforma and analysed with the help of statistical software EpiInfo version 3.5.1. Statistical test: Chi-square test was used to determine statistical significance of the results. Results : Of 100 neonates with ARM, 77 were male and 23, female (3.4:1). The mean age at presentation was 3.4 days (range, 12 hrs to 28 days). In 60 patients (60%), the presentation was imperforate anus without a clinically identified fistula. In 28 patients (28%), associated anomalies were present. The common associated anomalies were urogenital (10%), cardiovascular (8%), and gastrointestinal (6%). Down's syndrome was present in 8 (8%) patients. A total of 15 (15%) deaths occurred in this study. In patients having associated congenital anomalies, 11 deaths occurred, whereas, 4 deaths were in patients without associated anomalies (P < 0.5). Conclusion : The mortality is higher in neonates with ARM having associated congenital anomalies.
An Investigation of Sharing Seller Reputation among Buyers in Agent-Based Markets

Our work investigates the effects of knowledge sharing among buyer agents in an electronic market, where the shared knowledge is the reputation of seller agents. Each buyer agent independently models a seller after having purchased goods from the seller and, upon request, shares this knowledge with friends. We investigated if having a larger number of friends enables buyers to find good quality low priced sellers in the market more rapidly and also if there is a point of diminishing returns, beyond which increasing the number of friends will not have any positive effects. Our results show that, by sharing information with friends, the buyers are able to identify good sellers earlier. However the marginal gain of having more friends decreases as the number of friends increases.
Patterns of Informal Support to Elderly Black Adults: Family, Friends, and Church Members

the social interaction occurring with in the context of family and friends is of particular importance to elderly blacks.1 Family and para-kin relationships repre sent the primary source of social support for many older black adults.2 These rela tionships are often characterized by mutual assistance, exchange, and support involv ing both material and socioemotional forms of aid. Furthermore, the informal support provided by kin and para-kin may influ ence participation by the elderly in the formal support systems provided by local and federal agencies.3 Given the disad vantaged socioeconomic status of many elderly blacks, it is critical to examine how the informal support network helps them to maintain a viable and independent existence.4
Dipole and quadrupole transition strengths in Ba + from measurements of K splittings in high- L barium Rydberg levels

Measurements of $K$ splittings in high-$L$ Rydberg states of barium are used to deduce electric-dipole and electric-quadrupole matrix elements in ${\text{Ba}}^{+}$. The model used to interpret these splittings is extended here to include the contributions of third- and fourth-order perturbation terms, altering the conclusions of a previous report that omitted those contributions. The analysis leads to improved experimental determinations of dipole $(6s\text{\ensuremath{-}}6p)$ and quadrupole $(6s\text{\ensuremath{-}}5d)$ transition strengths in ${\text{Ba}}^{+}$ that are in good agreement with recent a priori calculations.
Historical High-Stakes Policies Relating to Unintended Consequences of High-Stakes Testing

Current high-stakes, standardized testing policy is discussed through historical analogy with Chairman Mao's famine in China and the Maginot Line in France. Both of these national, high-stakes policies resulted in catastrophic failure. If the accountability movement's goals are to improve our ability to compete economically with other nations, we may also be heading for failure. Assessment should be aligned with the skills and knowledge crucial to our success in the future such as collaboration, experimentation, and comfort with ambiguity. Funds currently allocated to standardized testing should be reallocated to the development of measures for such skills and knowledge.
From Smoke and Mirrors to Walking the Talk: Decoupling in the Contemporary World

The pervasive spread of rationalizing trends in society, such as the growing influence of managerial sciences and increasing emphases on accountability and transparency, has created significant changes in organizations’ external environments. As a result, there is growing pressure on organizations to align their policies and practices, and to conform to pressures in an expanding array of domains, from protecting the natural world to promoting employee morale. In this context, we reconsider the concept of decoupling as it applies to organizations. Through a review and critique of existing research, we argue that the common understanding of decoupling—as a gap between policy and practice—obscures the rise of a more prevalent and consequential form of decoupling—a gap between means and ends. We describe when to expect both policy–practice and means–ends decoupling, and we indicate promising areas for research. The major consequences of this overlooked form of decoupling are that in an effort to monitor and e...
Exact tests of binomial p=1/2 when one binomial event possibly has different probability

The data are n independent random binomial events, each resulting in success or failure. The event outcomes are believed to be trials from a binomial distribution with success probability p, and tests of p=1/2 are desired. However, there is the possibility that some unidentified event has a success probability different from the common value p for the other n−1 events. Then, tests of whether this common p equals 1/2 are desired. Fortunately, two-sided tests can be obtained that simultaneously are applicable for both situations. That is, the significance level for a test is same when one event has a different probability as when all events have the same probability. These tests are the usual equal-tail tests for p=1/2 (based on n independent trials from a binomial distribution).
Gettering Properties of Praseodymium in GaAs, In0.53Ga0.47As, and InP Grown by Liquid Phase Epitaxy

The incorporation of praseodymium (Pr) into GaAs, In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As, and InP during liquid-phase epitaxy were investigated by double crystal x-ray diffraction, Hall effect, low temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The lattice mismatch slightly vary with Pr concentration in the growth melts. Examinations of the electrical property illustrate that the lower carriers concentrations and a higher mobilities are obtain from Pr-doped epilayers than undoped sample (In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As and InP). The PL spectra (15-K) show that the intensity of the impurity related peaks decreases and the near-band-to-band luminescence intensity increase. They also reveal that the impurities are gettered by Pr ions during LPE growth. Thus, for the purpose of purification, proper amount of Pr in the growth melts is suggested. No intra-4f-shell transition line is observed from the Pr-doped GaAs, In 0.53 Gao 0.47 As, and InP layers.
Epstein-Barr virus infection and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is an important pathogen in recipients of solid organ transplants (SOT). Infection with EBV manifests as a spectrum of diseases/malignancies ranging from asymptomatic viremia through infectious mononucleosis to posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). EBV disease and its associated PTLD is more frequently seen when primary EBV infection occurs after transplant, a common scenario in pediatric SOT recipients. Intensity of immunosuppressive therapies also influences the risk for PTLD. The use of EBV viral load monitoring facilitates the diagnosis and management of EBV/PTLD as well as being used to inform preemptive therapy with reduction of immunosuppression, the most effective intervention for prevention of and treatment for PTLD. Other therapies, including the rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody) and traditional chemotherapy, are also useful in the treatment of established PTLD. The future development of standards for management based on EBV viral load and routine monitoring of EBV-specific CTL responses promise further improvement in outcomes with EBV and PTLD.
Models for the Neuronal Implementation of Selective Visual Attention Based on the Temporal Structure of Neural Signals

Selective attention has been studied quantitatively at least since the time of Helmholtz. With the availability of the necessary technology, these early psychophysical studies were later complemented by the observation of the electrical activity which accompanies the functions of the brain. While EEG recordings make visible only the average activity of very large neural populations, more and more selective methods became available over time. Modern micro-electrode studies allow the observation of attentional effects at the level of single neurons. Selective attention can thus be observed quantitatively over the whole range of neural populations, from a single neuron (by micro-electrodes) over several scales of larger populations (Electrocorticogram and EEG) to the performance of the whole system (psychophysics). We believe that this makes selective attention a prime candidate for the elucidation of the higher mental functions and their neurobiological basis.
Long-chain cyclic acetals of glycerol: metabolism of the stereomeric 1,3-dioxanes and 1,3-dioxolanes in myelinating rat brain

The metabolism of the stereomeric cyclic glycerol acetals of [1-14C] hexadecanal was studied in myelinating rat brain. It was found that the four isomers, cis- and trans-2-pentadecyl-5-hydroxy-l,3-dioxanes and cis- and trans-2-pentadecyl-4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxolanes, were utilized by the tissue at different rates. The acetals were primarily metabolized via a ring-opening mechanism leading to palmitic acid, some of which was subsequently elongated–desaturated. Only the five-membered ring isomers were incorporated as intact acetals into both neutral and polar brain lipids.
Traveling the road to Rambouillet: Is the imposition of federalism in Kosovo pragmatic foreign policy or unwise meddling?

This is a diplomatic history of the Rambouillet conference held to stave off war between NATO and the remnants of Yugoslavia under Slobodan Milosevic at the height of Milosevic campaign of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo against ethnic Albanian Kosovars.
The Study Of Loss Discrimination Algorithm Scheme For TFRC in Wired-cum-Wireless Networks

TCP-Friendly Rate Control(TFRC)is proposed as congestion control scheme for multimedia applications,but the vile link quality and handover in wireless environment strictly recedes the performance of TFRC.proposes a scheme that the AP of wired-cum-wireless network marks incoming packets.Then a new multimedia congestion control for wied-cum-wireless network-TFRC-en-hance is designed based on the proposed algorithm.By the validation with NS simulator,the precision of the algorithm is proved to be higher than other algorithms and TFRC-enhance get the better performance.
Birth defects in infants born to employees of a microelectronics and business machine manufacturing facility.

Background Concerns about solvent releases from a microelectronics/business machine manufacturing facility in upstate New York led to interest in the health of former workers, including this investigation of birth defects in children of male and female employees. Methods Children born 1983 to 2001 to facility employees were enumerated and matched to New York State's Congenital Malformations Registry. Reported structural birth defects were compared with numbers expected from state rates (excluding New York City), generating standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs). Exposure assessors classified employees as ever/never potentially exposed at the facility to metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and other hydrocarbons during windows critical to organogenesis (female workers) or spermatogenesis (male workers). Among workers, adjusted prevalence ratios were generated to evaluate associations between potential exposures and specific birth defects. Results External comparisons for structural defects were at expectation for infants of male workers (SPR = 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77–1.29; n = 60) and lower for births to female workers (SPR = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.50–1.33; n = 18). Among full-term infants of male workers, ventricular septal defects (VSDs) were somewhat elevated compared with the general population (SPR = 1.58; 95% CI, 0.99–2.39; n = 22). Within the cohort, potential paternal metal exposure was associated with increased VSD risk (adjusted prevalence ratio = 2.70; 95% CI, = 1.09–6.67; n = 7). Conclusion While overall SPRs were near expectation, paternal exposure to metals (primarily lead) appeared to be associated with increased VSD risk in infants. Take-home of occupational exposures, nonoccupational exposures, and chance could not be ruled out as causes. Case numbers for many defects were small, limiting assessment of the role of occupational exposures. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 106:696–707, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Screening for disease, cost-effectiveness, and guidelines.

SUMMARY This article provides a brief overview for the primary care physician of issues involved in selecting screening guidelines for practice. In selecting such screening protocols, the physician needs to be aware of features of the disease being screened. Although there is not yet a universally accepted set of screening recommendations, there is reasonable agreement on many screening tests recommended by national preventive services task forces in the United States and Canada.217 A primary care physician needs to develop a set of guidelines for practice, be aware of new literature on screening tests, and periodically review and update the guidelines.
Early marriage and pregnancy among Syrian adolescent girls in Jordan; do they have a choice?

International humanitarian agencies and member states have adopted and begun implementation of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030), aiming to reduce prev...
Factor VIII delivery devices in haemophilia A. Barriers and drivers for treatment adherence.

Introduction and objective: To capture the experience of haemophilia A patients with their devices for coagulation factor reconstitution, the barriers for treatment adherence; and to determine their preferences, presenting a new double-chamber syringe (DCS). Method: A cross-sectional research through a supervised survey and a DCS testing session. Results: Seventy-four (74) patients participated, 50% of them on prophylaxis treatment, and 7 years (median) with their usual treatment (IQR 17.25). In the survey, the DCS received the highest score (75/100, p < 0.001) and it was the most likely to be used in prophylactic treatment (p < 0.001). In the practical testing session (n = 29), 62.1% preferred the DCS, and required 43 seconds as median time (24.5-82) for preparation, vs. 4 minutes (1-15) with their usual treatment (p < 0.001). The favourable opinion of their doctor regarding prophylaxis was very influential on the attitude of participants towards treatment adherence (OR = 1.324, CI 95% = 1.040-1.685, p = 0.023). Conclusions: The DCS was the preferred device, and was likely to encourage prophylaxis.
Targeting CD19: the good, the bad, and CD81.

In this issue of Blood, Braig et al have identified a novel mechanism of CD19-targeted immune escape.1
Exploiting Natural Variation to Understand Gene Function in Pine

Plant and animal breeders have made tremendous progress using phenotypic selection and quantitative genetic theory. Genetically improved varieties have resulted without any knowledge of the specific genes affecting desirable phenotypes. Genomic technologies now make it possible to identify the loci affecting phenotypes and measure the relative effects of different alleles. Breeders will soon have the option to select directly on genotype. However, there will be considerable challenges in accurately estimating the effects of many different alleles on complex trait phenotypes. Because of their evolutionary history, life history and reproductive characteristics, pines provide an excellent model system to begin to establish relationships between genotype and phenotype. Knowledge gained from pines will not only be used in applied forest tree breeding but might also serve for basic discovery that can be transferred to other plant and animal systems.
Management of tongue and lip laceration due to dystonia in a 1-year-old infant

This case report describes the management of tongue and lip lacerations due to dystonia in a 1-year-old infant. A splint was given to raise the bite and prevent repeated trauma and aid in healing of the oral tissue. This paper highlights the importance of pediatric dentist's role in improving quality of patient care in an intensive care unit.
Institutional Cybersecurity in a Clinical Research Setting

The principal challenge facing IT groups that support research on a daily basis lies in striking a fine balance: On one hand researchers must share data and use cutting edge analytic tools on a variety of computing platforms to enhance their creativity and productivity. On the other hand, much of the data that supports translational research contains personal health information derived from patients’ medical records. Hospitals are justifiably concerned about the highly sensitive nature of the data and the need to comply with a myriad of federal, state, and local laws, and contractual regulatory requirements that demand high levels of security and access control. A number of frameworks exist to help with the process. In this chapter we discuss these challenges and the approaches taken at a research intensive children’s hospital to put a policy framework in place that enacts standards for security, risk evaluation and mitigation, monitoring, testing, and design of the IT infrastructure. These protect the institution, while enabling collaboration and innovation among researchers. We stress the organizational need for a close and collaborative relationship between IT groups that support research and those charged with support of the medical center’s clinical and business operations. It is also important to recognize that technology alone cannot assure security. Institutional policies and user security awareness education also play key roles in assuring that confidential information is in fact protected.
Exposing girls to computer science: Does the all-girl model really work?

This case study is about the introduction of computer science to girls in an all-girl environment. Due to the lack of women in technology, many efforts are being made to expose girls to computer programming at an early age. Code camp organizers are using the all-girl model to help put participants more at ease and boost their computing confidence. High computer self-efficacy leads to studying computer science, while the stereotypical views of coding as a male subject and lack of ability in girls hinder women from pursuing CS degrees. For this study, a local Northern Virginia University offered two Java programming summer code camps in the summer of 2016, one course as an all-girl class and the other as a co-ed environment. A total of 19 girls participated and submitted post-workshop survey responses. In this paper, we explore the questionnaire differences in response between the girls within the two groups. The implications of introducing computer science to girls in a single-sex setting and its effect on girls' view of CS and computer self-efficacy is also discussed.
Filho natural e pai ausente: As colónias africanas no imaginário do império português em Os Maias

This article analyzes the role of Africa in Jose Maria de Eca de Queiros’s Os Maias (1888), despite what appears to be a lack of explicit African presence in the novel. By connecting the generations of Maia men with nineteenth-century Portuguese history, Os Maias presents the allegorical depiction of Portugal’s struggle for inclusion on the imperial stage after the loss of Brazil, as well as the empire’s subsequent turn to Africa as a potential solution. The novel likewise details the abstraction of the African colonies and their subjects within the Portuguese imaginary, in which Africa not only symbolizes the future of the empire and theoretically broadens the borders of the tiny nation, but also becomes the object of paternalistic attitudes that reinforce Portuguese claims to a place among the rest of the modern “civilizing” empires of Europe.
Differences in perceived reasons for and barriers to, seeking help for depression between people with and without heightened depressive symptomatology

Introduction Depression is treatable, but many people with depression do not seek help. When studies are conducted assessing barriers to and reasons for help seeking, it is common to combine responses from people with and without depressive symptomatology. Objectives/aims The goal of the current study was to assess if people with and without heightened levels of depressive symptomatology perceive reasons/barriers similarly. Methods Prior to the main study, two pilot studies were conducted which resulted in sets of 10 reasons and barriers rated as those participants were most aware of as influencing their decision to seek help for depression. Participants ( n = 520) rated the importance of these reasons/barriers to their decision regarding help seeking. Two groups were created based on their Beck depression inventory-II score: no to minimal and mild to severe depressive symptomatology. Results Although, the order across the reasons/barriers varied between the groups, the most important reason for both groups was seeking help to enjoy life again, while the most important barrier for both groups was negative side effects of depression medication. The no to minimal group rated reasons to seek help as significantly more important to their help seeking decision process than the mild to severe group, while the mild to severe group rated barriers to seeking help significantly more important to their help seeking decision process than the no to minimal group. Conclusions Greater importance of barriers to seeking help could partially explain why help seeking decreases as depressive symptomatology increases. Interventions should increase the importance of reasons to seek help.
Does Active Learning Contribute to Transfer Intent Among 2-Year College Students Beginning in STEM?

ABSTRACTThis study explored whether and how beginning 2-year college students’ engagement in active learning within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms is related to their intent to transfer to a 4-year institution. Despite the potentially important role active learning experiences play in shaping 2-year college students’ intent to transfer upward, there is a dearth of research to investigate this relationship. To fill this gap, we explored the linkage between active learning and intent to transfer. In addition, we explored whether and how transfer self-efficacy may mediate this relationship. Based on survey data collected from a statewide sample of 1st-year 2-year college students beginning in STEM programs or courses and controlling for student entry characteristics and postsecondary factors, a path analysis of mediation revealed that active learning is directly related to transfer intent and exerts an indirect relationship through its positive influence on transfer self-...
Definitions of Marriage: Village Wooing, On the Rocks, and The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles: A Vision of Judgment

Jean Reynolds, looking at Village Wooing , On the Rocks , and The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles, finds that the three couples at the heart of these three plays define marriage very differently. In one instance, a woman simply wants to be married and has selected her mate. In another, the husband of a long-married couple is quite content, while his wife is bored and frustrated. And in the last case, group marriage is tried unsuccessfully, suggesting that, in the end, a marriage is what each couple makes of it.
Global Perspectives: Making the Shift from Multiculturalism to Culturally Responsive Teaching:

In the early part of the 1970s, multicultural music education began in earnest and was focused primarily on the curriculum used for music: textbooks, method books, and repertoire. At the turn of th...
Wave-optics modeling of the optical-transport line for passive optical stochastic cooling

Abstract Optical stochastic cooling (OSC) is expected to enable fast cooling of dense particle beams. Transition from microwave to optical frequencies enables an achievement of stochastic cooling rates which are orders of magnitude higher than ones achievable with the classical microwave based stochastic cooling systems. A subsystemcritical to the OSC scheme is the focusing optics used to image radiation from the upstream “pickup” undulator to the downstream “kicker” undulator. In this paper, we present simulation results using wave-optics calculation carried out with the Synchrotron Radiation Workshop (SRW). Our simulations are performed in support to a proof-of-principle experiment planned at the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) at Fermilab. The calculations provide an estimate of the energy kick received by a 100-MeV electron as it propagates in the kicker undulator and interacts with the electromagnetic pulse it radiated at an earlier time while traveling through the pickup undulator.
Chemokine Receptors and HIV-1 Pathogenesis: A viral fatal attraction

Publisher Summary Upon considering the devastation caused by acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), it may be difficult to imagine that this infectious disease usually begins with a meeting between a single viral particle and an unsuspecting immune-system cell patrolling a mucosal border of the human body. Like other viruses, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) must invade and parasitize human cells to ensure its survival. However, before it can enter a target cell, HIV-1 must first evade the immune defenses and attach to the host-cell membrane. The attachment of the virus to specific receptors on the cell surface, including the CD4 protein, expressed by certain T cells and macrophages of the human immune system, triggers a complex cascade of molecular interactions between viral proteins and molecules of the host cell. These events allow the virus to fuse with, pass through the cell membrane, and then to release its deadly genetic cargo. The DNA copies of the viral genome are then integrated into human chromosomes, thereby come to dominate the mission and fate of the host cell. Usually, a strong immune response involving the production of antibodies and T helper and CD8 + killer cells achieves partial control of the initial infection. However, the result of this battle is that the virus establishes a chronic, steady-state infection. The extent to which viral production is controlled at this steady state is predictive of the future course of the disease, and is determined by both viral and host factors.
Introducing the Rectus Fascia Scalp Augmentation Technique: A New Method for Improving Scalp Durability in Cranioplasty Reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE Patients with cranioplasty in need of skull reconstruction are at increased risk of complications when presenting with abnormally thin scalps. As such, the authors sought to develop and investigate a new technique for scalp augmentation using autologous rectus fascia grafts (ARFGs) for prevention of implant extrusion and long-term scalp durability. METHODS A retrospective review of our database, consisting of 450 consecutive cranial reconstructions from 2012 to 2017, was performed under institutional review board approval. Selection criteria included all adult patients requiring implant-based cranioplasty reconstruction and concomitant scalp augmentation using ARFGs. All long-term outcomes were reviewed for scalp-related complications and are presented here. RESULTS In total, 12 consecutive patients receiving ARFGs were identified. Average follow-up was 10 months (range = 2-17 months). Average graft size and dimension was 82 cm (range = 12-360 cm). All patients (n = 12) underwent concomitant cranioplasty reconstruction and had a history of at least 5 or greater previous neurocranial operations. Six patients had radiation therapy prior to cranioplasty. Two major complications (2/12, 17%) were identified related to deep, recurrent intracranial infections. More importantly, none of the patients (n = 12) in this study cohort developed scalp breakdown and/or implant extrusion in the areas of rectus fascia scalp augmentation. CONCLUSION The use of ARFGs for underlay scalp augmentation appears to be both safe and reliable based on our preliminary experience. This new approach is extremely valuable when performing large-size cranioplasty reconstruction in patients with abnormally thin scalps, an extensive neurosurgical history, and/or suboptimal tissue quality. Furthermore, this method has been successful in avoiding free tissue transfer and/or staged tissue expansion as first-line surgery in our complicated cranioplasty population.
Modern Eligibility Criteria for Vasectomy in the United States

AbstractAs more people seek to terminate, not just to limit their fertility, physicians should acknowledge the difference between temporary and permanent fertility decisions and make permanent methods more easily available. Recognizing that fertility decisions are personal, social and medical physicians and clinics should adopt eligibility criteria that allow the responsibility for fertility control to reside primarily in the individual. Rather than forcing patients to rely on temporary methods with high failure rates, physicians should attempt to assure the patient’s future satisfaction as much as possible by using criteria related to satisfying decision-making in determining who is eligible for vasectomy. We believe that elective vasectomy for contraceptive reasons should be readily available to mature, competent, fully informed men when they have all the children they want.