cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical effects of prostaglandins in renal disease.

Although prostaglandins do not appear to be critical to the functioning of normal kidneys, it has become quite clear that their local actions are essential when renal function is marginal or more severely compromised. Since most anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, they can tip the balance toward renal failure.
Surgery for secondary hyperparathyroidism

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a systemic metabolic derangement that leads to massive expansion of parathyroid tissue and overproduction of parathyroid hormone. Accurate biochemical diagnosis is crucial to establishing a plan of care for these patients. Indications and timing of surgical intervention once refractory to medical management are best established through multidisciplinary care including an expert parathyroid surgeon. Principles of careful parathyroid surgery including identification of all parathyroid tissue in a bloodless field allow for the appropriate management of parathyroid excision. Subtotal resection of parathyroid tissue and total parathyroidectomy with immediate parathyroid autotransplantation are equivalent options. Hypocalcemia is the most common postoperative occurrence and should be anticipated and managed aggressively.
A History of Islam in America: Rooting Islam in America

The interval between the world wars was pivotal for the history of Islam in America because it marked a period in which American Muslims' institutions and community building efforts took root and thus helped shape future developments in the history of Islam in America. Among these American Muslim institutions were local mosques and benevolent societies and a number of prophetic movements, mainly: the Ahmadiyya missionary movement, founded by the Indian reformer Mirza Ghulam Ahmad; the Moorish Science Temple, founded by the African American religious leader Noble Drew Ali; and the Nation of Islam, founded by Fard Muhammad whose identity is shrouded in mystery. As the Muslim population in the United States became more diverse, particularly after the reformation of immigration and civil rights laws in the 1950s and 1960s, understanding of Islam and the character of Muslim institutions also changed and became more diverse. So, while the communities and institutions formed in the interwar period set roots for Islam in America and thus helped shape consequent developments in the history of Islam in America, they did not circumscribe the future practice of Islam nor the subsequent character of Islamic institutions in this country. From Sojourners to Settlers In the first stage of Muslim's voluntary immigration to the United States, which took place between the Civil War and World War I, the practice of Islam was generally ad hoc and improvisational.
Phase II study of THP-Adriamycin (Pirarubicin) and DTIC in advanced soft tissue sarcomas

Adriamycin is probably the most effective single agent in the treatment of soft tissue sarcomas with a response rate of approximately 30% [1]. Reported data strongly suggest a steep dose-response curve [2]. Prior to the emergence of Ifosfamide, the second most important drug in the treatment of sarcomas was Dacarbazine (DTIC) with a response rate of approximately 17% [3]. The addition of DTIC to Adriamycin increased the remission rate by approximately 10% [4], and made this combination one of the standard treatments for these diseases.
Immune Dysfunction and Immunosuppression: Impacts on SCC Incidence, Prognosis, and Management

Immune function plays a major role in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Locally within the skin, ultraviolet damage creates immune dysfunction which serves as a nidus for many keratinocytic malignancies. Furthermore, patients with systemic immune dysfunction or dysregulation are subject to forming multiple SCCs and have a higher risk of developing biologically aggressive tumors. Proper balancing and targeting of immune function to treat disease while avoiding malignancy continues to inspire research. Immune modulation is an emerging area of cancer therapeutics, a mainstay of treatment of immunosuppressive disease, and is vital in the prevention of organ rejection in solid organ transplant patients. The central role of the immune system in the etiology and outcomes of SCC inspired the editors of this book to include a practical approach to management of patients with immunologic alteration, whether iatrogenic or disease-induced, as proper management can be quite complex. The initial portion of this chapter will set the background for immune dysfunction both locally and systemically for the development of SCC. The latter portion will focus on strategies for prevention, treatment, and management of SCC patients with immune dysfunction, with a particular focus on transplant patients and other immunosuppressed states.
The Pro-Slavery Argument in the Development of the American Methodist Church

This article discusses the evolution of the Methodist church. It specifically focuses on the way that pro-slavery views were eventually supported by many members of the church, using the Bible to support these beliefs. This article is available in Constructing the Past: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol2/iss1/5
Spiritual Competence: What It Is, Why It Is Necessary, and How to Develop It

ABSTRACTVarious professional standards underscore the importance of providing effective services to all people, including those from diverse religious backgrounds. Yet despite these standards, studies have repeatedly found that most social workers receive little training in navigating this aspect of diversity during their graduate educations. To address this lack of training, the present article discusses a concept that is foundational for effective service provision with spiritual clients from diverse religious backgrounds—spiritual competence. More specifically, this article outlines what spiritual competence is and why it is important in therapeutic work, and then offers a number of strategies for developing spiritual competence. As such, this article helps equip practitioners to provide more ethical, effective services in a nation characterized by increasing religious diversity.
Wireless sensor system for detection of occupants to increase building energy efficiency

Building climate control efficiency can be improved through accurate occupancy information. Schedules alone, particularly at a university with cancelled classes, may provide inaccurate occupancy information and climate control. This work proposes system of occupancy detection using wireless sensors to detect energy from cellular devices used universally by occupants. Cellular signals at the sensors are detected using Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), and the Received Signal Strength (RSS), time, channel and sensor information is sent to a fusion server. This server aggregates this information and applies a generalized version of Improved Prior Measurement Comparison (PMC+) to estimate occupant locations in the building. These locations are used directly to estimate occupancy. This occupancy information is sent to a Building Control system, which fuses the estimated occupancy information with schedule information to provide an occupancy estimate of improved accuracy. An improvement from 40% error with schedule alone to 15% error with fused information was observed, a significant improvement in occupancy accuracy.
Structure of the Lipid Nanodisc-reconstituted Vacuolar ATPase Proton Channel: DEFINITION OF THE INTERACTION OF ROTOR AND STATOR AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ENZYME REGULATION BY REVERSIBLE DISSOCIATION *

Eukaryotic vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) is a multisubunit enzyme complex that acidifies subcellular organelles and the extracellular space. V-ATPase consists of soluble V1-ATPase and membrane-integral Vo proton channel sectors. To investigate the mechanism of V-ATPase regulation by reversible disassembly, we recently determined a cryo-EM reconstruction of yeast Vo. The structure indicated that, when V1 is released from Vo, the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of subunit a (aNT) changes conformation to bind rotor subunit d. However, insufficient resolution precluded a precise definition of the aNT-d interface. Here we reconstituted Vo into lipid nanodiscs for single-particle EM. 3D reconstructions calculated at ∼15-Å resolution revealed two sites of contact between aNT and d that are mediated by highly conserved charged residues. Alanine mutagenesis of some of these residues disrupted the aNT-d interaction, as shown by isothermal titration calorimetry and gel filtration of recombinant subunits. A recent cryo-EM study of holo V-ATPase revealed three major conformations corresponding to three rotational states of the central rotor of the enzyme. Comparison of the three V-ATPase conformations with the structure of nanodisc-bound Vo revealed that Vo is halted in rotational state 3. Combined with our prior work that showed autoinhibited V1-ATPase to be arrested in state 2, we propose a model in which the conformational mismatch between free V1 and Vo functions to prevent unintended reassembly of holo V-ATPase when activity is not needed.
Instrumentation IV: CAMAC: A modular standard: It began as a tool for the nuclear field. Now this digital interface standard has gone `real time¿ in process control and computer networks

Describes the basic IEEE specifications of CAMAC, acquaints practising system engineers with its basic principles and applications, and gives insight into how this standard can benefit the digital engineering community.
Decisions about cancer treatment: Matching of actual to preferred roles and patient ratings of care.

6533 Background: Shared decision-making in cancer treatment is an important aspect of high-quality care and is associated with improved outcomes. However, patients have different preferences regard...
Exclusion: Property Analogies in the Immigration Debate

By what right do sovereign states prohibit migrants from entering their territories? It cannot be assumed that they do, certainly not as a matter of the way we define “sovereignty.” Can the sovereign right to exclude immigrants be derived from the sovereign’s status as owner of the territory it controls? This Article shows that the idea of the sovereign as owner is too problematic to be the basis of any argument for the right to exclude. It also argues against the proposition that communities, considered as informal sovereigns, have a right to exclude based on their communal property in the land they inhabit. In both cases, an “ownership conception” is distinguished from a more attractive “responsibility conception” of sovereignty. The former remains unclear, while the latter leaves open the question of who the sovereign (state or community) is responsible for.
Remediation of Former Manufactured Gas Plants and Other Coal-Tar SitesBook Reviews

Review by: Gardiner Cross Geologists working on hazardous waste sites often think of them as relics of history, albeit recent, human-scale history. We can often find people who worked at the plant in question or who have good second-hand knowledge of past operational practices. Failing that, we can reason by analogy with similar operations that we have seen. However, there is a large group of heavily affected sites that are truly historic, contaminated by an industry that has been gone for so long that minimal information about plant operations remains. These sites are manufactured gas plants (MGPs), which supplied combustible gas for home lighting, cooking, and heating before construction of the natural gas pipeline network. Here in New York, nearly every town with a population of 5,000 (per the 1900 census) had at least one MGP. By 1950, nearly all of the facilities were gone, with the last one closing in 1973. While they operated, MGPs were notoriously bad neighbors, fouling the air and water of their immediate surroundings. Most of the problems related to the handling of coal tar emulsions: the near-neutral density of this smelly, non-aqueous phase liquid allowed it to either float or sink in water and to remain emulsified indefinitely. Many plants made little effort to recover this nuisance material, discharging it instead into nearby water bodies or allowing it to escape into the subsurface. Complaints ranging from taste and odor problems in nearby drinking water to paint damage on boat hulls hundreds of feet away are well documented. But memory fades with time. Despite their history, most of these sites have been totally forgotten, and many experienced professionals …
Disability and Grief

Stage theories of grief distort the grief experience of those who live with disabilities. Recurrent sorrow is complicated by social expectations of mourning and not mourning. Accessibility to grief...
A preliminary study of astigmatism and early childhood development

Purpose To determine whether uncorrected astigmatism in toddlers is associated with poorer performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (BSITD-III). Methods Subjects were 12- to 35-month-olds who failed an instrument-based vision screening at a well-child check. A cycloplegic eye examination was conducted. Full-term children with no known medical or developmental conditions were invited to participate in a BSITD-III assessment conducted by an examiner masked to the child's eye examination results. Independent samples t tests were used to compare Cognitive, Language (Receptive and Expressive), and Motor (Fine and Gross) scores for children with moderate/high astigmatism (>2.00 D) versus children with no/low refractive error (ie, children who had a false-positive vision screening). Results The sample included 13 children in each group. The groups did not differ on sex or mean age. Children with moderate/high astigmatism had significantly poorer mean scores on the Cognitive and Language scales and the Receptive Communication Language subscale compared to children with no/low refractive error. Children with moderate/high astigmatism had poorer mean scores on the Motor scale, Fine and Gross Motor subscales, and the Expressive Communication subscale, but these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions The results suggest that uncorrected astigmatism in toddlers may be associated with poorer performance on cognitive and language tasks. Further studies assessing the effects of uncorrected refractive error on developmental task performance and of spectacle correction of refractive error in toddlers on developmental outcomes are needed to support the development of evidence-based spectacle prescribing guidelines.
Introduction: Some Important Aspects of Protein Fiber Research

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses some important aspects of protein fiber research. Research on the ultrastructure of fibrous proteins has three important objectives: (1) to elucidate the fundamental ultra-architecture of proteins in general, (2) to determine the biological role played by fibrous proteins in living organisms, and (3) to make the most efficient use of protein fibers as a natural resource in the form of raw materials and finished products. All of these aspects are intimately associated with the ultrastructure or ultra-architecture of protein fiber macromolecules that are the basic structural units of organelles, tissues, organs, and secretions of living organisms. Proteins may be empirically classified into two kinds—the globular and the fibrous proteins. The basic structural units of protein macromolecules are polypeptide strands. In the globular proteins, the polypeptide strands are folded and misaligned with one another such that the macromolecules appear to be spherical. However, in the fibrous proteins, the polypeptide strands, if folded, may be ascertained by means of x-ray and electronoscopic analysis.
Exhaust gas aftertreatment for light-duty diesel engines

Abstract: The chapter reviews the state of the art in various forms of aftertreatment, namely, oxidation catalysts, lean-NO x traps, particulate filters and selective catalytic reduction. The focus is on practical packaging issues faced by the manufacturer, rather than fundamental research. The constraints on vehicle design unique to the light-duty market are emphasised. It is shown how emissions legislation is ‘technology-forcing’, and influences the design decisions made by the vehicle manufacturer.
Effects of adenosine A 2A receptor antagonists on cocaine-induced locomotion and cocaine seeking

Adenosine signaling through adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) is known to influence cocaine-induced behaviors. These studies sought to elucidate how two A2AR antagonists distinguished by their antagonist effects at presynaptic and postsynaptic A2AR influence cocaine-induced locomotion and cocaine seeking. Sprague-Dawley rats were used to assess the differential effects of SCH 442416 and istradefylline that antagonize presynaptic and postsynaptic A2AR, respectively. We evaluated the effects of these antagonists on both basal and cocaine-induced locomotion in cocaine-naive rats and rats that received seven daily cocaine treatments. The effects of SCH 442416 or istradefylline on cocaine seeking were measured in animals extinguished from cocaine self-administration. We assessed the effects of the A2AR antagonists to induce cocaine seeking when administered alone and their effects on cocaine seeking induced by a cocaine-priming injection. Lastly, we evaluated the effects of the antagonists on sucrose seeking in animals extinguished from sucrose self-administration. Neither istradefylline nor SCH 442416 significantly altered basal locomotion. Istradefylline enhanced acute cocaine-induced locomotion but had no effect on the expression of locomotor sensitization. SCH 44216 had no effect on acute cocaine-induced locomotion but inhibited the expression of locomotor sensitization. Istradefylline was sufficient to induce cocaine seeking and augmented both cocaine-induced seeking and sucrose seeking. SCH 442416 inhibited cocaine-induced seeking, but had no effect on sucrose seeking and did not induce cocaine seeking when administered alone. These findings demonstrate differential effects of two A2AR antagonists distinguished by their effects at pre- and postsynaptic A2AR on cocaine-induced behaviors.
Sound, Fine-Grained Traversal Fusion for Heterogeneous Trees - Extended Version.

Applications in many domains are based on a series of traversals of tree structures, and fusing these traversals together to reduce the total number of passes over the tree is a common, important optimization technique. In applications such as compilers and render trees, these trees are heterogeneous: different nodes of the tree have different types. Unfortunately, prior work for fusing traversals falls short in different ways: they do not handle heterogeneity; they require using domain-specific languages to express an application; they rely on the programmer to aver that fusing traversals is safe, without any soundness guarantee; or they can only perform coarse-grain fusion, leading to missed fusion opportunities. This paper addresses these shortcomings to build a framework for fusing traversals of heterogeneous trees that is automatic, sound, and fine-grained. We show across several case studies that our approach is able to allow programmers to write simple, intuitive traversals, and then automatically fuse them to substantially improve performance.
Online Context-Adaptive Energy-Aware Security Allocation in Mobile Devices: A Tale of Two Algorithms.

Cryptographic operations involved in securing communications are computationally intensive and contribute to energy drain in mobile devices. Thus, varying the level of security according to the user’s location may provide a convenient solution to energy management. Context-adaptive energy-aware security allocation for mobile devices is modeled in this paper as a combinatorial optimization problem. The goal is to allocate security levels effectively so that user utility is maximized while bounding the maximum energy cost to a constant E. Although the offline version of the problem has been previously studied in the literature where both the security levels and the locations to which a user may travel to is known a priori, this is the first work that formulates and solves an online version of the problem where the locations may be known a priori but the security levels are revealed only upon reaching the locations. We provide two different algorithms for the solution of this online problem by mapping it to the online multi-choice knapsack problem. We study competitive ratios of our two algorithms by comparing the solutions they yield to the optimal solution obtained for the corresponding offline problem. We also present simulation experiments on realistic datasets to validate the scalability and efficiency of our approaches (taking in order of milliseconds for up to 100 locations and providing near-optimal competitive ratios).
Current Topics in Computational Molecular Biology. Tao Jing, Ying Xu, and Michael Q. Zhang, eds. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2002, 542 pp., $55.00. ISBN 0-262-10092-4.

Bioinformatics is just beginning to have an impact on the clinical sciences. Many commonly used techniques, such as PCR, used bioinformatics at sometime during their development, and emerging technologies such as pharmacogenomics and microarray diagnosis will increasingly depend on bioinformatics during assay development and the analysis of results. However, the underlying bioinformatics are often hidden from the clinician or researcher, and the algorithms become just a “black box” where data is input and results are displayed without any interpretation. Thus, a book that provides an understanding of the power and limitations of the bioinformatics that are …
Estimation of passenger waiting time using automatically collected transit data

Among the many ways to improve a transit system is a reduction in travel time as experienced by the passenger. Hence, passenger waiting times remain a topic of interest among transit planners. In this study, the effects of transit vehicle delays on passenger waiting time is investigated, as well as the effects of transfer status, boarding location, time of day, and rider travel frequency. The data used in this study were collected using automatic fare collection (AFC) and automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology. A trip chaining algorithm is used to infer the trajectory of each passenger, and as a result produce measures of passenger waiting time and vehicle delay. An analysis of an arterial Bus Rapid Transit (aBRT) line in Saint Paul, Minnesota reveals a waiting time model consistent with previous literature, a positive relationship between vehicle delay and passenger waiting time, and an insignificant relationship between transfer status and passenger waiting time. Finally, a simple model relating waiting time and vehicle delay is provided for the purpose of transit planning and waiting time estimation.
Improved Performance of a Multipinhole SPECT for DAT Imaging by Increasing Number of Pinholes at the Expense of Increased Multiplexing

Single photon emission tomography imaging of dopamine transporters (DATs) in the brain is a widely utilized study to improve the diagnosis of Parkinsonian syndromes, where conventional (parallel-hole and fan-beam) collimators on dual-head scanners are commonly employed. We have designed a multipinhole (MPH) collimator to improve the performance of DAT imaging. The MPH collimator focuses on the striatum and hence offers a better tradeoff for sensitivity and spatial resolution than the conventional collimators within this clinically most relevant region for DAT imaging. Our original MPH design consisted of 9 pinholes with a background-to-striatal (Bkg/Str) projection multiplexing of 1% only. In this simulation study, we investigated whether further improvements in the performance of MPH imaging could be obtained by increasing the number of pinholes, hence by enhancing the sensitivity and sampling, despite the ambiguity in reconstructing images due to increased multiplexing. We performed analytic simulations of the MPH configurations with 9, 13, and 16 pinholes (aperture diameters: 4–6 mm) using a digital phantom modeling DAT imaging. Our quantitative analyses indicated that using 13 (Bkg/Str: 12%) and 16 (Bkg/Str: 22%) pinholes provided better performance than the original 9-pinhole configuration for the acquisition with two or four angular views, but a similar performance with 8 and 16 views.
Advanced Solar Still Development: Improving Distilled Water Recovery and Purity via Graphene-Enhanced Surface Modifiers

Solar distillation system depends on adhesion of water molecules inside the glass cover of solar stills. Regular glass surfaces are prone to adsorbing other unwanted compounds and in turn lowers the percentage of recovery of pure distilled water. In this study, the production of purified distilled water was compared with and without the use of graphene-based surface modifiers. In areas where salt content is high, the first pass is still usually laden with salts. Hence, to improve adhesion of water and rejection of salts, both the inside glass cover surfaces and the metal absorber plates were modified using oxygen plasma treatment and graphene surface enhancement. Results showed a 48.9% improvement of distilled water recovery from an initial recovery of 2.90 L/m2/day to an average of 4.32 L/m2/day. In addition, the resulting distilled water passes the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and salinity. The average reduction in electrical conductivity was 96.52%, an average increase of 5.06% of pH and an average reduction of salinity of 96.52%, all measured at the highest brine salinity of 5%. The reported value of electrical conductivity was 23.33 µS/cm, a lowest and near neutral pH of 6.85 and an average salinity of 12.10 ppm.
Emerging materials intelligence ecosystems propelled by machine learning

The age of cognitive computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is just dawning. Inspired by its successes and promises, several AI ecosystems are blossoming, many of them within the domain of materials science and engineering. These materials intelligence ecosystems are being shaped by several independent developments. Machine learning (ML) algorithms and extant materials data are utilized to create surrogate models of materials properties and performance predictions. Materials data repositories, which fuel such surrogate model development, are mushrooming. Automated data and knowledge capture from the literature (to populate data repositories) using natural language processing approaches is being explored. The design of materials that meet target property requirements and of synthesis steps to create target materials appear to be within reach, either by closed-loop active-learning strategies or by inverting the prediction pipeline using advanced generative algorithms. AI and ML concepts are also transforming the computational and physical laboratory infrastructural landscapes used to create materials data in the first place. Surrogate models that can outstrip physics-based simulations (on which they are trained) by several orders of magnitude in speed while preserving accuracy are being actively developed. Automation, autonomy and guided high-throughput techniques are imparting enormous efficiencies and eliminating redundancies in materials synthesis and characterization. The integration of the various parts of the burgeoning ML landscape may lead to materials-savvy digital assistants and to a human–machine partnership that could enable dramatic efficiencies, accelerated discoveries and increased productivity. Here, we review these emergent materials intelligence ecosystems and discuss the imminent challenges and opportunities. The materials research landscape is being transformed by the infusion of approaches based on machine learning. This Review discusses the emerging materials intelligence ecosystems and the potential of human–machine partnerships for fast and efficient virtual materials screening, development and discovery.
Peer navigation for smoking cessation in smokers with HIV: Protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

Abstract Background Smoking prevalence in persons with HIV (PWH) is high (40%) and cessation rates remain low. Lack of social support and poor adherence to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) are related to poor cessation outcomes; thus, both factors represent possible targets for smoking cessation interventions. Peer navigators (PNs) have been integrated into HIV care with great success to improve engagement and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. However, no clinical trial has evaluated the potential for PNs to provide social support and improve NRT adherence for smoking cessation. We developed a treatment protocol that targets social support, adherence, and self-efficacy for quitting by incorporating PNs into a smoking cessation program. This randomized trial will test whether this approach results in higher rates of 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 12- and 24-weeks, compared to standard treatment. Methods Seventy-two smokers with HIV will be randomized to either Peer Navigation Social Support for smoking cessation (PNSS-S) or standard cessation counseling. All participants will meet with a nurse for a smoking cessation counseling session, which will include discussion of FDA-approved cessation pharmacotherapy. Participants assigned to PNSS-S will receive weekly phone calls from the PN for 12 weeks. The PN will address readiness to quit, using medication to quit, common barriers to cessation, high risk situations, slip management, and maintaining abstinence. Smoking cessation outcomes will be measured at 4, 12, and 24 weeks following the baseline appointment. Conclusion Results from this study will provide preliminary evidence of whether incorporating a peer navigator-based intervention into smoking cessation treatment can improve smoking cessation outcomes in PWH.
Rights of Conscience

So far, this text has focused on normative ethics principles on which pharmacists generally agree. These concepts form the basis of a widely-held consensus on professionalism. But what happens when an individual pharmacist is confronted with a prescription or treatment directive that runs counter to personal religious or moral values? Should the clinician simply go along with the order, defer to another pharmacist, or refuse to comply with the request? This question is complex, and it is the topic of this chapter on rights of conscience (Sullivan 2019).
Psychiatric medications prescribed on-campus and off-campus for university students: Differences in demographics, types of medication, and satisfaction with services.

To describe the use of psychiatric medication and related health service utilization among college students receiving care on- and off-campus. Participants and methods: 3959 students from a large s...
Gastric intestinal metaplasia: when to treat? How to treat?

Purpose of review Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is an attractive target for surveillance and treatment as it can progress to gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). Yet, GIM remains a challenging area for clinicians as most patients do not progress to cancer, and there are conflicting data regarding the benefits of surveillance and therapy. This review aims to summarize recently published GIM surveillance guidelines, to discuss, which patients with GIM may benefit from treatment, and to review pivotal and recent literature on GIM therapy. Recent findings Guidelines published by American, British, and European gastroenterology societies do not recommend universal surveillance, but do suggest endoscopic surveillance in patients with risk factors for progression to GAC. Although light examination for at least 7 min and mapping biopsies may increase yield for dysplasia and GAC. In randomized trials, Helicobacter pylori eradication reduced risk of dysplasia and cancer. In GIM with visible dysplasia and early-stage GAC, endoscopic resection improves quality of life without reducing survival compared with surgery. Endoscopic ablation therapies have shown promise for invisible or extensive dysplasia. Summary Endoscopic resection is appropriate for visible dysplasia and early-stage GAC without high-risk features that persists despite H. pylori eradication therapy. Prospective studies are needed to assess the utility of endoscopic ablation in GIM.
Optimizing Discharge After Shorter Hospitalizations: Lessons Learned Through After-Hours Calls with Thoracic Surgical Patients.

OBJECTIVE Minimally invasive procedures coupled with enhanced recovery pathways enable faster postoperative recovery and shorter hospitalizations. However, patients may experience unexpected concerns after return home, prompting after-hours calls. We aimed to characterize concerns prompting after-hours calls to improve discharge strategies. METHODS A single-institution, retrospective review was conducted of thoracic surgical patients from 11/4/2019 to 6/14/2020. Records were reviewed and elements of patient demographics, surgical procedures, postoperative courses, reasons for calls, and outcome of calls were collected. We compared characteristics of patients who made after-hours calls to those who did not, and performed multivariable analysis to identify characteristics associated with making an after-hours call. RESULTS During the study period, 379 patients underwent thoracic surgical procedures, among whom 88 (23.2%) initiated after-hours calls. Of these, 62 (70%) addressed patient symptoms, while 26 (30%) addressed patient questions including drain management, medications, and hospital policy questions. Patients making after-hours calls more frequently had undergone complex operations (26.1% vs 8.2%, P = 0.001), and were less likely to have received a standardized, clinician-initiated post-discharge telephone follow-up (29.5% vs 54.3%, P < 0.001). Complex operations increased likelihood of after-hours calls (OR: 3.33, 95% CI: 1.69-6.57, P < 0.001), while receipt of clinician-initiated telephone follow-up decreased likelihood of after-hours calls (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22-0.64, P < 0.001). There were no differences in emergency visits between the 2 groups (11% vs 8%, P = 0.370). CONCLUSIONS Despite efforts to optimize patient symptoms and knowledge prior to discharge, a substantial number of patients still have concerns after discharge. Many after-hours calls are related to knowledge gaps that may be addressed with improved predischarge education. Moreover, clinician-initiated telephone follow-up shows benefit in reducing after-hours calls.
Mycobacterium bovis BCG and New Vaccines against Tuberculosis

Several tuberculosis vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of disease and death due to tuberculosis in humans, but only one is used in global immunization programs: Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The development of new tuberculosis vaccines has been informed by evolving data on the natural history of tuberculosis, by new data on the immunology of infection with and immunization against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, by reanalysis of the role of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in protection against tuberculosis, by a clearer understanding of the benefits and risks of BCG, and by molecular techniques that have permitted identification of immunodominant antigens of M. tuberculosis and new methods of antigen delivery. This chapter talks about tuberculosis in children, older children, adults, elderly, and immunocompromised hosts, health care providers and other International travelers. At least partial immune protection from tuberculosis disease results from prior mycobacterial infection, whether naturally acquired or vaccine induced. The chapter discusses mechanisms of immune control of tuberculosis, and talks about BCG vaccine. Immunization with BCG induces a mild systemic infection in healthy hosts. It has been shown that immune responses to BCG are impaired in infants with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The efficacy of BCG against tuberculosis is described. The favorable and unfavorable characteristics of BCG are summarized. There is wide consensus that additional tuberculosis vaccine development should focus on identifying a booster vaccine to follow BCG immunization, or on developing a completely novel two-vaccine booster regimen.
Harmonic motion imaging for pancreatic tumor detection and high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation monitoring

Harmonic motion imaging (HMI) is a radiation force-based elasticity imaging technique that estimates tissue harmonic displacements induced by an oscillatory ultrasonic radiation force to assess tissue stiffness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of applying HMI on pancreatic tumor detection and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment monitoring.
Preparation and Properties of Six Rat Hemoglobins NONUNIFORM BIOSYNTHESIS IN MARROW ERYTHROID CELLS

Abstract Isoelectric focusing electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels along a pH gradient from 6.0 to 8.0 yields six distinct rat red cell hemoglobin fractions. A preparative adaptation of this technique permitted the isolation of each of the six hemoglobins in a pure state. Their molecular weights are similar to that of human hemoglobin, they dissociate in dilute solution, and they separate completely into subunits of molecular weight 16,000 when examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The amino acid content of all six fractions is similar but "surface" carboxyl groups vary in such a way as to account for the differences in isoelectric points. Hemoglobin Fraction IV is the major component in the red cell (36%), whereas Fraction V is the major hemoglobin in the bone marrow (37%) and spleen (38%). The erythroid cells of the marrow and spleen, in addition to the six hemoglobins observed in the red cell, contain two additional, more acidic, components. In vivo "pulse" labeling of marrow erythroid cells was performed in splenectomized rats with serum-bound 59Fe. Incorporation of the isotope into each of the six hemoglobins of circulating red cells at various time intervals yielded a pattern of specific activities, which leads to the conclusions that Fraction V is synthesized mostly in the youngest erythroid cells of the marrow, whereas Fraction IV is synthesized mostly in the older marrow cells.
Cultural Similarity as In-Group Favoritism: The Impact of Religious and Ethnic Similarity on Alliance Formation and Announcement Returns

Strategic alliance research has shown that national cultural similarity between partner firms has a positive influence on cross-border alliance formation and performance. Yet, cultural similarity can also give rise to in-group favoritism that leads partner firms of similar cultural backgrounds to establish strategic alliances for defending their shared identities, which can result in suboptimal alliance decisions. To investigate the existence of in-group favoritism associated with cultural similarity, we examine the influence of cross-regional religious and ethnic similarity in the U.S. on domestic strategic alliance formation and alliance announcement returns. We find that dyadic religious similarity and ethnic similarity between U.S. states positively affect the volume of interstate alliance activities, but religious similarity and ethnic similarity are negatively associated with combined alliance announcement returns of partner firms. These findings suggest that cross-regional religious and ethnic similarity facilitates interstate alliance activities between U.S. states, but investors seem to interpret alliance decisions that can be potentially driven by in-group favoritism negatively.
Quantum single electron transistor

We describe the basic physics of a Quantum Single Electron Transistor (QSET). The QSET is a quantum dot (QD) connected to two leads and a central electrode. The effect of the central electrode, electron-electron interaction, and a magnetic field on electron droplets in the QSET is studied using the Hartree-Fock approximation and exact diagonalization techniques. In a strong magnetic field, the central electrode induces electronic spin and charge transitions in the spin-polarized droplet. We show how these spin-related transitions can be observed in transport and coherent resonant tunnelling through the QSET.
Kinetic Differences and Synergistic Antiviral Effects Between Type I and Type III Interferon Signaling Indicate Pathway Independence

The spread of acute respiratory viral infections is controlled by type I and III interferon (IFN) signaling. While the mechanisms of type I IFN signaling have been studied in detail, features that distinguish type III IFN signaling remain poorly understood. Type III IFNs play an essential role in limiting infections of intestinal and respiratory epithelial surfaces; however, type III IFNs have been shown to activate similar genes to type I IFNs, raising the question of how these IFNs differ and their signals interact. We measured the kinetics of type I and III IFN activation, functional stability, and downstream antiviral responses on A549 human lung epithelial cells. Similar kinetics were found for transcriptional upregulation and secretion of type I and III IFNs in response to infection by an RNA virus, peaking at 12 h postinfection, and both protein types had similar stabilities with functional half-lives extending beyond 2 days. Both IFNs activated potent cellular antiviral responses; however, respons...
Polarisation degeneracy in bent optical fibre

It is shown that the previously established polarisation degeneracy for propagation round a bent optical fibre obtains only in the limit of equality of core and cladding permittivities. Unequal permittivities produce differential attenuations in the components parallel to and perpendicular to the plane of the bend.
Incorporating Chromatin Accessibility Data into Sequence-to-Expression Modeling

Prediction of gene expression levels from regulatory sequences is one of the major challenges of genomic biology today. A particularly promising approach to this problem is that taken by thermodynamics-based models that interpret an enhancer sequence in a given cellular context specified by transcription factor concentration levels and predict precise expression levels driven by that enhancer. Such models have so far not accounted for the effect of chromatin accessibility on interactions between transcription factor and DNA and consequently on gene-expression levels. Here, we extend a thermodynamics-based model of gene expression, called GEMSTAT (Gene Expression Modeling Based on Statistical Thermodynamics), to incorporate chromatin accessibility data and quantify its effect on accuracy of expression prediction. In the new model, called GEMSTAT-A, accessibility at a binding site is assumed to affect the transcription factor’s binding strength at the site, whereas all other aspects are identical to the GEMSTAT model. We show that this modification results in significantly better fits in a data set of over 30 enhancers regulating spatial expression patterns in the blastoderm-stage Drosophila embryo. It is important to note that the improved fits result not from an overall elevated accessibility in active enhancers but from the variation of accessibility levels within an enhancer. With whole-genome DNA accessibility measurements becoming increasingly popular, our work demonstrates how such data may be useful for sequence-to-expression models. It also calls for future advances in modeling accessibility levels from sequence and the transregulatory context, so as to predict accurately the effect of cis and trans perturbations on gene expression.
Comparison of Tc-99 measurement of glomerular filtration rate vs. calculated creatinine clearance to assess renal function pretransplant in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

: We compared the results of Tc-99 evaluation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) vs. the calculation of the creatinine clearance (CCrC) as a predictor for the development of renal insufficiency in pediatric patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We reviewed 95 consecutive patients receiving autologous (n = 37) or allogeneic (n = 58) HSCT at Children's Memorial Hospital between January, 1995 and February, 1998. Diagnoses included leukemia (n = 43), solid tumor (n = 27), bone marrow failure syndrome (n = 12), non-malignant disease (n = 8), CNS tumors (n = 5) and immunodeficiency (n = 3). Tc-99 GFR was compared with a calculated creatinine clearance derived from the Schwartz formula (CCrC) prior to HSCT. These measures of renal function were compared with the patient's subsequent clinical course to determine if patients who developed renal insufficiency of sufficient magnitude as to require continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) or dialysis, could have been identified. Overall comparison of the two methods of evaluation of renal function showed low correlation with values obtained by CCrC, which were consistently higher in most patients (r-value 0.01 in the regression analysis and a p = 0.08 95% CI −24.15 to 1.48). When stratified for age, correlation between the two methods was excellent only in children younger than 5 yr of age p = 0.02 95%, CI 0.032–0.49). Eleven patients required therapy with CVVH or dialysis but neither CCrC nor Tc-99 GFR prior to transplant predicted this event. Patients who received TBI were statistically more prone to develop renal insufficiency than those without TBI (p < 0.0001, 95% CI 0.25–0.008). Neither the Tc-99 GFR nor the CCrC was predictive of the development of renal insufficiency in HSCT patients as the majority of patients who required dialysis had normal Tc-99 GFR prior to transplant. The characteristics found in the patients who developed renal insufficiency and required dialysis include: the use of total body irradiation as part of the transplant-conditioning regimen (p < 0.0001) and the use of continuous infusion CSA (p = 0.04).
The Quest for Health Reform: a Satirical History

By Georges C. Benjamin, Theodore M. Brown, Susan Ladwig and Elyse Berkman (American Public Health Association). Laughter may be the best medicine, but when the humour focuses on health care reform in America over the last century depicted through political and editorial cartoons, you may laugh until
Natural potent androgens: lessons from human genetic models

Male pseudohermaphroditism due to 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-3 (17β-HSD-3) deficiency and 5α-reductase-2 (5α-RD-2) deficiency provides natural human genetic models to elucidate androgen actions. To date, five 17β-HSD isozymes have been cloned that catalyse the oxidoreduction of androstenedione and testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), oestrone and oestradiol. Mutations in the isozyme 17β-HSD-3 gene are responsible for male pseudohermaphroditism due to 17β-HSD deficiency. The type 3 isozyme preferentially catalyses the reduction of androstenedione to testosterone and is primarily expressed in the testes. Fourteen mutations in the 17β-HSD-3 gene have been identified from different ethnic groups. Affected males with the 17β-HSD-3 gene defect have normal wolffian structures but ambiguous external genitalia at birth. Many are raised as girls but virilize at the time of puberty and adopt a male gender role. Some develop gynaecomastia at puberty, which appears to be related to the testosterone/oestradiol ratio. Two 5α-reductase (5α-RD) isozymes, types 1 and 2, have been identified, which convert testosterone to the more potent androgen DHT. Mutations in the 5α-RD-2 gene cause male pseudohermaphroditism, and 31 mutations in the 5α-RD-2 gene have been reported from various ethnic groups. Such individuals also have normal wolffian structure but ambiguous external genitalia at birth and are raised as girls. Virilization occurs at puberty, often with a gender role change. The prostate remains infantile and facial hair is decreased. Balding has not been reported. The coexistence of both 17β-HSD-3 and 5α-RD-2 gene defects has been identified in a Turkish community. The studies of inherited enzymatic defects involving androgen biosynthesis and action highlight the importance of testosterone and DHT in male sexual differentiation and male physiology.