cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Language-Based Optimizations for Persistence on Nonvolatile Main Memory Systems

Substantial advances in nonvolatile memory (NVM) technologies have motivated wide-spread integration of NVM into mobile, enterprise, and HPC systems. Recently, considerable research has focused on architectural integration of NVM and respective programming systems, exploiting NVM's trait of persistence correctly and efficiently. In this regard, we design several novel language-based optimization techniques for programming NVM and demonstrate them as an extension of our NVL-C system. Specifically, we focus on optimizing the performance of atomic updates to complex data structures residing in NVM. We build on two variants of automatic undo logging: canonical undo logging, and shadow updates. We show these techniques can be implemented transparently and efficiently, using dynamic selection and other logging optimizations. Our empirical results on several applications gathered on an NVM testbed illustrate that our cost-model-based dynamic selection technique can accurately choose the best logging variant across different NVM modes and input sizes. In comparison to statically choosing canonical undo logging, this improvement reduces execution time to as little as 53% for block-addressable NVM and 73% for emulated byte-addressable NVM on a Fusion-io ioScale device.
Inpatient consult team in a community hospital led to decreased mortality

Source Citation Thomas DR, Brahan R, Haywood BP. Inpatient community-based geriatric assessment reduces subsequent mortality. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1993 Feb;41:101-4.
Self-Assembled Colloidal Gel Using Cell Membrane-Coated Nanosponges as Building Blocks

Colloidal gels consisting of oppositely charged nanoparticles are increasingly utilized for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Meanwhile, cell membrane-coated nanoparticles are becoming a compelling biomimetic system for innovative therapeutics. Here, we demonstrate the successful use of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles as building blocks to formulate a colloidal gel that gelates entirely based on material self-assembly without chemical cross-linking. Specifically, we prepare red blood cell membrane-coated nanosponges and mix them with an appropriate amount of cationic nanoparticles, resulting in a spontaneously formed gel-like complex. Rheological test shows that the nanosponge colloidal gel has pronounced shear-thinning property, which makes it an injectable formulation. The gel formulation not only preserves the nanosponges’ toxin neutralization capability but also greatly prolongs their retention time after subcutaneous injection into mouse tissue. When tested in a mouse model of subcutaneous gro...
Copyright Reversion to Authors (and the Rosetta Effect): An Empirical Study of Reappearing Books

Copyright keeps out-of-print books unavailable to the public, and commentators speculate that statutes transferring rights back to authors would provide incentives for the republication of books from unexploited back catalogs. This study compares the availability of books whose copyrights are eligible for statutory reversion under US law with books whose copyrights are still exercised by the original publisher. It finds that 17 USC § 203, which permits reversion to authors in year 35 after publication, and 17 USC § 304, which permits reversion 56 years after publication, significantly increase in-print status for important classes of books. Several reasons are offered as to why the § 203 effect seems stronger. The 2002 decision in Random House v. Rosetta Books, which worked a one-time de facto reversion of ebook rights to authors, has an even greater effect on in-print status than the statutory schemes. The estimated positive effect of reversion on the availability (in-print status) of titles in the full sample of 1909 books is 20-23%..
Environmental Cognition: Contributions from the Analytic Hierarchy Process Toward Construction of Cognitive Maps

Despite its vast multidisciplinary applications, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has received little attention in environmental cognition literature. AHP properties that relate conceptually and methodologically to developments in cognitive mapping and modelling research are highlighted. The method of paired comparisons, which is at the core of AHP procedure, scale, and calculus of consistency, is used with a cognitive mapping application. A taxonomic concept of imageability provides a survey protocol for classification of the elements of the environmental structure. The connective structure of paired relations among the elements as well as their relative dominance as perceived by subjects is gauged (interpreted) by the consistency index in the construction of a cognitive map. This approach captures the qualitative, topological properties of spatial structure while it accounts for observer variation as well as degree of consensus in the image(s) of structure. The chapter concludes with promising future areas of research and development of the AHP as a paradigm for environmental cognition.
Effect of Temperature on Magnetic Field Perturbations from the Ferromagnetic Blanket in MARS

The effect of temperature variation in the ferromagnetic blanket of MARS on the induced magnetic field from that blanket is studied. A simple analytical model is used to show that the effect will be mainly at the ends of the blanket. Numerical calculations using the computer program GFUN3D are presented and show that the effect is reasonably small.
Semantic Theory of Humor

In this chapter, the script-based semantic theory briefly outlined in Chapter 3 is applied to the analysis of verbal humor. After the Main Hypothesis is formulated in Section 1 and the joke-telling mode of communication is discussed in its relation to bona-fide communication in Section 2, the notion of script overlap, the crucial relation of script oppositeness and the triggers which produce the switch from the one script to the other are investigated in Sections 3, 4, and 5, respectively. In Section 6 a sample joke is analyzed as completely as possible in terms of the theory. Section 7 demonstrates how the script-based semantic theory of humor can accommodate the observations made in the informal theories of humor which were reviewed in Chapter 1. Some apparent counterexamples to the Main Hypothesis are discussed in Section 8. Section 9 deals with the principles of joke construction prompted by the theory.
Cellular organization in the synganglion of the mite Macrocheles muscaedomesticae (Acarina: Macrochelidae). An electron microscopic study.

The synganglion is bounded by an extracellular sheath and is divided into the cortex and the neuropile. The cortex contains two glial layers, each of which is composed of a distinctive type of glial cell, and three types of neurons. Type I is the least common and most electron dense, type II is most common, and type III represents neurosecretory cells with a larger volume of cytoplasm than in types I and II. Substantial areas of the neuron cell bodies are unsheathed. A third type of glial cell is found in the neuropile. The first glial layer of the cortex, the perineurium, lies beneath the extracellular sheath and overlies the neuron cell bodies contributing to their ensheathment. In areas lacking neuron cells bodies, the perineurium overlies a second glial layer, the subpermeurium, which is inflected inwards where a group of neuron cell bodies is encountered. The subperineurium contributes to the ensheathment of both the cell bodies of neurons and the nerve fibers. It is confluent with glial cells which arise within the neuropile. The neuropile contains nerve fibers and glial cells and is perforated by the esophageal canal, which is lined by the perineurium and subperineurium. Unsheathed nerve fibers contact each other in three ways: end-knob, longitudinal, and cross contacts.
Shifting Weather Patterns in A Warming Arctic: The Scandes Case

The Earth is warming. Of that much, scientists are largely in agreement. In some places, this warming is being felt more than it is in other locations. For instance, in Seattle, Washington, there h...
Clinical Presentations of Melanoma in African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians.

Background Skin cancer has traditionally been studied in Caucasian skin. Although it does occur with increased relative frequency in Caucasians, patients with skin of color suffer from elevated morbidity and mortality when diagnosed with skin cancer. Objective To detail the unique demographic, clinical, and genetic features of melanoma in patients with skin of color, including Hispanic, African American, and Asian patients. Materials and methods A PubMed search was conducted spanning dates 1947 to June 2017. A total of 246 articles were screened, from which 69 were included in this review. Results Relative to Caucasians, melanoma has unique demographic, clinical, and genetic features in African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians that include gender and subtype predominance. Conclusion Familiarization with these unique presentations of skin cancer in skin of color is imperative to accurate identification and treatment of cutaneous malignancies in these populations and ultimately to improved disease-related outcomes.
Cocaine Positivity in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A True or False Association.

INTRODUCTION Every year, more than 500,000 US Emergency Department visits are associated with cocaine use. People who use cocaine tend to have a lower incidence of true ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). OBJECTIVE To identify the factors associated with true STEMI in patients with cocaine-positive (CPos) findings. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 1144 consecutive patients with STEMI between 2008 and 2013. True STEMI was defined as having a culprit lesion on coronary angiogram. Multivariate and univariate analyses were used to identify risk factors and create a predictive model. RESULTS A total of 64 patients with suspected STEMI were CPos (mean age 53.1 ± 11.2 years; male = 80%). True STEMI was diagnosed in 34 patients. Patients with CPos true STEMI were more likely to be uninsured than those with false STEMI (61.8% vs 34.5%, p = 0.03) and have higher peak troponin levels (21.1 ng/mL vs 2.12 ng/mL, p = < 0.01) with no difference in mean age between the 2 groups (p = 0.24). In multivariate analyses, independent predictors of true STEMI in patients with CPos findings included age older than 65 years (odds ratio [OR] = 19.3, 95% confidence iterval [CI] = 1.2-318.3), lack of health insurance (OR = 4.9, 95% CI = 1.2-19.6), and troponin level higher than 0.05 (OR = 24.0, 95% CI = 2.6-216.8) (all p < 0.05). A multivariate risk score created with a C-statistic of 82% (95% CI = 71-93) significantly improved the identification of patients with true STEMI. CONCLUSION Among those with suspected STEMI, patients with CPos findings had a higher incidence of false STEMI. Older age, lack of health insurance, and troponin levels outside of defined limits were associated with true STEMI in this group.
Localized Osteoarthritis Disease-Modifying Changes due to Intra-articular Injection of Micronized Dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of joint disability, and there are no FDA-approved disease-modifying drugs. The intra-articular delivery of micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (AmnioFix, MiMedx, GA) has been shown to have a chondro-protective effect on articular cartilage in the medial meniscus transection (MMT) pre-clinical model of OA and has entered human clinical trials. AmnioFix is a well-characterized extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived therapeutic that contains hundreds of bioactive molecules, but little is known about its therapeutic mechanism in OA. The objective of this study was to elucidate, via local gene expression analysis, the molecular mechanisms of action of AmnioFix during OA development and progression. Lewis rats underwent MMT surgery, and AmnioFix or saline was injected intra-articularly 24 h post-surgery. At 5, 7, and 21 days post-surgery, articular cartilage, synovial membrane, and osteophyte tissues from multiple regions were collected and analyzed by microarray RT-PCR. Results demonstrated regional variation in the effects of amnion treatment on gene expression. Although gene expression was unaltered in articular cartilage and osteophyte tissue, pro- and anti-inflammatory markers were more highly expressed in the medial synovial membrane for the AmnioFix treatment group compared to the saline and naive control groups. These data suggest that the previously observed chondro-protective effects of AmnioFix treatment may be mediated via alteration of the synovial membrane microenvironment. This work is the first to provide insight into the mechanisms of action of AmnioFix within the articular joint space. AmnioFix (MiMedx, Marietta, GA), obtained from placenta, is a promising candidate for treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). AmnioFix has previously demonstrated protection of the cartilage on joint surfaces in an animal model of OA. However, this is the first study to elucidate the mechanisms of action of AmnioFix on multiple tissues within the joint space. Our results demonstrated that AmnioFix acts primarily through the synovial membrane, where it induces the expression of immunomodulatory markers. We suggest that the immunomodulatory properties of AmnioFix influence the microenvironment of the synovial membrane, thereby affecting joint homeostasis and inducing a chondro-protective effect on the articular cartilage. Future work should investigate the phenotype/s of cells recruited to the synovium following AmnioFix treatment, as well as the interaction of AmnioFix with synovial tissue-resident cells. Furthermore, the effects of AmnioFix on other joint disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, a disease involving inflammation of the synovium, warrants further investigation.
Radio Wars and Revolution in the Caribbean, 1959

For most places in the Caribbean, the term Cold War fails to describe the contentious, noisy, violent politics of the 1950s and ‘60s. In the rapidly changing political contexts of 1957-62, Haiti’s Francois Duvalier and Cuban Fidel Castro rose to power, while in the Dominican Republic Rafael Trujillo’s regime weakened and ended with his assassination in 1961. Actors across the ideological spectrum engaged in transnational ‘Radio Wars’ in their efforts to both undermine and prop up particular regimes. This article will explore those radio wars, understanding them not just as an enactment of the complex politics of the day, but also as the expression of a particular kind of utopian imagining of radio’s potential for political mobilisation. It considers the politics of clandestine broadcasting across ideological, racial and national boundaries in the 1950s and ‘60s Caribbean. Expanding on and engaging a burgeoning literature on radio in Latin America and the Caribbean, attention to ‘Radio Wars’ adds fresh perspectives to histories of the Cold War, decolonisation, and the soundscapes of dictatorship and empire. More precisely, it moves beyond a Soviet-US binary and considers the role of broadcasting and propaganda in the making of an inter-Caribbean war of frequencies.
Internet of Things in Agricultural Innovation and Security

The agricultural Internet of Things (Ag-IoT) paradigm has tremendous potential in transparent integration of underground soil sensing, farm machinery, and sensor-guided irrigation systems with the complex social network of growers, agronomists, crop consultants, and advisors. The aim of the IoT in agricultural innovation and security chapter is to present agricultural IoT research and paradigm to promote sustainable production of safe, healthy, and profitable crop and animal agricultural products. This chapter covers the IoT platform to test optimized management strategies, engage farmer and industry groups, and investigate new and traditional technology drivers that will enhance resilience of the farmers to the socio-environmental changes. A review of state-of-the-art communication architectures and underlying sensing technologies and communication mechanisms is presented with coverage of recent advances in the theory and applications of wireless underground communications. Major challenges in Ag-IoT design and implementation are also discussed.
(S)pin the flu vaccine: Recipes for concern

Influenza epidemics happen yearly, and the World Health Organization estimates that the virus is connected to between 290,000 and 650,000 annual deaths. The most effective way to prevent seasonal influenza is vaccination. The prevalence of vaccine misinformation on social media is increasing, but the visual platform Pinterest is understudied in this area. The current study is the first to explore the content and nature of influenza information that is shared on Pinterest. Using a quantitative content analysis, Pinterest messages were theoretically analyzed for Health Belief Model variables as well as for message source, engagement, and position on vaccination. Findings showed concerning trends but also promising opportunities for health organizations and professionals.
Acanthemblemaria aceroi, a new species of tube blenny from the Caribbean coast of South America with notes on Acanthemblemaria johnsoni (Teleostei: Chaenopsidae).

Acanthemblemaria aceroi new species is described from the upwelling region of the Caribbean coasts of Venezuela and Colombia. It differs from its closest relative, Acanthemblemaria rivasi Stephens, 1970, known from Panama and Costa Rica, in the posterior extent of the infraorbitals, details of head spination, and unique COI sequences. The description of Acanthemblemaria johnsonsi Almany & Baldwin, 1996, heretofore known only from Tobago, is expanded based on specimens from islands offshore of eastern Venezuela.
Physical Activity and Cognitive Aspects of Self-Regulation in Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review.

Previous research showed a positive relationship between physical activity and self-regulation in older children and adolescents, but few publications focused on young children. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to examine the impact of physical activity (PA) on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation (inhibition, attention, and working memory, in preschool-aged (3–6 years old) children. The following databases were searched for articles: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and ERIC. References of the reviewed papers were screened for the identification of additional articles to be included in the review. Randomized control trials were reviewed to assess the impact of PA interventions on the cognitive aspects of self-regulation. There were six articles included in this review. Each study assessed at least one cognitive aspect of self-regulation [attention (n = 4), working memory (n = 2), and inhibition (n = 5)]. Attention was the only aspect that consistently showed improvement as a result of the PA interventions (4 of 4 studies). Only one study showed a positive impact on working memory and 60% of studies (3 of 5 studies) reported a positive relationship between PA and inhibition. Overall, the findings from this review showed that a consistent relationship only existed between attention and PA. No clear relationships were evident between working memory and inhibition and PA.
Trends in Hospital Onset Clostridioides difficile Infection Incidence, National Healthcare Safety Network, 2010–2018

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common laboratory-identified (LabID) healthcare-associated events reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). CDI prevention remains a national priority, and efforts to reduce infection burden and improve antibiotic stewardship continue to expand across the healthcare spectrum. Beginning in 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) required acute-care hospitals participating in CMS’ Inpatient Quality Reporting program to report CDI LabID data to NHSN and, in 2015, extended this reporting requirement to emergency departments (ED) and 24-hour observation units. To assess national progress, we evaluated changes in hospital onset CDI (HO-CDI) incidence during 2010–2018. Methods: Cases of HO-CDI were reported to NHSN by hospitals using the NHSN’s LabID criteria. Generalized linear mixed-effects modeling was used to assess trends of HO-CDI by treating the hospital as a random intercept to account for the correlation of the repeated responses over time. The data were summarized at the quarterly level, the main effect was time, and the covariates of interest were the following: CDI test type, inpatient community-onset (CO) infection rate, hospital type, average length of stay, medical school affiliation, number of beds, number of ICU beds, number of infection control professionals, presence of an ED or observation unit , and an indicator for 2015 to account for CDI protocol changes that required hospitals to conduct surveillance in both inpatient and ED or observation unit setting. Results: During 2010–2013, the number of hospitals reporting CDI increased and then stabilized after 2013 (Table 1). Crude HO-CDI rates decreased over time, except for an increase in 2015 and steeper reduction thereafter. (Table 2). During 2010–2014, the adjusted quarterly rate of change was −0.45% (95% CI, −0.57% to −0.33%; P < .0001). The rate of reduction was smaller in 2010–2014 compared to those of 2015–2018 (−2.82%; 95% CI, −3.10% to −2.54%; P < .0001). Compared to 2014, the adjusted rate in 2015 increased by 79.14% (95% CI, 72.42%–86.11%; P < .0001). Conclusions: The number of hospitals reporting CDI LabID data grew substantially in 2013 as a result of the CMS requirement for reporting. Adjusted HO-CDI rates decreased over time, with a rate hike in the year of 2015 and a rapid decrease thereafter. The increase in 2015 may be explained by changes in the NHSN CDI surveillance protocol and better test type classification in later years. Overall decreases in HO-CDI rates may be influenced by prevention strategies. Funding: None Disclosures: None
Trait–environment relationships could alter the spatial and temporal characteristics of aquatic insect subsidies at the macrospatial scale

DA and DK were supported by the US National Science Foundation (award 1802872, and additional support to DA was provided by award 1754389). Open Access fees paid for in whole or in part by the University of Oklahoma Libraries.
Hierarchical models of psychopathology: empirical support, implications, and remaining issues

There is an ongoing revolution in psychology and psychiatry that will likely change how we conceptualize, study and treat psychological problems.- Many theorists now support viewing psychopathology as consisting of continuous dimensions rather than discrete diagnostic categories. Indeed, recent papers have proposed comprehensive taxonomies of psychopathology dimensions to replace the DSM and ICD taxonomies of categories. The proposed dimensional taxonomies, which portray psychopathology as hierarchically organized correlated dimensions, are now well supported at phenotypic levels. Multiple studies show that both a general factor of psychopathology at the top of the hierarchy and specific factors at lower levels predict different functional outcomes. Our analyses of data on a large representative sample of child and adolescent twins suggested the causal hypothesis that phenotypic correlations among dimensions of psychopathology are the result of many familial influences being pleiotropic. That is, most genetic variants and shared environmental factors are hypothesized to non-specifically influence risk for multiple rather than individual dimensions of psychopathology. In contrast, person-specific experiences tend to be related to individual dimensions. This hierarchical causal hypothesis has been supported by both large-scale family and molecular genetic studies. Current research focuses on three issues. First, the field has not settled on a preferred statistical model for studying the hierarchy of causes and phenotypes. Second, in spite of encouraging progress, the neurobiological correlates of the hierarchy of dimensions of psychopathology are only partially described. Third, although there are potentially important clinical implications of the hierarchical model, insufficient research has been conducted to date to rec-ommend evidence-based clinical practices.
Disease Profile and Oncologic Outcomes After Delayed Diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus–Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer:

ObjectiveDiagnostic delay in human papillomavirus–associated oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (HPV(+)OPSCC) is common due to nonspecific symptoms. We aim to describe the disease burden and oncolo...
Chapter 11 Genetic control of phospholipid bilayer assembly

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the recent progress with the isolation of biochemically defined mutants altered in phospholipid biogenesis, especially with the use of enzyme-specific autoradiography of colony preparations immobilized on filter paper. Most of the existing mutants have been isolated from the bacterium E. coli, although recent extensions of the colony autoradiography techniques to mammalian cells grown in tissue culture are also considered. A classical approach to obtaining defined mutants in a metabolic pathway involves the isolation of auxotrophs requiring certain end products or intermediates for growth. In the case of E. coli phospholipid metabolism, it is possible to feed cells early precursors, such as fatty acids or glycerol-3-phosphate. The success of brute force as a means of isolating defined mutants is undisputable, but the actual assay and mapping of mutants by brute force are extremely tedious, especially if more than one or two enzymes are to be examined. For this reason, rapid screening assays for detecting lipid enzymes directly in immobilized colony preparations have been developed.
Tartaric acid metabolism. 8. Crystalline tartronic semialdehyde reductase.

Abstract Tartronic semialdehyde reductase from Pseudomonas putida has been purified and crystallized. As calculated from hydrodynamic measurements, the active enzyme has a molecular weight of 104,000 and appears to be composed of four subunits, each of which has a molecular weight of approximately 26,000. The enzyme catalyzes the reversible reduction of tartronic semialdehyde to d-glycerate in the presence of DPNH or TPNH. Glyoxylate and lactate are not substrates. The equilibrium constant of 6 x 1011 has been calculated when DPNH formation is measured. The reaction is anion sensitive.
Comparing the costs of HIV screening strategies and technologies in health-care settings.

Objectives.In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended routine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening for people aged 13 to 64 years in all U.S. health-care sett...
Evolution der Kommunikation

Kommunikation wird hier definiert als Erzeugung von Signalen, um Botschaften zu ubertragen, die mit Cherry (1957, 1966) auch als „Message“ bezeichnet werden (vgl. Tembrock 1992). Der Sender intendiert auf der organismischen Ebene eine Einflusnahme auf den Zustand des Empfangers. Im Sinne der Semiotik beschreiben wir diesen Zusammenhang so: Die Botschaft realisiert beim Empfanger das zum Signifikanten gehorende Signifikat. In Abb. 1 ist dieser Grundzusammenhang dargestellt. Der Sender tragt (statisch) oder erzeugt (dynamisch) eine „Menge von Zeichen“. Im verhaltensbiologischen Sinne handelt es sich bei den Signifikanten um „Kennreize“, wenn der Empfanger sie identifiziert und semantisch interpretiert, beispielsweise ein Nahrungsobjekt erkennend. Von Signalreizen spricht der Verhaltensbiologe, wenn der Empfanger ein vom Sender intendierter Adressat der „Nachricht“ ist. Anders gesagt: Kennreize sind Voraussetzung fur die Entstehung informationeller Signifikate, Signalreize erzeugen kommunikative Signifikate, bei denen der Sender bereits die Bedeutung vorgibt.
Efficient Optimization of Iterative Queries

This paper presents a new query algebra based on fold iterations that facilitates database implementation. An algebraic normalization algorithm is introduced that reduces any program expressed in this algebra to a canonical form that generates no intermediate data structures and has no more nested iterations than the initial program. Given any inductive data type, our system can automatically synthesize the definition of the fold operator that traverses instances of this type, and, more importantly, it can produce the necessary transformations for optimizing expressions involving this fold operator.
Transforming Descriptions and Diagrams to Sketches in Information System Design

Sketching is integral to information systems design. Designers need to become fluent in translating verbal descriptions of systems to a variety of kinds of sketches, notably sequential and logical, and to translate among the kinds. Here, we investigated these cognitive skills in design students, asking them to design a system configuration starting from either a sequential diagram or a sequential description. Although the two source descriptions were logically equivalent, the diagram led to designs that corresponded more closely to the source description --- that is, designs with fewer omissions of crucial components and links. Text descriptions led to more variable and less accurate designs, most likely because they require more cognitive steps from problem representation to problem solution.
THE PREVALENCE OF PYELONEPHRITIS IN CHILDREN AT AUTOPSY

During the 5-year period from January 1, 1956, through December 31, 1960, 335 autopsies (67% of deaths) were performed upon children ranging from 1 day through 10 years of age. The renal tissue from each of the autopsies was examined for histologic evidence of pyelonephritis. The lesions observed were divided into minimal and significant pyelonephritis. The minimal lesion consists of a few focal, well-circumscribed areas of mild interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration. The significant lesion is a more extensive area of inflammatory cell infiltration, associated with interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and tubular casts. Thirty-one of the 335 children who came to autopsy had histologic evidence of pyelonephritis. Twenty-six of the 335 deaths occurred as the result of extensive burns, and 13 of the cases of pyeolonephritis were found in burned children. With the exclusion of burned children, 10 patients were found to have minimal pyelonephritis, and 8 were considered as having significant pyelonephritis. Thus the data collected shows a 2.6% prevalence of histologically significant pyelonephritis.
A Mixed Relationship: Bureaucracy and School Performance

We argue the negative relationship between school bureaucracy and school performance that is commonly reported in the bureaucracy and educational policy literature is theoretically and empirically incomplete. Like most public agencies operating in complex task environments, we suggest that schools have to make trade-offs between the multiple outputs they are expected to produce. Bureaucracy plays an important role in determining the nature of these trade-offs: one that is more multidimensional than it is portrayed in the existing literature. We find bureaucracy's relationship with school performance depends on how performance is measured. It is negatively associated with test scores but positively associated with other performance measures such as attendance and dropout rates. This is consistent with an economies-of-scope perspective of bureaucracy, which emphasizes bureaucracy's role in managing the trade-offs inherent in pursuing multiple goals.
Noble Metal Catalyzed Hydrogen Generation from Formic Acid in Nitrite-Containing Simulated Nuclear Waste Media

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) is being designed by the U.S. Department of Energy to immobilize high-level nuclear waste. Simulants for the HWVP feed containing the major nonradioactive components Al, Cd, Fe, Mn, Nd, Ni, Si, Zr, Na, CO32-, NO3-, and NO2- were used as media to evaluate the stability of formic acid toward hydrogen evolution by the reaction HCO2H → H2 + CO2 catalyzed by the noble metals Ru, Rh, and/or Pd found in significant quantities in uranium fission products. Small-scale experiments using 40−50 mL of feed simulant in closed glass reactors (250−550 mL total volume) at 80−100 °C were used to study the effect of nitrite and nitrate ion on the catalytic activities of the noble metals for formic acid decomposition. Reactions were monitored using gas chromatography to analyze the CO2, H2, NO, and N2O in the gas phase as a function of time. Rhodium, which was introduced as soluble RhCl3·3H2O, was found to be the most active catalyst for hydrogen generation from formic acid above ...
Gene losses during human origins.

Pseudogenization is a widespread phenomenon in genome evolution, and it has been proposed to serve as an engine of evolutionary change, especially during human origins (the “less-is-more” hypothesis). However, there has been no comprehensive analysis of human-specific pseudogenes. Furthermore, it is unclear whether pseudogenization itself can be selectively favored and thus play an active role in human evolution. Here we conduct a comparative genomic analysis and a literature survey to identify 80 nonprocessed pseudogenes that were inactivated in the human lineage after its separation from the chimpanzee lineage. Many functions are involved among these genes, with chemoreception and immune response being outstandingly overrepresented, suggesting potential species-specific features in these aspects of human physiology. To explore the possibility of adaptive pseudogenization, we focus on CASPASE12, a cysteinyl aspartate proteinase participating in inflammatory and innate immune response to endotoxins. We provide population genetic evidence that the nearly complete fixation of a null allele at CASPASE12 has been driven by positive selection, probably because the null allele confers protection from severe sepsis. We estimate that the selective advantage of the null allele is about 0.9% and the pseudogenization started shortly before the out-of-Africa migration of modern humans. Interestingly, two other genes related to sepsis were also pseudogenized in humans, possibly by selection. These adaptive gene losses might have occurred because of changes in our environment or genetic background that altered the threat from or response to sepsis. The identification and analysis of human-specific pseudogenes open the door for understanding the roles of gene losses in human origins, and the demonstration that gene loss itself can be adaptive supports and extends the “less-is-more” hypothesis.
What Are Principals' Perceptions of the School Library Media Specialist?

A survey of Missouri principals reveals a separation between their perceptions of the role and expectations of the school librarian and what is advocated by the American Association of School Librarians' Guidelines.
The reaction of montmorillonite to mixed-layer clay: the effect of interlayer alkali and alkaline earth cations

Abstract The Wyoming bentonite was saturated with alkali and alkaline earth cations and allowed to react hydrothermally for one month at 300°C, and one week and one month at 400°C. Generally, the rate of formation of collapsed layers for the alkali clays was inversely related to interlayer hydration energy. This pattern of reaction is expected if layer dehydration results from an attraction between negatively charged 2:1 layers and the positive interlayer cation. In this mechanism, the greater the hydration energy of the interlayer region, the greater the charge that must develop on the 2:1 layers to cause dehydration, and, therefore, the slower the reaction rate. Reaction rate for the alkaline earth clays was directly related to interlayer hydration energy. Clays saturated with cations of hydration energy equal to or greater than Na + did not react at 300°C, and ceased to react at 50% expandable layers at 400°C. Those saturated with cations of lower hydration energy continued to form mica-like layers with increasing run time at both 300° and 400°C. Clays saturated with monovalent cations reacted by a process of gradual transformation of smectite layers into collapsed layers, whereas those with divalent cations reacted directly from the smectite structure to form a rectorite-like phase.
Computational advantages of the recursion and lanczos methods

Abstract In exact arithmetic, the recursion, Lanczos, Givens and Householder methods of tridiagonalizing symmetric real matrices give the same result if the first column of the orthogonal transformation is the same for each method. The recursion and Lanczos methods require store for only two vectors while the Givens and Householder methods require store for an entire matrix. The recursion and Lanczos methods are significantly faster for sparse and other special matrices. Thus, along with their numerical stability, the recursion and Lanczos methods make possible calculations which would be impossible using the Givens or Householder methods.
Positron emission tomography measurement of periodontal 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake is associated with histologically determined carotid plaque inflammation.

Objectives: This study aimed to test the hypothesis that metabolic activity within periodontal tissue (a possible surrogate for periodontal inflammation) predicts inflammation in a remote atheroscl...
Fluoroscopy and selective angiography of left ventricular assist system inflow cannula as a method of detecting cannula entrapment.

Left ventricular assist systems have become an important tool as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. Malfunction of these devices often leads to clinical and hemodynamic deterioration. One potential complication is the obstruction of the inflow cannula secondary to remodeling of the left ventricular cavity. We report two cases where fluoroscopy and selective angiography were used to visualize the orientation and obstruction of the inflow cannula when echocardiographic findings were indeterminant. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn. 44:47–51, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Perylenes and polyenes: a second π-electron approximation

Abstract Expanded atomic sites with d-symmetry are introduced for the lowest π−π ∗ excitations of perylene and longer rylenes, which reduce to linear chains in Huckel theory. A modified Pariser-Parr-Pople model for expanded sites accounts for similar splittings and different vibronic intensities in linear spectra of rylenes and polyenes, as well as reversed one- and two-photon thresholds. A second π-electron approximation maps N peri-linked naphthalenes into 4N-site polyenes and leads to excitons rather than bands in the polymer.
Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase IIIβ Regulates the Transport of Ceramide between the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Golgi

The recently identified ceramide transfer protein, CERT, is responsible for the bulk of ceramide transport from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi. CERT has a C-terminal START domain for ceramide binding and an N-terminal pleck-strin homology domain that binds phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate suggesting that phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4-kinases are involved in the regulation of CERT-mediated ceramide transport. In the present study fluorescent analogues were used to follow the ER to Golgi transport of ceramide to determine which of the four mammalian PI 4-kinases are involved in this process. Overexpression of pleckstrin homology domains that bind phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate strongly inhibited the transport of C5-BODIPY-ceramide to the Golgi. A newly identified PI 3-kinase inhibitor, PIK93 that selectively inhibits the type III PI 4-kinase beta enzyme, and small interfering RNA-mediated down-regulation of the individual PI 4-kinase enzymes, revealed that PI 4-kinase beta has a dominant role in ceramide transport between the ER and Golgi. Accordingly, inhibition of PI 4-kinase III beta either by wortmannin or PIK93 inhibited the conversion of [3H]serine-labeled endogenous ceramide to sphingomyelin. Therefore, PI 4-kinase beta is a key enzyme in the control of spingomyelin synthesis by controlling the flow of ceramide from the ER to the Golgi compartment.
Risk of hypothyroidism in older breast cancer patients treated with radiation

BACKGROUND. Hypothyroidism is a potential complication after radiation therapy (RT) when treatment fields include the thyroid. The authors assessed risk of hypothyroidism in breast cancer patients who were receiving RT to a supraclavicular field, which typically includes a portion of thyroid. METHODS. The authors identified 38,255 women (aged >65) without history of hypothyroidism from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare cohort diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer from 1992–2002 and 111,944 cancer-free controls. The authors compared hypothyroidism incidence among irradiated patients with 4 + positive lymph nodes (4 + LN, surrogate for supraclavicular RT) and no positive nodes (0 LN, surrogate for no supraclavicular RT), nonirradiated patients, and controls. Proportional hazards models tested associations of LN, RT, and breast cancer status with hypothyroidism. RESULTS. The 5-year incidence of hypothyroidism was identical (14%) in irradiated patients with 4 + LN, 0 LN, and nonirradiated patients (P = .52). After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, hypothyroidism risk was not increased in irradiated patients with 4 + LN versus 0 LN (hazard ratio(HR) = 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89–1.23). However, all patients, regardless of RT status, were more likely to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism compared with cancer-free controls (HR = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.17–1.25). CONCLUSIONS. Development of hypothyroidism is fairly common in older breast cancer survivors. Although supraclavicular irradiation does not appear to amplify risks, further studies on the role of routine thyroid function monitoring in all breast cancer patients regardless of treatment status may be warranted, given the excess risks compared with the general population. Cancer 2008. ©2008 American Cancer Society.
Interaction of sodium molybdate with highly purified glucocorticoid receptor

Sodium molybdate can affect the properties of the glucocorticoid receptor in relatively crude preparations. To obtain more information as to whether these effects are due to direct interactions of the ion with the receptor or with other components present in the receptor-containing mixtures, the effects were examined of sodium molybdate on glucocorticoid receptors purified 3000-5000-fold to about 10% homogeneity from rat liver cytosol. The ion was found to: (1) increase the stability of the purified receptor at either 0 or 20 degrees C, although the effect was more pronounced at 20 degrees C (2) induce an apparent dimerization of the receptors as judged by sephadex G-150 gel filtration and sucrose density gradient sedimentation and (3) decrease the ionic strength required for elution of the purified receptor from DEAE-cellulose columns. Although, it is conceivable that each of these observed effects is due to indirect actions of the ion on contaminants in the preparations, it is more likely that the ion exerts its effects through direct interactions with the receptor.
Changes in alkaline phosphatase activity and phosphate uptake in P-limited phytoplankton, induced by light intensity and spectral quality

Alkaline phosphatase activity and P uptake were determined in P-limited Dunaliella tertiolecta, Thalassiosira pseudonana, Phaeodactylum tricornumtum, and Prymnesium parvum grown under different light intensities and colors. Both intracellular and extracellular enzyme activities varied with the intensity and quality of light in a species-specific manner. The spectral composition of the light also affected P uptake kinetics. No correlation was found between enzyme activity and Vmax both within a species and for pooled data for all four species, indicating that the change in uptake kinetics and enzyme activity was not related to P limitation, but induced by the light conditions. Changes in the optimum N:P ratio induced by light were also not related to P uptake kinetics or enzyme activity. These data suggest that light conditions may in themselves have profound effects on species competition for limiting nutrients. Furthermore, since both alkaline phosphatase activity and P uptake were influenced by the prevailing light conditions we suggest that these parameters be used cautiously when determining the P nutritional status of phytoplankton in nature.
Activation patterns of embryonic chick hind-limb muscles following blockade of activity and motoneurone cell death.

Motoneurone cell death and spontaneous embryonic motility were blocked in chick embryos by daily in ovo injections of d-tubocurarine from stage 28-36 (E5-10). Isolated spinal cord-hind-limb preparations were prepared from these embryos and movement sequences in response to electrical stimulation of the thoracic cord were assessed, after drug wash-out, by electromyogram (e.m.g.) or muscle-nerve recordings. In embryos in which complete blockade of lumbar motoneurone cell death was later confirmed histologically, flexor and extensor motoneurone pools were found to be activated in alternating bursts as occurs in control embryos. Thus the development of the basic cord circuits responsible for these patterns of motoneurone activation does not require motoneurone cell death. Partial blockade of motoneurone cell death by guanosine 3',5'-phosphate (cyclic GMP) was also without effect on muscle activation patterns. In ovo injection of d-tubocurarine or alpha-bungarotoxin in doses sufficient to block embryonic motility was found to have a direct effect on the spinal cord, preventing the patterned activation of motoneurone pools in alternating bursts. Cords removed from treated embryos behaved similarly to cords in which these drugs were applied acutely in the bath. Minor changes in muscle activation patterns that occurred with chronic drug treatment were also observed in acutely treated cords and appear to be a direct and persistent effect of the drugs on cord circuits. It is possible to conclude that cholinergic circuits within the chick lumbar cord play a role in the normal patterned activation of flexor and extensor motoneurone pools. Systemically applied drugs can have access to these circuits, indicating a need for caution when interpreting the results of drugs applied in this manner to developing embryos. We also conclude that neither the activation of motoneurones in patterned bursts, nor the afferent feed-back from the movements that result, are required to form the basic spinal cord circuits responsible for the activation of extensor and flexor motoneurone pools in alternating bursts.
Severe Myocarditis with Recovery in a Child with Visceral Larva Migrans.

Summary A 2 7/12-year-old Negro girl with visceral larva migrans is described in whom severe myocardial involvement occurred followed by complete recovery. This is the first clinical report of myocardial involvement associated with this parasitic infection with recovery of which we are aware. The diagnosis and management of this new complication of visceral larva migrans are briefly discussed.
Purification of Diphtheria and Other Bacterial Toxins by Adsorption.

Conclusion(1) Magnesium hydroxide in colloidal suspension adsorbs diphtheria toxin which can be eluted without destruction of the toxin. (2) The adsorption is approximately 94% complete. (3) The nitrogen loss per M.L.D. sustained during the process is in excess of 90%. (4) The method has been used with success in the adsorption of tetanospasmin and staphylolysin but not with tetanolysin and indicates possibilities for the purification of other bacterial products.