cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors Associated with Very Low Birth Weight in a Large Urban Area, Stratified by Adequacy of Prenatal Care.

Objectives This study examined risk and protective factors associated with very low birth weight (VLBW) for babies born to women receiving adequate or inadequate prenatal care. Methods Birth records from St. Louis City and County from 2000 to 2009 were used (n = 152,590). Data was categorized across risk factors and stratified by adequacy of prenatal care (PNC). Multivariate logistic regression and population attributable risk (PAR) was used to explore risk factors for VLBW infants. Results Women receiving inadequate prenatal care had a higher prevalence of delivering a VLBW infant than those receiving adequate PNC (4.11 vs. 1.44 %, p < .0001). The distribution of risk factors differed between adequate and inadequate PNC regarding Black race (36.4 vs. 79.0 %, p < .0001), age under 20 (13.0 vs. 33.6 %, p < .0001), <13 years of education (35.9 vs. 77.9 %, p < .0001), Medicaid status (35.7 vs. 74.9, p < .0001), primiparity (41.6 vs. 31.4 %, p < .0001), smoking (9.7 vs. 24.5 %, p < .0001), and diabetes (4.0 vs. 2.4 %, p < .0001), respectively. Black race, advanced maternal age, primiparity and gestational hypertension were significant predictors of VLBW, regardless of adequate or inadequate PNC. Among women with inadequate PNC, Medicaid was protective against (aOR 0.671, 95 % CI 0.563–0.803; PAR −32.6 %) and smoking a risk factor for (aOR 1.23, 95 % CI 1.01, 1.49; PAR 40.1 %) VLBW. When prematurity was added to the adjusted models, the largest PAR shifts to education (44.3 %) among women with inadequate PNC. Conclusions Community actions around broader issues of racism and social determinants of health are needed to prevent VLBW in a large urban area.
Antileishmanial Activity of the Antiulcer Agent Omeprazole

The benzimidazole compound omeprazole, used widely for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease, inhibits the growth of Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. Promastigotes cultured at acidic pH and amastigotes within infected macrophages are reduced 90% or more with 150 μM omeprazole. Antiparasitic action of the drug is due to its inhibition of the P-type K+,H+-ATPase on the surface membrane. This enzyme is important for pH homeostasis and the maintenance of proton motive force across the membrane in Leishmania. The drug is effective only at acidic pH, a condition that mimics the in vivo environment within the phagolysosomal vesicles where the amastigote form of the parasite resides. Omeprazole deserves consideration as an alternative to currently available chemotherapeutics, which have severe toxic side effects.
The C-chain code-a new method for coding 3D curves

The C-chain code, a new three-dimensional (3-D) chain code for encoding 3-D curves, is introduced. Its quantization points are placed at the centers of grids of the side surfaces of the cube, not at its corners, to achieve longer and more varieties of the link lengths. It is shown that through estimating the frequencies of individual quantization points by their spatial configurations, the efficiency of labeling quantization points of the C-chain code can be improved by applying Huffman coding. Examples are given to illustrate this new 3-D chain code to show its major advantages over Freeman's chain code. Applications of the C-chain code to the encoding of 3-D objects are also included. >
Management of Service Process QoS in a Service Provider - Service Supplier Environment

IT service providers typically must comply with service level agreements that are part of their usage contracts with customers. Not only IT infrastructure is subject to service level guarantees such as availability or response time but also service management processes as defined by the IT infrastructure library (ITIL) such as change and incident processes and the fulfillment of service requests. SLAs relating to service management processes typically address metrics such as initial response time and fulfillment time. Large service providers have the choice of which internal service delivery team or external service provider they assign to atomic processs of a service process, each of which having different costs or prices associated with it for different turn-around times at different risk. This choice in QoS of different service providers can be used to manage the trade-off between penalty costs and fulfillment cost. This paper proposes a model as a basis for service provider choice at process request time. This model can be used to reduce total service costs of IT service providers using alternative delivery teams and external service providers.
Molecular dynamics study of talin-vinculin binding.

Cells can sense mechanical force in regulating focal adhesion assembly. One vivid example is the force-induced recruitment of vinculin to reinforce initial contacts between a cell and the extracellular matrix. Crystal structures of the unbound proteins and bound complex between the vinculin head subdomain (Vh1) and the talin vinculin binding site 1 (VBS1) indicate that vinculin undergoes a conformational change upon binding to talin. However, the molecular basis for this event and the precise nature of the binding pathway remain elusive. In this article, molecular dynamics is used to investigate the binding mechanism of Vh1 and VBS1 under minimal constraints to facilitate binding. One simulation demonstrates binding of the two molecules in the complete absence of external force. VBS1 makes early hydrophobic contact with Vh1 by positioning the critical hydrophobic residues (L608, L615, and L622) in the groove formed by helices 1 and 2 of Vh1. The solvent-exposed hydrophobic residues (V619 and L623) then gradually penetrate the hydrophobic core of Vh1, thus further separating helix 1 from helix 2. These critical residues are highly conserved as large hydrophobic side groups in other vinculin binding sites; studies also have demonstrated that these residues are essential in Vh1-VBS1 binding. Similar binding mechanisms are also demonstrated in separate molecular dynamics simulations of Vh1 binding to other vinculin binding sites both in talin and α-actinin.
InGaAsNSb: a novel material for long-wavelength semiconductor lasers

Summary form only given. InGaAsNSb/GaAs QWs were grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy using a N/sub 2/ radio frequency (RF) plasma source. X-ray diffraction (XRD), reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies indicate that Sb suppresses the three dimensional growth and improves the interface of the QWs, acting as a surfactant. Sb incorporation was also investigated by secondary ion mass spectroscpy (SIMS). A 1.53 /spl mu/m photoluminescence was obtained from InGaAsNSb/GaAs multiple quantum wells (MQW) at room temperature, which demonstrates the feasibility of InGaAsNSb for 1.55 /spl mu/m lasers. InGaAsNSb/GaAs QW broad area lasers were fabricated to study the effect of adding Sb on the laser performance.
Theory and assignment of intermolecular charge transfer states in squaraines and their impact on efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells (Presentation Recording)

Squaraines are targeted for organic photovoltaic devices because of their high extinction coefficients over a broad wavelength range from visible to near infra-red (NIR). Moreover, their side groups can be changed with profound effects upon their ability to crystallize, leading to improvements in charge mobility and exciton diffusion. The broadening in squaraine absorption is often qualitatively attributed to H- and J-aggregates based on the exciton model, proposed by Kasha. However, such assignment is misleading considering that spectral shifts can arise from sources other than excitonic coupling. Our group has shown that packing structure influences the rate of charge transfer; thus a complete and accurate reassessment of the excited states must be completed before the true charge transfer mechanism can be confirmed. In this work, we will show how squaraine H-aggregates can pack in complete vertical stacks or slipped vertical stacks depending upon sidegroups and processing conditions. Hence, we uncover the contribution of an intermolecular charge transfer (IMCT) state through essential states modeling validated by spectroscopic and X-Ray diffraction data. We further show external quantum efficiency data that describe the influence of the IMCT state on the efficiency of our devices. This comprehensive understanding of squaraine aggregates drives the development of more efficient organic photovoltaic devices, leading towards a prescription for derivatives that can be tailored for optimized exciton diffusion, charge transfer, higher mobilities and reduced recombination in small molecule OPV devices.
Autonomous granulation using the Mountain Method: Research Articles

We are interested in autonomous or unsupervised data mining. In the broad context of our work, we were interested in partitioning data in order to increase the information within each partition. An important aspect of this was data granulation. Clustering is an important aspect of data mining; it enables us to granulize the data. However, classic clustering methods require either the number of clusters and/or the approximate cluster centers. To avoid providing guidance, we used a variation of the Mountain Method to develop clustering parameters. This gave us satisfactory cluster centers. The estimated clusters' centers were then used in the data mining algorithm to develop and refine partitions. Experimental results of using the method on some data sets are reported. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 415–432, 2005.
Strategic Posture and Registration Rights in Private Placements

This study examines how proprietary costs of mandatory disclosure influence the decision to exclude registration rights in private placements. Registration rights oblige the issuer to register with SEC in a three-to-seven-month period subsequent to private placements, therefore pre-committing the issuer to mandatory disclosure. I find that, at the industry level, industries dominated by players with “product differentiation strategy” have a larger proportion of private placements without registration rights than product markets dominated by players with “low cost strategy”. The finding is consistent with the theoretical prediction from Darrough (1993) that product differentiation discourages firms from the pre-commitment to disclosure of firm-specific information. Within the same industry, a larger proportion of private placements exclude registration rights when mandatory reporting standards impose higher proprietary costs. Finally, at the firm level, firms with higher abnormal profitability are more likely to exclude registration rights in private placements to protect their abnormal profitability from competition.
What is this chocolate milk in my circuit? A cause of acute clotting of a continuous renal replacement circuit: Questions.

One of the greatest problems associated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is the early clotting of filters. A literature search revealed three case reports of lipemic blood causing recurrent clotting and reduced CRRT circuit survival time in adult patients, but no reports of cases in children. A 23-month-old male infant with Martinez–Frias syndrome and multivisceral transplant was admitted to the hospital with severe sepsis and hemolytic anemia. He developed acute kidney injury, fluid overload and electrolyte imbalances requiring CRRT and was also administered total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and fat emulsion. The first circuit lasted 60 h before routine change was required. The second circuit showed acute clotting after only 18 h, and brownish-milky fluid was found in the circuit tubing layered between the clotted blood. The patient’s serum triglyceride levels were elevated at 988 mg/dL. The lipid infusion was stopped and CRRT restarted. Serum triglyceride levels improved to 363 mg/dL. The new circuit lasted 63 h before routine change was required. Clotting of CRRT circuits due to elevated triglyceride levels is rare and has not been reported in the pediatric population. Physicians should be mindful of this risk in patients receiving TPN who have unexpected clotting of CRRT circuits.
Standardization of Prothrombin and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Reagents and Controls

The problems of selection and standardization of reagents, selection of quality control standards, and maintaining quality controls are ourlined and discussed. Precise technic is emphasized, and sources of error and methods for correction of errors are reviewed.
Anxiety disorders: helping your patient conquer her fears.

Learn how to recognize these disabling disorders and help your patient take control of her life.
Otolaryngologic Aspects of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Currently, most patients with AIDS present with a manifestation involving the head, neck, or respiratory tract. The otolaryngologist may be the first physician to evaluate the patient with HIV infection and, therefore, must be aware of the various manifestations. The otolaryngologist may also be involved in diagnosing and managing the disease through modalities such as biopsy, endoscopy, tracheotomy, and other surgical procedures. In all phases of care, it is important to retain a medically appropriate and psychologically supportive environment. Although universal precautions should be followed in all phases of care, there is no need to avoid the supportive gestures such as handshaking and shoulder patting. These contacts can be most comforting to patients. Physicians should also be aware of all sources of information and medical assistance within the community that might be of further assistance to patients. The AIDS epidemic presents an enormous challenge to all health care providers. Good interdisciplinary communication among the various specialists involved in the AIDS epidemic will promote increased standards of patient care. Such communication will also provide information and support for physicians who are uncomfortable with the challenges of this epidemic.
P3-07-47: Validated Nomogram To Predict Sentinel Lymph Node Positivity in Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: Sentinel lymph node(SLN) biopsy is commonly used to assess axillary lymph node status in breast cancer patients. Intraoperative (frozen section) evaluation of SLN may lead to immediate axillary dissection if the lymph node is found to be positive. In light of the recent outcomes of the Z00011 trial, the use of intraoperative evaluation for SLN should diminish since only select patients appear to benefit from axillary dissection. We have previously reported that tumor size and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) strongly predict SLN positivity in a cohort of 350 breast cancer patients [Modern Pathology (2011) 24, 30A]. From this test cohort, we developed a nomogram which could help identify patients more likely to have sentinel lymph node positivity. The aim of this study was to validate the efficacy of this nomogram by applying a new, non-overlapping cohort of breast cancer patients who had undergone sentinel lymph node sampling. Materials and Methods: 93 breast cancer patients aged 29–82 (mean:59) who underwent excision (54, 58%) or mastectomy (39, 42%) with a SLN biopsy were studied. Patients who had undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. Clinicopathologic parameters such as number of sentinel lymph nodes removed and/or positive, number of non-sentinel lymph nodes removed and/or positive, tumor size, histologic type/grade, presence of lymphovascular invasion, biomarker expression (ER,PR, HER-2/neu) and multifocality were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed to identify which variables correlated with SLN positivity in this validation cohort. In addition, the probability of SLN positivity for each case was determined by using the nomogram and this value was then compared to the patient9s true SLN status. Results: When analyzed separately, tumor size (p=0.03) and LVI (p=0.01) were variables that were significantly associated with SLN positivity in both the test and validation cohorts. Employment of the nomogram demonstrated that 60% of patients who were predicted to have a positive SLN with at least 0.8 probability were truly positive by histologic and immunohistochemical examination. Moreover, 89% of patients who were predicted to have a negative SLN with at least 0.8 probability were truly negative by histologic and immunohistochemical examination. Conclusions: We conclude that the utility of this nomogram prior to surgery can help predict SLN positivity. This can serve as a complimentary adjunctive tool to better select patients who will likely need intraoperative evaluation of their sentinel lymph node due to their higher risk of sentinel node positivity and thus, benefit from the option of immediate axillary dissection at that time. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-47.
Specificity and Promiscuity in Human Glutaminase Interacting Protein Recognition: Insight from the Binding of the Internal and C-Terminal Motif

A large number of cellular processes are mediated by protein–protein interactions, often specified by particular protein binding modules. PDZ domains make up an important class of protein–protein interaction modules that typically bind to the C-terminus of target proteins. These domains act as a scaffold where signaling molecules are linked to a multiprotein complex. Human glutaminase interacting protein (GIP), also known as tax interacting protein 1, is unique among PDZ domain-containing proteins because it is composed almost exclusively of a single PDZ domain rather than one of many domains as part of a larger protein. GIP plays pivotal roles in cellular signaling, protein scaffolding, and cancer pathways via its interaction with the C-terminus of a growing list of partner proteins. We have identified novel internal motifs that are recognized by GIP through combinatorial phage library screening. Leu and Asp residues in the consensus sequence were identified to be critical for binding to GIP through site...
High Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in a Vulvovaginal Specialty Clinic.

OBJECTIVE Our study evaluated the presence and predictors of sexual dysfunction in a vulvovaginal specialty clinic population. MATERIALS AND METHODS Women who presented to a vulvovaginal specialty clinic were eligible to enroll. The participants completed a questionnaire, including Female Sexual Function Index to assess sexual dysfunction and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 depression screen, and underwent a standardized physical examination, with vaginal swabs collected for wet mount and culture. Logistic regression assessed the relationship between sexual dysfunction and clinical diagnosis. RESULTS We enrolled 161 women, aged 18 to 80 years (median, 36 years), presenting with vulvovaginal complaints. Median symptom duration was 24 months; 131 women (81%) reported chronic symptoms (≥12 months). By PHQ-9, 28 women (17%) met depression criteria. In the month before assessment, 86 women (53%) experienced sexual dysfunction. Women had a primary diagnosis of vaginitis (n = 46 [29%]), vestibulodynia/vulvitis (n = 70 [43%]), lichen planus or lichen sclerosus (n = 24 [15%]). Controlling for age, we found that sexual dysfunction did not correlate with chronic symptoms (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-1.48), depression (IRR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.59-2.58), or presence of any of the 3 main diagnoses (IRR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.47-2.88). DISCUSSION Sexual dysfunction is present in more than half of women presenting to a vulvovaginitis referral clinic, more than twice the rate in the wider population.
Mathematical modeling of blast furnace operation with charging carbon composite briquette based on multi-fluid model

In this study,multi-fluid model is used to simulate innovative blast furnace operation with charging carbon composite iron ore hot briquette,giving a detailed analysis on in-furnace phenomena and an exact prediction on the operation performance of blast furnace.According to model simulations,with charging carbon composite iron ore hot briquette into blast furnace,the temperature level will decrease in the furnace and the location of cohesive zone shifts downward.On the other hand,the productivity tends to increase while coke rate and total reducing agent rate show decrease.Under charging carbon composite briquette,the heat efficiency of blast furnace improves considerably and the operation performance of blast furnace is effectively enhanced.
A Note on Voethogenic Harm: The Politics of Science and the Professions

"voethogenic": helper-engendered. If one wants to check out how good a new dog is in herding cattle, one has to find some cattle, send the dog after them, and observe what happens. That works because what the dog does and its outcome are so striking as to rule out all but one rough interpretation concerning what has given rise to what. It is different with the helping of people. If a physician prescribes a medication for several patients and they all get better, the getting better may have little or nothing to do with the medication since most illnesses get better (or worse) over time regardless of the medication. In other words, there is an alternative explanation to that of the effectiveness of the medication: the interpretation that the disease is self-limiting. The most certain way to tell whether the medication was effective would be if there were two identical groups of sick people only one of which received the medication. If, after a period of time, it were to turn out that the members of the group receiving the medication were more nearly free of the illness than members of the other groups, the physician could then reasonably conclude that the medication was effective. The situation becomes even more dificult when one evaluates the talk-therapies (counseling, psychoanalysis, dynamic psychiatry, the work of clinical psychologists, caseworkers, marriage counselors, etc.). The problem of evaluating a medication continues since many psychological problems also get better or worse over time regardless of therapy. Thus, when the therapist feels that she or he has been helpful, there is another reasonable interpretation: that the person in therapy would have been just as well off without having had it. The talk-therapist, therefore, almost always needs the experimental-control-random-assignmentgroup approach in order to determine his or her effectiveness.
Effective salvage therapy for refractory disseminated breast cancer with 5-fluorouracil and high-dose continuous infusion folinic acid.

Treatment options are limited for patients with disseminated carcinoma of the breast whose disease has progressed after therapy with standard chemotherapeutic programs (1). In fact, the usefulness of testing investigational agents in those breast cancer patients who have been heavily pretreated, (two or more prior regimens), has been questioned recently (2). Thus, the discovery of effective therapy for this patient population is of considerable interest.
MKL2 Functions in the Absence of MKL1 to Promote Megakaryocyte Maturation

Abstract 2336 Background: The transcriptional cofactors, MKL1 and MKL2, are members of the myocardin related factor family, which bind and activate the transcription factor Serum Response Factor (SRF) (Cen et al J Cell Biochem, 2004). Megakaryocytes, large, highly polyploid myeloid cells give rise to platelets, which promote blood clotting in response to tissue damage. The Krause lab has reported a significant decrease in Mk ploidy with a 50% decrease in mature platelets in Mkl1 knockout (KO) mice, indicating that MKL1 may contribute to megakaryocyte maturation (Cheng et al Blood, 2009). The phenotype of the Mk specific (PF4-Cre) Srf conditional KO (SRF PF4-cKO) further supports the importance for the MKL1/SRF pathway in Mk differentiation (Halene et al Blood, 2010); although similar to the Mkl1 KO mouse, the Srf PF4-cKO mouse has a more severe phenotype with a 90% decrease in platelet counts suggesting the presence of compensatory proteins or redundant pathways in Mkl1 KO mice. Objective: This study addresses the hypothesis that MKL2 is critical for normal megakaryocytopoiesis particularly in the absence of MKL1. Methods and Results: Using bone marrow (BM) transplantation, we determined that the Mkl1 KO phenotype (decreased megakaryocyte ploidy and decreased platelets) is cell autonomous. Lethally irradiated WT recipients of Mkl1 KO BM cells had a 50% decrease in platelet count, as well as significantly decreased ploidy indicated by the percentage of Mk with 2N (60% and 40% in the recipients of Mkl1 KO vs WT BM, respectively, p To assess MKL29s compensatory function in Mkl1 KO mice, we crossed Mkl2 F/F mice with PF4-Cre mice to induce Mkl2 deletion in the Mk compartment (Mkl2 PF4-cKO). The Mkl2 PF4-cKO mice were mated onto the Mkl1 KO background to create double KO (DKO) megakaryocytes. The megakaryocyte ploidy and platelet counts (decreased by 90%) of DKO mice are more severe than the Mkl1 KO and comparable to the Srf PF4-Cre cKO mice In addition, bleeding times were significantly increased compared to WT and Mkl1 KO mice (p Conclusions: Our investigation reveals that both MKL1 and MKL2 are important for megakaryocyte differentiation, and that MKL2 mitigates the phenotype of MKL1 deficient megakaryocytes. The Mkl1 KO/Mkl2 PF4-cKO (DKO) mice phenocopy the Srf PF4-cKO mice suggesting that SRF activity in megakaryocyte differentiation is dependent on the myocardin related transcription factor family of proteins. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Family–school relationships in immigrant children’s well-being: the intersection of demographics and school culture in the experiences of black African immigrants in the United States

AbstractThis article explores the types of family–school relationships that promote academic, socio-economic, and social and emotional well-being of black African immigrant children in the United States. The data are ethnographic, drawing on one year of participant observation and interviews at two elementary schools. The findings are also set within the context of an analysis of data from the New Immigrant Survey. The article identifies mechanisms by which relationships between black African immigrants and schools are created and argues that intersections between demographics and school culture are central, particularly as related to the possibilities for relational power, which can allow parents and school staff to transcend persistent inequalities of race and discrimination.
High-Quality LaVO3 Films as Solar Energy Conversion Material

Mott insulating oxides and their heterostructures have recently been identified as potential photovoltaic materials with favorable absorption properties and an intrinsic built-in electric field that can efficiently separate excited electron–hole pairs. At the same time, they are predicted to overcome the Shockley-Queisser limit due to strong electron–electron interaction present. Despite these premises a high concentration of defects commonly observed in Mott insulating films acting as recombination centers can derogate the photovoltaic conversion efficiency. With use of the self-regulated growth kinetics in hybrid molecular beam epitaxy, this obstacle can be overcome. High-quality, stoichiometric LaVO3 films were grown with defect densities of in-gap states up to 2 orders of magnitude lower compared to the films in the literature, and a factor of 3 lower than LaVO3 bulk single crystals. Photoconductivity measurements revealed a significant photoresponsivity increase as high as tenfold of stoichiometric L...
Interpretation and Assessment of Benefit-Cost Findings

Agricultural production, input use, and productivity have been evolving over time, with substantially different patterns among U.S. states; so, too, has the pattern of spending on agricultural research and extension by the federal and state governments. In our econometric models linking these patterns of R&D spending and agricultural productivity, we have imposed a great deal of structure on the research lag and state-to-state spillover relationships. So long as they are appropriate and do not lead to estimation bias, these restrictions are helpful in reducing the number of free parameters to be estimated and improving the precision with which they are estimated. The resulting estimates indicate strong linkages between research and extension spending and productivity, and high payoffs to past investments. They also signal slower future productivity growth, especially if the past slowdown in the rate of growth in spending on farm-productivity-oriented research and extension spending will be sustained into the future.
Subependymomas Are Low-Grade Heterogeneous Glial Neoplasms Defined by Subventricular Zone Lineage Markers.

Objective Subependymomas are infrequent, low-grade gliomas associated with the ventricular system and the spinal cord. Little is known about the origin and natural history of these slow-growing lesions. Methods We identified all patients with pathologically proven subependymomas presenting to our institution between 1998 and 2016. We retrospectively reviewed clinical, radiographic, histologic, and surgical outcomes data in all patients who underwent surgical resection. Immunohistochemical analyses for cell lineage markers were performed. Results A total of 31 patients with pathologically proven subependymomas were identified. Of these, 7 asymptomatic lesions were discovered at autopsy and 24 symptomatic cases were treated surgically. There were 15 (48%) lateral ventricle tumors, 11 (35%) fourth ventricular tumors, and 5 (17%) spinal tumors. Symptomatic intracranial lesions most commonly presented with headaches and balance and gait abnormalities. Subependymomas had no distinguishing radiographic features that provided definitive preoperative diagnosis. At last follow-up, no patient treated surgically experienced recurrence. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated a diffusely GFAP-positive glial neoplasm with mixed populations of cells that were variably positive for Olig2, NHERF1, Sox2, and CD44. The Ki67 proliferation index was generally low ( Conclusions Subependymomas demonstrate mixed populations of cells expressing glial lineage markers as well as putative stem cell markers, suggesting these tumors may arise from multipotent glial progenitors that reside in the subventricular zone. Definitive diagnosis requires surgical sampling. Although the clinical course of subependymomas appears benign, the inability to radiographically diagnose these lesions, and the possibility of an alternative malignant lesion support a low threshold for early and safe maximal resection.
Synthesis of Altrose Poly-amido-saccharides with β-N-(1→2)-d-amide Linkages: A Right-Handed Helical Conformation Engineered in at the Monomer Level

The design and synthesis of amide-linked saccharide oligomers and polymers, which are predisposed to fold into specific ordered secondary structures, is of significant interest. Herein, right-handed helical poly amido-saccharides (PASs) with β-N-(1→2)-d-amide linkages are synthesized by the anionic ring-opening polymerization of an altrose β-lactam monomer (alt-lactam). The right-handed helical conformation is engineered into the polymers by preinstalling the β configuration of the lactam ring in the monomer via the stereospecific [2+2] cycloaddition of trichloroacetyl isocyanate with a d-glycal possessing a 3-benzyloxy group oriented to the α-face of the pyranose. The tert-butylacetyl chloride initiated polymerization of the alt-lactam proceeds smoothly to afford stereoregular polymers with narrow dispersities. Birch reduction of the benzylated polymers gives water-soluble altrose PASs (alt-PASs) in high yields without degradation of the polymer backbone. Circular dichroism analysis shows the alt-PASs adopt a right-handed helical conformation in aqueous solutions. This secondary conformation is stable over a wide range of different conditions, such as pH (2.0 to 12.0), temperature (5 to 75 °C), ionic salts (2.0 M LiCl, NaCl, and KCl), as well as in the presence of protein denaturants (4.0 M urea and guanidinium chloride). Cytotoxicity studies reveal that the alt-PASs are nontoxic to HEK, HeLa, and NIH3T3 cells. The results showcase the ability to direct solution conformation of polymers through monomer design. This approach is especially well-suited and straightforward for PASs as the helical conformations formed result from constraints imposed by the relatively rigid and sterically bulky repeating units.
Prevalence and Outcomes of Left-Sided Valvular Heart Disease Associated With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an adverse prognostic marker for valve intervention patients; however, the prevalence and related outcomes of valvular heart disease in CKD patients is unknown. Methods and Results Included patients underwent echocardiography (1999–2013), had serum creatinine values within 6 months before index echocardiogram, and had no history of valve surgery. CKD was defined as diagnosis based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision or an estimated glomerular filtration rate 2 . Qualitative assessment determined left heart stenotic and regurgitant valve lesions. Cox models assessed CKD and aortic stenosis (AS) interaction for subsequent mortality; analyses were repeated for mitral regurgitation (MR). Among 78 059 patients, 23 727 (30%) had CKD; of these, 1326 were on hemodialysis. CKD patients were older; female; had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, history of coronary artery bypass grafting/percutaneous coronary intervention, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure ≥mild AS; and ≥mild MR (all P Conclusions Prevalence of at least mild AS and MR is substantially higher and is associated with significantly lower survival among patients with versus without CKD. There is significant interaction among CKD, AS/MR severity, and mortality, with increasingly worse outcomes for CKD patients with increasing AS/MR severity.
Self-ion irradiation study of a thermally stable nano-crystalline alloy and its implications for development of irradiation resistant alloys

The need for carbon-free energy in this country cannot be exaggerated. Although the share of renewable energy sources in total electricity generation in the US has been increasing, nuclear energy still provides the lion's share (∼60%) of carbon-free electricity and will continue to do so in the near future. In this work we have studied the feasibility of using nano-crystalline (nc) alloys in irradiation environments such as nuclear reactors.
Motivation coaching training for instructional coaches: a pilot study of motivational interviewing skills training

In our paper we describe a newly developed teacher coaching model that provides training on motivational interviewing (MI) to improve instructional coaches’ effectiveness with classroom teachers. P...
An Online Learning Method to Maximize Energy Efficiency of Cognitive Sensor Networks

In this letter, an online reinforcement learning method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) is proposed to maximize transmission energy efficiency of cognitive radio sensor networks by regularizing packet lengths. The idea is to simulate a set of artificial channels to find a hypothetical channel that behaves almost equivalently to the actual channel by minimizing a properly developed loss function. This method eliminates the need for a separate offline channel estimation. The results show an improvement of, respectively, 40% and 20% in the energy efficiency of the proposed method compared with the constant packet length and MLE-based offline channel estimation. Also, the PSO-based optimization method outperforms similar evolutionary methods. This framework is general and can be used to optimize a desired parameter in cognitive radio networks.
Resiliency to Disasters

The levels of physical and mental harm to persons and physical damage to property occurring during and after natural and manmade disasters are influenced by community design. Community resilience, the ability to bounce back after a disaster, is influenced by preparedness planning, community design, and social networks. Community design features that enhance resilience include siting critical facilities such as wastewater treatment plants away from floodplains, adopting and enforcing seismic codes for structures such as buildings and bridges, burying utility lines underground, and protecting natural systems such as wetlands. Passive survivability is the ability of a building to maintain critical life support functions in the absence of power, water, and heating and cooling.
Reliability and Risk Allocation in Nuclear Power Plants: A Decision-Theoretic Approach

A methodology is described for allocating reliability to various nuclear reactor systems, subsystems, components, operations, and structures consistent with a set of global safety criteria that are not rigid. The problem is formulated as a multiattribute decision analysis paradigm; the multiobjective optimization, which is performed on a probabilistic risk assessment model and reliability cost functions, serves as the guiding principle for reliability and risk allocation. The concept of ''noninferiority'' is used in the multiobjective optimization problem. Finding the noninferior solution set is the main theme of the current approach. The assessment of the decision-maker's preferences could then be performed more easily on the noninferior solution set.
Genetic Map Location of Afr-1 : Results From Four Genetic Crosses

Afr-1 is a genetic locus in mice that controls the adult level of serum alpha-fetoprotein. Under normal circumstances, AFP synthesis is repressed shortly after birth, from levels approaching 10 million nanograms/milliliter to adult levels of only several hundred ng/ml (Olsson et al., 1977) . In the special case of BALB/cJ mice however, this down-regulation of AFP synthesis is ten- to twenty-fold less efficient, resulting in circulating AFP levels of several thousand ng/ml in 15-week old mice (Olsson et al., 1977) . The recessive allele of Afr-1 responsible for this persistance of AFP (Afr-1b) is found only in BALB/c mice of the Jackson substrain, and not in any other mouse tested to date (Blankenhorn et al., 1985) .
Pancreatic imaging. New modalities.

Cross-sectional imaging has become the cornerstone for primary and initial evaluation of most patients with suspected pancreatic disease. Significant advances in pancreatic imaging have occurred, including the development of helical computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), endoscopic and intraductal pancreatic sonography, and radionuclide scintigraphy with indium 111 ( 111 In) octreotide and positron-emission tomography (PET). This article discusses the techniques and applications of these new modalities.
Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms

Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms was first described in the early 1970s in the pioneering paper of Serbinenko. He treated aneurysms with detachable balloons that were positioned in the parent artery or in the aneurysm lumen itself through a microcatheter (1,2). In 1991, Guglielmi et al. (3,4) described the endovascular occlusion of intracranial aneurysms using electrolytic detachable platinum coils (Target Therapeutics/Boston Scientific). The Guglielmi detachable coils (GDCs) could be introduced through a microcatheter into the aneurysm lumen and detached from a stainless steel microwire by an electrical current. In 1995 the device was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has become widely used in patients with ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms. The GDC technology has evolved ever since, and as clinical experience with this technique has accumulated, it has become the method of choice for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Improved microcatheter and microwire designs have greatly facilitated intracranial intravascular navigation, allowing catheterization of distal aneurysms. Until recently, endovascular treatment in the Unites States was reserved for aneurysms not amenable to surgical clipping. In August 2003, the FDA granted approval to market GDC for the treatment of all brain aneurysms. Continuous technical advances and increasing clinical experience with endovascular techniques as well as its minimal invasiveness have made endovascular treatment an attractive alternative, even in patients who could be treated by conventional neurosurgical clipping.
Further Observations on Self-catheterization

AbstractA non-sterile technique of Intermittent self-catheterization was used for 218 patients with an Inability to void in a normal fashion because of obstructive uropathy, decompensated detrusor or neurogenic bladder. Marked Improvement was noted In urinary continence, urinary Infection, renal function, bladder emptying and, perhaps most Important, the mental and emotional status of the patient and/or parents. The extremely low incidence of complications and its therapeutic efficacy clearly make clean, intermittent self-catheterization an outstanding weapon in the urologlcal armamentarium and a most persuasive reminder that host resistance is still the primary factor in the occurrence of infection.
The North American Site Network

A network of long-term experiments in North America was organized to develop a regionalized database for evaluating environmental and management controls on soil organic matter and to assess the potential for C sequestration in agroecosystems. The network is comprised of 39 field experiments at 33 locations, concentrated in the Great Plains region of the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. corn belt. Historical data on climate, productivity, soils and management have been compiled for the sites. An extensive cross-site sampling of soils and analysis of soil organic matter fractions has been carried out for most of the sites. Information from the long-term experiments is being used to support a wide variety of research, ranging from detailed process studies to large-scale model-based assessments of agroecosystem C balances and CO2 mitigation strategies. Networks of existing long-term experiments can play an important role in ecosystem and global change research.
Selection analyses of paired HIV-1 gag and gp41 sequences obtained before and after antiretroviral therapy.

Most HIV-1-infected individuals with virological failure on a pharmacologically-boosted protease inhibitor (PI) regimen do not develop PI-resistance protease mutations. One proposed explanation is that HIV-1 gag or gp41 cytoplasmic domain mutations might also reduce PI susceptibility. In a recent study of paired gag and gp41 sequences from individuals with virological failure on a PI regimen, we did not identify PI-selected mutations and concluded that if such mutations existed, larger numbers of paired sequences from multiple studies would be needed for their identification. In this study, we generated site-specific amino acid profiles using gag and gp41 published sequences from 5,338 and 4,242 ART-naive individuals, respectively, to assist researchers identify unusual mutations arising during therapy and to provide scripts for performing established and novel maximal likelihood estimates of dN/dS substitution rates in paired sequences. The pipelines used to generate the curated sequences, amino acid profiles, and dN/dS analyses will facilitate the application of consistent methods to paired gag and gp41 sequence datasets and expedite the identification of potential sites under PI-selection pressure.
Longitudinal Occurrence and Predictors of Patient‐Provider Discordance Between Global Assessments of Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Case‐Control Study

Objective To identify longitudinal predictors of discordance between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their health care providers, where patient global assessment of disease activity is substantially higher than provider global assessment. Methods This retrospective case-control study included 102 cases with positive discordance (i.e., ≥25 mm between patient and provider global assessments) and 102 controls without discordance who were matched for age, sex, RA duration, and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score. Data were collected at the baseline visit (date of diagnosis or earliest available visit), the index visit (participation in a previous cross-sectional study), and at up to 11 additional visits before the index visit. Data included patient characteristics, disease activity measures, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (3-variable) using the C-reactive protein level (DAS28-CRP), and medications. Data were analyzed by using linear and logistic regression models with smoothing splines for nonlinear trends. Results Overall, the mean age was 63 years, 75% of patients were female, and the mean RA duration was 10 years. Compared with controls, cases had higher rates of discordant visits during the 4 years before the index visit, and they had a higher CDAI score and DAS28-CRP earlier in the disease course. Cases more frequently had antinuclear antibodies, nonerosive disease, prior depression, or prior use of antidepressants or fibromyalgia medications. Disease-modifying medication use was not different between cases and controls. Conclusion The findings inform new hypotheses about the relationships of disease activity and antinuclear antibodies to the later occurrence of positive discordance among patients with RA.
Finite Resources, Increasing Demands: Rural Children Left Behind? Educators Speak Out on Issues Facing Rural Special Education:

Current legislative mandates for schools to bring all students to the proficient level on state content standards by 2014 have been both commended and criticized by stakeholders across the nation. ...