cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The transcribed genome and the heritable basis of essential hypertension

Gene expression can be now assessed quantitatively and comprehensively. In addition to reflecting the specialized differentiation of the cell or tissue type from which gene expression is sampled, it also manifests patterns determined by inheritance. Thus gene expression is a phenotypic trait, at least when assessed comprehensively. This trait shows familial aggregation and segregation patterns indicative of an inherited contribution. The molecular evolution of genes includes mutations affecting regulatory sequences in the genome that influence gene expression in cis and in trans. Such mutations may increase in frequency in a population either by genetic drift or by selection. Traits of gene expression, acting alone or in concert with other gene expression traits, may generate phenotypes that extend beyond transcript abundance. Indeed, the divergence of species and the traits that distinguish related species appear to rely importantly on inherited divergence in the control of gene expression. Variation in gene expression may contribute to the pathogenesis of a prevalent human disease trait that shows heritability—essential hypertension. Along with other common heritable diseases, hypertension susceptibility arises from the actions of multiple genome sequence variations. the identity of such variation has proven elusive when sought by methods that have been successfully applied to Mendelian diseases. This review explores the potential to uncover hypertension genes by exploiting quantitative variation in the heritable control of gene expression.
Does ethnicity constitute a risk factor in the psychological distress of adolescents with cancer

To determine if ethnicity constitutes a risk factor in the psychological distress of adolescents with cancer, ethnic comparisons (Hispanic versus Anglo) were made on four psychological measures administered to 54 adolescents with cancer. Data from the largely Mexican-American San Antonio sample were then compared to test scores from a largely Anglo Los Angeles sample. A San Antonio subsample of 25 adolescents with cancer who received behavioral intervention for relief of treatment-related distress were retested on these psychological measures at six months following intervention and test score changes were compared to those found in a similar Los Angeles study. No ethnic differences were found on any measure. The Los Angeles findings of normal trait anxiety and selfesteem in adolescents with cancer and the findings that adolescents with cancer perceive little control over their health and the significant impact of their illness were similar to those in San Antonio. Reasons for the even higher impact of illness found in the San Antonio sample are discussed. Adolescents from both sites demonstrated similar reductions in their trait anxiety scores following behavioral intervention. We conclude that ethnicity per se does not appear to have a major influence on the experience of cancer in adolescents. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that membership in a minority group and a clinic's attitudes toward ethnic differences may play important roles in acceptance or rejection of behavioral intervention and thus merit investigation.
Artificial pneumoperitoneum in the treatment of pulmonary emphysema; a preliminary report.

1) The use of artificial pneumoperitoneum in the treatment of pulmonary emphysema may provide impressive symptomatic relief. Its use in seven patients is described. 2) Exercise tolerance and vital capacity may increase significantly following this procedure. 3) The physiological basis for the use of artificial pneumoperltoneum in pulmonary emphysema is discussed.
Do Article Influence scores overestimate the citation impact of social science journals in subfields that are related to higher-impact natural science disciplines?

Unlike Impact Factors (IF), Article Influence (AI) scores assign greater weight to citations that appear in highly cited journals. The natural sciences tend to have higher citation rates than the social sciences. We might therefore expect that relative to IF, AI overestimates the citation impact of social science journals in subfields that are related to (and presumably cited in) higher-impact natural science disciplines. This study evaluates that assertion through a set of simple and multiple regressions covering seven social science disciplines: anthropology, communication, economics, education, library and information science, psychology, and sociology. Contrary to expectations, AI underestimates 5IF (five-year Impact Factor) for journals in science-related subfields such as scientific communication, science education, scientometrics, biopsychology, and medical sociology. Journals in these subfields have low AI scores relative to their 5IF values. Moreover, the effect of science-related status is considerable—typically 0.60 5IF units or 0.50 SD. This effect is independent of the more general finding that AI scores underestimate 5IF for higher-impact journals. It is also independent of the very modest curvilinearity in the relationship between AI and 5IF.
Bone marrow transplantation across major histocompatibility barriers in mice: II. T cell requirement for engraftment in total lymphoid irradiation-conditioned recipients

Studies were undertaken to examine the role of T lymphocytes in engraftment of bone marrow (BM) in animals conditioned with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) prior to transplantation across major histocompatibility barriers. Donor BM (added as a source of lymphohematopoietic stem cells) and spleen cells (added as a source of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-causing cells) were pretreated in vitro with monoclonal anti-Thy-1.2 plus complement (C). T cell-depleted grafts were then give to allogeneic mice conditioned with 900 rad of single dose TLI plus cyclophosphamide (CY). These mice did not engraft. Even in the absence of added spleen cells, elimination of the small T cell population from donor BM grafts prevented engraftment compared with animals that received the same conditioning regimen and untreated donor cells. These control animals demonstrated uniform evidence of engraftment about 1 month after transplantation. Similar findings were reported when recipients were conditioned with fractionated 17 x 200-rad TLI. In TLI plus CY-conditional recipients, we have also observed that increasing the donation of treated bone marrow cells still did not result in significant engraftment. Furthermore, graft failure in mice receiving normal dosages of anti-Thy-1.2 plus C-treated donor cells was not a strain-restricted phenomenon. Moreover, removal of bone marrow T cells with monoclonal anti-Lyt-1 plus complement also resulted in graft failure in TLI-conditioned recipients. In contrast to TLI conditioning, when Thy-1.2 plus C-treated donor cells were given to recipients conditioned with total body irradiation (TBI), a high percentage of engraftment was demonstrated by an H-2 microcytotoxicity assay. Plausible mechanisms for there findings are discussed.
Food and Conflict in Europe in the Age of the Two World Wars

Frank Trentmann and Flemming Just (eds), Food and Conflict in Europe in the Age of the Two World Wars (2006), xiii + 296 (Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, £47.00/$74.95). There was a time when we b...
The Transitivity of Local Warfield Groups

Abstract For a fixed prime p , let G denote a module over the integers localized at p . Such a module is often referred to as a p -local (abelian) group. Following established precedent, we say that G is transitive provided that there exists an automorphism of G that maps a onto b whenever a and b are elements of G having the same height sequence. However, relatively few nontorsion G meet this criterion of transitivity. Indeed, as we show, there are four different classes of simply presented p -local groups of torsion-free rank 3 that are nontransitive. In this article, we introduce a weaker version of transitivity that allows all local Warfield groups ( = summands of simply presented p -local groups) to qualify as being transitive. In this connection, we associate with each element of a local Warfield group G a new invariant, called a type vector, and we prove that there is an automorphism of G that maps a onto b if and only if a and b have the same height sequence and the same type vector. As an application of this result, we are able to determine exactly which local Warfield groups are transitive in the classical sense. Also, our results yield an alternate proof of a recent result of Files regarding the equivalence of transitivity and full transitivity for local Warfield groups. Finally, we give a complete survey of transitivity for local Warfield groups of torsion-free rank 3.
A DSC study of intrazeolite copper(ii) phthalocyanine formation

The template synthesis of copper(II) phthalocyanine by the condensation of dicyanobenzene within the supercages of Cu(II) exchanged X and Y type zeolites was studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The exotherms for intrazeolite and surface complexation have been resolved. These thermal events exhibit a dependence on the copper loading and hydration level which has been interpreted as a pressure effect.
Long term success of a telehealth network : a case study of the upper peninsula telehealth network

Telemedicine, the provision of healthcare via telecommunication technology, is an increasingly popular option for providing healthcare services as healthcare organisations are challenged to contain costs. Telemedicine is ideally suited to meet the special demands present in rural areas, but the fact remains that many telemedicine projects fail to achieve financial viability once grant funding has been removed. This case study investigated the long-term success of the Upper Peninsula Telehealth Network (UPTN), a project that has grown from a pilot effort to a financially sustainable network operating at 42 sites. Viewed through the theoretical lens of critical mass theory, findings suggest the two primary keys to the UPTN's success were: a strategy of slow but sustainable growth; and a sponsor that helps coordinate network activities and makes it simpler for new organisations to join the network.
Responding to Vaccine Safety Signals during Pandemic Influenza: A Modeling Study

Background: Managing emerging vaccine safety signals during an influenza pandemic is challenging. Federal regulators must balance vaccine risks against benefits while maintaining public confidence in the public health system. Methods: We developed a multi-criteria decision analysis model to explore regulatory decision-making in the context of emerging vaccine safety signals during a pandemic. We simulated vaccine safety surveillance system capabilities and used an age-structured compartmental model to develop potential pandemic scenarios. We used an expert-derived multi-attribute utility function to evaluate potential regulatory responses by combining four outcome measures into a single measure of interest: 1) expected vaccination benefit from averted influenza; 2) expected vaccination risk from vaccine-associated febrile seizures; 3) expected vaccination risk from vaccine-associated Guillain-Barre Syndrome; and 4) expected change in vaccine-seeking behavior in future influenza seasons. Results: Over multiple scenarios, risk communication, with or without suspension of vaccination of high-risk persons, were the consistently preferred regulatory responses over no action or general suspension when safety signals were detected during a pandemic influenza. On average, the expert panel valued near-term vaccine-related outcomes relative to long-term projected outcomes by 3:1. However, when decision-makers had minimal ability to influence near-term outcomes, the response was selected primarily by projected impacts on future vaccine-seeking behavior.
Adult ESL: Politics, pedagogy, and participation in classroom and community programs. Trudy Smoke (Ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1998. Pp. 337.

This anthology consists of 20 chapters contributed by 25 authors and coauthors; its articles are divided into three sections corresponding to the title categories: politics, pedagogy, and participation. As Trudy Smoke states in the preface, “I decided to use the term adult ESL in its broadest sense – non-native speaking adults who participate in ABE (adult basic education), community college, or senior college programs” (p. ix). However, about 75% of the articles are written from a community college or senior college perspective, with a focus on intermediate-level or above English language learners. There is nothing inherently wrong with this; in fact, it may be inevitable that college ESL teachers are more likely to be able to write articles than their ABE colleagues, who are among the most overworked and underpaid teachers in U.S. education. Smoke notes briefly that some ESL students in ABE programs eventually enroll in community and senior colleges, but for the most part the reader is left having to infer how the insights of college ESL practice and research might apply to teachers in community-based ABE programs in ESL. A more extended discussion of the similarities and differences between ABE and college-based learners would have made the book more useful, especially for new teachers or other readers not familiar with the field.
A multi-level Newton method for static and fundamental frequency analysis of electromechanical systems

A matrix-implicit multi-level Newton method for black-box self-consistent analysis of 3-D microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is described. The approach is shown to converge very rapidly and is much faster than relaxation algorithm for tightly coupled problems. In addition, the matrix-implicit approach is used to derive a computationally efficient technique to extract the fundamental frequency as a function of applied voltage for a microstructure. While this paper focuses on coupled electromechanical analysis, the proposed algorithm can be extended to include several coupled domains encountered in MEMS.
The Chinese American Writer as Migrant: Ha Jin's Restive Manifesto

Should writers who have left their native countries be spokespersons for the people left behind? Are those who abandon their native language guilty of betrayal and is the adoption of a foreign language necessarily a handicap? How do nomadic literati define their homeland? These are questions posed by Ha Jin in The Writer as Migrant.
Treating Children with HIV Infection: What We Can Do, We Should Do

Similar to data from the United States, both morbidity (as reflected by hospitalization rate) and mortality rates in the Thai study were ameliorated by 3-drug combination ART, and that improvement can be expected when such therapy is started sooner rather than later. In this study, the mean age at the start of ART was 7.6 years, with the threshold for starting ART occurring when the children’s conditions had already progressed to AIDS. Although these data document the benefits of therapy, because of the problem of “confounding by indications” (i.e., the children who are most ill are treated first), the benefit of initiating therapy at an early age before the onset of AIDS-defining illness would be expected to have even greater beneficial effects [2]. This study demonstrates that the strategy of delaying ART in infants and young children to
Targeting Teaching: Engaged Learning with the Inquiry‐Based Question Cluster Discussion Technique: Student Outcomes in a History of Economic Thought Course

Twenty-six undergraduate students explored the meaning of the classics (Adam Smith and Karl Marx) and two lesser-known contributions in ethics and economics (Robert Owen and John Ruskin) in a spring 2007 history of economic thought course. This article introduces the inquiry-based discussion technique used in the course and presents five question clusters fulfilling requirements for an inquiry-based discussion. A proposed hypothesis is that the technique increases student understanding of challenging texts. Pre- and postdiscussion assessments for five interpretative questions serve as evidence to evaluate the hypothesis. Assessment results lend empirical support to the hypothesized positive impact of the technique on student learning. End-of-the-semester student survey results captured student opinions concerning their learning from the technique. Survey results suggest the students believe that the technique positively impacts aspects of the learning process; the students recommend the discussion technique for future use.
Numerical integration of the stiff dynamics of geometrically exact shells: an energy-dissipative momentum-conserving scheme

This paper presents a new family of time-stepping algorithms for the integration of the dynamics of non-linear shells. We consider the geometrically exact shell theory involving an inextensible director field (the so-called five-parameter shell model). The main characteristic of this model is the presence of the group of finite rotations in the configuration manifold describing the deformation of the solid. In this context, we develop time-stepping algorithms whose discrete solutions exhibit the same conservation laws of linear and angular momenta as the underlying physical system, and allow the introduction of a controllable non-negative energy dissipation to handle the high numerical stiffness characteristic of these problems. A series of algorithmic parameters for the different components of the deformation of the shell (i.e. membrane, bending and transverse shear) fully control this numerical dissipation, recovering existing energy-momentum schemes as a particular choice of these algorithmic parameters. We present rigorous proofs of the numerical properties of the resulting algorithms in the full non-linear range. Furthermore, it is argued that the numerical dissipation is introduced in the high-frequency range by considering the proposed algorithm in the context of a linear problem. The finite element implementation of the resulting methods is described in detail as well as considered in the final arguments proving the aforementioned conservation/dissipation properties. We present several representative numerical simulations illustrating the performance of the newly proposed methods. The robustness gained over existing methods in these stiff problems is confirmed in particular. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fatigue crack initiation life prediction of railroad wheels

A new multiaxial high-cycle fatigue initiation life prediction model for railroad wheels is proposed in this paper. A general fatigue damage analysis methodology for complex mechanical components is developed and applied to the wheel/rail rolling contact fatigue problem. A 3-D elasto-plastic finite element model is used for stress analysis. A submodeling technique is used to achieve both computational efficiency and accuracy. Then the fatigue damage in the wheel is evaluated numerically using the stress history during one revolution of the wheel rotation. The effects of wheel diameter, vertical loading, material hardness, and material fatigue properties on fatigue crack initiation life are investigated using the proposed model.
A novel co-existence algorithm for unlicensed variable power devices

In the unlicensed spectrum, any device is free to transmit without a license. Such a spectrum has significant benefits, but serious challenges must first be overcome. Foremost is the risk of drastic performance degradation due to a lack of incentive to conserve shared resources. Previous work has identified this problem for devices that transmit for longer duration than necessary. This paper demonstrates this problem for devices that always transmit at maximum power to maximize throughput. For devices that can vary transmission power, the problem is solved if devices reduce transmission power when received interference exceeds defined thresholds. We propose a co-existence algorithm to optimize system throughput when each of two such devices can transmit up to the maximum power allowed on a given channel. We show the device performance with current unlicensed band regulations is rarely optimal, and that the proposed algorithm is better.
Quickest detection in censoring sensor networks

The quickest change detection problem is studied in a general context of monitoring a large number of data streams in sensor networks when the “trigger event” may affect different sensors differently. In particular, the occurring event could have an immediate or delayed impact on some unknown, but not necessarily all, sensors. Motivated by censoring sensor networks, scalable detection schemes are developed based on the sum of those local CUSUM statistics that are “large” under either hard thresholding or top-r thresholding rules or both. The proposed schemes are shown to possess certain asymptotic optimality properties.
Dark Sweat, White Gold: California Farm Workers, Cotton, and the New Deal

In her incisive analysis of the shaping of California's agricultural work force, Devra Weber shows how the cultural background of Mexican and, later, Anglo-American workers, combined with the structure of capitalist cotton production and New Deal politics, forging a new form of labor relations. She pays particular attention to Mexican field workers and their organized struggles, including the famous strikes of 1933. Weber's perceptive examination of the relationships between economic structure, human agency, and the state, as well as her discussions of the crucial role of women in both Mexican and Anglo working-class life, make her book a valuable contribution to labor, agriculture, Chicano, Mexican, and California history.
Clinical implications of the ethics of informed consent for first-trimester risk assessment for trisomy 21.

OBJECTIVE We identify the clinical implications of the ethics of informed consent for risk assessment for trisomy 21. FINDING Based on the ethics of informed consent, we find that routinely offering first-trimester risk assessment in centers qualified to provide it is ethically obligatory, and routinely withholding the results of first-trimester risk assessment is ethically unjustified. CONCLUSION The ethics of informed consent is an essential dimension of first-trimester risk assessment for trisomy 21.
CONVENIENCE STORE LOSSES AND EMPLOYEES' ATTITUDES

Employees in eight regional areas of a convenience store chain were given the Employee Attitude Inventory. This psychological integrity test correctly differentiated the regional areas with respect to mean dollar amounts recovered from employees' confessions of theft. Significantly more dollars were recovered from those areas in which employees had more favorable attitudes toward theft. Moreover, significant correlations were noted between scores on the theft-related subscales and the mean accumulated discrepancy on the chain's inventory reports.
The Mentor’s Dilemma: Providing Critical Feedback Across the Racial Divide

Two studies examined the response of Black and White students to critical feedback presented either alone or buffered with additional information to ameliorate its negative effects. Black students who received unbuffered critical feedback responded less favorably than White students both in ratings of the evaluator’s bias and in measures of task motivation. By contrast, when the feedback was accompanied both by an invocation of high standards and by an assurance of the student’s capacity to reach those standards, Black students responded as positively as White students and both groups reported enhanced identification with relevant skills and careers. This “wise,” two-faceted intervention proved more effective than buffering criticism either with performance praise (Study 1) or with an invocation of high standards alone (Study 2). The role of stigma in mediating responses to critical feedback, and the implications of our results for mentoring and other teacher-student interactions, are explored.
Comparative Biology of Three Geographic Populations of Trissolcus basalis (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine if there were biological or behavioral differences among populations of Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) (Scelionidae: Hymenoptera) collected from France, Italy, and Spain. Observations of isolated and mated females indicated little difference in fecundity, adult longevity, male and female progeny produced, length of oviposition period, and percentage of parasitism of Nezara uiridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) eggs. Females from all locations showed greater fecundity and rates of parasitism during the first week after emergence. The French population showed a significantly higher emergence rate from N. uiridula eggs than those from Italy or Spain. When male T. basalis were continuously present with females, fecundity, number of male progeny, and percentage of parasitism were significantly higher than when females were isolated. Over the lifetime of T. basalis females, the sex ratio of adult progeny favored female; however, there was a progressive shift from predominantly female to male progeny as the female aged. Adult males lived longer than females. No significant differences in adult male or female longevity were detected across geographic populations. However, the Italian pop- ulation took significantly more time to complete immature development than the French or Spanish population. N. vtridula egg mortality was significantly higher when female T. basalis were continuously present than when absent, indicating that parasites may cause some mortality in addition to that resulting from parasitism. There were no significant differences in mating, egg selection, or oviposition times among the geographic populations. Females from Italy spent significantly less time in marking N. utridula eggs than those from Spain or France. The results of these studies suggest that the three populations compose a single T. basalis biotype.
Characterization of Pyridoxine Auxotrophs of Escherichia coli: P1 Transduction

Pyridoxine mutants of Escherichia coli B, previously divided into a minimum of six groups by cross-feeding tests, were characterized by transduction studies performed with phage P1bt. The results of these studies allowed division of pyridoxine mutants into five unlinked groups and set the minimum number of enzymes between pyridoxal phosphate and a metabolite common to other pathways at six or seven, with the probable maximum at ten. One group was shown to be linked to thr, leu, and pyrA.
Transient effects of overexpressing anthranilate synthase α and β subunits in Catharanthus roseus hairy roots

Catharanthus roseus produces two economically valuable anticancer drugs, vinblastine and vincristine. These drugs are members of the terpenoid indole alkaloids and accumulate in small quantities within the plant; thus these two drugs are expensive to produce. Metabolic engineering efforts have focused on increasing the alkaloids in this pathway through various means such as elicitation, precursor feeding, and gene overexpression. Recently we successfully expressed Arabidopsis genes encoding a feedback-insensitive anthranilate synthase α subunit under the control of the glucocorticoid-inducible promoter system and the anthranilate synthase β subunit under the control of a constitutive promoter in C. roseus hairy roots. In this work we look at the transient behaviors of terpenoid indole alkaloids over a 72 h induction period in late exponential growth phase cultures. Upon induction, the tryptophan, tryptamine, and ajmalicine pools accumulated over 72 h. In contrast, the lochnericine, horhammericine, and tabersonine pools decreased and leveled out over the 72 h induction period. Visible changes within the individual compounds usually took from 4 to 12 h.
What's new in general surgery: Endocrine surgery

Abstract "What's New in Surgery" evolves from the contributions of leaders in each field of surgery. In every instance the author has been designated by the appropriate Council from the American College of Surgeons' Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties. This feature is now presented in issues of the Journal throughout the year .
Synchronous Consensus for dependent process failures

We present a new abstraction to replace the t of n assumption used in designing fault-tolerant algorithms. This abstraction models dependent process failures yet it is as simple to use as the t of n assumption. To illustrate this abstraction, we consider Consensus for synchronous systems with both crash and arbitrary process failures. By considering failure correlations, we are able to reduce latency and enable the solution of Consensus for system configurations in which it is not possible when forced to use algorithms designed under the t of n assumption. We show that, in general, the number of rounds required in the worst case when assuming crash failures is different from the number of rounds required when assuming arbitrary failures. This is in contrast with the traditional result under the t of n assumption.
On the optimum pulse-position modulation index for ultra-wideband communication

Pulse-position modulation (PPM) is one of the popular modulations for ultra-wideband (UWB) communications. The modulation index, /spl delta/, used in a time-hopping PPM scheme plays an important role in the reduction of bit error rate introduced by noise. In this paper, we mathematically show the pulse-width dependent, T/sub p/, optimal modulation index that yields the least probability of error based on a given SNR for PPM with different orders of Gaussian monocycle shaping function.
Influence of maternal care on the developing brain: Mechanisms, temporal dynamics and sensitive periods

Variation in maternal care can lead to divergent developmental trajectories in offspring with implications for neuroendocrine function and behavioral phenotypes. Study of the long-term outcomes associated with mother-infant interactions suggests complex mechanisms linking the experience of variation in maternal care and these neurobiological consequences. Through integration of genetic, molecular, cellular, neuroanatomical, and neuroendocrine approaches, significant advances in our understanding of these complex pathways have been achieved. In this review, we will consider the impact of maternal care on male and female offspring development with a particular focus on the issues of timing and mechanism. Identifying the period of sensitivity to maternal care and the temporal dynamics of the molecular and neuroendocrine changes that are a consequence of maternal care represents a critical step in the study of mechanism.
Design and fabrication of a MEMS magnetic sensor utilizing ferromagnetic-piezoelectric composites

A high-sensitivity and self-biased MEMS magnetic sensor based on ferromagnetic-piezoelectric composites has been fabricated and characterized. Series of MEMS processes including silicon-quartz lower temperature eutectic bonding, quartz wafer thinning, electroplating of thick nickel thin films, etc., have been successfully demonstrated in creation of a quartz-nickel cantilever structure. Moreover, by laminating an additional metglas thin film, a zero-bias magnetic-electric coupling that arises due to magnetization grading at the interface of Ni-metglas has been observed. With the optimized structure, a magneto-electric voltage coefficient up to 60 V/cm-Oe has been demonstrated. With a measured low magnetic noise of 18 pT/Hz1/2, a ∼36 pT resolution and high converted sensitivity of 0.5 mV/pT are obtained at the mechanical resonant frequency of 122 Hz with zero dc biasing magnetic field. The targeted MEMS magnetic sensor has great potential applications in emerging biomagnetic imaging technologies such as magneto-cardiography.
Advanced Technology Program Surveys of Applicants: Data Overview

The Survey of ATP Applicants compares the company and project characteristics of awardee and non-awardee companies. Download the slides at: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper=1028779 Download the audio file at: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper=1030002
Anesthesia care for subcutaneous implantable cardioverter/defibrillator placement: a single-center experience

Abstract Background The recently approved subcutaneous implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (S-ICD) uses a single extrathoracic subcutaneous lead to treat life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. This is different from conventional transvenous ICDs, which are typically implanted under sedation. Currently, there are no reports regarding the anesthetic management of patients undergoing S-ICD implantation. Study objectives This study describes the anesthetic management and outcomes in patients undergoing S-ICD implantation and defibrillation threshold (DFT) testing. Methods The study population consists of 73 patients who underwent S-ICD implantation. General anesthesia (n = 69, 95%) or conscious/deep sedation (n = 4, 5%) was used for device implantation. Measurements Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate were recorded periprocedurally for S-ICD implantation and DFTs. Major adverse events were SBP Interventions Of the 73 patients, 39 had SBP Main results Although the S-ICD procedure involved extensive tunneling and a mean of 2.5 ± 1.7 DFTs per patient, refractory hypotension was a major adverse event in only 2 patients. The mean baseline SBP was 132.5 ± 22.0 mm Hg, and the mean minimum SBP during the procedure was 97.3 ± 9.2 mm Hg ( P P Conclusions Among a heterogeneous population, anesthesiologists can safely manage patients undergoing S-ICD implantation and repeated DFTs without wide swings in SBP and with minimal intermittent pharmacologic support.
Dissociative photoionization of glycerol and its dimer occurs predominantly via a ternary hydrogen-bridged ion-molecule complex.

The photoionization and dissociative photoionization of glycerol are studied experimentally and theoretically. Time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation ranging from 8 to 15 eV is used to investigate the nature of the major fragments and their corresponding appearance energies. Deuterium (1,1,2,3,3-D5) and (13)C (2-(13)C) labeling is employed to narrow down the possible dissociation mechanisms leading to the major fragment ions (C3H(x)O2(+), C2H(x)O2(+), C2H(x)O(+), CH(x)O(+)). We find that the primary fragmentation of the glycerol radical cation (m/z 92) occurs only via two routes. The first channel proceeds via a six-membered hydrogen-transfer transition state, leading to a common stable ternary intermediate, comprised of neutral water, neutral formaldehyde, and a vinyl alcohol radical cation, which exhibits a binding energy of ≈42 kcal/mol and a very short (1.4 A) hydrogen bond. Fragmentation of this intermediate gives rise to experimentally observed m/z 74, 62, 44, and 45. Fragments m/z 74 and 62 both consist of hydrogen-bridged ion-molecule complexes with binding energy >25 kcal/mol, whereas the m/z 44 species lacks such stabilization. This explains why water- or formaldehyde-loss products are observed first. The second primary fragmentation route arises from cleaving the elongated C-C bond. Also for this channel, intermediates comprised of hydrogen-bridged ion-molecule complexes exhibiting binding energies >24 kcal/mol are observed. Energy decomposition analysis reveals that electrostatic and charge-transfer interactions are equally important in hydrogen-bridged ion-molecule complexes. Furthermore, the dissociative photoionization of the glycerol dimer is investigated and compared to the main pathways for the monomeric species. To a first approximation, the glycerol dimer radical cation can be described as a monomeric glycerol radical cation in the presence of a spectator glycerol, thus giving rise to a dissociation pattern similar to that of the monomer.
Effects of p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid (CPIB) on adipose tissue triglycerides synthesis, lipogenesis, and some related enzymes.

SummaryThe addition of 0.25% CPIB to a glycerol-lard diet fed to rats resulted in increased adipose tissue activities of triglyceride synthesizing enzymes, hexose monophosphate shunt dehydrogenases, and NADP-malic enzyme. Incorporation of 14C-glucose and 3H from water into long chain fatty acids by fat pads in vitro was also greater in CPIB-treated rats. The drug had only small or no such effects when added to a fat-free high sucrose diet.
Term Newborn with Abdominal Wall Defect, Ambiguous Genitalia, and Respiratory Distress

Term newborn boy presents with abdominal wall defect, ambiguous genitalia, and respiratory distress (Fig 1). Figure 1. ### Prenatal History ### Birth History and Presentation ### Vital Signs ### Physical Examination ### Radiologic Findings Abdominal radiograph reveals widened symphysis pubis measuring 4.2 cm (normal: less than 1 cm) (Fig 2). Figure 2. ### Bladder Exstrophy Epispadias Complex (BEEC) Bladder exstrophy, or vesica ectopia, is a congenital malformation resulting in an everted bladder wall that is contiguous …
Analysis of the HBV infection status in HBsAg positive pregnant women prior to their delivery

Objective To explore the distribution of HBV infection biomarkers in HBsAg positive pregnant women,and analyze the causes of this distribution.Methods From Aug.2009 to Nov.2010,a structured questionnaire on demographic data was administered to eight hundred and ninety five HBsAg positive pregnant women,from whom blood samples were then collected to test for HBsAg,HBeAg,Anti-HBe and HBV DNA.The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.Results Of the 895 subjects,33.4% were HBeAg-positive,and 25.2% had HBV DNA levels of ≥107 IU/mL.Among HBeAg-positive pregnant women,HBsAg titers were positively correlated with HBV DNA level(r=0.53,P0.01).There was a trend of decreased risk of mother-to-infant transmission with the increasing age.Conclusion In Chinese HBsAg-positive pregnant women,risk of HBV mother-to-infant transmission is relatively high,and delaying the age of pregnancy may lower the risk of HBV mother-to-infant transmission.
Hypoxia regulates SOX2 expression to promote prostate cancer cell invasion and sphere formation

SOX2 is an embryonic stem cell marker that in prostate cancer has been associated not only with tumorigenesis but also metastasis. Furthermore hypoxia in primary tumors has been linked to poor prognosis and outcomes in this disease. The goal of the present study was to investigate the impact of hypoxia on SOX2 expression and metastasis-associated functions in prostate cancer cells. A tissue microarray of 80 samples from prostate cancer patients or healthy controls was employed to examine the expression of HIF-1α and its correlation with SOX2. The role of SOX2 and HIF-1/2α in the regulation of cell invasion and sphere formation capacity under hypoxic conditions was investigated in vitro using short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown in three human prostate cancer cell lines. HIF-1α expression was significantly elevated in malignant prostate tissue compared to benign or normal tissue, and in tumor samples its expression was highly correlated with SOX2. In prostate cancer cells, acute and chronic exposures to hypoxia that resulted in elevated expression levels of HIF-1α and HIF-2α, respectively, also induced SOX2. Genetic depletion of SOX2 attenuated hypoxia-induced cell functions. Knockdown of HIF-1α, but not HIF-2α, decreased acute hypoxia-mediated cell invasion and SOX2 up-regulation, whereas only HIF-2α gene silencing reduced sphere formation capacity and chronic hypoxia-mediated SOX2 up-regulation. Enhanced SOX2 expression and HIF-1α or HIF-2α associated phenotypes are dependent on the time duration of exposure to hypoxia. The present results indicate that SOX2 may be a key mediator of hypoxia-induced metastasis-associated functions and hence may serve as a potential target for therapeutic interventions for metastatic prostate cancer.
(Un)Inventing America: the transpacific Indies in Oviedo and Gómara

In this article, I analyze the so-called ‘discovery of the Pacific’ and its implications for Spanish understanding of global geography, in two of the most important early histories of the early encounter with the New World: the works of Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo and Francisco Lopez de Gomara. Their general histories of the Indies tackle the Pacific in their accounts of the various expeditions that Spain sent to the Moluccas and Philippines between 1519 and 1542. There we see how both historians struggle to contain the discovery that the Pacific was much broader and emptier than anyone had expected it to be, and thereby prevent it from becoming, in the Spanish imagination, an insurmountable barrier that decisively separated America from Asia. Oviedo is committed to the idea that the Indies are a single tropical expanse that can be successfully spanned by Spanish military might and navigational skill, no matter how large an ocean it contains. Gomara gives up on the unified Indies, embraces the ‘invention ...
Symmetric BMPs on the Developmental Road

The signaling pathways and cellular mechanisms that achieve alignment of dorsal and ventral midline structures remain a poorly understood aspect of vertebrate development. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Arraf et al. (2016) find a requisite role for bilaterally symmetrical BMP signaling in coordinating dorsal and ventral tissue morphogenesis.
Physiological Aspects of Dance

Improvement in cardiovascular fitness is related to the mode, frequency, duration, intensity, and rate of progression of exercise. These data suggest that dance as an activity for promoting fitness will improve aerobic and physical working capacity. The commercial classes studied were of short duration and relied on elevated intensity for improvement, whereas the classes for professional dancers were low in intensity and relied on frequency and duration for improvements. Other area studied were body composition and strength.
Historic Disease Data as Epidemiological Resource: Searching for the Origin and Local Basic Reproduction Number of the 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee

Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases continue to pose considerable regional and global concerns. A vital contribution to be made by geographers is in developing an understanding of the spatial structure of these epidemics across various scales. Confidentiality concerns and a general lack of individual data from many developing world areas mean that individual or subneighborhood-scale epidemic information is often unavailable. One alternative potential source of data is historical epidemics. Although these data exist in the form of board of health reports, these should not be considered complete, and the onus is on the researcher to perform due diligence on data validation and identifying supplementary spatial and cultural context. This article presents an example of such a methodological task for the 1878 yellow fever epidemic of Memphis, which leads to exploration of two important spatial questions: the correct origin of the epidemic in the city and its associated local basic reproduction number, ...
Entrepreneurial orientation and firm value: Does managerial discretion play a role?

Considerable interest exists in understanding the extent to which entrepreneurial orientation (EO) generates value in the capital markets. Drawing on insights from the discretion literature, we focus on three distinct loci of managerial discretion—organizational, industrial, and national—to examine their contingent influence on the EO-value relation. Predictions were tested on a panel dataset of firms from five advanced economies listed in the Forbes 2000 ranking. Data were analyzed using ordinary least squares to reveal that the contribution of EO to firm valuation is statistically significant and economically meaningful when organizational and/or industrial discretion are high: each unit increase in EO boosts value generation by 7.4 % when organizational discretion is high and 5.6 % when industrial discretion is high. EO therefore creates value for the firm in capital markets when the appropriate discretionary conditions are present. These findings suggest that the relation between EO and capital market value is more complex than generally believed.
Primary payer status, individual patient characteristics, and hospital-level factors affecting length of stay and total cost of hospitalization in total laryngectomy

Background Medicaid and uninsured patients anecdotally incur higher cost and length of stay because of nonmedical, discharge-related factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between primary payer and length of stay and cost, controlling for comorbidities and complications, in patients undergoing total laryngectomy. Methods The sample included 4128 patients who underwent total laryngectomy in the 2005 to 2010 National Inpatient Sample (NIS). Patients were categorized into 4 subgroups based on payer status: Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured, and private insurance. Using multilevel modeling, we examined differences in length of stay and hospitalization costs. Results The odds of being in the top quartile of length of stay increased for Medicaid patients by 41% (odds ratio [OR] = 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–1.92) compared with privately insured patients. Conclusion After controlling for medical factors, Medicaid patients had increased lengths of stay. Overall costs were highest for those with public insurance, but no difference was seen for the adjusted cost. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 311–319, 2017
Age and Diet Affect Genetically Separable Secondary Injuries that Cause Acute Mortality Following Traumatic Brain Injury in Drosophila

Outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) vary because of differences in primary and secondary injuries. Primary injuries occur at the time of a traumatic event, whereas secondary injuries occur later as a result of cellular and molecular events activated in the brain and other tissues by primary injuries. We used a Drosophila melanogaster TBI model to investigate secondary injuries that cause acute mortality. By analyzing mortality percentage within 24 hr of primary injuries, we previously found that age at the time of primary injuries and diet afterward affect the severity of secondary injuries. Here, we show that secondary injuries peaked in activity 1–8 hr after primary injuries. Additionally, we demonstrate that age and diet activated distinct secondary injuries in a genotype-specific manner, and that concurrent activation of age- and diet-regulated secondary injuries synergistically increased mortality. To identify genes involved in secondary injuries that cause mortality, we compared genome-wide mRNA expression profiles of uninjured and injured flies under age and diet conditions that had different mortalities. During the peak period of secondary injuries, innate immune response genes were the predominant class of genes that changed expression. Furthermore, age and diet affected the magnitude of the change in expression of some innate immune response genes, suggesting roles for these genes in inhibiting secondary injuries that cause mortality. Our results indicate that the complexity of TBI outcomes is due in part to distinct, genetically controlled, age- and diet-regulated mechanisms that promote secondary injuries and that involve a subset of innate immune response genes.