cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE RENEWAL OF PROTEIN IN RETINAL RODS AND CONES

The renewal of protein in retinal rods and cones has been analyzed by quantitative electron microscope radioautography in adult frogs injected with a mixture of radioactive amino acids. Protein synthesis occurs predominantly in the ergastoplasm, localized in the myoid region of the photoreceptor cells. Much of the newly formed protein next flows through the Golgi complex. In rods, a large proportion of the protein then moves past the mitochondria of the ellipsoid segment, passes through the connecting cilium into the outer segment, and is there assembled into membranous discs at the base of that structure. Discs are formed at the rate of 36 per day in red rods and 25 per day in green rods at 22.5° C ambient temperature. In cones, a small proportion of the protein is similarly displaced to the outer segment. However, no new discs are formed. Instead, the protein becomes diffusely distributed throughout the cone outer segment. Low levels of radioactivity have been detected, shortly after injection, in the mitochondria, nucleus, and synaptic bodies of rods and cones. Nevertheless, in these organelles, the renewal process also appears to involve the utilization of protein formed in the ergastoplasm of the myoid.
Nuclear receptors of the enteric tract: guarding the frontier

In addition to its classical role in mineral homeostasis, the vitamin D receptor has been implicated in diverse physiologic and pathophysiologic processes including immunoregulation and cancer. Interestingly, the vitamin D receptor has been evolutionarily and functionally linked to a select group of nuclear receptors based on a common organism-wide tissue expression profile. These members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, which include the bile acid receptor, xenobiotic receptors, and several orphan nuclear receptors, comprise a transcriptional regulatory network that functions in nutrient uptake, xenobiotic metabolism, and mucosal protection. The major homeostatic functions of the enteric nuclear receptor network are the topic of this review.
Reproducibility of Growth Hormone Stimulation Tests (Arginine and Insulin), Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) -I and IGF-Binding Protein-3 Measurements

Recently there have been some data suggesting that the results of GH stimulation tests are not reproducible. We studied here the reproducibility of GH stimulation tests (arginine and insulin) and compared it with the reproducibility of serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 measurements. The interdaily variation of traditional GH tests can be higher than that of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 measurements. We should not over-rely upon traditional GH stimulation tests to diagnose GH insufficiency.
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Reused versus Disposable Dental Burs

Purpose Health care infection control has led to increased utilization of disposable medical devices, which has subsequently led to adverse environmental effects attributed to health care and its supply chain. In dental practice, the dental bur is a commonly used instrument that can be either reused or used once and then disposed. To evaluate the disparities in environmental impacts of disposable and reusable dental burs, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed.
The Handicapped in the Workforce

We review the literature on training, placement, and employment outcomes for the handicapped, and raise questions concerning the methodological soundness of previous research and the effects of governmental and industry programs designed to aid the handicapped. Governmental policies that financially penalize the working handicapped can act as disincentives to employment.
The energy complexity of register files

Register files (RF) represent a substantial portion of the energy budget in modern processors, and are growing rapidly with the trend towards wider instruction issue. The actual access energy costs depend greatly on the register file circuitry used. This paper compares various RF circuitry techniques for their energy ef- ficiencies, as a function of architectural parameters such as the number of registers and the number of ports. The Port Priority Selection technique was found to be the most energy efficient. The dependence of register file access energy upon technology scaling is also studied. However, as this paper shows, it appears that none of these will be enough to prevent centralized register files from becoming the dominant power component of next-generation superscalar computers, and alternative methods for inter-instruction communication need to be developed. Split register file architecture is analyzed as a possible alternative.
Controlling factors in the distribution and development of incised meanders in the central Colorado Plateau

A study of the distribution and geometry of incised meanders in 64 reaches encompassed approximately 600 km of the Green, Colorado, and San Juan Rivers in the central Colorado Plateau. The sinuosity, average planform size, and average cross-sectional symmetry of each reach were determined by map measurements and by spectral analysis of the curvature series for each reach, as determined from interpolations of the digitized traces of the channels. Possible controlling variables examined, including average channel gradient, drainage area, average bedrock erodibility, and bedrock structure, were compiled for each reach, using available maps. Gradients in the studied reaches are significantly correlated with bedrock type. Sinuous incised channels are generally found in low-gradient reaches. In the San Juan River, the channel is sinuous where it flows against the bedrock dip and generally straight in reaches where flow is downdip. This correlation is weak in the Green and Colorado Rivers. The average meander size of the sinuous reaches, as described by the median curvature value for each reach, is generally less in steeper reaches than in low-gradient reaches, although the relation of bend size to controlling variables is much less clear than for sinuosity or cross-section shape. Most meander cross sections in the area are relatively symmetrical, but highly ingrown forms are also present. In general, symmetric bends are associated with resistant bedrock units, whereas ingrown forms develop in massive sandstone and in highly erodible bedrock. Gradient significantly influences the distribution of ingrown bends, with asymmetric meanders concentrated in reaches of low average gradient; this correlation is stronger than that between cross-section shape and lithology itself. Incised meanders of the central Colorado Plateau are probably at least partly inherited from ancestral streams of unknown age that flowed across the area before the present canyons were cut. Correlation between meander distribution and regional structures suggests that the general location of low-gradient sinuous reaches has probably not changed during the incision of the present canyons. Incised meanders, however, are clearly able to modify their geometry in response to changes in bedrock resistance, as indicated by the strong correlation between bedrock type and cross-section symmetry. One mechanism of modification is abandonment of bends, which is documented by 18 cutoff meanders in the study area.
Upper Airway Volume Segmentation Analysis Using Cine MRI Findings in Children with Tracheostomy Tubes

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the airway dynamics of the upper airway as depicted on cine MRI in children with tracheotomy tubes during two states of airflow through the upper airway. Materials and Methods: Sagittal fast gradient echo cine MR images of the supra-glottic airway were obtained with a 1.5T MRI scanner on seven children with tracheotomy tubes. Two sets of images were obtained with either the tubes capped or uncapped. The findings of the cine MRI were retrospectively reviewed. Volume segmentation of the cine images to compare the airway volume change over time (mean volume, standard deviation, normalized range, and coefficient of variance) was performed for the capped and uncapped tubes in both the nasopharynx and hypopharynx (Signed Rank Test). Results: Graphical representation of the airway volume over time demonstrates a qualitative increased fluctuation in patients with the tracheotomy tube capped as compared to uncapped in both the nasopharyngeal and hypopharyngeal regions of interest. In the nasopharynx, the mean airway volume (capped 2.72 mL, uncapped 2.09 mL, p = 0.0313), the airway volume standard deviation (capped 0.42 mL, uncapped 0.20 mL, p = 0.0156), and the airway volume range (capped 2.10 mL, uncapped 1.09 mL, p = 0.0156) were significantly larger in the capped group of patients. In the hypopharynx, the airway volume standard deviation (capped 1.54 mL, uncapped 0.67 mL, p = 0.0156), and the airway volume range (capped 6.44 mL, uncapped 2.93 mL, p = 0.0156) were significantly larger in the capped tubes. The coefficient of variance (capped 0.37, uncapped 0.26, p = 0.0469) and the normalized range (capped 1.52, uncapped 1.09, p = 0.0313) were significantly larger in the capped tubes.
Synthesis and characterization of novel polyanhydrides with tailored erosion mechanisms

We have designed a new synthesis route to create polyanhydrides based on monomers that contain hydrophilic entities within highly hydrophobic backbones. The method results in polyanhydrides that can be easily processed into drug-containing tablets. The synthesis, characterization, and erosion studies of polyanhydride copolymers based on 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane (CPH), which is highly hydrophobic, and 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6-dioxaoctane (CPTEG), which has hydrophilic oligomeric ethylene glycol segments in the monomer unit, was performed using a combination of molecular spectroscopy, thermal analysis, gravimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The studies demonstrate that by increasing the CPH content in the CPTEG:CPH copolymers, the erosion of the system can be tailored from bulk-eroding to surface-eroding mechanism. These systems have promise as protein carriers.
Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmitted

Why do people think and act politically in the manner they do? Despite the foundational nature of this question, answers are unfortunately incomplete and unnecessarily tentative, largely because political scientists do not take seriously the possibility of nonenvironmental influences. The suggestion that people could be born with political predispositions strikes many as far-fetched, odd, even perverse. However, researchers in other disciplines—‐ notably behavioral genetics—‐have uncovered a substantial heritable component for many social attitudes and behaviors and it seems unlikely that political attitudes and behaviors are completely immune from such forces. In this article, we combine relevant findings in behavioral genetics with our own analysis of data on a large sample of twins to test the hypothesis that, contrary to the assumptions embedded in political science research, political attitudes have genetic as well as environmental causes. 1
Evolutionary techniques for updating query cost models in a dynamic multidatabase environment

Deriving local cost models for query optimization in a dynamic multidatabase system (MDBS) is a challenging issue. In this paper, we study how to evolve a query cost model to capture a slowly-changing dynamic MDBS environment so that the cost model is kept up-to-date all the time. Two novel evolutionary techniques, i.e., the shifting method and the block-moving method, are proposed. The former updates a cost model by taking up-to-date information from a new sample query into consideration at each step, while the latter considers a block (batch) of new sample queries at each step. The relevant issues, including derivation of recurrence updating formulas, development of efficient algorithms, analysis and comparison of complexities, and design of an integrated scheme to apply the two methods adaptively, are studied. Our theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed techniques are quite promising in maintaining accurate cost models efficiently for a slowly changing dynamic MDBS environment. Besides the application to MDBSs, the proposed techniques can also be applied to the automatic maintenance of cost models in self-managing database systems.
Analyzing the Structural Change and Growth Relationship in India: State-level Evidence

This paper examines the link between structural change and growth in India. It constructs indices of structural change, and performs a panel data analysis using data for India’s 16 major states. It finds that there is one-way positive impact from structural change to growth for the period 20002006. This finding emerges only if one assumes that the disturbances are heteroskedastic, contemporaneously cross-sectionally correlated and autocorrelated of type AR(1).
Successful Therapist–Parent Coaching: How In Vivo Feedback Relates to Parent Engagement in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy

Although behavioral parent training is considered efficacious treatment for childhood conduct problems, not all families benefit equally from treatment. Some parents take longer to change their behaviors and others ultimately drop out. Understanding how therapist behaviors impact parental engagement is necessary to improve treatment utilization. This study investigated how different techniques of therapist in vivo feedback (i.e., coaching) influenced parent attrition and skill acquisition in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). Participants included 51 parent-child dyads who participated in PCIT. Children (age: M = 5.03, SD = 1.65) were predominately minorities (63% White Hispanic, 16% African American or Black). Eight families discontinued treatment prematurely. Therapist coaching techniques during the first session of treatment were coded using the Therapist-Parent Interaction Coding System, and parent behaviors were coded with the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, Third Edition. Parents who received more responsive coaching acquired child-centered parenting skills more quickly. Therapists used fewer responsive techniques and more drills with families who dropped out of treatment. A composite of therapist behaviors accurately predicted treatment completion for 86% of families. Although group membership was correctly classified for the treatment completers, only 1 dropout was accurately predicted. Findings suggest that therapist in vivo feedback techniques may impact parents' success in PCIT and that responsive coaching may be particularly relevant.
Reform Judaism, B'tzelem Ehlohim, and Gay Rights

This essay, to be published in a collection entitled Faith and Law: How Religious Traditions from Calvinism to Islam View American Law (Robert Cochran, ed., NYU Press, forthcoming), gives a brief survey of Reform Judaism before focusing on the position of Reform Judaism in favor of gay and lesbian rights. It does so by examining the Reform movement's interpretation of Jewish texts, its treatments of gays and lesbians within the movement, and its positions on issues of public policy involving discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The essay gives particular attention to the Reform movement's position on and reaction to Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S. 649 (2000), the case holding that the group's First Amendment right of expressive association protected its policy of discrimination against gays as members or leader. After Dale was decided, the Reform movement urged its congregations and individual members to end any associations they had with Boy Scout troops. The essay concludes with the author's account of her own congregation's decision to end its sponsorship of a Cub Scout pack during her tenure as its president.
John Steinbeck’s Log from the “Sea of Cortez”: One of Husserl’s Infinite Tasks?

In this paper, I argue that in The Log from the “Sea of Cortez,” John Steinbeck often speaks in a distinctively phenomenological voice. To substantiate this claim, I consider a number of his philosophical observations, aligning them with passages in the Husserlian corpus to draw out their phenomenological character. More specifically, I focus on two significant themes: the role and perspective of the scientist and the simultaneously absolute and relative nature of truth. The project is useful in two ways. First, it reveals the heretofore overlooked phenomenological tenor of Steinbeck’s Log. And second, it brings new and helpful examples from Steinbeck’s work to bear on Husserl’s own work, which is often woefully frugal in the provision of examples.
Dissemination of CPR video self-instruction materials to secondary trainees: Results from a hospital-based CPR education trial

Abstract Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) video self-instruction (VSI) materials have been promoted as a scalable approach to increase the prevalence of CPR skills among the lay public, in part due to the opportunity for secondary training (i.e., sharing of training materials). However, the motivations for, and barriers to, disseminating VSI materials to secondary trainees is poorly understood. Methods This work represents an ancillary investigation of a prospective hospital-based CPR education trial in which family members of cardiac patients were trained using VSI. Mixed-methods surveys were administered to primary trainees six months after initial enrollment. Surveys were designed to capture motivations for, and barriers to, sharing VSI materials, the number of secondary trainees with whom materials were shared, and the settings, timing, and recipients of trainings. Results Between 07/2012 and 05/2015, 653 study participants completed a six-month follow-up interview. Of those, 345 reported sharing VSI materials with 1455 secondary trainees. Materials were shared most commonly with family members. In a logistic regression analysis, participants in the oldest quartile (age >63 years) were less likely to share materials compared to those in the youngest quartile (age ≤44 years, OR 0.58, CI 0.37–0.90, p =0.02). Among the 308 participants who did not share their materials, time constraints was the most commonly cited barrier for not sharing. Conclusions VSI materials represent a strategy for secondary dissemination of CPR training, yet older individuals have a lower likelihood of sharing relative to younger individuals. Further work is warranted to remedy perceived barriers to CPR dissemination among the lay public using VSI approaches.
Gold(III) diazonium complexes for electrochemical reductive grafting.

Gold(III) diazonium complexes were synthesized for the first time and studied for electrochemical reductive grafting. The diazonium complex [CN-4-C6H4N≡N]AuCl4 was synthesized by protonating CN-4-C6H4NH2 with chloroauric acid H[AuCl4]·3H2O to form the ammonium salt [CN-4-C6H4NH3]AuCl4, which was then oxidized by the one-electron oxidizing agent [NO]PF6 in CH3CN. The highly irreversible reduction potential of 0.1 mM [CN-4-C6H4N≡N]AuCl4 observed at −0.06 V versus Ag/AgCl in CH3CN/0.1 M [Bu4N]PF6 encompasses both gold(0) deposition and diazonium reduction. Repeated scans showed the absence of the reduction peak on the second run, which indicates that surface modification with a blocking gold aryl film has occurred and is largely complete.
Supramolecular Ultrathin Film Strategies for DNA Assemblies: Substrates for Optobioelectronics, Gene Therapy, and Microarrays

We describe our strategies and results in the preparation of supramolecularly ordered ultrathin films of DNA assemblies using the layer-by-layer (LbL) alternate polyelectrolyte adsorption technique. The properties of DNA are intimately associated with their polyelectrolyte behavior in solution. Deposition at interfaces is governed by conformation, orientation, and charge density of these biomolecules in relation to the physisorption phenomena in oppositely charged surfaces. Thus, controlling the nature of surfaces (polymer charge density, ionic strength, other non-covalent interactions, etc.) is important in modifying the adsorption phenomena. In this work, differences in adsorption and incorporation of DNA with dyes, linear polymers and dendrimers are highlighted. A number of surface sensitive spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were used to probe the adsorption and multilayer assembly phenomena, e.g. surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPS), AFM, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and ellipsometry. These studies are important for future applications such as the use of polycations as non-viral gene transfection vectors for drug-delivery and DNA adsorption on microarray surfaces. By combining with the alternate assembly of azobenzene and phthalocyanine dyes, we have been able to prepare optobiolelectronic substrates where the phenomena of irradiation and electrochemistry can be used to probe the ordering and response of these films.
Organizing principles for single-joint movements. II. A speed-sensitive strategy

1. Normal human subjects made discrete flexions of the elbow over a fixed distance in the horizontal plane from a stationary initial position to a visually defined target. We measured joint angle, acceleration, and electromyograms (EMGs) from two agonist and two antagonist muscles. 2. Changes in movement speed were elicited either by explicit instruction to the subject or by adjusting the target width. Instructions always required accurately stopping in the target zone. 3. Peak inertial torques and accelerations, movement times, and integrated EMGs were all highly correlated with speed. We show that inertial torque can be used as a linking variable that is almost sufficient to explain all correlations between the task, the EMG, and movement kinematics. 4. When subjects perform tasks that require control of movement speed, they adjust the rate at which torque is developed by the muscles. This rate is modulated by the way in which the muscles are activated. The rate at which joint torque develops is correlated with the rate at which the agonist EMG rises as well as with integrated EMG. 5. The antagonist EMG shows two components. The latency of the first is 30-50 ms and independent of movement dynamics. The latency of the second component is proportional to movement time. The rate of rise and area of both components scale with torque. 6. We propose organizing principles for the control of single-joint movements in which tasks are performed by one of two strategies. These are called speed-insensitive and speed-sensitive strategies. 7. A model is proposed in which movements made under a speed-sensitive strategy are executed by controlling the intensity of an excitation pulse delivered to the motoneuron pool. The effect is to regulate the rate at which joint torque, and consequently acceleration, increases. 8. Movements of variable distance, speed, accuracy, and load are shown to be controlled by one of two consistent sets of rules for muscle activation. These rules apply to the control of both the agonist and antagonist muscles. Rules of activation lead to distinguishable patterns of EMG and torque development. All observable changes in movement kinematics are explained as deterministic consequences of these effects.
Effect of hot top casting structure and casting process on surface quality of 7075 aluminum alloy ingot

Taking the multi-stream semi-continuous casting equipment as a reference,a single stream semi-continuous casting device has been built up for experiment,and 7075 aluminum alloy has been cast by the experiment device.It can be taken as a basic sample for designing multi-stream semi-continuous casting equipment to be used in industrial enterprises.The effect of casting speed and hot top structure on the surface quality has been investigated.The results show that casting speed increasing can only abate but can not eliminate the cold shuts;decreasing of critical casting speed can obtain ingots with quality surface but can not keep stable semi-continuous casting in long period,so can not be used in industrial condition;reducing overhang does not improve the ingot surface;when the triangle area between the hot top and mold being filled with lubricant,the semi-continuous casting can be kept stable and qualified ingots with excellent surface can be obtained.
Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (PNENs)

All of the following are histologic characteristics of well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNENs), except:
Investing in agriculture: A preference for democracy or dictatorship?:

Driven by food crises and constraints on natural resources, investors are increasingly leasing or purchasing farmland abroad. This study systematically tests which political institutions attract these investors. I argue that food scarcity concerns incentivize foreign investors in agriculture to prioritize unopposed, quick deals above other predicted factors such as low political risk. I thus predict that investors will invest in nondemocratic hosts and hosts with weak laws to ensure fast negotiations, easily transferred land, and minimal citizen opposition. Panel regressions corroborate that the rule of law is statistically insignificant and democracy is negative and statistically significant in predicting agricultural foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows.
Epidemiology of Travelers' Diarrhea

Abstract Acute diarrhea is the most common medical complaint of international travelers to high-risk tropical and semitropical regions of the world. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most common cause with strains of Campylobacter jejuni and other invasive bacterial enteropathogens also important causes especially in South Asia. Treatment can shorten the disease. Loperamide and other drugs acting symptomatically can decrease the number of watery stools passed and antimicrobial agents can shorten the overall illness. Because of the significance of acquiring fecal carriage of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae with antibiotics, most travel authorities only recommend treatment with these drugs when illness is moderate to severe. Mild illness, which allows people to function relatively normally, is best left untreated or treated symptomatically. A major health consequence of travelers' diarrhea (TD) is development of postinfectious functional bowel disease, which may occur in as many as 5% of those reporting TD.
Management of synchronous phyllodes tumors with invasive breast carcinoma: A review of the literature and a case report breast

Abstract Phyllodes tumor is a relatively infrequent diagnosis in breast pathology, and even less commonly it can be associated with synchronous invasive or in situ breast carcinoma. We present an unusual case of a borderline phyllodes tumor coexisting with invasive lobular carcinoma and lobular carcinoma in situ . A review of prior similar cases demonstrates that malignant phyllodes tumors may be more likely to be associated with both triple-negative breast carcinomas as well as other primary malignancies, and as such tend to have worse outcomes. Management strategies should be tailored to individual patients' pathology with this in mind.
Life History, Behavior, and Development of Wild Immature Lowland Woolly Monkeys (Lagothrix poeppigii) in Amazonian Ecuador

Primate life histories are marked by remarkably long prereproductive periods, particularly in atelins. Woolly monkeys have among the longest immature phases relative to their body size, but the behavior of woolly monkey juveniles and adolescents has until now been largely unknown. This chapter establishes guidelines for identifying developmental landmarks in immature woolly monkeys and presents data on a study of the behavioral development and life history of wild juvenile and adolescent lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix poeppigii) in Amazonian Ecuador. Despite overall low levels of sociality across all ages in this taxon, some sex-specific developmental patterns emerged. Male immatures preferentially interacted with adult male groupmates, presumably to gain access to important social resources. Female immatures appeared to increasingly distance themselves from groupmates up to dispersal, but showed a sharp increase in sexual interest in coresident adult males immediately prior to dispersing. Although data on adolescents are limited, this phase in particular appears to be a time of critical importance to woolly monkey life histories in both males and females, and may be of particular interest for future research.
Researcher disciplines and the assessment techniques used to evaluate Laurentian Great Lakes coastal ecosystems

Abstract The Laurentian Great Lakes of North America have been a focus of environmental and ecosystem research since the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972. This study provides a review of scientific literature directed at the assessment of Laurentian Great Lakes coastal ecosystems. Our aim was to understand the methods employed to quantify disturbance and ecosystem quality within Laurentian Great Lakes coastal ecosystems within the last 20 years. We focused specifically on evidence of multidisciplinary articles, in authorship or types of assessment parameters used. We sought to uncover: 1) where Laurentian Great Lakes coastal ecosystems are investigated, 2) how patterns in the disciplines of researchers have shifted over time, 3) how measured parameters differed among disciplines, and 4) which parameters were used most often. Results indicate research was conducted almost evenly across the five Laurentian Great Lakes and that publication of coastal ecosystems studies increased dramatically ten years after the first State of the Great Lakes Ecosystem Conference in 1994. Research authored by environmental scientists and by multiple disciplines (multidisciplinary) have become more prevalent since 2003. This study supports the likelihood that communication and knowledge-sharing is happening between disciplines on some level. Multidisciplinary or environmental science articles were the most inclusive of parameters from different disciplines, but every discipline seemed to include chemical parameters less often than biota, physical, and spatial parameters. There is a need for an increased understanding of minor nutrient, toxin, and heavy metal impacts and use of spatial metrics in Laurentian Great Lakes coastal ecosystems.
Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy affects expression of adipogenic‑regulating genes peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in lean male mice offspring

Purpose Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a widespread issue that may have long-lasting consequences on offspring adiposity. We sought to determine how maternal vitamin D deficiency during the perinatal period would affect offspring adipose tissue development and gene expression.
Prognostic value of F18-FDG PET/CT and autoimmune antibody panels in patients with suspected paraneoplastic syndromes

631 Objectives Paraneoplastic syndromes constitute a challenging diagnostic problem, as the underlying malignancy may remain hidden for a long time after the presentation of symptoms. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the prognostic performance of F18-FDG PET/CT and/or autoimmune antibody panels (AB) in patients with suspected paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS). Methods Our inpatient PET/CT database was queried using “paraneoplastic” and including scans from 2003 to 2013. A total of 170 inpatients were identified who underwent F18-FDG PET/CT and had an antibody panel ordered within 30 days for suspected PNS. PET results for PNS were considered positive if increased FDG uptake indicated malignancy. Each scan was assessed on a 5-point scale: 1 - disease free, 2 - disease unlikely, 3 - equivocal status, 4 - disease probable, 5 - disease present. Autoimmune panels were considered positive if they found partially or well defined antibodies indicating PNS. Survival data were obtained from a variety of sources. Results Area under the ROC curve for survival was 0.841 (p Conclusions PET/CT is of significant prognostic value in patients with suspected paraneoplastic syndrome. Autoimmune antibody panels appear to be, when considered alone, an insignificant predictor of survival. The combination of PET/CT and antibody panels offered the best prognostic value in this inpatient population.
Expertos, química y medicina: Antonio Casares (1812-1888), José Salgado (1811-1890) y la controversia en torno al análisis de las aguas del balneario de Carratraca

En este articulo se estudia una controversia cientifica relacionada con el analisis quimico de las aguas del balneario de Carratraca. El articulo discute la construccion de la autoridad cientifica de dos expertos espanoles en aguas minerales a mediados del siglo XIX: Antonio Casares, catedratico de quimica en la Universidad de Santiago y Jose Salgado, el medico director del balneario. En este articulo se estudian los recursos utilizados por ambos expertos en la disputa y se muestra como muchas polemicas cientificas no implicaban unicamente la discusion de cuestiones tecnicas sino que respondian a los numerosos intereses economicos, sociales y personales de sus participantes. Ademas de estudiar el papel desempenado por ambos expertos en la polemica, se considera la participacion de otros actores, cada uno con distintos grados de conocimiento. Su intervencion en el debate se reflejo tanto en medios especializados, memorias medicas, monografias, tratados quimicos o articulos especializados como en la prensa general. Finalmente, el articulo muestra que la discusion sobre los metodos de analisis utilizados, los instrumentos utilizados y la interpretacion de los resultados tambien implicaba la discusion de cuestiones como la formacion y las capacidades de los expertos, sus privilegios y prerrogativas y su autoridad cientifica, que afectaban tanto al desarrollo de la controversia como a su finalizacion.
Time-driven activity-based costing to estimate cost of care at multidisciplinary aerodigestive centers

Objectives/Hypothesis Providing high-value healthcare to patients is increasingly becoming an objective for providers including those at multidisciplinary aerodigestive centers. Measuring value has two components: 1) identify relevant health outcomes and 2) determine relevant treatment costs. Via their inherent structure, multidisciplinary care units consolidate care for complex patients. However, their potential impact on decreasing healthcare costs is less clear. The goal of this study was to estimate the potential cost savings of treating patients with laryngeal clefts at multidisciplinary aerodigestive centers. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Methods Time-driven activity-based costing was used to estimate the cost of care for patients with laryngeal cleft seen between 2008 and 2013 at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Pediatric Aerodigestive Center. Retrospective chart review was performed to identify clinic utilization by patients as well as patient diet outcomes after treatment. Patients were stratified into neurologically complex and neurologically noncomplex groups. Results The cost of care for patients requiring surgical intervention was five and three times as expensive of the cost of care for patients not requiring surgery for neurologically noncomplex and complex patients, respectively. Following treatment, 50% and 55% of complex and noncomplex patients returned to normal diet, whereas 83% and 87% of patients experienced improved diets, respectively. Additionally, multidisciplinary team-based care for children with laryngeal clefts potentially achieves 20% to 40% cost savings. Conclusions These findings demonstrate how time-driven activity-based costing can be used to estimate and compare patient costs in multidisciplinary aerodigestive centers. Level of Evidence 2c. Laryngoscope, 127:2152–2158, 2017
Rural Rentierism and the Financial Enclosure of Maine's Open Lands Tradition

This article looks at the changing nature of property access regimes in northeastern Maine. The state's unique “open lands” tradition has come under threat as a result of the large-scale restructuring of the timber industry from vertically integrated forest products companies toward individual and institutional investor-owners. Using a large conservation project in the town of Grand Lake Stream as a case study, I argue that new investor-owners have been able to generate profits by enclosing long-standing common access regimes and commanding monopoly rent payments. After reviewing literatures on rent, enclosure, and the commodification of nature, I examine two prominent examples of this process of rent extraction through the enclosure of common access regimes: lease lots and working forest conservation easements. The article concludes arguing for regulatory intervention, as well as the need for more concrete case studies on the impacts of financial investment on the biophysical environment.
Studies on a Multienzyme Complex Containing RuBP Carboxylase, Phosphoribo-Isomerase and Phosphoribulokinase

In some prokaryotes it has been reported that the enzymes of the photo-synthetic carbon reduction cycle are associated in polyhedral bodies called carboxysomes (1). In eukaryotes where the high protein concentration in the stroma (2) makes protein-protein interactions inevitable, aggregates of photosynthetic enzymes have not been frequently reported. Recently we have observed that RuBPCase in pea chloroplasts was associated with phosphoribu-lokinase and phosphoriboisomerase (3) and had a molecular weight of 800, 000 to 850, 000 daltons. Here we report some of the kinetic properties of the RuBPCase complex and discuss the potential significance of the influence of the aggregated state of the enzymes on their properties.
Quasi-experimental designs for community-level public health violence reduction interventions: a case study in the challenges of selecting the counterfactual

We highlight the importance of documenting the step-by-step processes used for the selection of comparison areas when evaluating a community-level intervention that targets a large-scale community. We demonstrate the proposed method using a propensity score matching framework for an impact analysis of the Cure Violence Public Health Model in Philadelphia. To select comparison communities, propensity score models are run using different levels of aggregation to define the intervention site. We discuss the trade-offs made. We find wide variation in documentation and explanation in the extant literature of the methods used to select comparison communities. The size of the unit of analysis at which a community is measured complicates the decision processes, and in turn, can affect the validity of the counterfactual. It is important to carefully consider the unit of analysis for measurement of comparison communities. Assessing the geographic clustering of matched communities to mirror that of the treated community holds conceptual appeal and represents a strategy to consider when evaluating community-level interventions taking place at a large scale. Regardless of the final decisions made in the selection of the counterfactual, the field could benefit from more systematic diagnostic tools that document and guide the steps and decisions along the way, and ask: “could there have been another way of doing each step, and what difference would this have made?” Overall, across community-level evaluations that utilize quasi-experimental designs, documentation of the counterfactual selection process will provide a more fine-grained understanding of causal inference.
Dynamic cloud motion forecasting from satellite images

This paper describes a new algorithm for solar energy forecasting from a sequence of Cloud Optical Depth (COD) images. The algorithm is based on the following simple observation: the dynamics of clouds represented by COD images resembles the motion (transport) of a density in a fluid flow. This suggests that, to forecast the motion of COD images, it is sufficient to forecast the flow. The latter, in turn, can be accomplished by fitting a parametric model of the fluid flow to the COD images observed in the past. Namely, the learning phase of the algorithm is composed of the following steps: (i) given a sequence of COD images, the snapshots of the optical flow are estimated from two consecutive COD images; (ii) these snapshots are then assimilated into a Navier-Stokes Equation (NSE), i.e. an initial velocity field for NSE is selected so that the corresponding NSE' solution is as close as possible to the optical flow snapshots. The prediction phase consists of utilizing a linear transport equation, which describes the propagation of COD images in the fluid flow predicted by NSE, to estimate the future motion of the COD images. The algorithm has been tested on COD images provided by two geostationary operational environmental satellites from NOAA serving the west-hemisphere.
The Ineluctable Modality of the Visibly Disabled in James Joyce's Ulysses

Though Leopold Bloom has long been beloved for his frail and familiar humanity, he has also been praised, regularly, for one outstanding virtue: sympathy. Reexamination of the central protagonist of James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922) reveals, however, that Bloom’s brand of pity is one link in that “chain of complicity” perpetuated by occidental institutions throughout the twentieth century, a posture “that colludes (knowingly or unknowingly) to limit the freedoms and mobility of people with disabilities” (Snyder and Mitchell 4). Bloom’s fundamental unwillingness to accept his status as one of the “temporarily abled”— an individual whose position along a continuum of physical and mental differences will necessarily change with age and experience (Davis 1, 7)—generates an abiding, opaque fear that shadows the halting kindheartedness for which he has been celebrated. By sketching Bloom’s less blatant prejudices alongside those of his louder, more demonstrative fellow citizens, Joyce insinuates a critique of not on...
HuR-mediated SCN5A messenger RNA stability reduces arrhythmic risk in heart failure

Background Downregulated sodium currents in heart failure (HF) have been linked to increased arrhythmic risk. Reduced expression of the messenger RNA (mRNA)–stabilizing protein HuR (also known as ELAVL1) may be responsible for the downregulation of sodium channel gene SCN5A mRNA. Objective The purpose of this article was to investigate whether HuR regulates SCN5A mRNA expression and whether manipulation of HuR benefits arrhythmia control in HF. Methods Quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the expression of SCN5A. Optical mapping of the intact heart was adopted to study the effects of HuR on the conduction velocity and action potential upstroke in mice with myocardial infarct and HF after injection of AAV9 viral particles carrying HuR. Results HuR was associated with SCN5A mRNA in cardiomyocytes, and expression of HuR was downregulated in failing hearts. The association of HuR and SCN5A mRNA protected SCN5A mRNA from decay. Injection of AAV9 viral particles carrying HuR increased SCN5A expression in mouse heart tissues after MI. Optical mapping of the intact heart demonstrated that overexpression of HuR improved action potential upstroke and conduction velocity in the infarct border zone, which reduced the risk of reentrant arrhythmia after MI. Conclusion Our data indicate that HuR is an important RNA-binding protein in maintaining SCN5A mRNA abundance in cardiomyocytes. Reduced expression of HuR may be at least partially responsible for the downregulation of SCN5A mRNA expression in ischemic HF. Overexpression of HuR may rescue decreased SCN5A expression and reduce arrhythmic risk in HF. Increasing mRNA stability to increase ion channel currents may correct a fundamental defect in HF and represent a new paradigm in antiarrhythmic therapy.
HYBRID MINIMALLY INVASIVE APPROACH FOR TRANSVENOUS LEAD EXTRACTION IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS

Cardiac rhythm management devices (pacemakers) are being increasingly implanted worldwide not only for symptomatic bradycardia, but also for the management of arrhythmia and heart failure. Despite the overall safety, transvenous lead extraction (TLE) remains a challenging procedure with inherent
Retrospondyloptosis of the Spine Secondary to Nonaccidental Trauma

Spinal fracture rates from NAT have been reported in <1-3% of spinal injury cases. We present a 13-month-old female who presented with signs of spinal cord injury and was found to have complete retrospondylolisthesis of T12 vertebra and multiple rib fractures in various stages of healing due to NAT. This case reports an extremely severe spinal injury due to NAT of which there are few in the literature and highlights the importance of suspicion of NAT when pediatric patients present with neurologic symptoms and spinal trauma without plausible mechanism of injury.
Modeling and Analysis of Substrate Noise Coupling in Mixed-Signal ICs

Methods for the modeling and analysis of substrate noise coupling in mixed signal integrated circuits are presented. The physical phenomena responsible for the creation of the undesired signals as well as the transmission mechanisms and media are described. Modeling and analysis techniques to quantify the noise coupling phenomena are presented. A computer-aided design methodology based on the modeling approaches and developed for the analysis and design of noise coupling in mixed-signal integrated circuits is described.
Perfluoroalkyl substances and kidney function in chronic kidney disease, anemia, and diabetes.

Background Anemia often complicates chronic kidney disease (CKD), leading to insufficient tissue oxygenation and hypoxic injury, the factor thought to underlie progression from CKD to renal failure. Perfluorocarbons are potent oxygen transporters used in organ preservation and synthetic blood development. Data are scarce on their relationship with kidney function, especially in diabetes where anemia and hypoxia are more prevalent. We investigated the relationship of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAS) with kidney function and variation by diabetes and anemia status. Methods Data on 53,650 adults (5,210 with diabetes) were obtained from the C8 Health Project. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Four PFAS were investigated: perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonate, and perfluorononanoic acid. Findings Each PFAS was positively associated with eGFR among those with CKD or anemia; this was the strongest among those with both CKD and anemia, followed by those with CKD uncomplicated by anemia. These relationships were more pronounced among those with diabetes (all P<0.01). In the absence of both CKD and anemia, PFAS was inversely associated with eGFR. Among persons with both anemia and diabetes, when further stratified by CKD stage, compared to an eGFR <30, ORs (95% CI) for being in the eGFR ≥ 90, 60-89, 45-59, and 30-45 range, respectively, were 3.20 (2.00-5.13), 2.64 (1.83-3.80), 3.18 (2.17-4.67), and 1.99 (1.38-2.86) for each ng/dL increase in PFHxS. Results were similar for each PFAS. Interpretation PFAS are inversely associated with kidney function in CKD and diabetes, with a stronger relation observed when anemia is present.
Facility-Level Variation and Clinical Outcomes in Use of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy With and Without an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator.

Background: Little is known about real-world facility-level preferences for cardiac resynchronization therapy devices with (CRT-D) and without (CRT-P) defibrillator backup. We quantify this variati...