cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ZBP1/DAI ubiquitination and sensing of influenza vRNPs activate programmed cell death

Innate sensing of influenza virus infection induces activation of programmed cell death pathways. We have recently identified Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1) as an innate sensor of influenza A virus (IAV). ZBP1-mediated IAV sensing is critical for triggering programmed cell death in the infected lungs. Surprisingly, little is known about the mechanisms regulating ZBP1 activation to induce programmed cell death. Here, we report that the sensing of IAV RNA by retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I) initiates ZBP1-mediated cell death via the RIG-I-MAVS-IFN-β signaling axis. IAV infection induces ubiquitination of ZBP1, suggesting potential regulation of ZBP1 function through posttranslational modifications. We further demonstrate that ZBP1 senses viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complexes of IAV to trigger cell death. These findings collectively indicate that ZBP1 activation requires RIG-I signaling, ubiquitination, and vRNP sensing to trigger activation of programmed cell death pathways during IAV infection. The mechanism of ZBP1 activation described here may have broader implications in the context of virus-induced cell death.
Primary Cutaneous Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Primary cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare adnexal neoplasm. Both eccrine and apocrine glands have been posited to be the source of this tumor; however, its precise histogenesis remains unclear. It bears considerable histological and immunophenotypic similarity to its salivary gland counterpart but behaves in a less aggressive manner.
Birthweight and serum uric acid in American adolescents.

Elevated serum uric acid is associated with hypertension and chronic kidney disease. We evaluated the relationship between birthweight and uric acid in a nationally representative sample of 5390 US adolescents aged 12-15 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2012. There was an inverse association between birthweight and uric acid after adjustment for sex, age, race, obesity, and dietary sodium intake. Each 1 kg increase in birthweight was associated with decreased uric acid by 0.11 mg/dL (95% CI: -0.16 to -0.06; model R2 = 0.32). This relationship was stronger in adolescents with elevated blood pressure (β = -0.25; 95% CI: -0.44 to -0.06; R2 = 0.50) but persisted in adolescents with normal blood pressure (β = -0.10; 95% CI: -0.15 to -0.05; R2 = 0.31). In conclusion, lower birthweight is associated with higher uric acid in US adolescents. These findings may support the hypothesis that reduced nephron number is associated with elevated uric acid.
The Teaching and Learning of Tertiary Algebra

This chapter reports on some current educational issues related to the teaching and learning of tertiary algebra—in particular, abstract algebra, discrete mathematics, linear algebra, and number theory. The causes of conceptual difficulties experienced by many students are identified and possible ways of overcoming them, sometimes using a specific pedagogical framework, are discussed. Issues related to students’ motivation are explored and pedagogical possibilities for overcoming some of the problems in both these areas are also explored. This report also addresses issues associated with the dissemination of educational work to tertiary instructors who are typically mathematicians rather than mathematics educators. Furthermore, the role of computers in tertiary algebra courses is considered, focusing on the use of Computer Algebra Systems (at the tertiary level) and the use of the programming language ISETL that helps students construct and work with algebraic objects. This chapter makes recommendations for improving practices for teaching tertiary algebra and proposes areas for further research.
Why Work? Do We Understand What Motivates Work-Related Decisions in South Africa?

Why do people work? In South Africa, where over 50 per cent of working age adults do not have jobs, this question drives to the heart of efforts to encourage employers to create jobs and workers to persist in costly job searches. Much scholarship on unemployment focuses on getting wages right, but employers and employees cite many non-monetary reasons for their employment-related decisions. Popular discourses have over-simplified and moralised work-related decisions to reinforce problematic stereotypes about supposed ‘lazy’ workers. This article analyses ethnographic fieldwork in peri-urban KwaZulu-Natal to identify a category of motivations for work-related decisions that both employers and employees emphasised: ‘right’ relationships. By identifying differences between the two groups’ moralities of appropriate relationships, and the factors inhibiting each group from achieving such relationships, this article points to causes of and potential cures for high unemployment as well as racial, ethnic, and cla...
Failure modes of API 12D tanks with a semicircular-topped rectangular cleanout and stepped shell design

Abstract The American Petroleum Institute Specification 12D (API 12D) provides the oil and gas industry with ten tank designs with nominal capacities ranging from 500 bbl (79.5 m3) to 10,000 bbl (1590 m3). These tanks serve as a temporary product storage medium at the upstream segment of the industry, and are mass-produced to accommodate the demand. The structural performance of these ten 12D tanks is assessed in this study to verify that safe operation is maintained under various loading conditions. This study investigates the behavior and performance of the API 12D tank designs with a new rectangular cleanout with a semicircular top that is surrounded by a reinforcement pad. Various loading patterns were modeled in a finite element analysis approach including internal pressure, vacuum, hydrostatic pressure, and wind load. An elastic stress analysis, an elastic-plastic stress analysis, and an elastic buckling analysis were used in this work to compare the behavior of the tank designs against the failure criteria specified for each type of analyses. The stress level, plastic strain, buckling load, and tank uplift are reported for each of the ten API 12D tank designs and possible shell thickness variations are provided as insight into the performance expected with the new cleanout detail.
The design, fabrication, and electronic properties of self-assembled molecular nanostructures

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the design, fabrication, and electronic properties of cluster-based molecular nanostructures. Details regarding the synthesis and characterization of both molecular wires and nanoscale metallic clusters have been discussed from a perspective that emphasizes the self-assembly of these nearly identical "building blocks" into interesting molecular nanostructures. A theory related to electronic conduction through individual molecular wires, attached at one end to a substrate and probed at the other end by an STM tip, has also been presented. This theory predicts the resistance of a molecular wire, and, more generally, the I (V)characteristics of any molecule. The importance of the coupling between the molecule and substrate was found to be crucial in this analysis. Well-characterized, "unit cell" molecular nanostructures have been fabricated from molecular wires and nanoscale clusters. The I (V) characteristics of a number of these selfassembled molecular nanostructures show compelling evidence of semiclassical Coulomb blockade and Coulomb staircase phenomena at room temperature. Finally, the self-assembly of these "unit cell" nanostructures into highly ordered twodimensional cluster networks has also been described. Each individual cluster in the network is electronically linked to its nearest neighbor by bridging molecular wires.
EBV Transmission and Expression among Patients with PTLD

Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] is the etiological agent of infectious mononucleosis and is strongly associated with Burkitt’s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (1,2,3). EBV has been implicated in the pathogenesis of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders [PTLD], defined as a series of disorders which vary from a severe mononucleosis-like syndrome to B cell lymphoma (4,5,6). From 1981 through 1989, 106 of 3900 [2.9%] pediatric and adult solid organ transplant recipients at the University of Pittsburgh health center developed PTLD. 50% of the patients who developed PTLD were EBV seronegative prior to transplantation and underwent primary EBV infection. Since patients undergoing primary EBV infections within the first 3 to 4 months after transplantation are at greatest risk for the development of PTLD (7,8), virus-host interactions during immunosuppression clearly play a critical role. Our studies have focused on viral factors in the pathogenesis of PTLD, including studies on viral transmission during transplantation and viral gene expression in the PTLD lesions.
Constitutionalizing Democratic Politics

Among the most significant, but least appreciated, developments in Supreme Court decisionmaking over the last generation has been what this Article calls "the constitutionalization of democracy." In recent years, powerful litigants - the major political parties, incumbent officeholders, candidates for the Presidency - have increasingly turned to the courts to subject the fundamental structure of democratic processes and institutions to constitutional constraint. To a degree that would have been inconceivable even 20 years ago, and that has no parallel in any constitutional system outside the United States, these efforts have largely succeeded. This Article first documents the factors that have led to more frequent challenges to the existing structures of democracy in the United States; these challenges can be seen in the renaissance of the voter initiative, the rise of third party politics, and the increasing disaffection of more citizens from traditional forms of politics. The Article then describes how constitutional law has responded to these challenges. The Article builds towards a framework for defining the circumstances in which constitutional oversight of democratic politics is best justified, and when such oversight is least justified. The Article thus seeks to defining the appropriate boundary between constitutional law and democratic politics, and to identify why the need for theoretical clarity about this question is taking on greater urgency as the pressure increases to constitutionlize more features of democratic politics.
Bs0 and Λb0 Lifetimes and Branching Ratios at the Tevatron

We review B s 0 and Λ b 0 lifetime and branching ratio measurements from the CDF and DO experiments from the Tevatron Run II. Using up to 1 fb −1 data samples per experiment, the Λ b 0 lifetime in J / ψ Λ 0 decays, the B s 0 lifetime difference in K + K − and D s ( ∗ ) + D s ( ∗ ) − decays and the B s 0 branching ratio in D s 1 − ( 2536 ) μ + ν X decays are reported.
Bipolar Disorder and Obesity: Contributing Factors, Impact on Clinical Course, and the Role of Bariatric Surgery.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe, common, and chronic affective disorder. This review highlights the BD and obesity connection and the role of treatments for obesity in this population. Patients with BD are at a significantly increased risk for obesity, as compared to those without BD, with obesity serving as a proxy for severity and predictor of poorer outcome. BD is characterized by substantial medical burden, with obesity-related conditions contributing to premature mortality. Pharmacotherapy for BD can cause weight gain and may be moderated by binge eating behavior. Bariatric surgery may be the most robust intervention for weight loss in patients with stable BD, but access may be limited. There is a greater need for interventions to prevent weight gain in BD, the development weight-neutral medications for BD, and more research into the role of bariatric surgery for patients with BD.
On the Rationale of the Bayesian Approach: Comments on Professor Watkins’s Paper

The main thrust of John Watkins’s paper (Watkins, 1977) is criticism of the Bayesian approach. The strange thing is that he never even mentions the standard arguments for the Bayesian approach, and certainly makes no attempt to refutethese arguments. In fact, he writes as if he were quite unfamiliar with the basic literature on Bayesian theory, which contains a thorough discussion of these arguments.
230 Systemic lupus erythematosus and rapidly progressive cardiogenic shock

Background Symptomatic lupus myocarditis is a rare but life-threatening complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Clinical manifestation is variable and includes dyspnea, chest pain, peripheral edema, fever, nausea, vomiting, or palpitations. We describe a case of a young female who developed rapid progressive cardiogenic shock secondary to lupus myocarditis. Methods Not applicable as it is a clinical vignette. The abstract for clinical vignette is attached as a separate document Results Not applicable as it is a clinical vignette The abstract for clinical vignette is attached as a separate document Conclusions The diagnosis of lupus myocarditis is usually achieved clinically and with the use of TTE, cardiac MRI or biopsy. However, none of the current diagnostic modalities have established sensitivity or specificity. Our patient only developed significant TTE findings during the late stage, which led to an unfortunate delay in diagnosis. We suggest that physicians should always have a broad differential diagnosis and high clinical suspicion to avoid late diagnosis and mismanagement of patients, especially when dealing with cardiac manifestations of SLE. Funding Source(s): None
“Honey, I Want to Be a Surrogate”: How Military Spouses Negotiate and Navigate Surrogacy With Their Service Member Husbands:

This article examines how military spouses negotiate the decision to become a surrogate with their service member husband and how the two navigate surrogacy together. It is speculated that military...
Maternal and procedural factors associated with estimated blood loss in second trimester surgical uterine evacuation: a retrospective cohort analysis

Abstract Background Prior studies examining bleeding with uterine evacuation have focused on high-volume centers performing over 1100 procedures annually. The aim of this study was to examine associations between blood loss and patient and procedural characteristics in a center performing fewer than 50 procedures annually. Methods This retrospective cohort study, with institutional review board approval, utilized procedural codes to identify patients undergoing uterine evacuation procedures between 14 weeks’ and 24 weeks’ gestational age across a 50-month period. The primary outcome was estimated blood loss; secondary outcomes were hemorrhage, transfusion and hospital re-admission. Associations between blood loss and other variables were examined using linear regression models. Results Charts of 161 women met inclusion criteria. Median estimated blood loss was 400 mL (IQR 300 mL) with 37% of patients having blood loss of ≥500 mL. In univariate analyses, increased blood loss was associated with later gestational age (P Conclusion While blood loss may be greater in low volume centers, our transfusion and re-admission rates were low following second trimester uterine evacuation.
Migraine Headache and Risk of Dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study

OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the association between migraine headache and incident dementia. BACKGROUND Migraine is a risk factor for white matter hyperintensities and ischemic stroke, which are both associated with increased risk of dementia. However, it is unknown whether migraine is independently associated with dementia. METHODS History of migraine was ascertained via questionnaire. Adjudicated cases of dementia were identified using cognitive tests, neuropsychological exams, and clinician review of suspected cases. Incident dementia was identified using adjudicated cases, follow-up calls, and surveillance of hospital and death codes. We assessed hazards of incident dementia by migraine status. Sex differences were also examined and stratified results were presented. RESULTS Analysis included 12,495 White and African American participants ages 51-70 with a median follow-up time of 21 years. Prevalence of dementia was 18.5% (1821/9955) among those with no migraine history, 15.8% (196/1243) among those with severe non-migraine heading, and 16.7% (233/1397) among migraineurs. There was no association between migraine and incident dementia [hazard ratio: 1.04 (0.91, 1.20)]. There was also no statistically significant interaction between sex and migraine status on risk of dementia. CONCLUSION Despite evidence of brain abnormalities in migraineurs, there was no association between migraine and incident dementia in this prospective cohort.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis Trials in Obstetrics: A Call for Pediatric Collaboration.

Surgical site infections are common complications of cesarean delivery. Many recent studies, including meta-analyses, have assessed the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis. Those articles have demonstrated that preincision antibiotic prophylaxis reduces the incidence of surgical site infections postcesarean, and that the use of adjunctive azithromycin further reduces infection after nonelective cesarean deliveries. However, long-term effects of fetal exposure to antibiotic prophylaxis—including asthma, obesity, and alterations in microbiota—have also been demonstrated. We suggest that while studies of optimal antibiotic regimens proceed, considerations of the potential risks to the neonate should be factored into discussions of benefits and burdens.
Long duration underwater glider dataset: Indian Ocean from Perth, Australia to Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

Abstract This data was collected using an underwater research vehicle, Slocum glider. The glider is an autonomous robot that is able to measure several water properties from surface to 1000 m depth. The duration of missions for underwater gliders are on the order of 1 month to over a year. Detailed here is the live satellite telemetered dataset as transmitted during mission. Dataset includes positional data, vehicle engineering, attitude, temperature, salinity, and depth averaged currents. Raw data as well as some derived variables from the raw data are included in this dataset. This data is transmitted every couple hours and comprises of a subset of the data stored on the vehicle's internal memory. The data is returned in segmented files which comprises of an underwater segment bookended by GPS positions. Because most analysis require longer time series, effort has been taken to conglomerate the segment datasets into a single continuous dataset stitching together the segments. The platform chosen for this is currently MATLAB. This data can provide the community with an example dataset of underwater glider data pertinent to a long duration and low energy glider mission. It also includes ocean measurements of temperature, salinity, and ocean currents. Built into the dataset object are various functions designed to help the user navigate and display a glider's collected data. The effort is being made to serve future datasets, 2017 and onward, via ERDAPP at the following location: http://slocum-data.marine.rutgers.edu/erddap/index.html Analyzed by the Applied Ocean Research article: Modeling for the Performance of Navigation, Control and Data Post-Processing of Underwater Gliders where it is used for flight efficiency analysis as well as ocean model comparisons.
Analysis of Professional Competencies for the Clinical Research Data Management Profession.

Objective This job analysis was conducted to compare, assess and refine the competencies of the clinical research data management profession. Materials and methods Two questionnaires were administered in 2015 and 2018 to collect information from data managers on professional competencies, types of data managed, types of studies supported, and necessary foundational knowledge. Results In 2018 survey, 67 professional competencies were identified. Job tasks differed between early- to mid-career and mid- to late-career practitioners. A large variation in the types of studies conducted and variation in the data managed by the participants was observed. Discussion Clinical research data managers managed different types of data with variety of research settings, which indicated a need for training in methods and concepts that could be applied across therapeutic areas and types of data. Conclusion The competency survey reported here serves as the foundation for the upcoming revision of the Certified Clinical Data Manager (CCDMTM) exam.
Virtual Reality: An Empirical‐Metaphysical Testbed[1]

If the medium is the message, what is the message of virtual reality (VR)? This article examines virtual reality communications media. Some forms of VR, for example immersive virtual reality, literally situate the user inside an informed computational space. The essence of VR is the inclusive relationship between the participant and the virtual environment. Communication takes place through direct experience in the immersive, digital environment. Thus, these environments may directly implicate what we can say about our very ability to know, that is, about consciousness itself. In this sense, VR brings metaphysical inquiry within the purview of an empirical testbed that conjoins human psychology, or the psychological “presence” of the knowing self, with configurable digital phenomena to define “there.” This essay argues that a fundamental message of VR may be to illumine timeless philosophical inquiries concerning the nature of knowing and being and thus direct our attention to what Aristotle called the eternal question: What is reality? VR directs our attention to the nature of reality by directing our attention to consciousness as the experience of being.
A Second Bite at the Apple: What Obergefell v. Hodges Should Have Said

This is a review of Jack M. Balkin’s new book, What Obergefell v. Hodges Should Have Said: The Nation’s Top Legal Experts Rewrite America’s Same-Sex Marriage Decision. The book, edited by Balkin, presents alternative decisions to the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case, written by Balkin and other legal scholars. This format is thoroughly engaging and well-rounded due to the inclusion of dissents.
The Analytical Executive: Budget-Based Strategy Planning

A budget-based strategy planning approach emphasizes formal and systematic processes to obtain information, coupled with budgeting, to set strategic goals, allocate resources, and hold employees accountable to meeting financial goals. Due to its reliance on the budgeting process it enables senior executives to focus on operational excellence, budgetary control, and strict financial management. Research shows that elaborate budget-based strategy plans are used more as a signal to external holders, showing them that executives take strategy planning seriously. Evidence from original research shows that budget-based strategy plans tend to make firms more inward-looking, replacing customer focus with a focus on increasing sales and reducing costs through an efficiency focus. Counterintuitively, original research shows that companies with an efficiency focus lead to lower margins because of their inability to cut costs judiciously.
Silêncios prEscritos: Estudos de romances de autoras negras brasileiras (1859-2006)

O livro Silencios prEscritos: Estudos de romances de autoras negras brasileiras (1859-2006) (2019) de Fernanda R. Miranda propoe a criacao de um corpus de narrativas de autoras negras brasileiras com o intuito de combater o silenciamento imposto as autoras e suas obras, discutindo nocoes de literatura brasileira e literatura negra, bem como de colonialidade e resistencia. A partir do estudo de 8 romances, e de seus paralelos, baseado em extensa bibliografia critica, o livro de Miranda abre novos caminhos de leitura e analise literaria.
Clinical characteristics, management practices, and outcomes among lung transplant patients with COVID-19

Background There are limited data on management strategies and outcomes among lung transplant (LT) patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We implemented management protocols based on the best available evidence and consensus among multidisciplinary teams. The current study reports our experience and outcomes using this protocol-based management strategy. Methods We included single or bilateral LT patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal swab between March 1, 2020, to December 15, 2020 (n = 25; median age: 60, range 20-73 years; M: F 17:8). A group of patients with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection during 2016-18 were included to serve as a comparator group (n = 36). Results As compared to RSV , patients with COVID-19 were more likely to present with constitutional symptoms , spirometric decline, pulmonary opacities, new or worsening respiratory failure, and need for ventilator support. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were less likely to receive a multimodality treatment strategy, and they experienced worse post-infection lung function loss, functional decline, and three-month survival. A significant proportion of patients with COVID-19 needed readmission for worsening allograft function (36.4%), and chronic kidney disease at initial presentation was associated with this complication. Lower pre-morbid FEV 1 appeared to increase the risk of new or worsening respiratory failure, which was associated with worse outcomes. Overall hospital survival was 88% (n = 22). Follow-up data was available for all discharged patients (median: 43.5 days, range 15-287 days). A majority had persistent radiological opacities (19/22, 86.4%), with nearly half of the patients with available post-COVID-19 spirometry showing > 10% loss in lung function (6/13, median loss: 14.5%, range 10%-31%). Conclusions Despite similar demographic characteristics and predispositions, LT patients with COVID-19 are sicker and experience worse outcomes as compared to RSV. Despite the availability of newer therapeutic agents, COVID-19 continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality.
Intracranial myeloid sarcoma presentation in distant acute myeloid leukemia remission.

Abstract Intracranial myeloid sarcoma (IMS) is a rare central nervous system manifestation of hematopoietic neoplasms of myeloid origin. We report the first case of IMS treatment with an isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 (IDH-2) inhibitor, Enasidenib, following surgical resection, whole-brain radiation, and consolidation Etoposide/Cytarabine therapy. A 42-year-old female was diagnosed with IMS after a 10-year remission of her acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She underwent surgical debulking and had postoperative resolution of her visual symptoms. She received adjuvant radiation and medical management, and continues to show no evidence of recurrence or progression at 17 months postoperatively. This case is notable for an isolated IMS presentation in a patient with a very distant history of AML remission, and without evidence of concurrent bone marrow relapse. The goals of neurosurgical intervention should be symptomatic relief of mass effect and pathological diagnosis, due to the sensitivity of IMS to adjuvant radiation and medical management such as IDH-2 inhibitors.
COVID-19 risk index (CRI): a simple and validated emergency department risk score that predicts mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation.

Although certain risk factors have been associated with morbidity and mortality, validated emergency department (ED) derived risk prediction models specific to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are lacking. The objective of this study is to describe and externally validate the COVID-19 risk index (CRI). A large retrospective longitudinal cohort study was performed to analyze consecutively hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Multivariate regression using clinical data elements from the ED was used to create the CRI. The results were validated with an external cohort of 1799 patients from the MI-COVID19 database. The primary outcome was the composite of the need for mechanical ventilation or inpatient mortality, and the secondary outcome was inpatient mortality. A total of 1020 patients were included in the derivation cohort. A total of 236 (23%) patients in the derivation cohort required mechanical ventilation or died. Variables independently associated with the primary outcome were age ≥ 65 years, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease, initial D-dimer > 1.1 µg/mL, platelet count < 150 K/µL, and severity of SpO2:FiO2 ratio. The derivation cohort had an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.83, and 0.74 in the external validation cohort Calibration shows close adherence between the observed and expected primary outcomes within the validation cohort. The CRI is a novel disease-specific tool that assesses the risk for mechanical ventilation or death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Discrimination of the score may change given continuous updates in contemporary COVID-19 management and outcomes.
Analytical Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

This is a survey concerning the current state of Fourier Transform mass spectrometry (FT-MS) for chemical analysis. Four general analytical applications are considered: (1) High resolution measurements, (2) Precise and accurate mass measurement, (3) Chemical ionization spectra, and (4) Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Most work to date has been devoted to feasibility studies with the objective of assessing the technique’s capabilities. Accordingly, this chapter should be considered a progress report, rather than a definitive description of long-established analytical FT-MS practises.
Readiness to Implement HIV Testing in African-American Church Settings

HIV and AIDS continue to impact Black Americans at disproportionately high rates. Promotion of HIV testing and linkage to care is a national health imperative for this population. As a pillar in the Black community, the Black Church could have a significant impact on the promotion of HIV testing within their churches and surrounding communities. Churches, however, have varied levels of involvement in testing. Furthermore, little is known about how to assess a church’s readiness to integrate HIV testing strategies into its mission, much less how to promote this practice among churches. This qualitative study used interviews and focus groups with pastors and church leaders from four churches with varying levels of involvement in HIV testing to identify key stages in the progression of toward church-based HIV testing and linkage to care. Findings showed that churches progressed through levels of readiness, from refusal of the possibility of HIV interventions to full integration of HIV testing and linkage to care within the church.
Chapter 4 Mechanisms of Ion Transport by the Mammalian Colon Revealed by Frequency Domain Analysis Techniques

Publisher Summary This chapter presents frequency domain analysis methods, which are powerful tools for resolving the mechanisms of ion transport in epithelia. An overview of the basic features of the rabbit descending colon are provided. The ion transport properties of the mammalian colon provide numerous issues for investigators using frequency domain techniques. Results concerning potassium transport by this epithelium have been more controversial. A possible model for these transport systems is described. In choosing an appropriate equivalent-circuit model for the colon, two morphological features are taken into consideration: (1) the lateral intercellular space and (2) the crypt lumen. The dimensions of these parameters are important because a narrow or constricted intercellular space or crypt lumen is expected to have a relatively high electrical resistance. Initial attempts to fit the impedance data for the colon by a model, which ignores distributed resistance effects gave reasonable results. Moreover, use of a model, which includes the distributed effects caused by crypt lumen resistance (R p ) , greatly reduced the misfit of the theory to the data.
Fibrin induction of tissue plasminogen activator expression in corneal endothelial cells in vitro.

PURPOSE: Fibrin is deposited in the anterior chamber of the eye in response to injury and can damage corneal endothelial cells (CEC). Fibrin degradation is plasmin dependent and is regulated by the balance between plasminogen activators (PA), tissue-PA (t-PA), urokinase-PA (u-PA), and their inhibitors (PAI). Although several factors can modulate PA/PAI expression in cells, the effect of fibrin is inconclusive. We hypothesized that fibrin can regulate fibrinolysis in the anterior segment by modulating PA/PAI expression in CEC. METHODS: Bovine CEC (BCEC) were treated for 3 to 72 hours with in situ polymerized fibrin (2 mg/ml) +/- 35S-methionine, cycloheximide, or actinomycin D. Polymerization was thrombin catalyzed, and control BCEC were incubated with or without thrombin or polymerization by-products. PA and PAI in conditioned medium, fibrin matrix, and cell fractions were analyzed by PA-specific zymographic and enzymatic assays. RESULTS: Fibrin treatment induced a dramatic (> 20-fold) accumulation of extracellular, fibrin-bound PA. This activity was identified as t-PA by its Mw (70 kD) affinity for fibrin and sensitivity to inhibition by Erythrina. Induction of t-PA was not observed in control BCEC under any condition. Fibrin induction of t-PA was selective because the levels of u-PA (45 kD), PAI-1 (50 kD), or protein synthesis in general were unaffected. Fibrin induction of t-PA was not accompanied by changes in cellular t-PA levels and was dependent on both RNA and protein synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Fibrin selectively induces t-PA expression in CEC. Induced t-PA is released extracellularly and binds exclusively to the fibrin matrix. These findings suggest a role for fibrin and CEC in the regulation of fibrinolysis in the anterior segment of the eye.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomies in Children

Our ability to maintain the nutritional status of acute and chronically ill children is enhanced by advances in special enteral feedings.1-3 When compared with parenteral nutrition, enteral feedings are accompanied by fewer complications, the ability to deliver large quantities of nutrients, relative ease of administration, and lower cost.2,3 Nasogastric feedings are very manageable for short-term therapy; however, in those patients requiring long-term support, a feeding gastrostomy can offer several advantages.4 Feeding gastrostomies have traditionally been placed via laparotomy under general anesthesia.5 We would like to describe our experience, as pediatric gastroenterologists and endoscopists, in the use of this technique in children.
Symptoms of Raynaud's phenomenon in an inner-city African-American community: prevalence and self-reported cardiovascular comorbidity.

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms and the morbidity associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) among African Americans. A total of 2196 randomly selected residents of an inner-city community, in Baltimore, completed a health-assessment survey. Symptoms of RP consisted of cold sensitivity plus cold-induced white or blue digital color change. One third ( n = 703) reported cold sensitivity and 14% ( n = 308) reported digital color change; 84 residents with symptoms of RP were identified, yielding an overall prevalence rate of 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0–4.6). RP was associated with poor or fair health status (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, CI 1.18–2.81), heart disease (OR = 2.32, CI 1.39–3.87), and stroke (OR = 2.20, CI 1.17–4.15), after adjustment for age, gender, and physician-diagnosed arthritis. The prevalence of symptoms of RP in this African-American community is comparable to published reports from other populations. These community-based data suggest that identification of RP among African Americans should raise consideration of possible comorbidity, particularly cardiovascular disease.
Replies to Copp, Timmons, and Railton

out P." (2006, p. 86) I explain later that to be justified in believing P out of C is to be justified "out of an appropriate larger contrast class" in believing P, given that some member of C is true. (2006, p. 1 10) Copp's first objection is that my account "explains justification relative to a contrast class in terms of the idea of justification that is not relative to a contrast class." (2008, p. 813) If so, contrastivism is wrong about at least some justification. Copp might seem to be objecting that to be able to rule out the other alternatives in the contrast class is to be justified (without qualification) in believing that those other alternatives are false. However, that is not my view. As I said in my book, "The grounds that make a believer justified out of a certain contrast class are also relative to the same contrast class." (2006, p. 87)
Retrospective evaluation of vacuum-assisted peritoneal drainage for the treatment of septic peritonitis in dogs and cats: 8 cases (2003-2010).

Objective To describe the use of vacuum-assisted peritoneal drainage (VAPD) in dogs and cats with septic peritonitis. Design Retrospective descriptive study. Setting University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Animals Six dogs and 2 cats with septic peritonitis. Interventions Application of VAPD after abdominal exploration. Measurements Pre- and post-operative physical and clinicopathologic data, surgical findings, treatment, VAPD fluid production, outcome, and survival are reported. Main results Eight nonconsecutive cases of septic peritonitis, consisting of 6 dogs and 2 cats, were treated surgically and had VAPD applied post-operatively. The mean duration of clinical signs prior to surgical intervention was 4 ± 3 days. VAPD therapy was applied for a mean of 2 ± 1.1 days and collected a median of 27 mL/kg/d of abdominal effusate. The median time in hospital was 5 days and abdominal closure was completed in 5 of the 8 patients. All specimens collected at surgery cultured positive for bacteria, most commonly Enterococcus spp. The peritoneum of 4 animals was cultured at the time of abdominal closure; 1 was negative and 3 were positive for Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp. or gram-positive cocci. Cultures before and after surgery differed in 2 patients. Hypoproteinemia was present in all patients postoperatively. Three patients were considered survivors, all of which were dogs. Five patients died or were euthanized due to cardiopulmonary arrest (n = 3), pyothorax (n = 1), and acute, severe, septic peritonitis (n = 1). Conclusions VAPD is available for maintaining abdominal drainage for the treatment of septic peritonitis after surgical intervention; however, similar to open abdominal drainage and closed suction drainage, nosocomial infection and hypoproteinemia remain challenges in the treatment of septic peritonitis.
Probabilistic Prediction of Unknown Metabolic and Signal-Transduction Networks

Regulatory networks provide control over complex cell behavior in all kingdoms of life. Here we describe a statistical model, based on representing proteins as collections of domains or motifs, which predicts unknown molecular interactions within these biological networks. Using known protein-protein interactions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as training data, we were able to predict the links within this network with only 7% false-negative and 10% false-positive error rates. We also use Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation for the prediction of networks with maximum probability under our model. This model can be applied across species, where interaction data from one (or several) species can be used to infer interactions in another. In addition, the model is extensible and can be analogously applied to other molecular data (e.g., DNA sequences).
Muscarinic cholinergic receptor structure: molecular biological support for subtypes

Abstract Pharmacological evidence has indicated the existence of multiple subtypes of muscarinic receptors, while biochemical and immunological data have uncovered the highly conserved nature of muscarinic receptor structure. Molecular biological data now appear to have confirmed the notion of subtypes. Tony Kerlavage, Claire Fraser and Craig Venter discuss recent cloning and sequence analyses of the genes encoding muscarinic receptors in brain and heart which have revealed the existence of four distinct but highly homologous gene products.
Studies on phenolic steroids in human subjects. X. Metabolic fate of estriol-3,16-diglucosiduronate.

Abstract The metabolism of doubly labelled estriol-3, 16-diglucosiduronate, injected into humans, is examined. Results indicate rapid urinary excretion. Hydrolysis of both conjugating groups and reglucosiduronation of the phenolic group of the estrogen takes place. A small amount of injected material (ca. 5%) is excreted unchanged. Implications of these results are discussed.
Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary transtension and strain partitioning in the Chugach Accretionary Complex, SE Alaska

Abstract Shear zones in the Late Cretaceous Sitka Graywacke of the Chugach accretionary complex in southeast Alaska record constrictional finite strains, with maximum principal stretches plunging shallowly subparallel to strike of the shear zones. Macrostructural analysis indicates the finite strain formed during one deformation event. Microstructural analysis of the shear zones shows that this deformation is ductile, promoted mostly through deformation of low-strength lithic clasts and pressure solution. Kinematic indicators from some of the shear zones indicate dominantly dextral motion. Although multiple scenarios can explain constrictional finite strains in a shear zone, these dextral strike-slip shear zones must have experienced a component of extension across them in order to generate constrictional finite strains. Therefore, the shear zones are dextral transtensional shear zones, an uncommon tectonic regime in an accretionary complex. The transtensional shear zones reflect strike-slip motion related to partitioning of Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary right-oblique convergence between North America and the Farallon plate. The extensional component that was superposed on the strike-slip shear zones to generate transtension resulted from contemporaneous collapse of the forearc following thickening related to underplating.
Dynamical Systems and Traveling Waves in Almost Periodic Structures

Abstract The paper is devoted to the study of traveling waves in almost periodic structures by applying dynamical system theory. Motivated by the fact that almost automorphic dynamics often exists (though almost periodic dynamics may not) in scalar almost periodic ODEs and parabolic PDEs, we introduce a definition of almost automorphic traveling waves and investigate the existence of such traveling waves in general almost periodic structures. In the author's earlier work, a notion of almost periodic traveling wave solution is introduced. Roughly, a solution is an almost automorphic (almost periodic) traveling wave solution if its propagating profile and speed are almost automorphic (almost periodic) functions. Our basic point of view is that traveling wave solutions are the limits of certain wave-like solutions. We therefore study the existence of almost automorphic traveling wave solutions through the long time behavior of wave-like solutions. We first investigate the existence of wave-like solutions. Then by utilizing dynamical system theory, we explore the “convergence” of wave-like solutions to alsmot automorphic (almost periodic) traveling wave solutions. Besides, based on the arguments established in the author's earlier work on bistable equations, we show the stability, uniqueness, and almost periodicity of almost automorphic traveling wave solutions in almost periodic equations of multi-stable type. Applying the general theory developed in the paper to almost periodic equations of KPP type, we show the existence of a family of almost automorphic traveling waves under some conditions.
Accurate and Efficient Bypass of 8,5′-Cyclopurine-2′-Deoxynucleosides by Human and Yeast DNA Polymerase η

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be produced during normal aerobic metabolism, can induce the formation of tandem DNA lesions, including 8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyadenosine (cyclo-dA) and 8,5′-cyclo-2′-deoxyguanosine (cyclo-dG). Previous studies have shown that cyclo-dA and cyclo-dG accumulate in cells and can block mammalian RNA polymerase II and replicative DNA polymerases. Here, we used primer extension and steady-state kinetic assays to examine the efficiency and fidelity for polymerase η to insert nucleotides opposite, and extend primer past, these cyclopurine lesions. We found that Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human polymerase η inserted 2′-deoxynucleotides opposite cyclo-dA, cyclo-dG and their adjacent 5′ nucleosides at fidelities and efficiencies that were similar to those of their respective undamaged nucleosides. Moreover, the yeast enzyme exhibited similar processivity in DNA synthesis on templates housing a cyclo-dA or cyclo-dG to those carrying an unmodified dA or dG; the human polymerase, h...
Trends Impacting Graduate Business Education in the Coming Decade

Abstract A number of forces are influencing the educational requirements of students who will be supported by the university system in the next decade. Work is changing, and the nature of these changes will necessitate the training and reeducation of much of the workforce in the next decade. A new workforce is emerging, with technology as the major job-creation machine. A major change in curriculum is indicated to meet the needs of the new workforce. The curriculum of this decade must provide the graduate with the tools to function in a truly global economy—in all academic disciplines. The curriculum must also be adjusted to reflect the transition of our workers to knowledge-based workers. Corporations are not satisfied with the support currently being provided by traditional institutions, especially tax-supported institutions. This article contains a summary of required changes and suggestions for implementation.
Reaction of N-fluoropyridinium salts with wittig reagents: A novel and convenient approach to symmetric trans-olefins

Abstract N -fluoropyridinium salts were found to react with Wittig reagents containing electron-withdrawing groups to give olefins in 47–83% yield. The mechanism of this conversion is believed to involve single-electron transfer from Wittig reagent to N -fluoropyridinium cation.
Barriers to the Implementation of Continuity-of-Care Practices in Child Care Centers.

Abstract This study examined barriers to the implementation of continuity-of-care practices in child care centers. We collected qualitative and quantitative data for 52 children at four centers that advertise their programs as continuity programs. Of the 52 children, only 7 of the children had been cared for in a single child–caregiver dyad between the time of their entry into child care and either their third birthday or the time of data collection. During their infant–toddler period, the remaining 45 children had experienced 71 cumulative transitions to new child–caregiver dyads. We found that the barrier frequently suggested in the literature and by practitioners, caregiver turnover, was not a significant cause for the non-continuity transitions. The primary barrier that we found was infant caregiver unwillingness or inability to care for children who had developed toddler abilities. A secondary barrier was directors’ reluctance to replace unwilling or unable caregivers with willing and able ones.