cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gaps in referral to cardiac rehabilitation of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in the United States.

Abstract Background Rates of referral to cardiac rehabilitation after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been historically low despite the evidence that rehabilitation is associated with lower mortality in PCI patients. Objectives This study sought to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with referral to cardiac rehabilitation in a national PCI cohort, and to assess the association between insurance status and referral patterns. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent PCI and survived to hospital discharge in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry between July 1, 2009 and March 31, 2012 were analyzed. Cardiac rehabilitation referral rates, and patient and institutional factors associated with referral were evaluated for the total study population and for a subset of Medicare patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction. Results Patients who underwent PCI (n = 1,432,399) at 1,310 participating hospitals were assessed. Cardiac rehabilitation referral rates were 59.2% and 66.0% for the overall population and the AMI/Medicare subgroup, respectively. In multivariable analyses, presentation with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (odds ratio 2.99; 95% confidence interval: 2.92 to 3.06) and non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (odds ratio: 1.99; 95% confidence interval: 1.94 to 2.03) were associated with increased odds of referral to cardiac rehabilitation. Models adjusted for insurance status showed significant site-specific variability in referral rates, with more than one-quarter of all hospitals referring Conclusions Approximately 60% of patients undergoing PCI in the United States are referred for cardiac rehabilitation. Site-specific variation in referral rates is significant and is unexplained by insurance coverage. These findings highlight the potential need for hospital-level interventions to improve cardiac rehabilitation referral rates after PCI.
Structural Social Support and Changes in Depression During the Retirement Transition: "I Get by With a Little Help from My Friends".

Objectives This study evaluated whether (a) retirement was associated with increased depressive symptoms, (b) four sources social support were associated with decreased depressive symptoms, and (c) whether the relationship between retirement and depressive symptoms varied across four sources social support. Method Health and Retirement Study data were used to assess whether four measures of structural support moderated the association between transitioning to full retirement (relative to remaining in full-time work) and symptoms of depression. Results Results from two-stage mixed-effects multilevel models indicated (a) on average retirement was associated with a small but significant increase in depressive symptoms after adjusting for preretirement social support, (b) on average, social support not associated with changes in symptoms of depression, but (c) social support from friends moderates the association between retirement and symptoms of depression such that at low levels of social support, retirement was associated with a sizeable increase in depressive symptoms, but this association decreased as level of social support from friends increased. Discussion Results suggest people with low levels of social support may benefit from actively cultivating friendships in retirement to help mitigate some of deleterious effects of retirement.
Examining Reading Growth Profiles among Children of Diverse Language Backgrounds Using Known and Unknown Approaches

Previous research examining the reading achievement of children speaking languages other than English at home has often grouped such children into one broad category at kindergarten entry—English l...
Toward a Unified Theory of Learned Trust in Interpersonal and Human-Machine Interactions

A proposal for a unified theory of learned trust implemented in a cognitive architecture is presented. The theory is instantiated as a computational cognitive model of learned trust that integrates several seemingly unrelated categories of findings from the literature on interpersonal and human-machine interactions and makes unintuitive predictions for future studies. The model relies on a combination of learning mechanisms to explain a variety of phenomena such as trust asymmetry, the higher impact of early trust breaches, the black-hat/white-hat effect, the correlation between trust and cognitive ability, and the higher resilience of interpersonal as compared to human-machine trust. In addition, the model predicts that trust decays in the absence of evidence of trustworthiness or untrustworthiness. The implications of the model for the advancement of the theory on trust are discussed. Specifically, this work suggests two more trust antecedents on the trustor's side: perceived trust necessity and cognitive ability to detect cues of trustworthiness.
Emergency physicians in critical care: where are we now?

Objective Prior to 2011, emergency physicians who completed critical care (CC) fellowship were unable to obtain board certification in the United States. Three pathways for CC board certification have since been established. This study explores the training, practice, and perceived challenges of emergency medicine/critical care fellows and emergency medicine/critical care physicians in the United States. Methods Anonymous institutional review board-approved survey distributed via email through an online survey engine from April to December 2016. Participants were recruited through national organizations and independent interest groups. Emergency physicians who were in CC fellowship or had completed a CC fellowship and were in practice in the United States participated voluntarily. Results Of the 162 respondents, 152 were included (92 physicians, 60 fellows). Eighty-nine percent ranged from 31-50 years old. Among fellows, 90% desired a dual discipline practice. Among physicians, 63% split their time between the emergency department and ICU. Seventy-one percent of physicians reported working in academic institutions. Among physicians engaged in a dual practice, mean full-time equivalent (±SD) devoted to the ED was 0.37 (±0.22), mean full-time equivalent for ICU was 0.47 (±0.22), and mean full-time equivalent for protected academic time was 0.28 (±0.19). Emergency medicine/critical care fellows and emergency medicine/critical care physicians identified numerous challenges associated with duality. Conclusions Since the advent of critical care board certification for emergency physicians in the United States, there has been an increasing number of emergency physicians pursuing CC fellowships and achieving CC board certification. Emergency medicine/critical care physicians are venturing into a variety of practice models, demonstrating that the employment landscape remains plastic. Not unexpectedly, emergency medicine/critical care fellows and emergency medicine/critical care physicians are encountering challenges intrinsic to their duality.
Enzymes, pseudoenzymes, and moonlighting proteins: diversity of function in protein superfamilies

As more genome sequences are elucidated, there is an increasing need for information about the functions of the millions of proteins they encode. The function of a newly sequenced protein is often estimated by sequence alignment with the sequences of proteins with known functions. However, protein superfamilies can contain members that share significant amino acid sequence and structural homology yet catalyze different reactions or act on different substrates. Some homologous proteins differ by having a second or even third function, called moonlighting proteins. More recently, it was found that most protein superfamilies also include pseudoenzymes, a protein, or a domain within a protein, that has a three-dimensional fold that resembles a conventional catalytically active enzyme, but has no catalytic activity. In this review, we discuss several examples of protein families that contain enzymes, pseudoenzymes, and moonlighting proteins. It is becoming clear that pseudoenzymes and moonlighting proteins are widespread in the evolutionary tree, and in many protein families, and they are often very similar in sequence and structure to their monofunctional and catalytically active counterparts. A greater understanding is needed to clarify when similarities and differences in amino acid sequences and structures correspond to similarities and differences in biochemical functions and cellular roles. This information can help improve programs that identify protein functions from sequence or structure and assist in more accurate annotation of sequence and structural databases, as well as in our understanding of the broad diversity of protein functions.
Visitor Responses to Interpretation at Historic Kingsley Plantation

A visitor survey was conducted at Kingsley Plantation to establish a baseline on visitor response to interpretation pertaining to slavery, the facilities available, and to determine the demographic...
Market oscillations induced by the competition between value-based and trend-based investment strategies

We consider financial market using mathematical models which incorporate an excess demand function that depends not only upon the price but on the price derivative. The classical (value-based) motivation for purchasing the equity is augmented with a trend-based strategy of buying due to rising prices. An analysis (based on money flow and the finiteness of assets) of the supply, demand and price as a function of time leads to a system of ordinary differential equations which is mathematically complete. The numerical study of our equations exhibits overshooting, abrupt reversals and oscillations in prices. We examine our models within the context of real markets and economic laboratory experiments by comparing its predictions with a set of Porter and Smith experiments and with all US stock market “crashes” since 1929.
Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are a group of extranodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs) that present primarily in the skin. The most common type of CTCLs, mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary Syndrome (SS), were first described over two centuries ago, and since that time, the clinical characteristics, pathophysiology, and immunobiology have been characterized in detail. Derived from skin-homing, mature, effector T-cells that usually express CLA/CD4/CCR4/CCR10 and lack T-cell markers CD7 and/or CD26, the malignant MF/SS cells typically have a Th2 phenotype. With more advanced disease, Th2 cytokines predominate and result in decreased host cell-mediated immunity that likely contributes to increased susceptibility to infection and disease progression. Early aggressive systemic chemotherapy has not been shown to improve overall survival in MF/SS and over the past 40 years [1] the therapeutic approach has undergone a paradigm shift, such that skin-directed therapies (SDTs) and systemic immune-modifying biologics play a central role in initial MF/SS management. This chapter will review MF/SS clinical presentation, staging work-up, pathophysiology, immunobiology, and how these have shaped current treatment strategies. In particular, MF/SS chemokine biology, immune defects, and immune modifying therapies, including the new frontier of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation will be specifically highlighted.
De novo acute myeloid leukemia: A population-based study of outcome in the United States based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, 1980 to 2017

Background Several important treatment and supportive care strategies have been implemented over the past 4 decades in the management of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods The authors identified 29,107 patients who were diagnosed with de novo AML between 1980 and 2017 in the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients were categorized into 5 age groups (ages birth to 14, 15-39, 40-59, 60-69, and ≥70 years) and 4 calendar periods (1980-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009, and 2010-2017). The outcomes of patients who had AML within these categories were analyzed. Results The overall 5-year survival rates in patients with AML were 9%, 15%, 22%, and 28% in the decades 1980 to 1989, 1990 to 1999, 2000 to 2009, and 2010 to 2017, respectively. Among patients aged 15 to 39 years, the 5-year survival rates were 24%, 41%, 52%, and 63%, respectively; among those aged ≥70 years, the 5-year survival rates were 1%, 2%, 3%, and 5%, respectively. Four-week mortality was surprising high among adults and older patients (range, 20%-45%), even in modern times. Overall, survival continued to improve over the calendar periods and was best in the period from 2010 to 2017. Survival improvement was noticeable across all age groups except patients aged ≥70 years, in whom the estimated 5-year survival rate remained 5% even during the period from 2010 to 2017. Conclusions The outcomes of patients with AML showed incremental improvement over time in a population-based study of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data. The introduction since 2017 of targeted therapies among older patients and optimizations in supportive care hopefully will continue to improve outcomes in AML, particularly among older patients.
A meta‐analysis of tropical land‐use change effects on the soil microbiome: Emerging patterns and knowledge gaps

Modifications to vegetation and soil due to changes in land use have the potential to alter the soil microbiome, with consequences for carbon and nutrient cycling. Despite the important function of soil microorganisms, little is known about their response to land‐use change, especially in tropical regions where current rates of land conversion are greatest. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to examine how land‐use change influences soil microbial properties in tropical ecosystems and to identify current trends and knowledge gaps in the literature. We identified 83 published paired studies that reported data on microbial biomass, abundance, composition, and enzyme activity under representative land‐use changes in the tropics. We calculated response ratios for studies that compared the following: reference forests to (a) agriculture, (b) pastures, (c) plantations, and (d) secondary forests. Soil microbial biomass decreased with forest conversion to agriculture and plantations. Microbial biomass response to land‐use change depended on rainfall classes, although this was the only microbial variable which had sufficient data to test for a rainfall effect. Microbial abundance and enzyme activity showed variable results depending on the type of forest conversion. Microbial diversity and richness did not show any pattern with forest conversion or recovery to secondary forests. Published studies were not representative of the range of biophysical conditions observed in the tropics. Sites in moist regions in the American tropics were overrepresented. To better predict how land‐use change affects the soil microbiome and its contribution to nutrient cycling, research should reflect observed environmental variation in the tropics. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Early cytotoxic lymphocyte localization to the brain following resuscitation in a porcine model of asphyxial cardiac arrest: A pilot study.

Abstract Introduction Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. Of major concern is a lack of therapies to mitigate associated brain injury. Immune cell infiltration (ICI) into the brain, which may exacerbate injury post-resuscitation, is one possible therapeutic target, although the post-OHCA immune response has not been fully characterized. Objective In this pilot study, we aimed to detect early post-resuscitation cytotoxic lymphocyte ICI in porcine brain using a model of opioid-mediated asphyxial OHCA. Methods Ten young, healthy swine (26.7+/-3.4 kg) were sedated, anaesthetized and paralyzed. In eight of the animals, this was followed by induction of asphyxial OHCA via fentanyl bolus and concurrent airway occlusion. The remaining two ‘sham’ animals were instrumented but did not undergo asphyxia. After nine minutes of asphyxia, mechanical CPR and manual ventilations were started, in an initial BLS followed by ALS configuration. At termination of resuscitation or euthanasia, the whole brain was removed. Immune cells were extracted and analyzed via flow cytometry. Results 304 +/− 62.2 cells/g were discovered to be CD8 single positive cells in animals that achieved ROSC, 481 +/− 274.4 cells/g in animals that did not achieve ROSC, and 40 +/− 11.31 cells/g in sham animals. CD8 single positive cells made up 0.473 +/− 0.24% of detected cells in animals that achieved ROSC, 0.395 +/− 0.062% in animals that did not achieve ROSC, and 0.19 +/− 0.014% in sham animals (No ROSC vs Sham, p = 0.012). Conclusions These data suggest that cytotoxic lymphocytes may be localizing to the brain during cardiac arrest resuscitation.
A case of SARS-CoV-2-associated arthritis with detection of viral RNA in synovial fluid

Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) provokes symptoms ranging from mild viral illness to a systemic inflammatory syndrome with multi-organ failure and has been associated with cases of arthritis. We report a clinical case of SARS-CoV-2 associated arthritis in which analysis of synovial fluid detected SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid.
Changes in preterm birth and caesarean deliveries in the United States during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Preliminary studies suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and associated social, economic and clinical disruptions have affected pregnancy decision-making and outcomes. Whilst a few US-based studies have examined regional changes in birth outcomes during the pandemic's first months, much remains unknown of how the pandemic impacted perinatal health indicators at the national-level throughout 2020, including during the 'second wave' of infections that occurred later in the year. OBJECTIVES: To describe changes in monthly rates of perinatal health indicators during the 2020 pandemic for the entire US. METHODS: For the years 2015 to 2020, we obtained national monthly rates (per 100 births) for four perinatal indicators: preterm (<37 weeks' gestation), early preterm (<34 weeks' gestation), late preterm (34-36 weeks' gestation) and caesarean delivery. We used an interrupted time-series approach to compare the outcomes observed after the pandemic began (March 2020) to those expected had the pandemic not occurred for March through December of 2020. RESULTS: Observed rates of preterm birth fell below expectation across several months of the 2020 pandemic. These declines were largest in magnitude in early and late 2020, with a 5%-6% relative difference between observed and expected occurring in March and November. For example, in March 2020, the observed preterm birth rate of 9.8 per 100 live births fell below the 95% prediction interval (PI) of the rate predicted from history, which was 10.5 preterm births per 100 live births (95% PI 10.2, 10.7). We detected no changes from expectation in the rate of caesarean deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide nationwide evidence of unexpected reductions in preterm delivery during the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the US. Observed declines below expectation were differed by both timing of delivery and birth month, suggesting that several mechanisms, which require further study, may explain these patterns.
Cell-based therapies for retinal diseases: a review of clinical trials and direct to consumer "cell therapy" clinics.

BACKGROUND The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is implicated in the pathophysiology of many retinal degenerative diseases. This cell layer is also an ideal target for cell-based therapies. Several early phase clinical trials evaluating cell therapy approaches for diseases involving the RPE, such as age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt's macular dystrophy have been published. However, there have also been numerous reports of complications from unproven "cell therapy" treatments marketed by "cell therapy" clinics. This review aims to outline the particular approaches in the different published clinical trials for cell-based therapies for retinal diseases. Additionally, the controversies surrounding experimental treatments offered outside of legitimate studies are presented. MAIN BODY Cell-based therapies can be applied to disorders that involve the RPE via a variety of techniques. A defining characteristic of any cell therapy treatment is the cell source used: human embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and human umbilical tissue-derived cells have all been studied in published trials. In addition to the cell source, various trials have evaluated particular immunosuppression regiments, surgical approaches, and outcome measures. Data from early phase studies investigating cell-based therapies in non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration (70 patients, five trials), neovascular age-related macular degeneration (12 patients, four trials), and Stargardt's macular dystrophy (23 patients, three trials) have demonstrated safety related to the cell therapies, though evidence of significant efficacy has not been reported. This is in contrast to the multiple reports of serious complications and permanent vision loss in patients treated at "cell therapy" clinics. These interventions are marketed directly to patients, funded by the patient, lack Food and Drug Administration approval, and lack significant oversight. CONCLUSION Currently, there are no proven effective cell-based treatments for retinal diseases, although several trials have investigated potential therapies. These studies reported favorable safety profiles with multiple surgical approaches, with cells derived from multiple sources, and with utilized different immunosuppressive regiments. However, data demonstrating the efficacy and long-term safety are still pending. Nevertheless, "cell therapy" clinics continue to conduct direct-to consumer marketing for non-FDA-approved treatments with potentially blinding complications.
Prediction of Optimal Dosimetry for Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy With a Cascaded Auto-Content Deep Learning Model.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) The treatment planning of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is often time-consuming and needs multiple rounds of trials and errors. The unknown optimal dosimetry of anatomy mainly causes the difficulty. This study aims to develop a deep learning model to predict the dose distribution of a new patient, which has a similar diametric quality to previous clinical plans. MATERIALS/METHODS The dataset comes from the international competition for the dosimetry prediction of head and neck patients (2020 OpenKBP) with three target prescriptions (56 Gy, 63 Gy, and 70 Gy). The evaluation criterion is pixel-by-pixel dose discrepancy and point-by-point DVH difference. The organizer provides 200 training cases. Each has one planning CT image, one dose distribution, and one segmentation mask of seven organs-at-risks (OARs, brainstem, spinal cord, right parotid, left parotid, larynx, esophagus, and mandible). 40 cases are provided as a validation set with CT and segmentation mask only. The organizer reported the prediction quality for these 40 validation patients to help the model refining, but did not disclose the ground truth dosimetry. Finally, 100 testing cases were used to evaluate the model performance. We proposed a triple-stage cascaded U-Net to predict the dose distribution in a coarse-to-fine manner using the auto-context mechanism. Specifically, the first U-Net takes the CT image and structure contours as input and outputs a coarse dose distribution. This distribution is then fed into the second U-Net together with the CT image and contours, to predict a refined dose distribution. Finally, the third U-Net takes both dose distribution predicted by the first and second U-Net together with the CT image and contours to generate the final dose distribution, which is a refinement of the previous two predictions. The network is fully implemented in 3D manners (which means it takes the 3D CT volume as input, not 2D CT slices). It takes about 17 hours to train the model for 400 epochs, using a batch size of 6 and Adam optimizer with a base learning rate of 0.0005 on a GPU server equipped with six NVIDIA TITAN Xp graphic cards with 12 GBytes of memory each. The prediction is almost instantaneous, about 0.2 seconds per case. RESULTS We found the proposed method's performance is better with 200 training cases than with 160 cases, which demonstrated the data reliance of the deep learning-based methods. The dose similarity score and DVH similarity score from 100 testing cases are 2.753 and 1.559, respectively. Our model has one of the best performances among the participants. The predicted dosimetry is similar to the realistic one, with no clinically meaningful difference. CONCLUSION We developed a novel cascaded auto-context deep learning model to predict optimal dosimetry of a head and neck patient. The model achieved satisfactory performance for clinical use.
Sarcoid with Subacute Confusion (P6.014)

Objective: - Recognize the relationship between pulmonary sarcoidosis and cryptococcal meningitis (CM). - Demonstrate the importance of early diagnosis of CM. - Distinguish neurosarcoidosis from CM. Background: Sarcoidosis is a systemic disease of unknown etiology, characterized by the formation of noncaseating granulomas in various organs. Affected patients are also predisposed to CM. In fact, sarcoidosis is an independent risk factor for invasive cryptococcal infections which carry a high mortality rate if not recognized and treated early. Design/Methods: A 64 year old male suffered from gradual onset fatigue and change in mentation over the course of a month. His symptoms then progressively worsened as he became confused and developed intermittent headaches. Past medical history includes pulmonary sarcoidosis, treated with 20mg of prednisone daily. On presentation, the patient had no neck stiffness. He was afebrile, with stable vital signs and unremarkable labs and head CT. Neurological exam was non-focal. Chest x-ray showed possible right lower lobe opacity. He was started on antibiotics for possible pneumonia and admitted. The patient continued to worsen. Neurosarcoidosis was suspected, and a lumbar puncture was performed. CSF showed a modest lymphocytic pleocytosis and raised protein level. A cryptococcal antigen was obtained and came back positive at a titer of 1:1280. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with CM and started on Amphotericin and Flucytosine. Mental status improved and he was discharged in a stable condition. Results: NA Conclusions: CM in sarcoid patients often presents with non-specific symptoms, and should be excluded when neurological disturbances are present due to the high morbidity and mortality. Of concern is a misdiagnosis of neurosarcoidosis which can result in considerable treatment delay and worse outcome. Neurosarcoidosis and CM often present with chronic meningitis symptoms and can have overlapping clinical and laboratory features. CSF cryptococcal antigen is the most specific diagnostic test; hence it should be done whenever this diagnosis is suspected. Disclosure: Dr. Cross has nothing to disclose. Dr. Issa has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kola has nothing to disclose.
Activity-Dependent Distributions of Neuronal Conductances

The processes that develop and maintain the intrinsic electrical properties of neurons are modeled by allowing the maximal strength of membrane conductances to be slowly varying functions of the intracellular calcium concentration. The resulting dynamic regulation of conductances allows model neurons to self-assemble their membrane currents. In a spatially extended model neuron, the dynamic regulatory mechanism causes a non-uniform distribution of currents to develop in response to both the morphology and the activity of the neuron.
Observations on Body Image in Renal Patients

The impact that renal disease, its sequelae and complications, and its modern technological treatments have on people so afflicted is protean and pervasive.1–4 The individual is affected in his internal or psychological being, in his external or social-behavioral being, and in his body or physical being.5 Although these factors are intertwined, this article will concentrate on the physical being, and more specifically on the body image. For the purposes of this chapter, the body image will be considered as the sum of the mental representations of the body and its organs. The body image does not necessarily coincide with the objective body, e.g., a phantom kidney or the dialysis machine could be experienced as an extension of the body and could be included in it.
Lawyers as Intermediaries: The Representation of Multiple Clients in the Modern Legal Profession

The nomination of Louis Dembitz Brandeis to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1916 created an outcry of opposition from the legal profession. The opponents, including the current president and seven former presidents of the American Bar Association, argued that during his law practice Brandeis had violated several norms of ethical behavior. In one of the first public examinations of the legal career of a prominent individual, the Senate and its committee on nominations carefully considered twelve charges of unethical behavior. Although a majority of the senators eventually rejected these charges, one aspect of the allegations highlights a role of the lawyer that is fraught with ethical problems.
The Emerging Consitutional Challenge of Climate Change: India in Perspective

This article argues that climate change presents a serious challenge to constitutional rights of Indians; rights that can only be taken away by the State and by proper legal procedure. Further, as foreign states are involved and as international and other remedies against these states are limited, safeguarding constitutional rights presents substantial challenges that cannot be addressed even through the Indian judiciary's epistolary jurisprudence. Through this analysis, the article aims to demonstrate a less examined issue in international climate regime discussions-that at stake is a fundamental legal, social and political document of modern societies.
Glucagon-evoked gastric dysrhythmias in humans shown by an improved electrogastrographic technique

Abstract The objective of this study was to improve recording techniques for the recognition of gastric electrical dysrhythmias, and to explore the potential of pharmacologic agents to "evoke" gastric dysrhythmias. Eighteen healthy volunteers participated in 22 individual recordings, divided into two separate studies—a dose-response study and a randomized, double-blind study. The internal or mucosal electrogastrogram was recorded with a novel approach, using magnetic force to maintain internal electrodes in apposition with the gastric wall, whereas the external or cutaneous electrogastrogram, manometric activity, and respiration were measured by conventional methods. Analysis of simultaneous internal and external electrogastrographic signals, including both dysrhythmia and dysrhythmia-free intervals, revealed a good correspondence between the internal and external signals. In the dose-response study, 5 of the 6 volunteers intravenously infused with glucagon, in doses ranging from 3 to 22 μg/kg, developed gastric electrical dysrhythmias. In the randomized, double-blind study, 4 of 5 volunteers intravenously infused with glucagon (7 μg/kg) developed gastric dysrhythmias that were recognized by our improved techniques. Dysrhythmias, defined by visual analysis, consisted either of "tachygastria" (≥6 cycles/min for ≥1 min) or "bradygastria" (≥1 cycle/min for ≥1 min) and were evident on both internal and external electrogastrograms. Dysrhythmias were usually associated with absence of antral phasic pressure activity and frequently with nausea.
Writing and Empire in Tacitus

Introduction. A life, in fragments 1. Autonomy, authority, and representing the past under the Principate 2. Agricola and the crisis of representation 3. The burdens of Histories 4. 'Elsewhere than Rome' 5. Tacitus and Cremutius Conclusion. On knowing Tacitus.
Meconium Plug Syndrome Associated with Cystic Fibrosis and Hirschsprung's Disease

We present a unique case of meconium plug syndrome associated with both cystic fibrosis and Hirschsprung9s disease. CASE REPORT A term male infant with a birth weight of 3,300 gm was born by normal spontaneous vaginal delivery after an uncomplicated pregnancy to a 28-year-old white woman. During the first day of life abdominal distention was noted and the infant had not passed any meconium. At 28 hours of age a meconium plug was passed. Persistent regurgitation, abdominal distention, and infrequent bowel movements resulted in roentgenographic study with contrast of the upper gastrointestinal tract which was reported as normal. He demonstrated poor weight gain and was discharged at 2 weeks of age on soy formula.
Sympatric natural Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. paradoxus populations have different thermal growth profiles.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its close congener S. paradoxus are typically indistinguishable by the phenotypic criteria of classical yeast taxonomy, but they are evolutionarily distinct as indicated by hybrid spore inviability and genomic sequence divergence. Previous work has shown that these two species coexist in oak-associated microhabitats at natural woodland sites in North America. Here, we show that sympatric populations of S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus from a single natural site are phenotypically differentiated in their growth rate responses to temperature. Our main finding is that the S. cerevisiae population exhibits a markedly higher growth rate at 37°C than the S. paradoxus population; we also find possible differences in growth rate between these populations at two lower temperatures. We discuss the implications of our results for the coexistence of these yeasts in natural environments, and we suggest that thermal growth response may be an evolutionarily labile feature of these organisms that could be analyzed using genomic approaches.
Analyzing interaction orderings with model checking

Human-computer interaction (HCI) systems control an ongoing interaction between end-users and computer-based systems. For software-intensive systems, a graphic user interface (GUI) is often employed for enhanced usability. Traditional approaches to validation of GUI aspects in HCI systems involve prototyping and live-subject testing. These approaches are limited in their ability to cover the set of possible human-computer interactions that a system may allow, since patterns of interaction may be long running and have large numbers of alternatives. In this paper, we propose a static analysis that is capable of reasoning about user-interaction properties of GUI portions of HCI applications written in Java using modern GUI frameworks, such as Swing/spl trade/. Our approach consists of partitioning an HCI application into three parts: the Swing library, the GUI implementation, i.e., code that interacts directly with Swing, and the underlying application. We develop models of each of these parts that preserve behavior relevant to interaction ordering. We describe how these models are generated and how we have customized a model checking framework to efficiently analyze their combination.
Analysis of a repetitive DNA sequence from Bordetella pertussis and its application to the diagnosis of pertussis using the polymerase chain reaction.

A tandemly repeated 1,046-base-pair (bp) ClaI DNA fragment from Bordetella pertussis was cloned into Escherichia coli by using the vector pUC19. This fragment, when isolated, hybridized strongly to DNA from all 100 clinical isolates of B. pertussis tested. It was shown to have homology to single-copy sequences in Bordetella bronchiseptica but not Bordetella parapertussis and did not hybridize to lysate blots of a wide range of other bacteria, including members of the closely related genera Pasteurella, Alcaligenes, and Haemophilus. The 1,046-bp fragment was sequenced, and complementary synthetic oligonucleotides flanking a 153-bp region within the repeated element were used as primers for specific amplification of this region using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This procedure was then applied to the rapid (5-h) detection of B. pertussis in nasopharyngeal secretions collected from 332 children with suspected pertussis. The test yielded positive results in a total of 98 samples, compared with 66 for culture and 33 for direct immunofluorescence (IF). All of the IF-positive samples were PCR positive, as were 63 of the samples from which B. pertussis was eventually cultured. Two hundred thirty-one specimens which were negative by IF and culture were also negative in the PCR assay. However, 33 culture- and IF-negative specimens were positive by PCR assay. Several of these specimens were collected from close contacts of culture-proven pertussis patients, were follow-up specimens from such patients, or were from patients with serological evidence of pertussis and therefore may be true-rather than false-positives. Images
Voltage Asymmetry of Spin-Transfer Torques

Experimentally, it is seen that the free magnetic layer of a spin torque transfer (STT) device experiences a larger in-plane torque when a negative (rather than positive) voltage is applied to the fixed layer. This is surprising because magnets do not have any intrinsic asymmetry. In this paper, we 1) provide a simple physical explanation, based on the polarization of fixed layer in the energy range of transport; 2) extend it to explain the asymmetric bias dependence of out-of-plane torque as observed in some of the experiments; and 3) propose an asymmetric STT structure that can lead to a significant difference in the in-plane torques exerted on two contacts, even if they are identical. This effect 3 has not been observed to our knowledge and if demonstrated can find important applications.
Differential relationships between positive and negative symptoms and neuropsychological deficits in schizophrenia

Abstract This study assessed the relationships between positive and negative clinical symptoms and specific neuropsychological deficits in a group of stable schizophrenic patients. Method: Thirty patients were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia and a battery of cognitive tests. The PANSS assessments were done by a group of raters blind to the results of cognitive tests, while the cognitive tests were conducted by a different group of raters who remained blind to the PANSS scores. Results: We found that, although positive and negative symptoms showed a trend toward direct correlation with each other, they correlated with distinct cognitive deficits. Patients with higher negative scores had more perseverative responses, perseverative errors, and completed fewer categories on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; they also experienced more difficulties on trail making and verbal fluency tests. On the other hand, positive symptoms were associated with poor performance on the Digit Span, particularly the Digit Span Forward. Conclusions: Our findings are in agreement with previous reports that negative symptoms may be associated with poor performance on cognitive tests reflecting particularly frontal function. Positive symptoms, on the other hand, seem to be associated with poor attention, specifically of auditory type, and thus, possibly with dysfunction within the more widespread neural networks underlying attention. Our findings support the hypothesis that positive and negative symptoms may be associated with distinct neuropsychological deficits and thus with distinct neurological substrates and point to the need to address both positive and negative dimensions when studying schizophrenia.
A precision voltage-to-frequency converter

A monolithic voltage-to-frequency converter offering 0.015% nonlinearity will be covered. The design incorporates ion-implanted zener references and high-speed circuit technology to minimize error.
Deformation behavior of a Ni-30Al-20Fe-0.05Zr intermetallic alloy in the temperature range 300 to 1300 K

The deformation properties of an extruded Ni-30Al-20Fe-0.05Zr (at. pct) alloy in the temperature range 300-1300 K were investigated under initial tensile strain rates that varied between 10 exp -6 and 10 exp -3/sec and in constant load compression creep between 1073 and 1300 K. Three deformation regimes were observed: region I, occurring between 400 and 673 K, which consisted of an athermal regime of less than 0.3 percent tensile ductility; region II, between 673 and 1073, where exponential creep was dominant; and region III, between 1073 and 1300 K, where a significant improvement in tensile ductility was observed.
The effect of modifications of the A5 and A19 amino acid residues on the biological activity of insulin. [Leu5-A] and [Phe19-A] sheep insulins

Two analogs of sheep insulin, both differing from the native material by a single amino acid in the A chain, have been synthesized and isolated in highly purified form by procedures developed in this laboratory. In one case, the glutamine residue in position A5 was replaced by leucine ([Leu5-A]); in the other, the tyrosine residue in position A19 was replaced by phenylalanine ([Phe19-A]). The biological behavior of these analogs was compared with natural bovine insulin inin vitro tests and in receptor-binding assays, as well as in radioimmunoassay. In the stimulation of glucose oxidation by rat adipocytes, the analogs gave relative potencies of 30% and 7.8% for [Leu5-A] and [Phe19-A], respectively. Receptor-binding assays in rat liver plasma membranes showed similar behavior for both analogs. In radioimmunoassay, [Leu5-A] displayed a relative potency of 27.9%, while [Phe19-A] showed a relative potency of 19–27%, compared with bovine insulin. At high concentration, both analogs displayed the same maximal activity as bovine insulin, and the dose-response curves are essentially parallel. It is speculated that the interaction between the glutamine residue in position 5 and the tyrosine residue in position 19 of the A chain of insulin are important in maintaining a three-dimensional structure commensurate with high biological activity. The full intrinsic activity of both analogs at high concentrations and the similarity of the potency figures in receptor-binding and glucose-oxidation assays permit the further conclusion that the reduced potency in the latter assay can be ascribed wholly to the reduced binding affinity toward insulin receptors caused by the substitutions made in the analogs. The receptor-analog complexes are fully capable of triggering the next event in the chain leading to the biological response.
Fluoroscopy-based method to determine heart geometry for functional imaging of cardiac electrical activity

A fluoroscopy based method for determining heart surface geometry has been developed and validated in phantom and human studies. Biplane fluoroscopic projections were calibrated independently. The heart contour was segmented in each projection and corresponding contour points were matched using epipolar geometry. Points in 3D were reconstructed from the corresponding contour points using point reconstruction. B-splines were approximated from the reconstructed points and meshed to form the heart surface. The fluoroscopy-reconstructed heart was validated in a phantom and human study by comparison to CT imaging. Mean, minimum, maximum and standard deviation of the absolute distance errors were computed for the fluoroscopy-reconstructed heart relative to the CT heart. The mean absolute distance error for the phantom was 4mm. The mean absolute distance error for the human subject was 10 mm. In addition to validating the geometry, we also evaluated in the human subject the feasibility of noninvasive imaging of normal cardiac electrical activity on the fluoroscopy-reconstructed heart by comparing the results to those obtained on the CT heart. Noninvasive images on the fluoroscopy-reconstructed heart by showed close correlation with those obtained on the CT heart (CC=0.70).
A single-chip x-band chirp radar MMIC with stretch processing

A single-chip X-band chirp radar transceiver with direct digital synthesis (DDS) for chirp generation is presented. The radar chip, including receiver, transmitter, quadrature DDS, phase-locked loop (PLL) and analog to digital converter (ADC), has been implemented in a 0.13μm BiCMOS technology. The stretch processing technique is employed to translate the time interval between the received and the transmitted chirp signals to a single tone at the baseband output with greatly reduced bandwidth, which allows for the use of a low-cost ADC with a reduced input bandwidth of 10MHz for digitizing the received RF chirp with a bandwidth of 150MHz. A Weaver receiver with a dc-offset is employed in order to use a single ADC for detecting the received quadrature signals with image rejection. A quadrature 1GHz DDS with an inverse sinc function for zero-order hold correction is implemented to provide the chirp signals for both receiver and transmitter. A wide-tuning PLL frequency synthesizer is integrated to generate the local oscillator (LO) signals as well as the clock signal for the DDS and ADC. The implemented radar-on-chip (RoC) MMIC occupies a die area of 3.5 × 2.5mm. With a 2.2V supply voltage for analog/RF and a 1.5V supply for digital, the chip consumes 326mW in the receive mode and 333mW in the transmit mode.
Harvest management effects on ensiling characteristics and silage nutritive value of seeded Pennisetum hexaploid hybrids

Abstract Seed propagated interspecific hybrids of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] and elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) are productive, high in nutritive value, and may have potential as ensiled forages for dairy cattle, but more information is needed about ensiling management. Two hybrids were evaluated in terms of nutritive value of herbage, herbage characteristics that affect fermentation, and chemical composition and in vitro organic matter disappearance of silage. Treatments included harvesting forage at 6- and 12-wk intervals and ensiling directly in laboratory silos or ensiling after wilting for 6 h. Forage from all treatments had low buffering capacity (88–176 meq NaOH kg−1 DM) and low but sufficient water-soluble carbohydrate concentration (39–72 g kg−1 DM) to allow proper preservation. Unwilted forage had greater water-soluble carbohydrate concentration than wilted, and silage made from unwilted forage had lower pH, greater lactic acid concentration, and higher Flieg scores than silage made from wilted forage. Lactic acid was the major end product of fermentation for all silages. Acetic acid concentrations were low and butyric acid was not present. Crude protein, in vitro organic matter disappearance, and neutral detergent fiber concentrations were affected to a greater degree by plant maturity than by moisture at ensiling. These data indicate that seeded hexaploid Pennisetum hybrids can be successfully ensiled across a range of plant maturities and moisture concentrations. Wilting was not an advantage when using small laboratory silos, but if hexaploid hybrid cultivars are released, ensiling management should be evaluated further using commercial-size silos.
Normal-state properties of the uniform resonating-valence-bond state.

We study a version of the uniform resonating-valence-band state in which fermions and spinless bosons are coupled by a gauge field. We show that above the Bose-Einstein temperature, the boson inverse lifetime due to scattering by the gauge field is of order kT, which suppresses the condensation temperature and leads to a linear T resistivity. The Hall number is proportional to the hole density and temperature dependent. The single-particle spectral weight exhibits a continuum plus a broadened peak. The ``Fermi surface'' area satisfies Luttinger's theorem. Comparison with the anomalous normal-state properties of oxide superconductors is made.