cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
595 The COVID Effect: Exploring the Impact of Coronavirus on an Academic Burn Center

Introduction Globally, medical centers have faced unprecedented times with the onset of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic Emergency departments (ED) and burn units have had to adapt to uncertainty and new challenges At our institution, we had to alter our daily burn practice, physically moving our burn unit to our surgical intensive care unit to accommodate staff cohorting While some hospitals have seen patient surges, most have endured dramatic decreases in productivity A UK burn unit documented lower ED presentations and reduced referrals from other centers, with 50% fewer patients admitted to their burns ward (Farroha) In Israel, a 66% decrease in adult burn patients was noted (Kruchevska et al ) We sought to identify the impact of COVID-19 on burn injury epidemiology in our burn unit based in a large, urban, academic medical center Methods We conducted a retrospective review of our burn database for ED visits and admissions related to burn injuries between March 1st and June 30th in the years 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 We looked at the age and sex of patient, type of visit, length of stay (LOS), the mechanism of injury, the setting in which injury occurred, and the details of the injury We compare annual trends, with emphasis on comparison of 2020 to previous years Results From admissions and ED data records, 215 patient encounters were reviewed We saw a yearly rise in total burn patients seen in the ED or admitted to our burn unit 2017–2020 (39, 43, 63, and 70 respectively) with the highest volume of patients in 2020 Mean patient age ranged from 45 (2020) to 51 (2017) More males were burned in all years (male:female ratio 3 9 in 2017, 2 1 in 2018, 2 5 in 2019, 1 9 in 2020) Median LOS in 2020 was 2 5 days, consistent with 2017–2019 values (2, 3, 3, respectively) Between 2017 and 2019, 10%, 2%, and 8% respectively of patients evaluated were treated on an outpatient basis, while in 2020, 20% were outpatient Rates of flash, scald, flame, chemical, electrical, and contact burns were stable over the period Of those patients who were admitted, 1 8% sustained work-related burns in 2020 versus 8 9% over 2017–2019 In 2020, 23% of burns were cooking related versus 18% over the prior 3 years Conclusions Despite documented decreased burn admissions in some units, our unit saw an increase in burn injuries presenting for evaluation in the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to the analogous period in the three years prior Burns were less often tied to work-related incidents and more frequently related to cooking injuries Even with more patients treated and released from the ED, inpatient admission numbers were maintained These findings support the importance of protecting our staffing and burn unit resources in a pandemic setting in order to appropriately treat regional patients and an increase in home-based injuries
Management and Outcomes of Blast Transformed Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia.

Despite recent advances in the treatment of de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), AML arising from antecedent chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) continues to have dismal outcomes. While the unique biological drivers of CMML and subsequent leukemic transformation (LT) have been revealed with advances in molecular characterization, this has not yet translated to the bedside. Here, we review these biologic drivers, outcomes with current therapies, and rationale avenues of future investigation specifically in blast phase CMML (CMML-BP). CMML-BP outcomes are studied as an aggregate with more common categories of AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRCs) or the even broader category of secondary AML (sAML), which illustrates the crux of the problem. While a modest survival advantage with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant exists, the difficulty is bridging patients to transplant and managing patients that require an allograft-sparing approach. Limited data suggest that short-lived remissions can be obtained employing CPX-351 or venetoclax-based lower intensity combination therapy. Promising future strategies include repurposing cladribine, exploiting the supportive role of dendritic cell subsets with anti-CD123 therapies, MCL-1 inhibition, dual MEK/PLK1 inhibition, FLT3 inhibition in RAS-mutated and CBL-mutated subsets, and immune therapies targeting novel immune checkpoint molecules such as the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4), an immune-modulatory transmembrane protein restrictively expressed on monocytic cells. The successful management of an entity as unique as CMML-BP will require a cooperative, concerted effort to design and conduct clinical trials dedicated to this rare form of sAML.
Assessment of multiple ecosystem metabolism methods in an estuary

Author(s): Loken, LC; Van Nieuwenhuyse, EE; Dahlgren, RA; Lenoch, LEK; Stumpner, PR; Burau, JR; Sadro, S | Abstract: Ecosystem metabolism is a key ecological attribute and easy to describe, but quantifying metabolism in estuaries is challenging. Properly scaling measurements through time and space requires consideration of hydrodynamics and mixing water from heterogeneous sources, making any estimation uncertain. Here, we compared three methods for modeling ecosystem metabolism in a portion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Metabolism estimates based on laboratory incubations, continuous in situ buoys, and an oxygen isotope approach all indicated the system was net heterotrophic, and calculated rates were comparable in magnitude when averaged over the 2-month study. Daily metabolic rates based on in situ buoys were the most variable, likely due to horizontal and vertical advection and poor portrayal of the dissolved oxygen budget. After temporally averaging in situ buoy estimates or smoothing the dissolved oxygen time series for tidal effects, rates were more comparable to the other methods, which may be necessary to account for tidal advection and unbalanced contributions from subhabitats within the metabolic footprint. Incubation-based rates represent the finest temporal and spatial scale and only account for pelagic processes, which may explain why incubation-based rates were lower than the other two methods. The oxygen isotope method provided temporally and spatially integrated rates that were bracketed by the other two methods and may be a valuable tool in systems matching the model requirements. Because uncertainty arises in each method from a number of assumptions and scaling calculations, the resolution of metabolic rates in estuaries is likely coarser and more variable than in other aquatic ecosystems.
Case-control study of the association of chronic acid suppression and social determinants of health with COVID-19 infection.

Acid suppressants are widely-used classes of medications linked to increased risks of aerodigestive infections. Prior studies of these medications as potentially reversible risk factors for COVID-19 have been conflicting. We aimed to determine the impact of chronic acid suppression use on COVID-19 infection risk while simultaneously evaluating the influence of social determinants of health to validate known and discover novel risk factors. We assessed the association of chronic acid suppression with incident COVID-19 in a 1:1 case-control study of 900 patients tested across three academic medical centers in California, USA. Medical comorbidities and history of chronic acid suppression use were manually extracted from health records by physicians following a pre-specified protocol. Socio-behavioral factors by geomapping publicly-available data to patient zip codes were incorporated. We identified no evidence to support an association between chronic acid suppression and COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio 1.04, 95% CI 0.92-1.17, P = 0.515). However, several medical and social features were positive (Latinx ethnicity, BMI ≥ 30, dementia, public transportation use, month of the pandemic) and negative (female sex, concurrent solid tumor, alcohol use disorder) predictors of new infection. These findings demonstrate the value of integrating publicly-available databases with medical data to identify critical features of communicable diseases.
Biochemical analysis of myoglobinuria associated with rhabdomyolysis

Resumen pt: The destruction of skeletal muscle in a condition known as rhabdomyoly-he rhabdomyoly sis results in the release into the blood stream of lar ge quantiti...
Neurosteroid Prolongs GABAA Channel Deactivation by Altering Kinetics of Desensitized States

Fast applications of GABA (1 mm) to nucleated and outside-out patches excised from granule neurons in cerebellar slices from developing rats evoked currents with a double exponential time course reminiscent of that of IPSCs. A neurosteroid 3α, 21dihydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (THDOC) remarkably increased the slow deactivation time constant and slowed down recovery from desensitization, as estimated by paired-pulse GABA applications. THDOC also reduced the amplitude of GABA currents, whereas it failed to affect the fast deactivation component and its relative contribution to peak amplitude. The effects of THDOC on slow deactivation were greater in rats younger than postnatal day 13 (P13) as compared with rats at P30–P35. THDOC failed to alter deactivation of short responses induced by a less-potent agonist taurine at saturating doses. These responses had deactivation kinetics described by a fast single exponential decay, little desensitization, and quick recovery. However, THDOC slowed deactivation if taurine responses were long enough to allow consistent desensitization, suggesting that desensitized states are required for the neurosteroid to modulate GABA responses. In outside-out patches, just as desensitized states prolonged GABA responses by producing reopening of channels activated by brief GABA pulses, THDOC increased the channel open probability by further increasing the number of late channel openings, resulting in a prolongation of the slow deactivation. Our data suggest that neurosteroid potentiates the inhibitory postsynaptic transmission via the prolongation of the slow deactivation and that the alteration of kinetics of entry and exit from desensitized states underlies the allosteric modification of GABAAreceptors by neurosteroids.
Adaptive-critic-based control of a synchronous generator in a power system using biologically inspired artificial neural networks

This paper proposes an adaptive critic design (ACD) based control method of a generator in a single machine infinite bus (SMIB) power system, by using a biologically-inspired artificial neural network (BIANN). A heuristic dynamic programming (HDP) based optimal controller applying three BIANNs is designed for the control of the turbo generator in the SMIB system. By developing a numerical derivative calculation algorithm, the difficulties in back-propagating errors through a BIANN are overcome. The HDP-BIANN controller for the turbo generator in the SMIB system is trained and run online for different operating conditions. The results show that the HDP-BIANN controller improves the system damping as well as dynamic transient stability more effectively than the conventional controllers (CONVC) for not only small step changes, but also large disturbances such as a three phase short circuit. This is the first time that a BIANN is used for closed-loop optimal control of a power system.
Endovascular management of radiation-induced subclavian and axillary artery aneurysms

Subclavian and axillary artery aneurysms are rare occurrences and are associated with serious sequelae if they are untreated. Little is known about these aneurysms, and best practice guidelines are lacking. We describe an 87-year-old man with a history of chest irradiation who presented with radiation-induced subclavian and axillary aneurysms and acute upper extremity ischemia. An endovascular stent graft procedure was undertaken because of his prohibitive high risk for open surgical treatment. Follow-up duplex ultrasound revealed patent stent grafts with complete exclusion of aneurysm sacs. Endovascular therapy is a viable option for upper extremity aneurysms in patients at high risk for open surgical repair.
The distinction between γ-glutamylhydroxamate synthetase and l-glutamine–hydroxylamine glutamyltransferase activities in rat tissues. Studies in vitro

Two common ways of measuring the potential for glutamine synthesis in a tissue are the rates of formation of γ-glutamylhydroxamate either by synthesis from glutamate (the glutamylhydroxamate synthetase reaction) or by transfer from glutamine (the glutamyltransferase reaction); it has not been established, however, that either reaction is a specific measure of glutamine synthetase. By differential extraction of glutamylhydroxamate synthetase and glutamyltransferase activities from water homogenates of several rat tissues I obtained an extract, rich in glutamylhydroxamate synthetase activity but nearly devoid of glutamyltransferase activity, and a fraction, solubilized by deoxycholate from the pellet, which contained virtually no glutamylhydroxamate synthetase activity but most of the original glutamyltransferase activity. Synthesis of glutamine, quantitatively similar to the γ-glutamylhydroxamate formed by glutamylhydroxamate synthetase, is catalysed in the water extract but not in the particulate fraction. γ-Glutamylhydroxamate formation by glutamylhydroxamate synthetase and glutamyltransferase shows discrepant substrate and metal specificities and can be differentially inhibited by l-methionine sulphoximine, phosphate and adenine nucleotides. The concordance between the formation of glutamine and γ-glutamylhydroxamate by glutamylhydroxamate synthetase but not by glutamyltransferase and the different solubilities of the glutamylhydroxamate synthetase and glutamyltransferase enzyme activities demonstrate that these two activities are not inextricably associated; they therefore cannot be catalysed exclusively by the same protein.
Population genetic analysis identifies source-sink dynamics for two sympatric garter snake species ( Thamnophis elegans and Thamnophis sirtalis )

Population genetic structure can be shaped by multiple ecological and evolutionary factors, but the genetic consequences of these factors for multiple species inhabiting the same environment remain unexplored. We used microsatellite markers to examine the population structures of two coexisting species of garter snake, Thamnophis elegans and Thamnophis sirtalis , to determine if shared landscape and biology imposed similar population genetic structures. These snakes inhabit a series of ponds, lakes and flooded meadows in northern California and tend to converge on prey type wherever they coexist. Both garter snakes had comparable effective population sizes and bidirectional migration rates (estimated using a maximum-likelihood method based on the coalescent) with low but significant levels of genetic differentiation ( F ST = 0.024 for T . elegans and 0.035 for T . sirtalis ). Asymmetrical gene flow revealed large source populations for both species as well as potential sinks, suggesting frequent extinction–recolonization and metapopulation dynamics. In addition, we found a significant correlation between their genetic structures based on both pairwise F ST s for shared populations ( P = 0.009) and for bidirectional migration rates ( P = 0.024). Possible ecological and evolutionary factors influencing similarities and differences in genetic structure for the two species are discussed. Genetic measures of effective population size and migration rates obtained in this study are also compared with estimates obtained from mark–recapture data.
Polyfluorophores on a DNA Backbone: A Multicolor Set of Labels Excited at One Wavelength

We recently described the assembly of fluorescent deoxyriboside monomers ("fluorosides") into DNA-like phosphodiester oligomers (oligodeoxyfluorosides or ODFs) in which hydrocarbon and heterocyclic aromatic fluorophores interact both physically and electronically. Here we report the identification of a multicolor set of water-soluble ODF dyes that display emission colors across the visible spectrum, and all of which can be simultaneously excited by long-wavelength UV light at 340-380 nm. Multispectral dye candidates were chosen from a library of 4096 tetramer ODFs constructed on PEG-polystyrene beads using a simple long-pass filter to observe all visible colors at the same time. We resynthesized and characterized a set of 23 ODFs containing one to four individual chromophores and included 2-3 spacer monomers to increase aqueous solubility and minimize aggregation. Emission maxima of this set range from 376 to 633 nm, yielding apparent colors from violet to red, all of which can be visualized directly. The spectra of virtually all ODFs in this set varied considerably from the simple combination of monomer components, revealing extensive electronic interactions between the presumably stacked monomers. In addition, comparisons of anagrams in the set (isomers having the same components in a different sequence) reveal the importance of nearest-neighbor interactions in the emissive behavior. Preliminary experiments with human tumor (HeLa) cells, observing two ODFs by laser confocal microscopy, showed that they can penetrate the outer cellular membrane, yielding cytoplasmic localization. In addition, a set of four distinctly colored ODFs was incubated with live zebrafish embryos, showing tissue penetration, apparent biostability, and no apparent toxicity. The results suggest that ODF dyes may be broadly useful as labels in biological systems, allowing the simultaneous tracking of multiple species by color, and allowing visualization in moving systems where classical fluorophores fail.
Age and research productivity of academic scientists

Age-publishing profiles are estimated for four fields of science using data from the 1977 Survey of Doctorate Recipients. The five measures of publishing activity used allow for analysis of the sensitivity of the age-publishing relationship to output measure. Results are presented separately for graduate faculty and faculty at nongraduate departments. Although age is found to be a fairly weak predictor of performance, in physics and earth science older scientists publish less than their youngest peers and in physiology and biochemistry older scientists publish less than their middle-aged colleagues. Given the time frame of the data, the results suggest that the graying of America's scientific community was accompanied with slowed rates of research in higher education.
Validation of Regression Models: Methods and Examples

Methods to determine the validity of regression models include comparison of model predictions and coefficients with theory, collection of new data to check model predictions. comparison of results with theoretical model calculations, and data splitting or cross-validation in which a portion of the data is used to estimate the model coefficients, and the remainder of the data is used to measure the prediction accuracy of the model. An expository review of these methods is presented. It is concluded that data splitting is an effective method of model validation when it is not practical to collect new data to test the model. The DUPLEX algorithm, developed by R. W. Kennard, is recommended for dividing the data into the estimation set and prediction set when there is no obvious variable such as time to use as a basis to split the data. Several examples are included to illustrate the various methods of model validation.
In vivo imaging demonstrates a time-line for new vessel formation in islet transplantation

Vascularization of transplanted islets must be maintained to provide long-term graft function. In vivo assessment of new vessel formation in islet grafts has been poorly documented. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether neovascularization was detectable in vivo in a Feridex-labeled murine syngeneic subcapsular islet mass using DCE MRI over 180 days. Subcapsular transplants could be visualized at post-transplant days three, seven, 14, and 28 using T2-weighted MRI and at post-transplant day 180 by immunohistochemistry. Injection of the contrast agent gadolinium (Gd)-DTPA for DCE at three, seven, and 14 days showed increased signal in the transplant area consistent with new vessel formation. Areas under contrast enhancement curves suggested peak angiogenesis at 14 days. At 180 days, there was no observable change in signal intensity after contrast injection suggesting established vascularization or islet mass reduction. Immunohistochemistry confirmed MRI and DCE findings. These data suggest that islet angiogenesis occurs early after transplantation and is likely established after one month of transplantation. This study provides an in vivo time-line of neovascularization in subcapsular islet grafts. We anticipate that contrast extravasation captured by MRI may provide useful monitoring of graft angiogenesis if reproduced in a clinically relevant intraportal model.
Effects of long-term consumption of sewage solids on reproductive performance and serum progesterone and estradiol-17β in mature fine-wool ewes

Abstract Eighty-four mature fine-wool ewes were randomly allotted to one of three dietary treatments to examine the influence of dietary sewage solids on reproductive performance. Treatments were a basal diet or basal plus either 3.5% cottonseed meal (CSM) or 7% sewage solids. Serum progesterone and estradiol-17β measured in blood samples collected through an estrous cycle just before the breeding season of the first and second years were not adversely influenced by sewage feeding. Progesterone concentrations quantified in weekly blood samples collected during gestation and lactation of both years did not differ (P>0.10) among treatments. During the first lambing season, lambing data showed that ewes consuming CSM produced slightly more lambs per ewe exposed (P 0.10) among treatments in the number of lambs born or weaned were observed. A third year's lambing data also revealed no difference (P>0.10) among treatments for lambing rates. These data indicate that prolonged consumption of a diet containing 7% sewage solids has little, if any, detrimental effect on reproductive performance of mature fine-wool ewes.
Studies on In-vivo priming of the trinitrophenyl-reactive cytotoxic effector-cell system. III. are helper T Cells involved in the In-vitro generation of cross-reactive as well as restricted cytotoxic responses?

The present study investigates the role of helper cells from trinitrophenyl(TNP)-primed mice in the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) which lyse TNP-modified syngeneic (TNP-self) targets and cross-reactively lyse TNP-allogeneic target cells. Anti-TNP CTL activities generated from primed (either by intraperitoneal injection of TNP-syngeneic cells or by skin painting with trinitrochlorobenzene) and unprimed spleen cells were compared. When effector populations with comparable lytic activities on TNP-self targets were tested against allogeneic TNP-modified targets, only the in vivo primed effector cells displayed significant cytotoxicity. Since radioresistant helper cells have been found to enhance the anti-TNP-self CTL response, the question was raised whether this helper population could be shown to be involved in the enhanced TNP-allogeneic cross-reactive lysis. Normal spleen cells co-cultured with radioresistant helper cells failed to induce any detectable lysis on TNP-allogeneic targets under conditions for which these helper cells did enhance the lysis detected on TNP-self targets. These results suggest that triggering of such TNP-cross-reactive effector cells during the in vivo priming stage is responsible for the in vitro generation of cross-reactivity.
Three-Dimensional Effects in Flow over Mountains

Abstract An investigation is made of three-dimensional effects on the flow upstream of a mountain whose shape varies in a horizontal direction transverse to the wind. To generate the mountain, a dipole whose strength varies sinusoidally in the spanwise direction is used. The basic wind is assumed to be a uniform stream with constant stability and the disturbances are assumed to be small. This corresponds roughly to a mountain range with a semi-circular cross-sectional profile whose height varies periodically from a maximum of h to zero over a distance W. The results show that significant three-dimensional effects persist right down to those values of the ratio r=h/W where one would normally be inclined to believe that a two-dimensional treatment suffices. This is a consequence of the strong tendency of a stratified wind to flow around rather than over a mountain peak. Two-dimensional approximations which preclude such motions should, therefore, be used with added caution.
Purpose Concepts in an Existing Physical Education Curriculum.

Abstract Existing physical education curricula in five schools were investigated for the presence of movement purpose concepts. Curriculum domain theory was used to structure the study of purpose concepts in the formal, perceived, experiential, and operational curricula. Data collection procedures included nonparticipant observation, formal interviews, content analysis, and the Middle School Movement Purposes Inventory (MSMPI). Typological analysis, analytic induction, and constant comparative qualitative strategies and results from descriptive and ANOVA statistical procedures were triangulated to discover and verify purpose concepts across domains. Twenty-one purpose concepts were documented in the existing curriculum: nine purposes were identified in each of the four curriculum domains, five purposes were present in three domains, seven purposes were present in two domains. One purpose concept, cultural understanding, was not present in the curriculum domains in the school system under investigation.
Excited state spin waves in ErFe2

Abstract Neutron inelastic scattering measurements on ErFe2 reveal an unusual doubling of the two lowest energy spin wave branches over a wide temperature range. Crystal field calculations suggest that one member of each doublet is associated with transitions from the ground state of Er3+ to the first excited state, while the other is associated with transitions between excited states. The gapless acoustic mode appearing at high temperatures is identified as a propagating excited state spin wave.
Responsiveness to Internal Cues to Hunger among Young Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of children to sense and to respond to internal hunger cues and to determine the role certain demographic, physiologic, and environment factors played in their responses. The eating behavior of ninety-nine children in seven day-care centers was observed on two occasions. The children consumed morning snacks of low or high caloric density (internal cue variable), followed by standardized lunches at noon. Each child participated twice, serving as his own control. Weights of food consumed at snacks and lunches were determined. A child was considered responsive to internal cues if he modified his lunch consumption to compensate for snack calorie intake; 42 percent failed to meet this criterion. Lunch calorie consumption was significantly affected by the order of treatments and by day-care centers, but not by age, sex, weightlheight ratio, social status, race, or number of siblings. The immediate environment was concluded to have a greater effect on eating be havior than internal cues. Children tended to eat more at lunch on the first day of the experiment, regardless of the type of snack, apparently responding to a Hawthorne effect created by the novelty of the situation. This effect is itself interpreted as an external stimulus to eat. Children exhibiting insensitivity to their internal cues and overresponsiveness to their external cues were considered at risk of developing food habits contributing to problems of control of energy balance.
Why scientists should cooperate with journalists.

Despite a widespread impression that the public is woefully ignorant of science and cares little for the subject, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) surveys show the majority are very interested and understand that they are not well informed about science. The data are consistent with the author’s view that the popularity of pseudoscience does not indicate a rejection of science. If this is so, opportunities for scientists to communicate with the public promise a more rewarding result than is commonly believed among scientists. In fact, the increasing visibility of science in the mass media correlates with a slow, steady improvement in public understanding of science in recent years.
A national study of cardiopulmonary unplanned events after GI endoscopy

Background Cardiopulmonary unplanned events (CUE) related to conscious sedation constitute a major proportion of GI endoscopy–associated complications. Objectives Our purpose was to study the incidence of CUE during GI endoscopy and to determine factors that may predict CUE. Design Retrospective CORI (Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative) database review. Patients Undergoing GI endoscopy under conscious sedation. Main Outcome Measurement CUE associated with GI endoscopy. Results Data on 324,737 unique procedures (EGD, 140,692; colonoscopy, 174,255; ERCP, 6092; and EUS, 3698) performed with the patient under conscious sedation were analyzed. Unplanned events were reported in 1.4% of procedures; 0.9% were associated with CUE. Rates of CUE with EGD, colonoscopy, ERCP, and EUS were 0.6%, 1.1%, 2.1%, and 0.9%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression revealed patient age (odds ratio [OR] 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.02) and ASA class were significant predictors of CUE (OR compared with ASA I: ASA II 1.05, 95% CI 0.95-1.16; ASA III 1.8, 95% CI 1.6-2.0, ASA IV 3.2, 95% CI 2.5-4.1, ASA V 7.5; 95% CI 3.2-17.6). Inpatient procedures were associated with higher CUE (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3-1.7). Compared with universities, nonuniversity sites (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.4) and Veterans Administration Medical Centers (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.5) had significantly higher CUE. Use of supplemental oxygen during a procedure was associated with significantly more CUE (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3). Involvement of a trainee with a procedure was also associated with higher CUE (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.4). Limitations Retrospective review of data entered voluntarily by endoscopists not trained on CORI data entry. Conclusions During GI endoscopy with conscious sedation, patient's age, higher ASA grade, inpatient status, trainee participation, and routine use of oxygen are associated with a higher incidence of CUE.
Human pharmacokinetics of ethynyl estradiol 3-sulfate and 17-sulfate.

Abstract Pharmacokinetic parameters of ethynyl estradiol 3-sulfate (EE-3) and 17-sulfate (EE-17) were estimated. Each sulfate was administered orally and intravenously to five ovariectomized volunteer women. Blood samples were taken over a period of 24 h. Radioimmunoassay for free and sulfoconjugated ethynyl estradiol (EE) was performed. The analysis of the plasma concentrations obtained after administration of EE-3 and EE-17 indicates significant differences in their pharmacokinetic profiles. EE-3 is cleared more rapidly from the central compartment (systemic circulation), which may indicate that differences in protein binding, tissue binding, metabolism, and distribution exist between EE-3 and EE-17. It has been suggested that these conjugates are a slow-release reservoir for maintenance of blood levels of free EE itself. However, previous studies in baboons have shown that the half-lives of the free and sulfoconjugated EE are similar (ranging from 8.8 to 11.2 h), which is not consistent with this hypothesis. The t 1 2 β (mean 9.28 h) of the 17-sulfate after IV administration was almost identical in women and baboons, and similar to the t 1 2 β of free EE, confirming the previous observation. Only 3.4% of IV and 11.4% of the orally administered 17-sulfate appeared in the blood as free EE; with the 3-sulfate, the conversions were 13.7 and 20.7%, respectively, suggesting that these sulfates are not important slow-release reservoirs. The similarity of pharmacokinetic parameters between women and baboons suggests that this species of nonhuman primate is, in important respects, a suitable animal model for clinical pharmacology.
Septic shock with renal failure after chorionic villus sampling.

Abstract A report of septic shock and renal failure after a chorionic villus sampling is presented. Uterine evacuation, antibiotics, and vasopressor therapy were unsuccessful in reversing hypotension, coagulopathy, and anuria. The patient's condition improved only after exploratory laparotomy.and removal of the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. The incidence of such serious complications must be determined.
Record keeping practices: consequences of accounting demands in a public clinic

This observational study explores the tensions and negative consequences of record construction for patients and front-line staff in a public clinic providing services to poor women and children. For emphasis, it is possible to say that the routine of the clinic is record driven, not service driven. More is accomplished in clinic work than producing records; patients certainly do receive needed health care. However, tight regulations filtered through heavy paperwork requirements stifle the effective delivery of comprehensive, flexible services especially needed by disadvantaged families. Clinic staff may be motivated to attend to individual patient concerns, but accounting demands generally circumscribe their work and create barriers for patients. The record has a life of its own as a socially constructed artifact in the process of caregiving in bureaucratic settings, where actual services often respond not to the client, but to the countable, accountable mandates of management.
Predictors of alcohol use during the first year of college : Implications for prevention

The first year of college is a unique transition period, in which the student establishes a college identity and social network. Alcohol use is often part of this process, and many first-year college students develop a pattern of heavy drinking that puts them at risk for adverse consequences during their college years and into young adulthood. To better understand the development of risky alcohol use during this transition, we reviewed the literature on influences on college drinking and identified moderators and mediators that were particularly relevant for first-year alcohol use. As the transition from high school to college presents a unique opportunity for intervention, we discuss how these moderators and mediators can inform alcohol abuse prevention programs. We also identify approaches aimed at changing the culture of alcohol use on campus. Limitations of the reviewed research are highlighted in the context of promising directions for future research.
Interactions Between Tactile and Proprioceptive Representations in Haptics

ABSTRACT Neuroprosthetic limbs, regardless of their sophisticated motor control, require sensory feedback to viably interact with the environment. Toward that aim, the authors examined interrelationships between tactile and proprioceptive sensations. Through human psychophysics experiments, they evaluated error patterns of subjects estimating hand location in a horizontal 2-dimensional workspace under 3 tactile conditions. While tactile cues did not significantly affect the structure of the pattern of errors, touching the workspace reduced estimation errors. During neurophysiological experiments, a macaque grasped textured objects using 2 hand postures. Sensory coding showed dependence on both roughness of the manipulandum and posture. In summary, the authors suggest that tactile sensations underlying haptics are processed in a stable spatial reference frame provided by a proprioceptive system, and that tactile and proprioceptive inputs can be encoded simultaneously by individual cells. Such insights will...
Radiation transfer in plant canopies - Transmission of direct solar radiation and the role of leaf orientation

Understanding the details of the interaction between the radiation field and plant structures is important climatically because of the influence of vegetation on the surface water and energy balance, but also biologically, since solar radiation provides the energy necessary for photosynthesis. The problem is complex because of the extreme variety of vegetation forms in space and time, as well as within and across plant species. This one-dimensional vertical multilayer model describes the transfer of direct solar radiation through a leaf canopy, accounting explicitly for the vertical inhomogeneities of a plant stand and leaf orientation, as well as heliotropic plant behavior. This model reproduces observational results on homogeneous canopies, but it is also well adapted to describe vertically inhomogeneous canopies. Some of the implications of leaf orientation and plant structure as far as light collection is concerned are briefly reviewed.
CSAT's QT Interval Screening in Methadone Report: Outrageous Fortune or Sea of Troubles?

Awareness of sudden cardiac death (SCD) has increased over the past few decades, and there are ongoing efforts to develop risk stratification models that can identify susceptible individuals. Because survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 5%,1 it is hoped that identification of risk factors for SCD will lead to prevention strategies.
Surface-polariton and guided-wave excitation in thin-film Kerr media.

We present a theory for the excitation of surface polaritons and guided waves in a dielectric film on a planar metal surface, via third-order nonlinearities in the dielectric (a Kerr medium). Excitation occurs by a four-wave interaction when three bulk electromagnetic waves are incident upon the film. The resonantly excited surface and/or guided waves may be at various sum or difference frequencies of the incident waves. One of the incident waves may be taken to be an applied static field, whose direction controls the polarization of the excited wave. The power flux parallel to the surface increases by several orders of magnitude at the resonance peaks corresponding to the excitation of the surface and guided waves.
Role Concept of Engineering Managers

This paper contains preliminary results of a questionnaire survey among engineering managers in a large electronics company. Engineering managers are divided into three levels and compared with respect to their degree of business and professional orientation, their conception of authority, and their understanding of the problems of nonsupervisory engineers.
Structural basis for nicotinamide inhibition and base exchange in sir2 enzymes.

The Sir2 family of proteins consists of broadly conserved NAD(+)-dependent deacetylases that are implicated in diverse biological processes, including DNA regulation, metabolism, and longevity. Sir2 proteins are regulated in part by the cellular concentrations of a noncompetitive inhibitor, nicotinamide, that reacts with a Sir2 reaction intermediate via a base-exchange reaction to reform NAD(+) at the expense of deacetylation. To gain a mechanistic understanding of nicotinamide inhibition in Sir2 enzymes, we captured the structure of nicotinamide bound to a Sir2 homolog, yeast Hst2, in complex with its acetyl-lysine 16 histone H4 substrate and a reaction intermediate analog, ADP-HPD. Together with related biochemical studies and structures, we identify a nicotinamide inhibition and base-exchange site that is distinct from the so-called "C pocket" binding site for the nicotinamide group of NAD(+). These results provide insights into the Sir2 mechanism of nicotinamide inhibition and have important implications for the development of Sir2-specific effectors.
The use of computer simulated experimental data in an advanced laboratory course

The simulated experimental data are being used to alleviate some scheduling constraints and to strengthen the educational experience of the students in the laboratory. The course consists of various topics of chemical analysis which use instrumental methods. In the lecture part of the course the theoretical background and the practical considerations of the method of analysis are presented. The laboratory part of the course has two objects. It is used to illustrate and reinforce the theoretical background and the practical considerations of the analytical techniques and proper equipment and instrument usage in the student. These objectives could be more easily realized if the students could do the experiments concurrently with or soon after each chemical analysis topic is presented in the lecture. However, instruments are expensive and, except for the most inexpensive types, only one will be available for the laboratory course. Thus, the instructor typically has ten different experiments with ten different instruments going simultaneously with some students doing experiments before or long after the chemical analysis method has been presented in the lecture. In practice the situation is worse since not all of the instruments may be available or some may go down during the laboratory period.
Agricultural genomics and subterranean plant‐plant communications

Agricultural genomics has the potential to dramatically enrich the availability and quality of food supplies worldwide. However, because thousands of different plant species are grown for food, the application of genomics to crop improvement faces issues distinct from those in medical research. The challenge to agricultural plant scientists is to exploit the databases being generated for rice, maize, and Arabidopsis toward the genetic improvement of non-model crop species. The work in our lab illustrates one example of how genomic approaches can be applied to a non-model plant. Our overall goal is to understand how roots of different plants interact and use this information to improve the subterranean performance of crops in relation to weeds. The most obvious manifestation of root-root interactions is haustoria development. Haustoria are parasitic plant-specific organs that invade host plants and rob them of water and nutrients. Parasitic members of the Scrophulariaceae develop haustoria in vitro when exposed to molecules released by host roots. This is a useful phenotype for investigating plant-plant interactions because it is rapid, highly synchronous, and strictly dependent on exogenous haustoria-inducing factors (HIFs). Using a PCR-based subtractive hybridization, we cloned several hundred cDNAs representing transcripts one to two orders of magnitude more abundant in the roots of a parasitic plant after HIF exposure. Putative functions for about 90% of these transcripts could be assigned by searching the public databases. These have been arrayed on nylon filters and interrogated with a variety of probes from different parasitic and nonparasitic plants. Results from these experiments allowed us to identify likely candidate genes for the perception and processing of root signals by neighboring plants.
Intraperitoneal Infusion as a Complication of Needle Catheter Feeding Jejunostomy

The needle catheter feeding jejunostomy is being increasingly utilized for postoperative nutritional support. We report a case of catheter dislodgement with intraperitoneal infusion of an elemental diet with subsequent peritonitis and death. A review of the literature reveals this complication to occur in 1.5% of patients, even when the serosa of the small bowel has been attached to the anterior abdominal wall. Recommendations are made regarding the prevention and management of such complications.
Preparation of artificial kidney stones of reproducible size, shape, and mass by precision injection molding.

Purpose: To prepare artificial kidney stones of defined shape, size, mass, and material composition via precision injection molding of Ultracal 30 cement slurries into an inexpensive biodegradable mold. Materials and Methods: A calcium alginate and silica–based mold was used to prepare casts of varying shapes in a reproducible manner. Ultracal 30 cement slurries mixed 1:1 with water were injected into these casts and allowed to harden. The artificial stones were recovered and their physical properties determined. Ex-vivo and in-vivo responses to holmium laser lithotripsy were examined. Results: Spheres, half spheres, cylinders, cubes, tapered conical structures, and flat angulated structures were prepared with high precision without post-molding manipulations. Large spheres of average mass 0.661 g (± 0.037), small spheres of average mass 0.046 g (± 0.0026), and hexagons of average mass 0.752 g (± 0.0180) were found to have densities (1610–1687 kg/m3) within the expected range for Ultracal 30 cement stones...
Does change in accessibility with conversion depend on both the substrate and pretreatment technology

The accessibility of cellulase and xylanase enzymes to glucan and xylan, respectively, and its change with conversion were measured for pure Avicel glucan and poplar solids that had been pretreated by ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), ammonia recycled percolation (ARP), dilute acid, and lime. Avicel and pretreated solids were digested to various degrees by cellulase together with beta-glucosidase enzymes and then cleaned of residual protein via a biological method using Protease. Glucan accessibility was determined by purified CBHI (Cel7A) adsorption at 4 degrees C, and 4 and 24 h hydrolysis yields were determined for solids loading containing equal amounts of glucan (1.0% w/v) and lignin (1.0% w/v), in two separate sets of experiments. Consistent with our previous study and in contrast to some in the literature, little change in glucan accessibility was observed with conversion for Avicel, but glucan and xylan accessibility for real biomass varied with the type of pretreatment. For example, AFEX pretreated solids showed a negligible change in glucan accessibility for conversion up to 90%, although xylan accessibility seemed to decline first and then remained constant. On the other hand, a substantial decline in glucan and xylan accessibility with conversion was observed for lime pretreated poplar solids, as shown by initial hydrolysis rates. Yet, an increase in CBHI adsorption with conversion for lime pretreated poplar solids suggested the opposite trend, possibly due to increased lignin exposure and/or reduced effectiveness of adsorbed enzyme.
Diffusive Shock Acceleration of High-energy Charged Particles at Fast Interplanetary Shocks: A Parameter Survey

We present results from numerical simulations of the acceleration of solar energetic particles (SEPs) associated with strong, fast, and radially propagating interplanetary shocks. We focus on the phase of the SEP event at the time of the shock passage at 1 AU, which is when the peak intensity at energies below a few MeV is the highest. The shocks in our study start between 2 and 10 solar radii and propagate beyond 1 AU. We study the effect of various shock and particle input parameters, such as the spatial diffusion coefficient, shock speed, solar wind speed, initial location of the shock, and shock deceleration rate, on the total integrated differential intensity, I, of SEPs with kinetic energies > 10 MeV. I is the integral over energy of the differential intensity spectrum at the time of the shock passage at 1 AU. We find that relatively small changes in the parameters can lead to significant event-to-event changes in I. For example, a factor of 2 increase in the diffusion coefficient at a given energy and spatial location, can lead to a decrease in I by as much as a factor of 50. This may help explain why there are fewer large SEP events seen during the current solar maximum compared to previous maxima. It is known that the magnitude of the interplanetary magnetic field is noticeably weaker this solar cycle than it was in the previous cycle and this will naturally lead to a somewhat larger diffusion coefficient of SEPs.