cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genomic Profiling and Metabolic Homeostasis in Primary Liver Cancers

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), the two most common primary liver cancers, represent the second most common cancer-related cause of death worldwide, with most cases being diagnosed at an advanced stage. Recent genome-wide studies have helped to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis and genetic heterogeneity of liver cancers. This review of the genetic landscape of HCC and iCCA discusses the most recent findings from genomic profiling and the current understanding of the pathways involved in the initiation and progression of liver cancer. We highlight recent insights gained from metabolic profiling of HCC and iCCA. This knowledge will be key to developing clinically useful diagnostic/prognostic profiles, building targeted molecular and immunologic therapies, and ultimately curing these complex and heterogeneous diseases.
Effects of chemical cues on orientation of blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, megalopae in flow: implications for location of nursery areas

Megalopae (postlarvae) of the blue crab Callinectessapidus Rathbun use flood-tide transport (FTT) for movement into and up estuaries. Since they settle around the time of slack water at the end of flood tide during FTT, it was predicted that orientation toward primary nursery areas of aquatic vegetation occurs at this time. This study tested the hypotheses that megalopae locate nursery areas by swimming upstream in the presence of chemical odors from potential nursery areas and avoid adverse microhabitats by swimming downstream when predator or adverse environmental odors are present. Megalopae were tested in a flume where they were exposed to the sequence of cues mediating FTT (i.e. 2 psu increase in salinity followed by an increase and a decrease in current speed and turbulence). The flume contained odor water either from the developmental area (offshore water), nursery area vegetation (seagrass, Zosteramarina; salt marsh cord grass, Spartinaalterniflora), predators (fiddler crab, Ucapugilator; mud crab, Panopeusherbstii; grass shrimp, Palaemonetespugio), or chemicals associated with adverse environments (ammonium). Vertical positions of premolt and intermolt megalopae were similar in water devoid of estuarine chemical cues (offshore water) and water containing seagrass odor. Upstream swimming behavior (orientation) of intermolt megalopae was also similar in these waters. However, there was an ontogenetic behavioral change, as the proportion of premolt megalopae oriented upstream generally increased as the concentration of seagrass and salt marsh cord grass odor increased and as current speed decreased. Upstream orientation of premolt megalopae in response to seagrass odor decreased significantly (i.e. downstream swimming increased) in the presence of odor from U. pugilator, P. pugio, and ammonium, but not from P. herbstii. Thus, the hypothesis was supported. These results suggest premolt megalopae orient toward nursery areas by swimming upstream in response to odors from aquatic vegetation as current speeds decrease at the end of nocturnal flood tides. Moreover, these results also indicate that megalopae may discriminate among microhabitats and avoid adverse settlement habitat, as orientation toward nursery areas is reversed by predator odors and ammonium.
Criteria for Operative Intervention in Valvular Heart Disease Based on Echocardiography

In this chapter, the issues will be simplified artificially, considering each lesion in isolation and pretending that no other valve lesions are present. In addition, the mechanistic and etiologic factors will be presented as though perfectly clear and isolated, which in many real patients is often not true. Sometimes a patient has valvular disease from two sources, for example, myxomatous mitral valve disease with superimposed ischemic heart disease. In many circumstances, such a separation is artifi cial. In addition, these discussions will purposefully neglect the settings of acute valvular dysfunction, management of which is different than in chronic valvular lesions, the subject of this chapter.
Nonvacuum Er-123 Films on Buffer Layered Ni Tapes: Processing, Growth, and Properties

ErBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (EBCO) thin films on buffer layered Ni tapes were investigated via a sol-gel technique. Er-123 films were prepared using solutions of various Er, Ba, and Cu precursor organometallic compounds. NiO was grown on Ni tapes as a buffer layer. ESEM (environmental scanning electron microscope), EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy), and XRD (X-ray diffraction) analysis were used to characterize the EBCO films. The films produced in this manner were homogeneous, and free of pinholes and cracks.
Chemical and Anatomical Plasticity of Brain: Replications and Extensions, 1970

The search for changes in the brain resulting from experience dates back at least two centuries. Only in the last few years, however, has it become clear that environmental variables, including learning and memory, can produce neurochemical and anatomical changes in the brain. In the present volume many of the chapters discuss experiments in which variables in the environment are shown to cause measurable changes in the synthesis and/or composition of neurochemicals.
Role of sexual imprinting in assortative mating and premating isolation in Darwin's finches.

Global biodiversity is being degraded at an unprecedented rate, so it is important to preserve the potential for future speciation. Providing for the future requires understanding speciation as a contemporary ecological process. Phylogenetically young adaptive radiations are a good choice for detailed study because diversification is ongoing. A key question is how incipient species become reproductively isolated from each other. Barriers to gene exchange have been investigated experimentally in the laboratory and in the field, but little information exists from the quantitative study of mating patterns in nature. Although the degree to which genetic variation underlying mate-preference learning is unknown, we provide evidence that two species of Darwin’s finches imprint on morphological cues of their parents and mate assortatively. Statistical evidence of presumed imprinting is stronger for sons than for daughters and is stronger for imprinting on fathers than on mothers. In combination, morphology and species-specific song learned from the father constitute a barrier to interbreeding. The barrier becomes stronger the more the species diverge morphologically and ecologically. It occasionally breaks down, and the species hybridize. Hybridization is most likely to happen when species are similar to each other in adaptive morphological traits, e.g., body size and beak size and shape. Hybridization can lead to the formation of a new species reproductively isolated from the parental species as a result of sexual imprinting. Conservation of sufficiently diverse natural habitat is needed to sustain a large sample of extant biota and preserve the potential for future speciation.
Critical Decision Points for Augmenting Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents: A Pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial.

Objective Practice parameters recommend systematic assessment of depression symptoms over the course of treatment to inform treatment planning; however, there are currently no guidelines regarding how to use symptom monitoring to guide treatment decisions for psychotherapy. The current study compared two time points (week 4 and week 8) for assessing symptoms during interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A) and explored four algorithms that use the symptom assessments to select the subsequent treatment. Method Forty adolescents (aged 12−17 years) with a depression diagnosis began IPT-A with an initial treatment plan of 12 sessions delivered over 16 weeks. Adolescents were randomized to a week 4 or week 8 decision point for considering a change in treatment. Insufficient responders at either time point were randomized a second time to increased frequency of IPT-A (twice per week) or addition of fluoxetine. Measures were administered at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16. Results The week 4 decision point for assessing response and implementing treatment augmentation for insufficient responders was more efficacious for reducing depression symptoms than the week 8 decision point. There were significant differences between algorithms in depression and psychosocial functioning outcomes. Conclusion Therapists implementing IPT-A should routinely monitor depression symptoms and consider augmenting treatment for insufficient responders as early as week 4 of treatment. Clinical Trial Registration Information An Adaptive Treatment Strategy for Adolescent Depression. https://clinicaltrials.gov ; NCT02017535 .
Exposures to the tobacco retail environment among adolescent boys in urban and rural environments.

Background: The tobacco industry spends billions on retail marketing and such marketing is associated with tobacco use. Previous research has not examined actual and potential exposures that adoles...
Cell Death Signaling in Glioblastoma Multiforme: Role of the Bcl2L12 Oncoprotein

Malignant glioma (MG) represents the most prevalent and lethal primary central nervous system cancer. Despite aggressive surgical resection and treatment regimens, patients diagnosed with the highest grade MG, grade IV glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), survive for only 9–12 months after diagnosis. Multimodal approaches using radiation with conjunctive chemotherapy (temozolamide) resulted in only marginal increase in patients’ survival up to 14.6 months. An incomplete understanding of how catalogued genetic aberrations dictate phenotypic hallmarks of the disease, particularly intense therapy (apoptosis) resistance, yet florid intratumoral necrogenesis, combined with a highly therapy-resistant cancer stem cell population (brain tumor stem cells, BTSC) as the putative cell-of-origin conspired to make GBM a highly enigmatic and incurable disease. Especially the continued lack of success in treating high-grade gliomas with targeted (receptor) tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which have been proven to be effective in other malignancies, has prompted a reevaluation of all aspects of glioma drug development and underlined the overarching need to identify and molecularly dissect genetic aberrations in cellular survival pathways that play pivotal roles in GBM’s profound therapy resistance. This review focuses on apoptosis and necrosis pathways implicated in GBM development and evasion from therapy-induced cell death, and discusses the roles and potential therapeutical applications of the novel Bcl-2-like oncoprotein Bcl2L12 in driving cell death-related phenotypes in GBM.
Ever-evolving: introducing the Medical Heritage Library, Inc.

The Medical Heritage Library, Inc. (MHL), is a collaborative digitization and discovery organization committed to providing open access to history of medicine and health resources. Since its founding in 2010, it has aspired to be a visible, research-driven history of medicine and health community that serves a broad, interdisciplinary constituency. The MHL’s goal is to make important historical medical content, derived from leading medical libraries, available online free of charge and to simplify and centralize the discovery of these resources. To do so, it has evolved from a digitization collaborative of like-minded history of medicine libraries, special collections, and archives to an incorporated entity seeking not just to provide online access to digital surrogates, but also to embrace the challenges of open access, the retention and use of records containing health information about individuals, and service to the digital humanities. This organizational expansion was further spurred by the MHL’s recently completed National Endowment for the Humanities grant, “Medicine at Ground Level: State Medical Societies, State Medical Journals, and the Development of American Medicine” (PW-228226-15), which received additional financial support from Harvard University Medical School and the Arcadia Fund through the Harvard University Library.
Open Loop Position Control of Soft Continuum Arm Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

Soft robots undergo large nonlinear spatial deformations due to both inherent actuation and external loading. The physics underlying these deformations is complex, and often requires intricate analytical and numerical models. The complexity of these models may render traditional model-based control difficult and unsuitable. Model-free methods offer an alternative for analyzing the behavior of such complex systems without the need for elaborate modeling techniques. In this paper, we present a model-free approach for open loop position control of a soft spatial continuum arm, based on deep reinforcement learning. The continuum arm is pneumatically actuated and attains a spatial work-space by a combination of unidirectional bending and bidirectional torsional deformation. We use Deep-Q Learning with experience replay to train the system in simulation. The efficacy and robustness of the control policy obtained from the system is validated both in simulation and on the continuum arm prototype for varying external loading conditions.
Predictors of Tick Exposure Risk-Reduction Behavior in Indiana.

To identify significant predictors of the adoption of more than one tick-exposure and tick-borne disease risk reduction behavior among a cross-section of Indiana residents. Study participants were recruited through quota sampling, before completing an online self-administered questionnaire in Qualtrics. The most adopted tick exposure risk reduction behavior (TERRB) (was ‘Walking on established trails and avoiding contact with adjacent vegetation’ (83%, n = 2418). This was followed by ‘Conducting a thorough check of clothing and the body soon after returning from the outdoors’ (81%, n = 2373). The two least adopted TERRBs were,’ Treating outdoor clothing with special insect repellent (e.g. Permethrin)’ (48%, n = 1409) and ‘Wearing appropriate clothing’ (‘Tucking shirt into pants, and the pants into socks when outdoors’) respectively (52%, n = 1524). Study participants who engaged in residential tick control practices (i.e. ‘three-foot wide barrier of wood chips/gravel between lawn and woodland’, ‘yard pesticide application’, ‘shrub & tree-branch trimming’, ‘yard fencing’, ‘fixed time lawn mowing’, and ‘leaf litter removal’) were significantly more likely to adopt nearly all the assessed TERRBs. Higher scores on TERRB efficacy index were associated with engaging in multiple TERRBs. Higher degree of worry about safety/health because of ticks was also associated with adoption of multiple TERRBs. In conclusion, increased risk perceptions, among Indiana residents is significantly associated with adoption of multiple TERRBs. Identifying the predictors of the adoption of more than one TERRB is vital for the prevention of tick-borne diseases.
The use of safe patient handling and mobility equipment in rehabilitation.

Background Increasingly, occupational and physical therapists are using safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) equipment, such as mechanical lifts, in rehabilitation. However, there is little guidance in the literature on how SPHM equipment can be used to assist patients to reach rehabilitation goals. The purpose of this projectwas to document and categorize common and innovative ways rehabilitation therapists use SPHM equipment in their clinical practice. Objective This article investigates common and innovative uses of SPHM equipment in rehabilitation practice. Methods Occupational, physical and kinesio therapist employed at the Veterans Health Administration wrote narratives and took photos describing rehabilitation therapy activities where they used SPHM equipment in their clinical practice. The authors used a systematic process to review and categorize the narratives and subsequent photos by using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Results Thirty narratives (13 innovative and 17 common) were coded into four categories on the ICF section of mobility. The most common category was "changing and maintaining basic body position"(21) followed by "walking and moving" (5). The category "carrying, moving and handling objects" garnered two narratives and there were no narratives for "using transportation." Conclusions Project findings may serve as a guide for therapists who would like to enhance their use of SPHM equipment in rehabilitation. Additional research is needed to expand the use of SPHM in rehabilitation practice and evaluate the impact on patient rehabilitation outcomes and therapist safety outcomes.
Regulation of Alternative Nitrogenase Systems by Environmental Factors in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis

Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413 is a filamentous cyanobacterium that fixes dinitrogen under a variety of environmental conditions. Under aerobic conditions, nitrogen fixation occurs exclusively in specialized cells called heterocysts. Heterocysts are differentiated cells that develop in a pattern from vegetative cells in the filament in response to limitation in fixed nitrogen (reviewed, 11). The primary Mo-dependent nitrogenase in this organism is encoded by a contiguous cluster of nifl genes that are transcribed only in heterocysts (1, 9). These genes are very similar to the nif cluster of Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 (reviewed, 3), which is also transcribed exclusively in heterocysts (2). We have recently characterized alternative nitrogenase gene clusters in this strain that are absent in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. One system, vnf, encodes a vanadium-dependent nitrogenase that functions in heterocysts (7); whereas the other system, nif2, encodes a Mo-nitrogenase that functions only under strictly anaerobic conditions in vegetative cells and in heterocysts (9). We describe here the regulation of these alternative nitrogenase systems, which respond to changes in environmental factors.
Phosphosite T674A mutation in kinesin family member 3A fails to reproduce tissue and ciliary defects characteristic of CILK1 loss of function

Background Kinesin family member 3A (KIF3A) is a molecular motor protein in the heterotrimeric kinesin‐2 complex that drives anterograde intraflagellar transport. This process plays a pivotal role in both biogenesis and maintenance of the primary cilium that supports tissue development. Ciliogenesis associated kinase 1 (CILK1) phosphorylates human KIF3A at Thr672. CILK1 loss of function causes ciliopathies that manifest profound and multiplex developmental defects, including hydrocephalus, polydactyly, shortened and hypoplastic bones and alveoli airspace deficiency, leading to perinatal lethality. Prior studies have raised the hypothesis that CILK1 phosphorylation of KIF3A is critical for its regulation of organ development. Results We produced a mouse model with phosphorylation site Thr674 in mouse Kif3a mutated to Ala. Kif3a T674A homozygotes are viable and exhibit no skeletal and brain abnormalities, and only mildly reduced airspace in alveoli. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts carrying Kif3a T674A mutation show a normal rate of ciliation and a moderate increase in cilia length. Conclusion These results indicate that eliminating Kif3a Thr674 phosphorylation by Cilk1 is insufficient to reproduce the severe developmental defects in ciliopathies caused by Cilk1 loss of function. This suggests KIF3A‐Thr672 phosphorylation by CILK1 is not essential for tissue development and other substrates are involved in CILK1 ciliopathies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Researching Home-Based Technical and Professional Communication: Emerging Structures and Methods:

With the massive shift to remote work, what does researching home-based workplace writing look like? We argue that the collapse of traditional work–life boundaries might allow for a renaissance of ...
Revenue‐Sharing Contracts Under Quality Uncertainty in Remanufacturing

Business users (suppliers) of information technology (IT) equipment often contract with third party remanufacturers (3PRs) for the end‐of‐use disposition of their used electronic equipment. Our goal in this research is to develop a model to analyze contracts consisting of an upfront payment (t) and a revenue share (r) between a supplier and 3PR, study their impact on disposition decisions, and explore the impact of 3PR risk‐aversion and quality uncertainty on optimum contracts. We model a Stackelberg game where the supplier offers risk protection from quality uncertainty to a 3PR. The 3PR faces a convex increasing remanufacturing cost and a sales revenue that is increasing and concave in the volume resold. We show general conditions under which a unique contract exists and can be expressed in closed form. We calibrate our model using a dataset on supplier contracts and equipment conditions provided by a 3PR. Our managerial insights are derived from the data and summarized as follows. First, there is a benefit to suppliers from characterizing the quality of used assets. Therefore, they should consider adjusting contracts to reflect asset quality. Second, suppliers can increase profit by contracting based on quality grade and using a portfolio of contracts. Third, we show that the asset age impacts contract terms, with suppliers with assets at a lower age keeping a higher revenue share and observing a greater fraction of equipment remanufactured. This suggests that suppliers should consider the benefits of disposition contracts when making equipment replacement decisions.
Teachers’ Beliefs About How to Support Students’ Transfer of Learning

Transfer refers to the influence of one’s prior learning on their engagement in novel situations. Students who productively transfer their mathematics learning are enabled to successfully participate in upper-level STEM courses, enter and persist in STEM fields, and participate as national and global citizens. It was therefore identified as a critical issue in education over a century ago. Unfortunately, little has been done to illuminate the ways in which teachers—the people who create the learning environments and enact the activities that foster students’ transfer of learning—believe transfer should be instructionally supported. The purpose of this study was thus to shed light on teachers’ beliefs about what it means to “teach for transfer.”
Speaking for Themselves The Voices of Human Resources Personnel Regarding Workplace Bullying in Higher Education

Using Krippendorf's qualitative content analysis, this study uses comments from 96 Human Resources professionals to discover how they deal with workplace bullying. Four theme emerged, which confirmed that leadership must charge HR to engage effectively to resolve workplace bullying in higher education
A New Dataset Integrating Public Socioeconomic, Physical Risk, and Housing Data for Climate Justice Metrics: A Test-Case Study in Miami

Assessing the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations and the implications of such impacts is a critical step toward climate and environmental justice. In general, indices or metrics tha...
Pulmonary complications observed in patients with infective endocarditis with and without injection drug use: An analysis of the National Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND The impact of cardiovascular and neurologic complications on infective endocarditis (IE) are well studied, yet the prevalence and significance of pulmonary complications in IE is not defined. To better characterize the multifaceted nature of IE management, we aimed to describe the occurrence and significance of pulmonary complications in IE, including among persons with IE related to drug use. METHODS Hospitalizations of adult (≥18 years old) patients diagnosed with IE were identified in the 2016 National Inpatient Sample using ICD-10 codes. Multivariable logistic and linear regression were used to compare IE patient outcomes between those with and without pulmonary complications and to identify predictors of pulmonary complications. Interaction terms were used to assess the impact of drug-use IE (DU-IE) and pulmonary complications on inpatient outcomes. RESULTS In 2016, there were an estimated 88,995 hospitalizations of patients diagnosed with IE. Of these hospitalizations,15,490 (17%) were drug-use related. Drug-use IE (DU-IE) had the highest odds of pulmonary complications (OR 2.97, 95% CI 2.50, 3.45). At least one pulmonary complication was identified in 6,580 (7%) of IE patients. DU-IE hospitalizations were more likely to have a diagnosis of pyothorax (3% vs. 1%, p<0.001), lung abscess (3% vs. <1%, p<0.001), and septic pulmonary embolism (27% vs. 2%, p<0.001). Pulmonary complications were associated with longer average lengths of stay (CIE 7.22 days 95% CI 6.11, 8.32), higher hospital charges (CIE 78.51 thousand dollars 95% CI 57.44, 99.57), more frequent post-discharge transfers (acute care: OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.09, 1.71; long-term care: OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.83, 2.61), and increased odds of inpatient mortality (OR 1.81 95% CI 1.39, 2.35). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE IE with pulmonary complications is associated with worse outcomes. Patients with DU-IE have a particularly high prevalence of pulmonary complications that may require timely thoracic surgical intervention, likely owing to right-sided valve involvement. More research is needed to determine optimal management strategies for complications to improve patient outcomes.
In-Car Cameras and Police Accountability in Use of Force Incidents

New policing technologies have generated solutions to many policing issues. In particular, portable camera systems (in-car or body-worn) have been offered as a tool to address the issue of police excessive use of force. It has been argued that police camera systems increase transparency in law enforcement and deter both police officers and citizens from engaging in undesirable behaviors during encounters. However, the question of how effective these technologies are in increasing the accountability of police departments still remains unanswered. Some argue that the use of camera systems to record police behavior does not create a significant reduction in excessive use-of-force complaints or does not serve as an effective accountability tool as expected. From this perspective, this study explores the impact of in-car camera usage on police use-of-force investigations. This research examines the impact of in-car cameras on the total, dismissed, and sustained excessive use-of-force complaints against 891 police departments in the USA with more than 100 sworn officers. We employed Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) 2007 dataset to conduct this analysis. We utilized negative binomial regression analysis in STATA 15 to examine whether the adoption of vehicle camera systems by police agencies has an impact on dismissed and sustained complaints of inappropriate use-of-force. We found that the adoption of in-car cameras correlates with the number of dismissed cases; however, we did not find any significant relationship between in-car camera usage and sustained cases. Police departments using in-car camera systems are more likely to dismiss citizen complaints, rather than sustaining them. We concluded that video footages generated by in-car camera systems are inadequate in producing evidence to back up the complainants’ claims or in generating proof of excessive use of force for further investigation. Our findings suggest that police departments should not solely rely on in-car cameras if they want to enhance accountability and unearth police misconduct within their department.
Mammalia, Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Diaemus youngi: First confirmed record for Ecuador and observations of its presence in museum collections.

Diaemus youngi, the white-winged vampire bat, is the locally rarest of the three species of vampire bats (Koopman 1988). This species is widely distributed in the lowlands of the Neotropical region, from Tamaulipas, Mexico south to western Colombia, and on the lowlands of the eastern versant of the Andes from northern Argentina, Paraguay and eastern Brazil north to the Guyanas and Venezuela. Although this is a wide distribution, few records are available throughout this range. Most of the records are from the Amazon Basin, with absence of confirmed records in some countries of Central America (i.e. Guatemala and Belize) and South America (i.e. Ecuador) (Aguiar et al. 2006; Greenhall and Schutt 1996; Koopman 1988). Here we report the first record for the species in Ecuador.
Chemical deterioration and physical instability of foods and beverages

The objective of this chapter is to give a brief summary of major reactions occurring in foods that contribute to deterioration in quality and reduced shelf life. Food deterioration and spoilage during storage and distribution are a result of a variety of chemical, biochemical, and/or physical changes, such as lipid oxidation, enzymatic and nonenzymatic browning, and moisture absorption/loss. These reactions change the overall food appearance, texture, and flavor/aroma, and cause loss of nutrients such as vitamins. This chapter gives an overview of these chemical and physical reactions. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting these reactions are summarized. Methods to measure and model these changes are briefly presented.
Generalized primary amyloidosis. Report of a case with amyloid verrucous valvular lesions and nephrotic syndrome.

Abstract 1. 1. A case of generalized primary amyloidosis with congestive heart failure and nephrotic syndrome is reported. Extensive deposits of amyloid were seen in several viscera, including the heart and kidneys. The heart revealed verrucous valvular lesions, and the kidney showed diffuse glomerular involvement. 2. 2. The various types of amyloidosis are discussed, with particular reference to the distribution of the deposits in the heart and kidneys. 3. 3. It is emphasized that amyloidosis should always be considered in the differential diagnosis in cases of cardiac failure and nephrotic syndrome.
The effects of tyrosinase on certain components of the blood clotting system.

The clotting time of human and rat plasma was found to increase markedly after exposure to mushroom tyrosinase. The main, but not exclusive, effect of tyrosinase on the clotting system seems to be on fibrinogen, since the inactivating effect of tyrosinase can be greatly reduced by the subsequent addition of excess fibrinogen just before the clotting time of the plasma is measured. No evidence was found for any major effect of tyrosinase on any of the other components of plasma considered with the possible exception of prothrombin. Purified prothrombin is susceptible while prothrombin in plasma or serum is refractory to tyrosinase.
A Framework for Evaluating Risk to the Transportation Network from Terrorism and Security Policies

Examining the risk imposed on the transportation network by both security policies and terrorist activity is critical to understanding higher-level risks, such as those related to national security and the economy. This paper presents a framework for evaluating risk to the road transportation network from direct targeting by terrorists, collateral damage, and pre-attack and post-attack security policies. Risk is measured in terms of capacity losses between an origin and a destination. An event tree determines the probabilities that the network's links are in particular states. The maximum flow between the OD pair, subtracted from the maximum flow of the baseline network, determines the consequences, or impact. Using this framework, decision-makers can better evaluate the costs of both terrorist activities and security measures, including the risk of reacting to false intelligence.
The correlation of radar sea clutter on vertical and horizontal polarization with wave height and slope

A program of measurements of both the ocean surface contour and the radar echo therefrom was carried out jointly by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in October 1955. The well-known pattern of interference between direct and indirect illumination of a target above the surface of the sea explains all of the results on radar sea clutter observed at long ranges. At shorter ranges and under certain sea conditions there is observed a dependence upon the polarization of the incident radiation. This result requires some additional assumption about the mechanism of sea clutter in a zone between the interference region and the region of specular reflection (large angles of incidence) where the dependence disappears. The radar echo observed using vertically polarized radiation was found to decrease with wind direction in the following order: upwind, downwind, crosswind. For horizontal polarization, downwind and crosswind were found to be interchanged at times depending upon radar wavelength, angle of incidence to the sea, and sea state. The observed mean square slope of the ocean waves in these three directions was found to follow the order observed for vertically polarized radar echoes. A correlation between radar echo and the cross-correlation of water height and slope is shown.
Adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate levels in Thermonomonspora curvata during cellulase biosynthesis.

The enzymatic degradation of cellulose requires the synergistic activity of at least three enzymes: exo-beta-1,4-glucanase (EC3.2.1.91), endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (EC3.2.1.4), and beta-glucosidase (EC3.2.1.21). Despite extensive studies on a variety of cellulolytic bacteria and fungi, the mechanism(s) regulating the biosynthesis of this inducible catabolic enzyme complex remains unknown. The intracellular concentrations of cyclic nucleotides such as adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) have been shown to play a major role in mediating catabolite repression of enzyme biosynthesis. The cAMP acts through a cAMP receptor protein (termed CRP or CAP) which is a dimer having two identical subunits each capable of binding one molecule of cAMP. The N-terminal domain of the CRP binds the cAMP while the C-terminal domain binds to DNA at the promotor region of a cAMP-dependent operon and stimulates transcription by promoting the formation of a preinitiation complex between RNA polymerase and the DNA. Intracellular cAMP levels in E. coli (the prototype organism for such studies) are influenced by the type and availability of carbon source used for growth. High intracellular cAMP levels should lead to higher concentrations of cAMP-CRP complexes which should increase the transcription rates for cAMP-dependent operons (such as the lac operon of beta-galactosidase) and indeed the differential rate ofmore » beta-galactosidase biosynthesis correlates to intracellular cAMP levels. In the case of cellulase, catabolite repression by glucose or other readily metabolizable compounds closely controls production in an apparently similar manner and therefore a correlation may exist between enzyme biosynthesis and intracellular cAMP levels. This communication describes the fluctuation in cAMP levels during cellulase induction and repression in the thermophilic actinomycete, Thermomonospora curvata.« less
High precision measurement of the static dipole polarizability of cesium.

The cesium ${6}^{2}{S}_{1/2}$ scalar dipole polarizability ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}$ has been determined from the time-of-flight of laser cooled and launched cesium atoms traveling through an electric field. We find ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}=6.611\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.009\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}39}\text{ }{\mathrm{C}\text{ }\mathrm{m}}^{2}/\mathrm{V}=59.42\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.08\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}\text{ }{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{3}=401.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6{a}_{0}^{3}$. The 0.14% uncertainty is a factor of 14 improvement over the previous measurement. Values for the ${6}^{2}{P}_{1/2}$ and ${6}^{2}{P}_{3/2}$ lifetimes and the ${6}^{2}{S}_{1/2}$ cesium-cesium dispersion coefficient ${C}_{6}$ are determined from ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}$ using the procedure of Derevianko and Porsev [Phys. Rev. A 65, 053403 (2002)].
Accepting death without artificial nutrition or hydration

MANY NURSING FACILITIES t h r o u g h o u t t h e U n i t e d States p r o v i d e da i ly s u p p o r t s e rv i ces for i n c o m p e t e n t a n d s e m i c o m a t o s e r e s iden t s b e i n g k e p t a l ive t h r o u g h t h e use o f f e e d i n g tubes . For mos t s u c h i nd iv idua l s , r ecove ry is i m p o s s i b l e . For s o m e re s iden t s , e t h i ca l and lega l c o n c e r n s o f t he i r c a r eg ive r s p r e c l u d e w i t h d r a w i n g s u p p o r t u n d e r any c i r c u m s t a n c e . For o thers , susten a n c e is p r o v i d e d o u t o f fear tha t d e a t h b y d e h y d r a t i o n and s t a rva t ion w i l l c ause p a i n and suffer ing. 1"9 Those i n v o l v e d in ass is t ing f ami l i e s w i t h d e c i s i o n s r e g a r d i n g t u b e f e e d i n g can a t tes t to t he e m o t i o n a l t u r m o i l th is c h o i c e engende r s . T u b e f e e d i n g has r e c e n t l y c o m e to b e v i e w e d as m e d i c a l t h e r a p y r a the r than s i m p l y p r o v i d i n g sustenancel°-12; a c c o r d i n g l y , phys i c i ans , pa t i en t s , and careg ivers n e e d to u n d e r s t a n d its eff icacy in each s i t ua t ion for w h i c h i t is c o n s i d e r e d . To p r o l o n g l ife, f e e d i n g b y any r o u t e is i n v a l u a b l e . To r e l i e v e p a i n a n d suf fe r ing at l i f e ' s end , i ts u se fu lne s s is less c lear . Most i n d i v i d u a l s k e p t a l ive b y t u b e f e e d i n g in t he w a n i n g days o f l i fe c a n n o t e x p r e s s t h e i r f ee l ings a b o u t t h e i r t r e a t m e n t . 13 Those a b l e to c o m m u n i c a t e c o m p l a i n o f p h y s i c a l a n d e m o t i o n a l d i s c o m f o r t c a u s e d b y the p r e s e n c e o f a nasogas t r i c o r g a s t r o s t o m y tube . S e m i c o n s c i o u s i n d i v i d u a l s c o m m o n l y r e q u i r e res t ra in ts to p r e v e n t t h e m f rom p u l l i n g t u b e s out . 13"17 T u b e f e e d i n g v ia nasogas t r i c , gas t ros tomy, o r pa ren t e ra l p l a c e m e n t can p r o d u c e s ign i f ican t m e d i c a l comp l i c a t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g ag i t a t ion , ep i s t ax i s , nasal a lar nec ros is , a s p i r a t i o n p n e u m o n i a , a i r w a y o b s t r u c t i o n , p n e u m o t h o r a x , h y d r o t h o r a x , na sopha ryng i t i s , eustach i t i s , e sophag i t i s , e s o p h a g e a l s t r i c tu re , i n f e c t i o n at t he in se r t ions i t e , w e i g h t loss, m e t a b o l i c d i s t u rba nc e s , and anemia . 13, 18-26
Workshop in Nutritional. Assessment for Hospital Personnel

Nutritional assessment has been increasingly recognized as an important component of medical care, especially the treatment of hospital patients, for two basic reasons: (1) nutritional status appears to be closely correlated with health maintenance and restoration, and (2) severely ill people are commonly diagnosed as also being nutritionally stressed. It has thus become apparent that proper nutritional evaluation procedures are essential skills for modern health care professionals.
A Physicochemical Model for Extrusion of Corn Starch

Corn starch extruded at 32.9, 29.2, 24.5, 22.5, 15.9 and 14.2% moisture was analyzed for expansion ratio, enzyme susceptibility, water solubility index, water absorption index, degree of gelatinization, paste viscosity and heat of gelatinization. A model system based on the combination of raw, gelatinized and dextrinized starch was used to represent the physicochemical properties of the extrudates. Reducing extrusion moisture content resulted in a progressive change from gelatinized-like to dextrinized-like properties. Maximum gelatinization was observed at about 28-29% moisture. Below 20% moisture, dextrinization becomes predominant during high- shear cooking-extrusion. Scanning electron micrographs also validate the assumptions of the model.
The global epidemic of waterpipe smoking

In the past decade waterpipe (WP) smoking (a.k.a. hookah, shisha, and narghile) has been steadily spreading among the youth around the world. The allure of this tobacco use method for the youth can stem from its pleasant smooth smoke, social ambience and the perception of reduced harm. The material in this review is based on detailed Medline search for articles appearing especially in the past two years that are of relevance to WP epidemiology, health and addictive effects, and WP-related tobacco control policies. It shows that WP smoking is continuing to spread among the youth worldwide, and perhaps represents the second global tobacco epidemic since the cigarette. Available evidence suggests that the prevalence of current (past month) WP smoking range from 6 to 34% among Middle Eastern adolescents, 5%-17% among American adolescents, and that WP use is increasing globally. Studies on the health effects of WP smoking are limited by methodological quality, as well as by the novelty of WP epidemic relative to the long latency of important smoking-related health outcomes. Still, research indicates substantial WP harmful effects similar to those of cigarettes, as well as to the potential of providing a bridge to cigarette smoking or relapse. Developing effective interventions to curb WP use among the youth requires a detailed understanding of how dependence develops in WP users, and how it is shaped by WP's unique features such as the following; the predominantly intermittent use with prolonged sessions, preparation time, accessibility, potent sensory cues, and convivial experience of group use. It also requires assessing effective policy options such as factual and visible health warnings on all its parts, as well as youth access and indoor smoking restrictions. WP smoking is currently showing all signs of a burgeoning global epidemic with serious implications for public health and tobacco control worldwide. Investment in research and policy initiatives to understand and curb WP use needs to become a public health priority.
Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning

(2008). Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. Journal of the American Statistical Association: Vol. 103, No. 482, pp. 886-887.
Altered Trophoblastic Differentiation and Increased Trophoblastic Invasiveness during Delayed Development in the Short-tailed Fruit Bat, Carollia perspicillata

During pregnancy in the short-tailed fruit bat, lengthy post-implantational delays in conceptus development can occur in response to stress in captivity and seasonally in the wild. When comparisons were made between uteri carrying embryos in delay at the primitive streak stage and those growing more rapidly, many differences were noted. During delay the developing chorioallantoic placenta was generally smaller, contained a higher ratio of cytotrophoblast to syncytiotrophoblast, and had been invaded only to a limited extent on its embryonic side by mesoderm. Furthermore, much of the cytotrophoblast appeared relatively undifferentiated, randomly-oriented, linked primarily by primitive junctions, and lacked a basal lamina. In contrast, in placentae serving somite and limb-bud stage embryos, sizeable areas were noted that consisted only of more highly differentiated syncytiotrophoblast perforated by maternal vascular spaces (trophospongium). The first contact of the allantois with the developing placenta was also noted at the somite stage, and this initiated widespread invasion of the placenta by mesenchyme and allantoic blood vessels. Wherever this invasion had occurred, the cytotrophoblast between the mesenchyme and syncytiotrophoblast of the interhaemal barrier consisted of a single, polarized layer of more differentiated cells with an associated basal lamina. Eventually, all of the trophospongium was invaded by cytotrophoblast and vascularized fetal mesenchyme. These observations suggest that in addition to its germinal function, cytotrophoblast in this bat may play a major role in controlling mesenchymal invasion and angiogenesis on the embryonic side of the placenta. During the period of delay, highly invasive trophoblast is also released by the placenta. This invades the myometrium and sometimes extrauterine tissues via interstitial migration along maternal capillaries and veins.
Applying the Boston Syncope Criteria to Near Syncope

Abstract Background We recently demonstrated that near-syncope patients are as likely as syncope patients to experience adverse outcomes. The Boston Syncope Criteria (BSC) identify patients with syncope unlikely to have adverse outcomes and reduce hospitalizations. It is unclear whether these guidelines could reduce hospitalization in near syncope as well. Objective To determine if BSC accurately predict which near-syncope patients require hospitalization. Methods A prospective observational study enrolled from August 2007 to October 2008 consecutive emergency department (ED) patients (aged > 18 years) with near syncope. BSC were first employed assuming that any patient with risk factors for adverse outcomes should be admitted, and then utilized using a modified rule: if the etiology of near syncope is dehydration or vasovagal, and ED work-up is normal, patients may be discharged even with risk factors. Outcomes were identified by chart review and 30-day follow-up calls. Results Of 244 patients with near syncope, 111 were admitted, with 49 adverse outcomes. No adverse outcomes occurred among discharged patients. If BSC had been followed strictly, another 41 patients with risk factors would have been admitted and 34 discharged, a 3% increase in admission rate. However, using the modified criteria, only 68 patients would have required admission, a 38% reduction in admission, with no missed adverse outcomes on follow-up. Conclusion Although near-syncope patients may have risk factors for adverse outcomes similar to those with syncope, if the etiology of near syncope is dehydration or vasovagal, and ED work-up is normal, these patients may be discharged even with risk factors.
Adaptive SPECT imaging with crossed-slit apertures.

Preclinical single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is an essential tool for studying the pro-gression, response to treatment, and physiological changes in small animal models of human disease. The wide range of imaging applications is often limited by the static design of many preclinical SPECT systems. We have developed a prototype imaging system that replaces the standard static pinhole aperture with two sets of movable, keel-edged copper-tungsten blades configured as crossed (skewed) slits. These apertures can be positioned independently between the object and detector, producing a continuum of imaging configurations in which the axial and transaxial magnifications are not constrained to be equal. We incorporated a megapixel silicon double-sided strip detector to permit ultrahigh-resolution imaging. We describe the configuration of the adjustable slit aperture imaging system and discuss its application toward adaptive imaging, and reconstruction techniques using an accurate imaging forward model, a novel geometric calibration technique, and a GPU-based ultra-high-resolution reconstruction code.
Establishing a relevant time scale in anthropological and archaeological research

From time to time, it is desirable to review a given field of research, its methods and accomplishments, and see what further advances in that field may be anticipated. Toward this end, physical and chemical dating methods applicable to anthropological and archaeological problems are reviewed and discussed here, particularly recent innovations, followed by a discussion of the present status of established calibration points in early hominid evolution.