cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of a prior endoscopy on outcomes of esophageal adenocarcinoma among United States veterans

Results: A total of 155 subjects with EAC and GER were identified. Cases with a history of an EGD at least 1 year before a diagnosis of EAC (n Z 25) were diagnosed at earlier stages than those without a prior EGD (P Z.02) but did not experience a significant improvement in survival (adjusted hazard ratio 0.93 [95% CI, 0.58‐1.50]). Cases who had been enrolled in surveillance programs that adhered to published guidelines trended toward improved survival, but long-term survival reverted toward the rate found without any surveillance. Conclusions: A prior EGD was associated with an improved stage at the diagnosis of EAC but did not alter longterm survival. In the absence of prospective, randomized, controlled trials, the benefit of screening and surveillance to decrease mortality from EAC cannot be confirmed. (Gastrointest Endosc 2008;68:849-55.)
Preparation of new support for immobilization of activated sludges

A new support was prepared by the combination of an oxygen enrichment hollow fiber membrane and fibrous support for immobilization of activated sludge microorganisms. A biofilm of activated sludges immobilized and grown on the support were shown to be highly active. It was confirmed that a wastewater treatment method using this new support was efficient for TOC and TN removal.
LIPOPROTEIN FRACTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH LOW AND HIGH TOTAL SERUM CHOLESTEROL

The serum cholesterol (SC) determined by single measurement in 2,421 children aged 6-18 years did not differ among those aged 6-11, decreased with ages 12-15, and increased with ages 16-18. Cholesterol in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) paralleled the SC trend (Fig. 1). The increase of SC from lower-decile to higher-decile children was due mostly to increase of the LDL fraction (Fig. 2)--a fact important in study of SC determinants, whether environmental or genetic. In search for “major genes” affecting SC, associations of marker gene distributions with quantitative differences in LDL should be sought, because relationships with LDL may be stronger than relationships with SC or with other fractions. Also, levels of LDL and high-density lipoprotein may be factors in atherogenesis and should be studied further.
Epidemiology of atrial fibrillation

The incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increase progressively with age, and approximately 50% of patients with AF are 75 years of age or older. Advanced age is also a potent risk factor for stroke in patients with AF, and the proportion of strokes attributable to AF increases exponentially with age. In addition, AF contributes incrementally to health care utilization and costs, and decrementally to survival and quality of life in older adults. Furthermore, the societal impact of AF will likely double over the next three decades due to the aging of the population. For these reasons, it is essential to develop more effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of AF in older individuals.
Quick formal modeling of communication fabrics to enable verification

Although communication fabrics at the microarchitectural level are mainly composed of standard primitives such as queues and arbiters, to get an executable model one has to connect these primitives with glue logic to complete the description. In this paper we identify a richer set of microarchitectural primitives that allows us to describe complete systems by composition alone. This enables us to build models faster (since models are now simply wiring diagrams at an appropriate level of abstraction) and to avoid common modeling errors such as inadvertent loss of data due to incorrect timing assumptions. Our models are formal and they are used for model checking as well as dynamic validation and performance modeling. However, unlike other formalisms this approach leads to a precise yet intuitive graphical notation for microarchitecture that captures timing and functionality in sufficient detail to be useful for reasoning about correctness and for communicating microarchitectural ideas to RTL and circuit designers and validators.
THE INCOME LEVEL AND MONETARY-FISCAL DEVICES, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO RAISING INDIVIDUAL INCOME TAX REVENUE TO PREVENT INFLATION†

IF WE ASSUME that the aggregate supply schedule is approximately stable and that "full employment" prevails, changes in the aggregate demand schedule for goods and services (made possible by changes in the effective quantity of money) will generate only minor changes in the flow of real product. Most of the energy of such shifts in aggregate demand will be absorbed in inducing violent changes in the price level. Such changes in the price level are evidence of instability in the value of the monetary unit. The maintenance of a stable value for the dollar (even though slow or gradual changes might be tolerated with little evidence of strain) is here urged as an implicit and highly important function of the federal government. Assuming "full employment" as a norm, such a policy calls for sacrifices or build-ups of specified elements of aggregate demand in conditions wherein the pressure is inflationary or deflationary respectively. Specifically, such a policy calls for sacrifices of consumption and peacetime investment in times of heavy government spending for war purposes. In the aftermath of war, with government spending falling away, the policy might call for increased consumption and private investment. In periods of peacetime investment booms such a policy calls for curtailment of consumption and government spending. In the reverse situation of an investment deficit, increased consumption and government expenditure may become appropriate. Consumption and investment levels can both be effectively influenced by changes in the tax collections which affect disposable personal and disposable business income. Further influence can be exerted by changes in the propensity to consume and invest out of the respective disposable incomes. The control of the third element of aggregate demand, government spending, is a matter of budgetary management.
The association of the pre-ovulatory surge of LH and conception in beef cattle

Abstract This study addressed the question of whether a delayed pre-ovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in respect to the onset of estrus was responsible for lack of conception in beef cows (Bos taurus). Thirty beef cows were cannulated for collection of blood samples at 2-h intervals for 30 h following the onset of standing estrus. Cows were artificially inseminated 12 h after the onset of estrus and palpated per rectum 40–60 days post-breeding to determine pregnancy (n=17) or non-pregnancy (n=13). All 30 cows had a pre-ovulatory surge of LH within first the 6 h after standing estrus. The length of standing estrus was not different between pregnant and non-pregnant cows (7.4±0.9 h vs. 6.0±0.7 h). The length of standing estrus (ranging from 2 to 16 h) was not related to the timing of the surge of LH. These results indicate that a delayed pre-ovulatory LH surge is not a major factor in failure to conceive, and support the concept that time of insemination should be based on the onset and not length of standing estrus.
Big Data + Big Cities: Graph Signals of Urban Air Pollution [Exploratory SP]

In this article, we apply signal processing and data science methodologies to study the environmental impact of burning different types of heating oil in New York City, where currently the burning of heavy fuel oil in buildings produces more annual black carbon, a key component of PM2.5, emissions, than all cars and trucks combined. The data utilized in this article are collected through New York City's Local Law 84 (LL84) energy disclosure mandate. The mandate requires annual energy consumption reporting for large buildings (i.e., approximately greater than 50,000 gross feet) of all use types. This analysis utilizes actual heating oil consumption data for calendar year 2012. The LL84 data set was merged with land use and geographic data at the tax lot level from the Primary Land Use Tax Lot Output (PLUTO) data set from the New York City Department of City Planning. The PLUTO data set provides building and tax lot characteristics, as well as their geographic location.
A theoretical study of vibrationally induced reactions in combustion processes

Abstract The role of vibrationally excited species in combustion chemistry is investigated computationally. Such participation depends on the competition between vibrationally induced chemistry and vibrational relaxation for vibrational quanta. A vibrational nonequilibrium model for the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen in a heated (isothermal) vessel is developed. The model includes state specific reaction rate coefficients for important chain-branching reactions and related vibrational relaxation mechanisms. The model is used for semiquantitative evaluations of the effect of vibrationally excited hydrogen and oxygen on combustion processes. It is concluded that detailed knowledge of state specific chemistry is not required in combustion modeling.
AAV9: a potential blood-brain barrier buster

Since the engineering and first successful application of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) serotype 2 as a gene transfer vehicle in 1984 (ref. 1), numerous additional rAAV serotypes have been isolated and characterized. Although many of these viruses have shown robust transduction efficiencies in various organ systems throughout the body by means of simple systemic delivery methods, widespread transduction of the central nervous system (CNS) via relatively noninvasive methods has been elusive. The mature blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as a protective barrier that excludes potentially damaging molecules and microorganisms based on size, charge, and lipid solubility. Consequently, the BBB efficiently blocks rAAV diffusion into the CNS.2,3 Thus, to efficiently target the CNS using rAAV, researchers have had to resort to direct intraparenchymal injections.
Nucleation and growth of cracks in SiC/Al2O3 composites

Abstract Creep crack nucleation and growth studies were conducted on two grades of SiC whisker reinforced alumina at 1100, 1200 and 1300°C temperatures in an oxidizing environment. It was found that cracking on the tensile surface initiated at a temperature-dependent threshold creep strain, and following this initiation, cracks continued to nucleate throughout the creep process. Increasing the temperature delayed initiation to larger creep strains. The purity of the composite, however, did not substantially alter the initiation strain level but affected the number of surface cracks present at a given strain. The rate of growth of creep cracks was less at any given stress intensity level than that of pre-existing cracks. With respect to crack nucleation and growth, whisker reinforcement made the composite behave in a more brittle fashion than a fine grain high purity alumina but less brittle than a large grain vitreous bonded alumina.
Multiple target detection and tracking with a bistatic radar using adaptive neural networks

Within the past decade and a half, there has been a renewed interest in two separate areas: bistatic or multistatic radar and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Multistatic radar systems offer many advantages over monostatic systems. One such advantage is better detection of objects with a low radar cross-section. ANNs are very useful for large scale processing or storing of data. In this paper, we study a combination of both multistatic radar and ANNs, for multiple target detection and tracking. For the detection phase, a basic bistatic radar geometry is used, with noise added to simulate a more realistic situation. To track the targets, a two layer, backpropagation ANN is used to process the data. At first, the network was used in two phases: the learning phase and then the recall phase. Although this provided good data near the training time, the network became easily confused when targets crossed. An adaptive feature has been added allowing the weights to be modified on line as new data becomes available, which means it learns continuously. Numerical results taken from tests on both circular and linear target paths are presented in this study.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A pain syndrome associated with large adrenal metastases in patients with lung cancer

We report two cases of a pain syndrome caused by large adrenal metastases in patients with lung cancer. A review of the literature identified 23 previously reported patients with primary lung cancers who appear to have had a similar syndrome, although in none of these cases were other likely causes of the pain syndrome carefully excluded. The syndrome characteristically includes unilateral flank pain but may have abdominal components as well, and has only been reported in patients with large metastases (> or = 5 cm in largest diameter). Although the mechanism by which large adrenal metastases cause the pain syndrome is not clear, we suggest that treatment that includes local anesthetic agents or steroids may be effective. The pain syndrome caused by large adrenal metastases is not included in reviews of cancer pain syndromes but needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with lung cancer and flank or abdominal pain.
On the translational Raman effect

A quantum mechanical theory is given for the depolarization and inelastic scattering of light by gases and liquids composed of atoms and/or isotropically polarizable molecules. The ‘translational Raman’ process is generalized to include higher (than binary) order particle correlations and the successive many-body contributions to the total cross section are derived in terms of exact cluster polarizabilities, in contrast to the long-range dispersion forms required by the classical effective field analyses. Analogies are made to related work on collision-induced absorption and non-linear optical (e.g. harmonic generation) effects in pure isotropic media.
Modeling Supersaturation and Subgrid-Scale Mixing with Two-Moment Bulk Warm Microphysics

Abstract This paper describes further developments of a two-moment warm rain bulk microphysics scheme suitable for addressing the indirect impact of atmospheric aerosols on ice-free clouds in large-eddy simulation (LES) models. The emphasis is on the prediction of supersaturation, activation of cloud droplets, and the representation of microphysical transformations during parameterized turbulent mixing. A comprehensive approach is proposed that is capable of simulating droplet activation at the cloud base, in the cloud interior due to increasing updraft strength, and at the lateral edges due to entrainment. Such an approach requires high spatial resolution to capture maximum supersaturation at cloud base as well as to resolve entraining eddies that lead to additional activation above the cloud base. This approach can be used as a benchmark for developing and testing schemes suitable for lower spatial resolutions. A novel approach for predicting the supersaturation field is proposed, with an emphasis on it...
Federal regulation of vision enhancement devices for normal and abnormal vision

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates the safety and effectiveness of medical devices and biological products as well as food and drugs. The FDA defines a device as a product that is intended, by physical means, to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease, or to affect the structure or function of the body. All vision enhancement devices fulfill this definition because they are intended to affect a function (vision) of the body. In practice, however, FDA historically has drawn a distinction between devices that are intended to enhance low vision as opposed to normal vision. Most low vision aids are therapeutic devices intended to compensate for visual impairment, and are actively regulated according to their level of risk to the patient. The risk level is usually low (e.g. Class I, exempt from 510(k) submission requirements for magnifiers that do not touch the eye), but can be as high as Class III (requiring a clinical trial and Premarket Approval (PMA) application) for certain implanted and prosthe...
Enriching regulatory networks by bootstrap learning using optimised GO-based gene similarity and gene links mined from PubMed abstracts

Increasingly, reverse engineering methods have been employed to infer transcriptional regulatory networks from gene expression data. Enrichment with independent evidence from sources such as the biomedical literature and the Gene Ontology (GO) is desirable to corroborate, annotate and expand these networks as well as manually constructed networks. In this paper, we explore a novel approach for computer-assisted enrichment of regulatory networks. GO-based gene similarity is first tuned to an initial network augmented with gene links mined from PubMed and then used to drive network construction using a bootstrapping algorithm. We describe two applications of this approach and discuss its added value in terms of corroboration, annotation and expansion of manually constructed and reversed engineered networks.
Learning from the Legends: Leadership Tips for Coaches

Leadership is a quality that aspiring and current coaches strive to develop. Sadly, there are too few programs that assist in the preparation of coaches. One avenue for learning is to seek advice a...
A note on permutation polynomials and finite geometries

Abstract A polynomial ƒ over a finite field F is called a difference permutation polynomial if the mapping x → ƒ( x + a ) − ƒ( x ) is a permutation of F for each nonzero element a of F . Difference permutation polynomials give rise to affine planes. We show that when F = GF( p ), where p is a prime, the only difference permutation polynomials over F are quadratic.
Phase-sensitive specular neutron reflectometry for imaging the nanometer scale composition depth profile of thin-film materials

Abstract Neutron reflectometry is a powerful method for probing the molecular scale structure of both hard and soft condensed matter films. Moreover, the phase-sensitive methods which have been developed make it possible for specular neutron reflectometry to be effectively employed as an imaging device of the composition depth profile of thin film materials with a spatial resolution approaching a fraction of a nanometer. The image of the cross-sectional distribution of matter in the film obtained in such a way can be shown to be, in most cases, unambiguous to a degree limited primarily by the range and statistical uncertainty of the reflectivity data available. The application of phase-sensitive neutron reflectometry (PSNR) to the study of several types of soft matter thin film systems are illustrated by a number of specific examples from recent studies. In addition, new software tools available to the researcher to apply PSNR methods and analysis are discussed.
Computers and society: an integrated course model

Curriculum '78 recommends that a course examining the social effects of computer technology be included in an undergraduate computer science degree. There are essentially three ways of examining various segments of society: application model, society type model and major issue model. The integrated course model incorporates all three simpler models and creates a course that allows the student to easily move from personal experiences to global issues.
How the Pill Became a Lifestyle Drug: The Pharmaceutical Industry and Birth Control in the United States Since 1960

Marketing decisions, rather than scientific innovations, have guided the development and positioning of contraceptive products in recent years. I review the stalled progress in contraceptive development in the decades following the advent of the Pill in 1960 and then examine the fine-tuning of the market for oral contraceptives in the 1990s and 2000s. Although birth control has been pitched in the United States as an individual solution, rather than a public health strategy, the purpose of oral contraceptives was understood by manufacturers, physicians, and consumers to be the prevention of pregnancy, a basic health care need for women. Since 1990, the content of that message has changed, reflecting a shift in the drug industry's view of the contraception business. Two factors contributed to bring about this change: first, the industry's move away from research and development in birth control and second, the growth of the class of medications known as lifestyle drugs.
The DESDynI synthetic aperture radar array-fed reflector antenna

DESDynI is a mission being developed by NASA with radar and lidar instruments for Earth-orbit remote sensing. This paper focuses on the design of a large-aperture antenna for the radar instrument. The antenna comprises a deployable reflector antenna and an active switched array of patch elements fed by transmit / receive modules. The antenna and radar architecture facilitates a new mode of synthetic aperture radar imaging called ‘SweepSAR’. A system-level description of the antenna is provided, along with predictions of antenna performance.
Proprioceptive function is more sensitive than motor function to desflurane anesthesia.

BACKGROUND:Evaluating the effects of sub-immobilizing anesthetic doses on movement will identify target neural circuits for investigation as sites of action for anesthetic-induced immobility.METHODS:Eleven pithed Northern Leopard frogs received 0, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 times the 50% effective dose for p
A categorization and analysis of the criticisms of Evidence-Based Medicine

The major criticisms and limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) appearing in the literature over the past decade can be summarized and categorized into five recurring themes. The themes include: reliance on empiricism, narrow definition of evidence, lack of evidence of efficacy, limited usefulness for individual patients, and threats to the autonomy of the doctor/patient relationship. Analysis of EBM according to these themes leads to the conclusion that EBM can be a useful tool, but has severe drawbacks when used in isolation in the practice of individual patient care. Modern medicine must strive to balance an extremely complex set of priorities. To be an effective aid in achieving this balance, the theory and practice of EBM must expand to include new methods of study design and integration, and must adapt to the needs of both patients and the health care system in order to provide patients with the best care at the lowest cost.
Aromaticity of the Bergman, Myers-Saito, Schmittel, and directly related cyclizations of enediynes.

Aromaticity criteria (magnetic susceptibility exaltations, nucleus independent chemical shifts (NICS), and aromatic stabilization energy (ASE) evaluations) for enediyne and enyne-allene cyclizations evaluated at (UBS)-BLYP/6-31G* all agree that the degrees of cyclic electron delocalization of the benzenoid systems formed by the Bergman (3) and Myers−Saito reactions (5) are comparable to benzene. The reaction enthalpy differences between the parent cyclizations and their benzannelated analogues are not entirely due to disparities in gained ASE during the reactions. The alternative formation of fulvene biradicals is not accompanied by favorable aromatic effects.
Environments and Mechanistic Roles of the Tyrosine Residues of Δ5-3-Ketosteroid Isomerase

Delta 5-3-Ketosteroid isomerase (EC 5.3.3.1) from Pseudomonas testosteroni converts delta 5-3-ketosteroids to delta 4-3-ketosteroids by a stereoselective and conservative transfer of the 4 beta-proton to the 6 beta-position. The 10(9.5)-fold enzymatic rate acceleration can be attributed to a concerted rate-limiting enolization in which Tyr-14 and Asp-38, positioned orthogonally, act as general acid and base, respectively. The pKa value of the phenolic hydroxyl group of Tyr-14 of the Y55F/Y88F double mutant is 11.6 +/- 0.2 by UV titration. However, the fluorescence titration of Tyr-14 shows biphasic sigmoidal behavior with apparent pKa values of 9.5 and 11.5. This suggests the assistance of a basic residue at the active site, possibly a lysine or tyrosine residue. Mutation of each of the four lysine residues K119L, K108Q, K92Q, and K60Q lowered specific activities only slightly to between 43% and 98% of the wild-type enzyme. Similarly, mutations of Tyr-55, Tyr-88, or both to phenylalanine led to only 2-4-fold reductions in catalytic activity. These findings suggest that despite the enormous difference between the pKa value of Tyr-14 (11.6) and that of the 3-carbonyl group of the steroid (ca. pKa-7), the reaction may rely on the concerted participation of Tyr-14 and Asp-38 only. The apparent pKa value of 9.5 in the fluorescence titration of Tyr-14 and in kinetic measurements probably results from conformational changes of the enzyme. The unusually high pKa value of Tyr-14 of 11.6 +/- 0.2 was used to estimate a local dielectric constant of 18 +/- 2 near this residue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Function Evaluation in Unnormalized Arithmetic

The evaluation of a function of one argument is a standard computational task. When an unnormalized number representation is used, it is appropriate that function evaluation to subject to certain “adjustment” criteria, defined independently of the computing method. In this paper some such criteria are developed, and their application described.In particular, consideration is given to questions of the extent to which general principles apply (i.e. for large classes of functions of a single argument) and the manner in which particular properties of the functions involved (e.g. the functions evaluated by standard library subroutines) may be invoked. The analysis, although framed in terms of unnormalized arithmetic, gives insight into the general nature of significance propagation through function evaluation, and provides a means for analyzing calculations carried out in the usual normalized arithmetic, particularly in the case where an “index of significance” is employed.
A user study of relevance judgments for e-discovery

This paper presents a comparative user study that investigates the relevance judgments made by assessors with a law background and assessors without. Four law students and four library and information studies (LIS) students were recruited to judge independently the relevance of 100 documents for each of four requests for production of responsive documents for litigation purposes, two requests for the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement collection and two for the Enron corporate emails collection. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to analyze data collected through the relevance judgment task, an entry questionnaire, and an exit interview. Being given the same task guidelines, the LIS student assessors judged relevant documents just as accurately as the law student assessors, while they judged nonrelevant documents slightly less accurately than the law student assessors. In addition, participants achieved moderate to substantial agreement on their relevance judgments. Relevance judgment speed varied significantly among participants, although on average it was about the same for the two groups. Factors influencing the accuracy and the speed of participants' relevance judgments are discussed based on preliminary analysis of qualitative data collected through the exit interviews.
Political culture, postmaterial values, and the new environmental paradigm: A comparative analysis of Canada and the United States

This study investigates the relationship between postmaterial values and the New Environmental Paradigm in Canada (Ontario) and the United States (Michigan). Based on survey data collected among both citizens and environmental activists, it is evident that among both Canadian and American respondents of both citizen and activist type the two value dimensions are similarly multidimensional and separate. Rather than reflecting a single larger dimension of value orientation, as claimed by some, it is clear that the Inglehart postmaterialist value measure and the Dunlap and Van Liere NEP index are separate constructs in the thinking of the Canadians and Americans surveyed. While these findings were parallel in the Canadian and American settings, a number of cross-national differences in how these values influence attitudes and behaviors are reported. In general, these findings underscore the need to continue to focus on variations in the cultural context of citizen responses to postindustrial change.
5′-nucleotidase activity in permanent human lymphoid cell lines Implication for cell proliferation and aging in vitro

Abstract 5′-Nucleotidase of 11 human lymphoid cell lines was measured. These cell ines were homogeneous B, T and Null cells, had an unlimited lifespan in vitro, and were subcultivated from leukemic cells of patients with Burkitt lymphoma, the blastic phase of chronic myelocytic leukemia, or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 5′-Nucleotidase activities in normal human lymphocytes and in human fibroblasts (VA-13 and IMR-90) could be determined at a cellular protein concentration as low as 0.025 and 0.007 mg/ml, respectively. In all the eleven lymphoid cell lines, including 8 B-cell lines (RPMI 8422, B46M, RPMI 1788, DAUDI, HRIK, B411-4, B85 and DND-3-9A), 2 T-cell lines (MOLT 3 and RPMI 8402) and 1 Null cell line (NALM-1) 5′-nucleotidase was undetectable with the protein concentration range from 0.033 to 8.543 mg/ml. Previously 5′-nucleotidase activity was found to increase 10-, 6- and 20-fold in normal human embryonic lung (WI-38 and IMR-90 cells) and chick embryo fibroblasts, respectively, from a young rapidly proliferative to a senescent non-proliferative stage (Sun, A.S., Aggarwal, B.B. and Packer, L. (1975) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 170, 1 and Sun, A.S., Alvarez, L.J. Reinach, P.S. and Rubin, E. (1979) Lab. Invest. 41, 1). These data demonstrate that the large increase in 5′-nucleotidase activity occurs concomitantly with the in vitro senescence of these normal cell lines. The present study suggests that this large increase in 5′-nucleotidase activity during cell aging is absent in these permanently lymphoid cell lines. The undetectable 5′-nucleotidase activity may be a biochemical characteristic of these homogeneous B, T and Null cells originating from the aforesaid leukemias. The implications of these results for cell proliferation and aging are discussed.
Traumatic Loss in Children and Adolescents

Although different types of childhood trauma have many common characteristics and mental health outcomes, traumatic loss in children and adolescents has a number of distinctive features. Most importantly, youth who experience a traumatic loss may develop childhood traumatic grief (CTG), which is the encroachment of trauma symptoms on the grieving process and prevents the child from negotiating the typical steps associated with normal bereavement. This article discusses the distinctive features of CTG, how it is different from normal bereavement, how this condition is assessed, and promising treatments for children who experience a traumatic loss.
ERYTHROPOIETIC COLONY FORMING UNITS (CFU-E) IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL)

The extent of leukemic marrow (BM) involvement in children with ALL is often unrelated to the degree of anemia. This serial study was carried out to correlate marrow CFU-E with stages of disease. BMs from 35 normal children served as controls. In 29 ALL patients 64 cultures were done; 14 newly diagnosed and untreated; 32 in remission; 18 in relapse. BM cells were cultured with and without erythropoletin (EPO) and included EPO dose response curve. CFU-E at diagnosis was significantly lower than controls, and despite complete remission, values did not reach the normal range. The mean value of cultures obtained during remission (166 ± 47 S.E./106 nucleated cells) was markedly higher than the newly diagnosed (17 ± 8 S.E.) or relapse patients (25 ± 13 S.E., p<0.005) but significantly lower than normals (326 ± 44 S.E., p<0.01). An inverse correlation was found between CFU-E levels and % blasts. Also CFU-E did not appear to have predictive value in regard to impending relapse. The data indicate that the leukemic process in ALL involves the pluripotent stem cells and results in decreased numbers of early progenitors capable of differentiation to the erythrocytic series. Although achievement of morphological remission improves the flow rate to this pathway, unlike reported studies of granulocytic colonies in culture. It does not result in complete restoration of a normal erythroid pattern.
Smith and Living Wages: Arguments in Support of a Mandated Living Wage

Adam Smith was a proponent of living wages for labor for reasons of growth and for reasons of equity. There is ample evidence in the body of Smith's work to support the thesis that Smith would support public policies that might ensure the achievement of a living wage. The argument rests, in part, on the conclusion that Smith had reservations concerning the ability of the economy to experience sufficient growth and the ability of growth, if achieved, to secure living wages. This article argues that, given Smith's views about justice and given Smith's ideas, as part of the Scottish Enlightenment, of how the rules of justice evolve, a living wage law could be one of the general rules of which Smith could approve.
What's in an author's name? Differential evaluations of performance as a function of author's name

Three hundred college students (150 female, 150 male) were asked to evaluate an academic article in the field of politics, psychology of women, or education (judged masculine, feminine, and neutral, respectively) that was written by either a male, a female, or an author with a sexually ambiguous name. The results indicated that ratings of the articles were differentially perceived and evaluated according to the name of the author. An article written by a male was valued more positively than if the author was not male. Furthermore, subjects' bias against women was stronger when they believed that sexually neutral authors were female.
Photoreceptor Potentials of Opposite Polarity in the Eye of the Scallop, Pecten irradians

Intracellular recordings were obtained from single visual cells of the scallop, Pecten irradians. Two types of units are found. One type gives a graded, depolarizing response to light and the other a graded, hyperpolarizing response. The depolarizing cells are 2–3 log units more sensitive to light and have a longer latency than the hyperpolarizing type. At high light intensities the depolarizing cells are inactivated while the hyperpolarizing cells maintain their responses. When action potentials are seen they occur during illumination in depolarizing cells ("on" response) and after illumination in hyperpolarizing cells ("off" response). The evidence suggests that the depolarizing responses are from the microvilli-brearing proximal cells, and the hyperpolarizing responses from the ciliary-type distal cells of the retina, and that both responses are directly produced by light.
Guideline-concordant lung cancer care and associated health outcomes among elderly patients in the United States.

Objectives In the United States (US), the elderly carry a disproportionate burden of lung cancer. Although evidence-based guidelines for lung cancer care have been published, lack of high quality care still remains a concern among the elderly. This study comprehensively evaluates the variations in guideline-concordant lung cancer care among elderly in the US.
Effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on protein synthesis in murine peritoneal macrophages: relationship to activation for macrophage tumoricidal function.

Early biochemical events in the response of murine peritoneal macrophages to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) have been examined (i.e., 0-4 hr after initiation of treatment). At concentrations of 10 ng/ml or less, LPS stimulated the new or enhanced synthesis of a series of at least six polypeptides of 85, 80, 75, 65, 57, and 38 kD. This effect was dependent upon the lipid A moiety of LPS as lipid A itself could induce the changes and the effect of LPS could be blocked by inclusion of polymixin B sulfate in the culture medium. The effect was specific for LPS in that other endotoxin-free agents known to alter macrophage physiology could not produce the same changes. The time course of LPS stimulation of macrophage protein synthesis was remarkable in that the synthesis of all six proteins was transient even in the continued presence of LPS, being first detected approximately 1 hr after exposure and no longer apparent by 8-10 hr after treatment was initiated. Furthermore, both pulse-chase and cumulative radiolabeling studies indicated that at least two of the proteins (85 and 38 kD) were short-lived and did not accumulate in LPS-treated cells, suggesting the possibility that they participate in a regulatory rather than a functional role. Macrophage tumoricidal activation involves cooperation in response to two independent signals; interferon gamma and LPS. Pretreatment of macrophages with interferon gamma increased the sensitivity of macrophages to LPS-stimulated protein synthesis by one to two orders of magnitude documenting such cooperativity in molecular terms. The LPS-induced stimulation of specific protein synthesis could be reproduced by treatment of macrophages with heat killed Listeria monocytogenes, a gram-positive, endotoxin-negative bacterial stain which has been shown to substitute effectively for LPS in macrophage tumoricidal activation. Furthermore, reversible inhibition (i.e., treatment with cycloheximide) of protein synthesis during LPS treatment abrogated the acquisition of tumoricidal function. These results identify an early biochemical response to LPS which may be a necessary component of the intracellular transduction of signals which regulate macrophage functional development.
Punch‐through current under diffusion‐limited injection: Analysis and applications

A simple analytical theory is developed to describe the carrier distribution and the current flow in a punch‐through structure under the diffusion‐limited injection condition and negligible generation recombination effects. The current expression determined is similar to the diode current expression with the diffusion length replaced by the injection length. According to the nature of the injection length, the current flow process is found to be intimately related to the doping concentration and carrier mobility in the base. Recombination generation effects are next included in the theory to account for the photogain observed in punch‐through structures. Finally the model is applied to the gate‐field‐controlled barrier‐injection transit‐time transistor and the field and light injection‐controlled punch‐through transistor.
Central and peripheral contrast sensitivity in amblyopia with varying field size.

The purpose of the present study was to establish the extent of the amblyopic deficit at 0°, 10°, and 20° retinal eccentricity using contrast sensitivity measures for sine wave gratings subtending various field sizes. Contrast sensitivity functions were shown to vary with stimulus field size, retinal location and degree of amblyopia. Foveally, peak contrast sensitivity of amblyopic eyes increased markedly with increasing field size, to reach the same magnitude as that of the contralateral non-amblyopic eyes for large fields. Peripherally, peak contrast sensitivity remained lower in the amblyopic eyes for all field sizes examined. High spatial frequency cut-offs were reduced both centrally and peripherally with all field sizes in the amblyopic eyes. The effect of increasing field size on the cut-off acuity was found to be smaller than the effect on-peak contrast sensitivity.
Causal baryon diffusion and colored noise

We construct a model of baryon diffusion which has the desired properties of causality and analyticity. The model also has the desired property of colored noise, meaning that the noise correlation function is not a Dirac delta function in space and time; rather, it depends on multiple time and length constants. The model can readily be incorporated in 3+1-dimensional second-order viscous hydrodynamical models of heavy-ion collisions, which is particularly important at beam energies where the baryon density is large.
Nonclassic retinitis pigmentosa: A challenging clinical diagnosis solved by pedigree analysis and electrodiagnostic testing

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to describe a case of nonclassic retinitis pigmentosa, to highlight ancillary testing tools for proper diagnosis, and to differentiate between common hereditary fundus dystrophies. Methods Methods used in this study included complete ophthalmologic evaluation, optical coherence tomography, visual field testing, pedigree analysis, and electrodiagnostic testing. Results Reduced vision and photopsia were the initial complaints of a patient who had an overall normal ocular appearance. However, a strong family history of retinitis pigmentosa and depressed scotopic and photopic electroretinograms confirmed the diagnosis of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. Conclusion In cases of atypical-appearing retinitis pigmentosa, both pedigree analysis and electrodiagnostic testing are fundamental in correct diagnosis of this multifaceted hereditary fundus disorder.
Aggression Levels Among Correctional Officers: Reassessing Sex Differences

Questions about the abilities and appropriateness of female correctional officers working in adult men’s correctional institutions have been asked since women first entered men’s prisons. Although ...
Can tailoring increase elaboration of health messages delivered via an adaptive educational site on adolescent sexual health and decision making

Tailoring, the development of health messages based on assessment of key psychosocial variables that influence a prescribed behavior, has been gaining ground as an effective health education approach. The efficacy of this approach is based on the assumption that increasing personal relevance motivates greater elaboration, which is an important precondition for persuasion. Little research has been conducted to tease out the direct effects of tailoring on message processing. This study examines the effects of a tailored health education site on participants' evaluations of and elaboration on health messages. A total of 151 teens were randomly assigned to explore a tailored Web site or a nontailored Web site on adolescent sexual health and decision making. Results of the experiment indicated a statistically significant main effect for condition (tailoring) after controlling for situational motivation and need for cognition, F(1, 148) = 4.467, MSS = 2.177, p < .05, partial η2 = .030. Further evaluations and implications for future research are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lac repressor genetic map in real space

Here, we present a graphic display of the phenotypes of more than 4000 single amino acid substitution mutations on the three-dimensional structure of the lac repressor tetramer bound to DNA. The genetic data and the X-ray diffraction studies contribute to define an allosteric mechanism and yield a visual demonstration of the importance of core or buried residues in protein structure.
Medullary pain facilitating neurons mediate allodynia in headache-related pain.

Objective To develop and validate a model of cutaneous allodynia triggered by dural inflammation for pain associated with headaches. To explore neural mechanisms underlying cephalic and extracephalic allodynia. Methods Inflammatory mediators (IM) were applied to the dura of unanesthetized rats via previously implanted cannulas, and sensory thresholds of the face and hind-paws were characterized. Results IM elicited robust facial and hind-paw allodynia, which peaked within 3 hours. These effects were reminiscent of cutaneous allodynia seen in patients with migraine or other primary headache conditions, and were reversed by agents used clinically in the treatment of migraine, including sumatriptan, naproxen, and a calcitonin gene–related peptide antagonist. Consistent with clinical observations, the allodynia was unaffected by a neurokinin-1 antagonist. Having established facial and hind-paw allodynia as a useful animal surrogate of headache-associated allodynia, we next showed that blocking pain-facilitating processes in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) interfered with its expression. Bupivacaine, destruction of putative pain-facilitating neurons, or block of cholecystokinin receptors prevented or significantly attenuated IM-induced allodynia. Electrophysiological studies confirmed activation of pain-facilitating RVM “on” cells and transient suppression of RVM “off” cells after IM. Interpretation Facial and hind-paw allodynia associated with dural stimulation is a useful surrogate of pain associated with primary headache including migraine and may be exploited mechanistically for development of novel therapeutic strategies for headache pain. The data also demonstrate the requirement for activation of descending facilitation from the RVM for the expression of cranial and extracranial cutaneous allodynia, and are consistent with a brainstem generator of allodynia associated with headache disorders. Ann Neurol 2009;65:184–193
Health status and behaviors among adults residing in rural Dominican Republic.

INTRODUCTION: The rapidly increasing burden of chronic diseases linked to adequacy of healthcare services and individual health behaviors is a key determinant of global public health. Given demographic aging and the accompanying health transition chronic diseases in low and middle income communities of the Dominican Republic are likely to increase significantly. The objective of this article was to report on efforts in surveillance of health conditions and behaviors in underserved rural Dominican communities. METHODS: A modified 30 item language-sensitive health survey was randomly administered to 117 adult participants (18 years and older) during a health fair held at three rural villages from March to April 2009 in the rural San Cristobal region of the Dominican Republic. Descriptive analyses of select health conditions and behavior variables from all completed surveys were tabulated. RESULTS: Adult participant ages ranged from 18 to 79 years (mean +/- standard deviation; 34.0 +/- 2.1) height from 1.4 to 2.0 m (1.7 +/- 0.1) weight from 41.8 to 100.0 kg (66.2 +/- 1.7) and BMI from 15.2 to 46.2 (24.2 +/- 0.7). Overall 69.2% of the sample self-reported their general health status to be fair to poor. The top three chronic diseases included: high blood pressure (35.8%) diabetes (15.0%) and asthma (14.2%). In all 33.4% reported current smoker status and 61.7% were classified as heavy alcohol drinkers. CONCLUSION: Considerable variation was found in the self-report of health conditions and behavioral characteristics among those individuals that attended the health fair. Documenting these important health indicators in the rural communities has the potential to inform the development of surveillance activities and prevention efforts for future health education interventions.