cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agroecología y cambio climático: ¿adaptación o transformación?

Despite the fact that there is general alarm about the planetary emergency represented by climate change, and no effective solutions seem to be on sight, part of the problem is that it requires revolutionary changes that run against economic growth and the hegemony that benefits from the capitalist system. Industrial agriculture, which is part of this hegemonic system, pretends to reproduce itself by making minor changes through strategies of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), without challenging the structure of monoculture or the relations of power that maintain it. On the contrary, agroecology is a science and movement that confronts the root causes of hunger and environmental degradation led by social rural movements that value the legacy of traditional agriculture, which through the skills of thousands of peasants and indigenous people has developed systems that stood the test of time constituying a patrimony for humankind on how to design a new resiliente agriculture able to confront climate change.
Simulation of exciton condensate-mediated quantum transport in a double-monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide system

We have developed and employed a quantum transport simulation method to study the transport properties in the presence of a spatially indirect exciton condensate between energy-gapped two-dimensional semiconductors, with contact to each end of each layer. This system differs from previous works on bilayer exciton transport properties in the consideration of the energy gap as well as the associated massive (parabolic band structure) electrons and holes. We observe transport properties in the presence of the condensate including the elimination of current counterflow---otherwise phenomenologically analogous to near-perfect Coulomb drag---absent overlap of the conduction and valence bands of opposite layers, as well as substantially greater critical interlayer current for a given assumed bare interlayer coupling.
Detection of early lung cancer among military personnel (DECAMP) consortium: study protocols

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death due in large part to our inability to diagnose it at an early and potentially curable stage. Screening for lung cancer via low dose computed tomographic (LDCT) imaging has been demonstrated to improve mortality but also results in a high rate of false positive tests. The identification and application of non-invasive molecular biomarkers that improve the performance of CT imaging for the detection of lung cancer in high risk individuals would aid in clinical decision-making, eliminate the need for unnecessary LDCT follow-up, and further refine the screening criteria for an already large high-risk population. The Detection of Early Lung Cancer Among Military Personnel (DECAMP) consortium is conducting two multicenter prospective studies with the goals of developing an integrated panel of both airway and blood-based molecular biomarkers that discriminate benign and malignant indeterminate nodules detected on CT scan as well as predict the future development of lung cancer in high-risk individuals. To achieve these goals, DECAMP is compiling an extensive array of biospecimens including nasal brushings, serum, plasma and intrathoracic airway samples (bronchial brushings and bronchial biopsies) from normal-appearing airway epithelium. This bank of samples is the foundation for multiple DECAMP efforts focused on the identification of those at greatest risk of developing lung cancer as well as the discrimination of benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. The clinical, imaging and biospecimen repositories will serve as a resource for the biomedical community and their investigation of the molecular basis of chronic respiratory disease. Retrospectively registered as NCT01785342 - DECAMP-1: Diagnosis and Surveillance of Indeterminate Pulmonary Nodules (DECAMP-1). Date of Registration: February 7, 2013. Retrospectively registered as NCT02504697 - DECAMP-2: Screening of Patients With Early Stage Lung Cancer or at High Risk for Developing Lung Cancer (DECAMP-2). Date of Registration: July 22, 2015.
Productivity growth of skilled nursing facilities in the treatment of post-acute-care-intensive conditions.

Background Health care is believed to be suffered from a "cost disease," in which a heavy reliance on labor limits opportunities for efficiencies stemming from technological improvement. Although recent evidence shows that U.S. hospitals have experienced a positive trend of productivity growth, skilled nursing facilities are relatively "low-tech" compared to hospitals, leading some to worry that productivity at skilled nursing facilities will lag behind the rest of the economy. Objective To assess productivity growth among skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the treatment of conditions which frequently involve substantial post-acute care after hospital discharge. Methods We constructed an analytic file with the records of Medicare beneficiaries that were discharged from acute-care hospitals to SNFs with stroke, hip fracture, or lower extremity joint replacement (LEJR) between 2006 and 2014. We populated each record for 90 days starting at the time of SNF admission, detailing for each day the treatment site and all associated costs. We used ordinary least square regression to estimate growth in SNF productivity, measured by the ratio of "high-quality SNF stays" to total treatment costs. The primary definition of a high-quality stay was a stay that ended with the return of the patient to the community within 90 days after SNF admission. We controlled for patient demographics and comorbidities in the regression analyses. Results Our sample included 1,076,066 patient stays at 14,394 SNFs with LEJR, 315,546 patient stays at 14,154 SNFs with stroke, and 739,608 patient stays at 14,588 SNFs with hip fracture. SNFs improved their productivity in the treatment of patients with LEJR, stroke, and hip fracture by 1.1%, 2.2%, and 2.0% per year, respectively. That pattern was robust to a number of alternative specifications. Regressions on year dummies showed that the productivity first decreased and then increased, with a lowest point in 2011. Over the study period, quality continued to rise, but dominated by higher costs at first. Costs then started to decrease, driving productivity to grow. Conclusion There has been substantial productivity growth in recent years among SNFs in the U.S. in the treatment of post-acute-care-intensive conditions.
Traumatic atlantoaxial subluxation in dogs: 8 cases (2009–2016)

Objective To demonstrate the utility of advanced imaging in dogs with traumatic atlantoaxial subluxation (TAAS), and to report the presentation, treatment, and outcome for these dogs. Design Retrospective study (2009-2016). Setting University teaching hospital. Animals Eight dogs diagnosed with TAAS with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), or both. Interventions None. Measurements and main results Eight dogs met criteria for inclusion. Of these, 6 were male, median age was 4 years (range, 1.5-11 years), and median body weight was 4.9 kg (range, 3.0-25.0 kg). On presentation, 6/8 (75%) dogs were nonambulatory tetraparetic and the most common injury was trauma inflicted by another animal 5/8 (62.5%). Diagnosis of TAAS was made using a combination of imaging modalities including vertebral column radiographs in 7/8 (87.5%) (of which 71.4% were suspicious for TAAS), CT in 7/8 (87.5%), and MRI in 7/8 (87.5%). In 7/8 (87.5%) dogs, CT and/or MRI offered additional information regarding the extent of injuries. Vertebral fractures were identified in 62.5% (5/8) of dogs. The majority of dogs underwent surgical repair (7/8 [87.5%]). The most common complication was aspiration pneumonia (3/8 [37.5%]). All 8 dogs survived to discharge. At the time of discharge, 4/8 (50%) were ambulatory tetraparetic. The 4 dogs that were nonambulatory tetraparetic at discharge progressed to being ambulatory within 2 months of surgery. Conclusions Although TAAS is an uncommon occurrence it should be considered a differential for any trauma patient that is presenting with signs of a cranial cervical myelopathy. CT and MRI have been shown to be useful to identify the extent of injuries and to facilitate surgical planning. With appropriate care, these dogs can have an excellent prognosis.
Musings From the Streets of India: Voice for the Disabled Who Are Nonverbal:

What is the appropriate method of “interviewing” individuals with more involved disabilities who are nonverbal? As part of a larger case study looking at inclusion in India for disabled1 girls, thi...
Passive piezoelectric subordinate oscillator arrays

Subordinate Oscillator Arrays (SOAs) attached to a host structure have been shown to achieve flat attenuation of the frequency response over a band around a target natural frequency of the host. Due to their sensitivity to disorders that can arise from sources such as fabrication errors, as well as uncertainties in their structural properties or that of the host, SOAs can be challenging to implement in some applications. To overcome this shortcoming, Piezoelectric Subordinate Oscillator Arrays (PSOAs) are studied in this paper. This paper models PSOAs using variational principles to facilitate the analysis and development of design strategies. A closed-form expression for the frequency response function of the host structure is then used to design the PSOAs with and without uncertainties. This paper shows that the flat attenuation over a frequency band around a harmonic of the host can be achieved by assigning a distribution to the mechanical, electrical, or electromechanical properties of the PSOAs. For instance, it is shown that choosing a distribution of capacitive shunt circuits can achieve essentially the same qualitatively flat attenuation as that of classical SOAs. In this sense, the approach in this paper generalizes the results attained for conventional SOAs. Finally, the paper investigates the robustness of PSOAs, that is, their relative insensitivity to types of uncertainties. It is shown that PSOAs afford the chance to ameliorate some types of sensitivities that prove problematic for SOAs that are purely mechanical in nature. The notion of performance recovery is introduced; this measure quantifies how much attenuation loss due to uncertainty in an initial SOA or PSOA design can bea#13; recovered by modification of the electrical properties alone.
Percutaneous Pinning of Pediatric Proximal Humeral Fractures.

Background Proximal humeral fractures are relatively common in pediatric patients. These injuries are usually treated nonoperatively in younger children or children with minimally displaced fractures. However, closed reduction or open reduction followed by percutaneous pinning is recommended for older children with displaced fractures. Percutaneous pinning has several advantages, but there are limited reports of a safe and reliable surgical technique in the literature. Description Patients are positioned in a modified beach-chair position to allow orthogonal imaging. The injured extremity is draped free from the remainder of the body. Closed reduction, which comprises a combination of traction, abduction, and rotation, is attempted. Internal or external rotation may be required, depending on the fracture line and deforming forces. If an anatomic closed reduction cannot be obtained, a block to reduction should be suspected and open reduction should be performed via a deltopectoral approach. Once the fracture is reduced, two 2.5-mm threaded Kirschner wires from the small external fixator set are used to percutaneously fix the fracture. Any small external fixator set can be used, and if not available, individual threaded wires of similar size can be used. Alternatively, Kirschner wires can be advanced to the fracture site prior to reduction and then advanced into the humeral epiphysis once the fracture is reduced. Care is taken to avoid the axillary nerve, which is reliably within 6 cm of the anterolateral aspect of the acromion, and wires are placed distal to this site. Once pin position has been confirmed radiographically, the construct is secured with pin-to-pin clamps to improve rigidity and further decrease the risk of pin migration. A soft dressing and shoulder immobilizer are placed postoperatively. Patients are followed with biweekly radiographs, and pins are removed in the outpatient office or under conscious sedation at 4 weeks. Leaving pins for a longer period may increase the risk of skin irritation and potentially infection. Alternatives Alternatives to closed reduction or open reduction and percutaneous pinning include nonoperative management and elastic intramedullary nailing. Nonoperative treatment is a reliable option for most patients. However, it is not suitable for older children with severely displaced fractures because of diminished remodeling potential. Elastic intramedullary nailing is a good option for distal fractures. However, it is not suitable for proximal fractures, and it has been associated with longer operative times and more blood loss than percutaneous pinning. It also requires a second procedure. Rationale This procedure allows for anatomic fixation of proximal humeral fractures and provides a rigid construct to maintain reduction. It is not technically challenging, requires limited postoperative immobilization, and decreases the risk of a second general anesthetic.
Improving the efficiency of wheat microspore culture methodology: evaluation of pretreatments, gradients, and epigenetic chemicals

The objective of the study was to develop efficient widely adaptable microspore culture methodology for spring and winter wheat genotypes. Current wheat microspore culture methods are still inadequate for routine application, especially for winter genotypes. The present study involved increasing the frequency of microspore embryogenesis and improving the conversion of microspore-derived embryos to fertile green plants. A systematic evaluation was conducted testing numerous factors at all phases of the microspore embryogenesis process. Results from pretreatments, maltose gradients, and histone deacetylase inhibitors are presented. A 28 days cold pretreatment of spikes was optimal for winter wheat genotypes whereas a 21 days cold pretreatment was best for spring genotypes. Microspore suspensions containing a high frequency of embryogenic microspores were collected by resuspension in a 23% maltose gradient with subsequent pelleting with a mannitol containing solution. The application of trichostatin A (TSA) enhanced embryogenesis and/or green plant regeneration. Other epigenetic chemicals like scriptaid, BIX-01294, and sodium butyrate were also evaluated. Scriptaid enhanced embryogenesis but regenerated plantlets showed abnormal shoot and root development. The improved methodology was validated using a range of spring and winter wheat genotypes. Enhanced microspore embryogenesis and green plant regeneration in spring and winter wheat was observed with 21 or 28 days cold pretreatments, a 23% maltose gradient, and the application of trichostatin A (TSA).
Accuracy of Intraocular Lens Formulas in Eyes With Keratoconus.

Purpose To evaluate the refractive accuracy of current intraocular lens (IOL) formulas in eyes with keratoconus. Design Retrospective case series. Methods Preoperative optical biometry, Pentacam topography, and postoperative outcomes were collected from eyes with keratoconus that had uncomplicated cataract surgery between 2014 and 2018 at a single institution. Exclusion criteria include postoperative best-corrected spectacle visual acuity worse than 20/40, multifocal lens, prior ophthalmic surgeries, and prior ocular trauma. The Hoffer Q, SRK/T, Holladay I, Holladay II, Haigis, and Barrett Universal II formulas were analyzed in each eye stratified by keratoconus severity. Results A total of 73 eyes were included. All formulas had a positive mean predicted error ranging from 0.10 to 4.38 diopters (D). The Barrett Universal II formula had the lowest median absolute error for stage I (n = 46, 0.445 D) and II (n = 22, 0.445 D) eyes, and the highest percentage of eyes with predicted error within ±0.50 D for both stage I (52%) and II (50%) eyes. In stage III eyes (n = 5), the Haigis formula had the lowest median predicated error (1.90 D) and the highest percentage of eyes with predicted error within ±0.50 D (40%). Corneal power measured by optical biometers was higher than measurements by Pentacam keratometry. Conclusions All formulas tend to have a hyperopic surprise. The Barrett Universal II formula was the most accurate for mild to moderate disease. Pentacam keratometry may help avoid hyperopic outcomes.
Draft Genome Sequences of 11 Bacterial Strains Isolated from Commercial Corn-Based Poultry Feed.

ABSTRACT Here, we report 11 bacterial strains isolated from commercial corn-based poultry feed to determine their potential as hygienic indicator microorganisms through a comparison of genome sizes and distribution patterns of unique genes. These isolates belonged to the genera Klebsiella, Kosakonia, Pantoea, Stenotrophomonas, and Enterococcus.
Value of discriminant analysis for screening of clonorchiasis sinensis

Objective To build a discriminant function of clonorchiasis sinensis using stepwise discriminant analysis, so as to investigate the feasibility of discriminant analysis for clonorchiasis sinensis screening. Methods Ten villages in Mulan County of Harbin City were sampled as the study sites using a cluster random sampling method. The fecal samples were collected from the permanent residents in the study sites and detected for Clonorchis sinensis eggs using the modified Kato-Katz smear technique. A questionnaire of clonorchiasis sinensis was designed. All data were entered into Epidata 3.1, and a discriminant analysis was performed using the software SPSS version 15.0. Variable were screened using the stepwise discriminant analysis, and the discriminant function was built using the Fisher's discriminant analysis method. The effectiveness of the discriminant function for clonorchiasis sinensis screening was evaluated by comparison with the modified Kato-Katz smear method. Results Eight variables with statistical significance were included to build the discriminant function, including chronic cholecystitis, cholangitis, gender, eating raw fish, abdominal distension, ethnicity, abdominal pain and age, and the correction rate of the discriminant function was 88.75% to identify clonorchiasis sinensis. Conclusions The discriminant function of clonorchiasis sinensis can be rapidly and simply built based on the strong data processing and analysis capability of the SPSS software, which is rapid to screen clonorchiasis sinensis in Harbin City. Such a function has a high discriminant analysis capability, and provides insights into the establishment of rapid screening of clonorchiasis sinensis in other endemic areas.
Standards and scoring to increase transparency for archived public opinion data

Faced with increased diversification of methodologies in the polling industry, the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research Center is embarking on a major initiative aimed at increasing methodological transparency across the field of public opinion survey research by increasing minimum disclosure requirements and providing users with transparency scoring for new submissions to the archive. Roper Center, the world’s largest archive of public opinion survey data, has long enforced disclosure requirements for archival submissions based on transparency standards developed by professional organizations in the polling industry, particularly the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). Roper Center’s new requirements and scoring mechanism expand longstanding policies and procedures to better meet the challenges of today’s research environment.In this paper, Roper Center’s new standards will be described in the context of the historical development of transparency expectations in the polling community. The paper presentation will also detail the implementation process, providing an account of how standards were translated into actionable DDI-based metadata to drive an automatic scoring system, how new workflows were developed with input from data providers to facilitate maximum disclosure, and how the display of the user interface was designed to ensure the transparency information can be easily viewed and understood.
Grundlagen und Stand der Technik

In diesem Kapitel werden die theoretischen Grundlagen erlautert, die zum Verstandnis der vorliegenden Arbeit notwendig sind. Zunachst erfolgt die allgemeine Einfuhrung in das Themengebiet der industriellen Automobilproduktion. Mit dem spateren Fokus auf das Thema der Nachhaltigkeit wird insbesondere die Energieeffizienzthematik am Beispiel des Automobilen Karosseriebaus verdeutlicht.
Writers and Revolution: Intellectuals and the French Revolution of 1848

The revolution of 1848 has been described as the revolution of the intellectuals. In France, the revolution galvanised the energies of major romantic writers and intellectuals. This book follows nine writers through the revolution of 1848 and its aftermath: Alphonse de Lamartine, George Sand, Marie d'Agoult, Victor Hugo, Alexis de Tocqueville, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Alexander Herzen, Karl Marx, and Gustave Flaubert. Conveying a sense of the experience of 1848 as these writers lived it, this fresh and engaging study captures the sense of possibility at a time when it was not yet clear that the Second French Republic had no future. By looking closely at key texts in which each writer attempted to understand, judge, criticise, or intervene in the revolution, Jonathan Beecher shows how each endeavoured to answer the question posed explicitly by Tocqueville: Why, within the space of two generations, did democratic revolutions twice culminate in the dictatorship of a Napoleon?
Presupposition projection from disjunction is symmetric

The role of linear order for presupposition projection is a key theoretical question, but the empirical status of (a-)symmetries in projection from various connectives remains controversial. We present experimental evidence that presupposition projection from disjunction is symmetric. 'Bathroom disjunctions', where either disjunct seems able to support a presupposition in the other if its negation entails it, have been argued to be evidence for symmetric projection; but there are alternative theoretical options. Adapting the paradigm of Mandelkern et al. (2020) for projection from conjunction, our experimental data supports the view that we are dealing with genuinely symmetric projection from disjunction. This contrasts with Mandelkern et al.'s findings for asymmetric projection from conjunction, and thus provides evidence for variation in projection (a-)symmetry across connectives, contra accounts proposing general accounts predicting uniform asymmetry effects due to left-to-right processing (e.g. Schlenker 2009).
Espacio, violencia y archivos en transformación: Los sensichivos en Doble de riesgo de Lola Arias

In Argentine Lola Arias’s Doble de riesgo [Stunt Double]; (2016), tangible and intangible objects are manipulated within interactive spaces to change the notion of archives and to create innovative, lasting records in the interstices between affect and technology. This article examines these new ways to document and proposes that, through them, Arias invents sensichives: archives that embed emotions into the history that produced them. Co-constructed by the artist, actors, historians, and spectators, sensichives are fluid and transferable within and among communities. In this way, sensichives have the power to transform communities and offer them unique tools to confront and dismantle violence.
Non-ideal prescriptions for the morally uncertain

Morally speaking, what should one do when one is morally uncertain? Call this the Moral Uncertainty Question. In this paper, I argue that a non-ideal moral theory provides the best answer to the Moral Uncertainty Question. I begin by arguing for a strong ought-implies-can principle—morally ought implies agentially can—and use that principle to clarify the structure of a compelling non-ideal moral theory. I then describe the ways in which one’s moral uncertainty affects one’s moral prescriptions: moral uncertainty constrains the set of moral prescriptions one is subject to, and at the same time generates new non-ideal moral reasons for action. I end by surveying the problems that plague alternative answers to the Moral Uncertainty Question, and show that my preferred answer avoids most of those problems.
Real-Time Forecasting of Vibrations with Non-stationarities

With recent advances in structural and materials engineering, a new class of structures has emerged consisting of systems subject to highly dynamic environments. Such systems include civil structures exposed to blast, spacecraft prone to debris strikes, and aerial vehicles experiencing in-flight changes. Real-time modeling and prediction of structural state will introduce new real-time health monitoring capability for such systems. To be practical, the models must be deployable on lightweight integrated platforms such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and microcontrollers. This paper evaluates two algorithms that employ multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks that perform predictions and update the model in real time on non-linear, non-stationary time series data. We show that these models perform well on real-world experimental datasets generated with a replica of the Air Force Research Lab’s DROPBEAR apparatus, exhibiting accuracy on par with MLPs trained offline. Results show that these two algorithms serve as viable candidates for real-time structural health monitoring applications.
Cdc28: Cyclin-dependent PK (S. cerevisiae)

The chapter focuses on the Cdc28 cyclin-dependent PK gene that is a central regulatory element for several cell cycle transitions in budding yeast. As the archetype of cyclin-dependent kinases, Cdc28 best exemplifies the paradigm of a single catalytic subunit functionally and enzymologically modified by an array of distinct positive regulatory subunits known as cyclins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae(S. cerevisiae) , G1-specific cyclins are generally called Clns, while S-phase and M-phase specific cyclins are called Clbs. Although the exact compositions of the in vivo holoenzymes have not been reported, they all contain at least one cyclin of which more than 10 (40–60 kDa) have been identified in S. cerevisiae. Active complexes can also contain the 18 kDa protein Cks1. Based on gel filtration chromatography, Cdc28 holoenzymes have native molecular weights of >200 kDa and larger, suggesting oligomerization. The Cdc28 subunit consists of a minimal kinase domain. T169 is the site of positive regulatory phosphorylation essential for activity, and Y19 is a target of negative regulatory phosphorylation. The structures of cyclins (positive regulatory subunits) are highly variable but all contain a relatively conserved 150–200 residue “cyclin box”, which presumably interacts with the catalytic subunit.
A tool for analyzing, designing, and visualizing multivariable aircraft control systems

This paper describes an interactive modeling, simulation, animation, and real-time control (MoSART) environment which may be used for analyzing, designing, visualizing, and evaluating the performance of multivariable aircraft control systems. The described MoSART environment is based on Microsoft Windows NT/95/98, Visual C++, Microsoft Direct-3D, and MATLAB/SIMULINK. The environment accommodates data exchange with MATLAB. Simulation data generated from within SIMULINK may be used to drive the environment's plotting and animation engines. The program allows the user to select model parameters, control laws, control law gains, control law design parameters and methodologies, reference commands, disturbances, initial conditions, integration routines, integration routine parameters, and graphics to be displayed, The program also updates plots, visual indicators, and animations on the screen using the real-time data generated by the simulation module.
Purification of a Salt-Requiring Enzyme from an Obligately Halophilic Bacterium

Holmes, P. K. (University of Illinois, Urbana), and H. O. Halvorson. Purification of a salt-requiring enzyme from an obligately halophilic bacterium. J. Bacteriol. 90: 312–315. 1965.—The discovery that some halophilic enzymes may be reactivated from the salt-free and inactive state has facilitated the purification of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked malic acid dehydrogenase from crude extracts of Halobacterium salinarium. In the absence of large amounts of salt, the enzyme was totally inactive; yet, in this salt-free state, it could be purified by conventional techniques. The highly purified halophilic enzyme was shown to require a high concentration of salt for activity.
Light chain amyloidosis: a case presentation and review.

In 1977, an asymptomatic 68-year-old woman underwent biopsy of a supraclavicular node that had been detected at the time she presented for breast biopsy. While the breast biopsy was benign, pathology from the lymph node revealed amyloid. For unclear reasons, no further evaluation or treatment was undertaken then. Two years later, a paratracheal node was noted during screening chest x-ray. Biopsy again showed amyloid. At that time, the patient's spleen and liver were enlarged. Howell-Jolly bodies were identified on peripheral blood smear, suggesting hyposplenism. This was confirmed by a radionuclide liver-spleen scan, which showed decreased splenic uptake (1). Initial 24-hour urine specimen collected 5.1 g of protein, 64.4% of which was albumin by urine protein electrophoresis (Figure ​(Figure11). Despite significant albuminuria, her serum albumin was 3.9 g/dL. Quantitative immunoglobulins were depressed, with IgG of 385 mg/dL, IgA of 72 mg/dL, and IgM of 140 mg/dL. While serum immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) was negative for monoclonal light chain (“Bence Jones”) protein, urine IFE did detect a monoclonal lambda protein (Figure ​(Figure22). Skeletal x-rays showed no lytic lesions. Bone marrow aspirate (Figure ​(Figure33) and biopsy revealed plasmacytosis of 10% to 15% and light chain amyloid, with a kappa:lambda ratio of 1:50. Subsequent renal biopsy also showed lambda light chain amyloid. Figure 1 Urine protein electrophoresis of our patient, showing heavy albuminuria but no clear-cut monoclonal protein. Anode is on the right. Urine concentrated 50x. Figure 2 Urine immunofixation electrophoresis from our patient. The dense, broad anodal band against anti–whole human serum (AWHS) in the upper left column indicates albumin. Antisera to kappa and lambda light chains showed a homogeneous band against the ... Figure 3 Bone marrow aspirate of our patient. Congo red staining revealed amorphous eosinophilic material lying free in the marrow space. These areas displayed apple-green birefringence under polarized light, confirming amyloid. After initiation of low-dose prednisone and colchicine, the patient's hepatomegaly, functional hyposplenism, albuminuria, and Bence Jones proteinuria resolved. She was maintained on this therapy for more than a decade. Despite eventual discontinuation of these medications, she remained in clinical complete remission through her last follow-up, 21 years after presentation. She died the following year of an unknown cause.
Outside the Church There Is No Death

According to classical Christian doctrine, the human body is not a container for the soul but its “form”. In defending a form of this view, I suggest that the resurrected body of Christ represents the truth of human flesh. In the light of the resurrected and glorified body of Christ, who still bears his wounds, death can be understood as the loss of something irreplaceable and therefore mourned as a horrific deprivation of life; that is, because eternal life consists in the vision of God by our whole selves, and not just a separated soul, a proper Christian anthropology that began in some sense with the glorified body of Christ as the “truth of the physical” might suggest a very different biomedical practice than that with which we are familiar, which often proceeds from a methodological materialism underwritten by a dualistic metaphysics.
Frailty: a tale of two concepts.

Frailty is increasingly relevant for clinicians to improve care for vulnerable older adults. Prominent frailty measures include the frailty phenotype and the frailty index. The frailty phenotype is grounded in a theoretical construct hypothesized to have an underlying biological basis. The frailty index describes frailty as a nonspecific age-associated vulnerability, reflected in an accumulation of medical, social, and functional deficits. Building on this model, Minitski et al. describe the development of a biological index that proves to be a reasonable method to predict mortality when compared to other frailty measurements. Strengths include its ability to import clinical measures, interchangeable components, and its potential ability to identify latent risk factors. Obstacles include the lack of a unifying biological theory related to aging, inclusion of costly research measures, and its inability to provide specific clues to the etiology of frailty according to the frailty index definition. Refinement in measures focused on aging-related biological changes rather than using measures that result from chronic disease states could help provide important biological insights and aid in the development of future treatment and preventive modalities.
Phosphomannose isomerase: An efficient selectable marker for plant transformation

Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) catalyzes the reversible interconversion of mannose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate. Plant cells lacking this enzyme are incapable of surviving on synthetic medium containing mannose as a carbon source. Maize, wheat and barley plants, genetically modified to express the Escherichia coli manA gene (pmi) under the control of a plant promoter, were able to survive selection on mannose-containing medium. Transformation frequencies averaged 45% for maize transformation via Biolistics™ 35% for maize Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, 20% for wheat, 3% for barley, and 2% for watermelon transformation. Moreover, the frequencies exceeded those obtained for maize and wheat using the pat or bar gene with Basa® selection. A preliminary safety assessment has been conducted for PMI. Purified PMI protein demonstrates no adverse, effects in an acute mouse toxicity test. Purified PMI protein was readily digested in simulated mammalian gastric and intestinal fluids. Plants derived from surgar beet and corn cells that had been genetically modified to express the E. coli manA gene were evaluated for biochemical changes in mannose-associated pathways. No detectable changes in glycoprotein profiles were detected in PMI-transformed plants as compared to nontransgenic controls. The yield and nutritional composition of grain from PMI-transformed corn plants compared to their non-transformed isogenic counterparts were also determined and no statistically significant differences were found. The inherent safety of a system based on simple sugar metabolism coupled with high transformation frequencies for monocots make pmi and ideal selectable marker for plant transformation.
Attempted Induction of Gynogenesis in Chickens

Abstract Dark Cornish and White Leghorn hens were divided into a virgin group and a group inseminated with semen that had been irradiated with 5,000 r. of X rays. Two replicate trials were performed, one during winter and the second during summer. Two parthenogenetic embryos were found among 1,417 virgin eggs incubated for 24 hours. No other development was seen in eggs from this group. The three chicks produced by the inseminated group were not gynogenetic. Their heterozygous coloration showed them to be normal fertilization products. Fertility of 1,500 eggs was only about 5% and survival was almost nil for eggs from hens artificially inseminated with semen irradiated at 5,000 r. Most embryonic development consisted of membranous growth with occasional blood cells. The frequency of detectable embryonic development in abortive eggs was half as great after seven days incubation compared to the frequency after only 24 hours incubation.
Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of transgenic models of cancer.

The complexity of cancer, where a single genetic alteration can have multiple functional effects, makes it a fascinating but humbling disease to study, and the necessity of investigating it in its entirety is more imperative than ever before. Advances in transgene technology have made it possible to create cancer cells, or mice with specific genetic alterations, and the application of an array of both functional and molecular non-invasive MR methods to these transgenic cancer cells and mice to characterize their phenotypic traits is revolutionizing our understanding of cancer. With the establishment of multi-modality molecular imaging centers within barrier or pathogen-free facilities, multi-parametric and multi-modality imaging of transgenic mouse models of human cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent. In this review, we outline some of the methods currently available for generating transgenic mice and cancer cell lines. We also present examples of the application of MR methods to transgenic models that are providing novel insights into the molecular and functional characteristics of cancer and are leading to an era of ‘non-invasive phenotyping’ of the effects of specific molecular alterations in cancer. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adult human brain expresses four different molecular forms of neural cell adhesion molecules.

Abstract Using antibodies to rat neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM), we analyzed the NCAM of adult human brain. Various regions of the brain were analyzed quantitatively by Western blot. Grey matter showed four bands of NCAM with apparent molecular weights of 180,000, 170,000, 140,000 and 120,000. White matter showed one major band with an apparent M r of 120,000 and a minor band of 180,000. Cerebellar grey matter contained mainly 170,000, 140,000 and 120,000, white cerebellar white matter had only 180,000 and 120,000 M 1 NCAMS. Spinal cord showed mainly 120,000 M r NCAM. Deglycosylation using N-glycanase resulted in 170,000, 160,000, 130,000 and 110,000 M r proteins, suggesting that the four forms of human NCAM are derived from individual polypeptides. The presence of 170,000 M 1 NCAM is unique to human brain.
Using a summary measure for multiple quality indicators in primary care: the Summary QUality InDex (SQUID)

Assessing the quality of primary care is becoming a priority in national healthcare agendas. Audit and feedback on healthcare quality performance indicators can help improve the quality of care provided. In some instances, fewer numbers of more comprehensive indicators may be preferable. This paper describes the use of the Summary Quality Index (SQUID) in tracking quality of care among patients and primary care practices that use an electronic medical record (EMR). All practices are part of the Practice Partner Research Network, representing over 100 ambulatory care practices throughout the United States. The SQUID is comprised of 36 process and outcome measures, all of which are obtained from the EMR. This paper describes algorithms for the SQUID calculations, various statistical properties, and use of the SQUID within the context of a multi-practice quality improvement (QI) project. At any given time point, the patient-level SQUID reflects the proportion of recommended care received, while the practice-level SQUID reflects the average proportion of recommended care received by that practice's patients. Using quarterly reports, practice- and patient-level SQUIDs are provided routinely to practices within the network. The SQUID is responsive, exhibiting highly significant (p < 0.0001) increases during a major QI initiative, and its internal consistency is excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93). Feedback from physicians has been extremely positive, providing a high degree of face validity. The SQUID algorithm is feasible and straightforward, and provides a useful QI tool. Its statistical properties and clear interpretation make it appealing to providers, health plans, and researchers.
Unleashing the wild: response to Locke and Dearden's ‘rethinking protected area categories’

Locke and Dearden (2005) assert that the emerging new paradigm for protected areas (PAs) risks taking the PA agenda to a ‘tragic failure,’ and the planet towards biological impoverishment. They believe the ‘new paradigm’ contributes to a persistent tendency towards giving social issues higher priority over biological considerations and is based on the promotion of PA categories V and VI of the IUCN (World Conservation Union).
Gender, Race, and Rumours: Re-examining the 1943 Race Riots

Focusing on three riots of the World War II era – those of Beaumont (Texas), Detroit, and New York's Harlem – this essay examines the rumours that sparked these disturbances to uncover the gendered ideologies that underlie racial violence. In these rumour narratives, women appear as either rape victims or tortured mothers, while men appear as either depraved rapists or noble protectors. The deployment of these images helped forge a defensive collective identity that facilitated the outbreak of violence. Because racial and gender ideologies were intimately linked, the author argues, race riots must be analysed through the lens of gender in order to be fully understood.
On the Riemann hypothesis: A fractal random walk approach

Abstract In his investigation of the distribution of prime numbers Riemann, in 1859, introduced the zeta function with a complex argument. His analysis led him to hypothesize that all the complex zeros of the zeta function lie on a vertical line in the complex plane. The proof or disproof of this hypothesis has been a famous outstanding problem in mathematics. We are able to recast Riemann's Hypothesis into a probabilistic framework connected to the fractal behavior of a lattice random walk. Fractal random walks were introduced by P. Levy, and in the continuum are called Levy flights. For one particular lattice version of a Levy flight we show the connection to Weierstrass' continuous but nowhere differentiable function. For a different lattice version, using a Mellin transform analysis, we show how the zeroes of the zeta function become the singularities of a complex integrand which governs the behavior of a fractal random walk. The laws of probability place restrictions on the locations of the zeroes of the zeta function. No inconsistencies with probability theory are found if the Riemann Hypothesis is false.
Quantitative Analysis of Respiratory Gating Accuracy based on RPM Synchronized Pre- and Post-Treatment Fluoroscopy on Abdominal Patients

Results: A decrease in gating accuracy was observed in 44% of movie pairs, with 17 out of 40 movie pairs in Fractionated-pancreas patients and 7 out of 15 movie pairs in SBRT-Liver patients. Three main causes for decreased gating accuracy were identified as non-optimized gating window (52%), change of EIC over time (42%) and patient motion (6%). The extra 2 mm margin between set-up and treatment aperturewas able to compensate for most of gating uncertainty for both SBRTand fractionated patients. Whena 5mm f-ptvwas modeled, gatingaccuracyimproved from 77%±14%to 95%±5% for all 24 post-treatment movies with decreased accuracy, except for one SBRT movie whose accuracy still below 50%. Conclusions: Quantitative analysis of respiratory gating accuracy indicated that i) inconsistent correlation between external and internalmotionisinherentforfreebreathingpatients,butdoesnotnecessarilyrelatetodecreaseofgatingaccuracy;andii)thereis a limitation in choosing gating window manually based on real-time fluoroscopic movies. In order to improve/maintain gating accuracy during treatment, we suggest using at least a 2mm or greater difference between the f-PTVand CTV-PTVexpansion to account for residual error. Author Disclosure: J. Ge: None. L. Santanam: None. P.J. Parikh: B. Research Grant; Varian Medical Systems.
Chiral memory effects in catalytic hydrogenations with dynamically chiral ligands

Abstract The low barrier for interconversion of chiral conformations of the dynamically chiral 2,2′-biphenyl ligand NMe2C6H4C6H4PCy2 is raised upon coordination. The individual enantiomers of the planar chiral arene-tethered complex Ru(η6:η1- NMe2C6H4C6H4PCy2)Cl2 (1), however, do not undergo racemization readily. A second source of chirality, such as a chiral diamine, can be included by conversion of 1 into a dicationic analogue [Ru(η6:η1-NMe2C6H4C6H4PCy2)((1S,2S)-DPEN)](SbF6)2 (2), which is a catalyst precursor for the hydrogenation of aryl ketones. Two epimers of 2, RAr,S,S and SAr,S,S, are formed when starting from racemic 1; this 1:1 mixture of diastereomers catalyzed the asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone. The enantiomerically pure diastereomers were obtained from resolved 1 and used separately to catalyze the reaction. Each diastereomer showed different selectivity, with SAr,S,S-2 being the more selective (61% ee for the hydrogenation of acetophenone). Our studies suggest that ruthenium hydride formation is accompanied by a decrease in hapticity of the η6-arene and probable detachment of the ring from the metal. Nevertheless, the original conformational chirality of the biphenyl ligand appears to be at least partially retained during the catalysis.
Onset and course of tardive dyskinesia.

Surprisingly little is known about the evolution of tardive dyskinesia (TO) in a given individual. We report on a single patient for whom the onset of moderately severe TO was fortuitously captured in a series of videotaped therapy sessions. We systematically reviewed those videotapes in an effort to answer the following questions: What was the time course of onset of clinically recognizable TO? Were "early signs" ofTO present prior to clinical recognition? What pitfalls are encountered in clinical recognition of early signs of TO? The patient and his family gave infonned consent to videotaping family treatment sessions. Fifteen videotapes were subsequently viewed in random order by an investigator who was blind to the patient's treatment history and clinical course and to the sequence of the tapes. The patient was rated on an Abnonnal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS)I for each tape, when possible, and the AIMS scores were tabulated in chronological order. The clinical record was then reviewed to ascertain the medication history and clinical reports of movement abnonnality. The findings from the clinical reports were compared with those of the videotapes.
Mentoring, organizational commitment and intentions to leave public accounting

This study evaluates the usefulness of a multidimensional conceptualization of organizational commitment in the public accounting environment and examines the influence of mentoring relationships on each of these dimensions. An integrated examination of antecedent variables for each of the dimensions of organizational commitment, as well as the consequence of intention to leave the public accounting organization, was conducted. Results suggest that while organizational commitment in the public accounting environment can be conceptualized in terms of affective, moral and economic attachment to the firm, affective commitment is the most descriptive of these constructs. While mentoring relationships have a positive impact on each of the dimensions of commitment, affective commitment is most influenced. Affective commitment in the public accounting workplace develops as a result of distinct antecedent experiences and has direct implications for the consequence of interest and intentions to leave.