cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solid-phase synthesis of amidine-substituted phenylbenzimidazoles and incorporation of this DNA binding and recognition motif into amino acid and peptide conjugates.

Amidine-substituted phenylbenzimidazoles are well-established DNA-binding structural motifs that have contributed to the development of diverse classes of DNA-targeted agents; this ring system not only assists in increasing the overall DNA affinity of an agent, but can also influence its site selectivity. Seeking a means to conveniently exploit these attributes, a protocol for the on-resin synthesis of amino acid- and peptide-phenylbenzimidazole-amidine conjugates was developed to facilitate installation of phenylbenzimidazole-amidines into peptide chains during the course of standard solid-phase syntheses. Building from a resin-bound amino acid or peptide on Rink amide resin, 4-formyl benzoic acid was coupled to the resin-bound free amine followed by introduction of 3,4-diamino-N′-hydroxybenzimidamide (in the presence of 1,4-benzoquinone) to construct the benzimidazole heterocycle. Finally, the resin-bound N′-hydroxybenzimidamide functionality was reduced to an amidine via 1 M SnCl2·2H2O in DMF prior to resin cleavage to release final product. This procedure permits the straightforward synthesis of amino acids or peptides that are N-terminally capped by a phenylbenzimidazole-amidine ring system. Employing this protocol, a series of amino acid–phenylbenzimidazole-amidine (Xaa-R) conjugates was synthesized as well as dipeptide conjugates of the general form Xaa-Gly-R (where R is the phenylbenzimidazole-amidine and Xaa is any amino acid).
The Advanced Clinical Skills Program in Medical Interviewing: A Block Curriculum for Residents in Medicine

Objective: This study sought to demonstrate whether an intensive block curriculum would lead to learning of basic medical interviewing skills by first year residents in medicine. Method: Pairs of brief clinical interviews done before and after a four week block program in medical interviewing were rated using the Rhode Island Hospital Interview Checklist (RIC). The data were analyzed using the McNemar Test to look for possible improvement following the course. Results: Of the nineteen categories measured, fourteen showed statistically significant improvement (p <.05) in Year 1 and twelve in Year 2. Combining the data for the two years gave statistically significant results in sixteen of the nineteen categories. Conclusions: An intensive block curriculum in medical interviewing led to a significant degree of learning of basic skills by first year medical residents as judged by interviews done at the end of the block. The intensive approach also allowed for a degree of personal growth and solidification of identity as a physician. These factors can be expected to influence interviewing proficiency as well.
Observing extreme events in incomplete state spaces with application to rainfall estimation from satellite images

Reconstructing the dynamics of nonlinear systems from observations requires the complete knowledge of its state space. In most cases, this is either impossible or at best very difficult. Here, by using a toy model, we investigate the possibility of deriving useful insights about the variability of the system from only a part of the complete state vector. We show that while some of the details of the variability might be lost, other details, especially extreme events, are successfully recovered. We then apply these ideas to the problem of rainfall estimation from satellite imagery. We show that, while reducing the number of observables reduces the correlation between actual and inferred precipitation amounts, good estimates for extreme events are still recoverable.
Blue-Collar Employees' Work/Life Metaphors: Tough Similarities, Imbalance, Separation, and Opposition

Research examining the relationship between work and life is permeated by metaphors (balance, conflict, spillover, etc.). However, these metaphors are often used interchangeably and with limited conceptual development. Moreover, current research tends to focus solely on white-collar experiences with work and life without taking into consideration how other professions negotiate these spheres. To account for this discrepancy, we examined the metaphors used by those employed in a blue-collar profession (i.e. custodians). A grounded metaphorical analysis revealed the following metaphors: tough similarities, separation, imbalance, and opposites. Implications of these metaphors, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Mutational analysis of loxP sites for efficient Cre-mediated insertion into genomic DNA.

The Cre/loxP system has been used in transgenic models primarily to excise DNA flanked by loxP sites for gene deletion. However, the insertion reaction is more difficult to control since the excision event is kinetically favored. Mutant loxP sites favoring integration were identified using a novel, bacterial screening system. Utilizing lambda integrase, mutant loxP sites were placed at the E. coli attB site and the excision-insertion ratios of incoming DNA plasmids carrying a second, complementary mutant loxP site were determined. Comparison of 50 mutant loxP sites combinations to the native loxP site revealed that mutations to the inner 6 bp of the Cre binding domain severely inhibited recombination, while those in the outer 8 bps were more tolerated. The most efficient loxP combinations resulted in 1421-fold and 1529-fold increases in relative integration rates over wild-type loxP sites. These loxP mutants could be exploited for site-directed "tag and insert" recombination experiments.
Endocrine and Hypertensive Disorders of Potassium Regulation: Primary Aldosteronism

The identification of primary aldosteronism as a common cause of resistant hypertension is a significant advance in our ability to care for patients with hypertension. Primary aldosteronism is common, and when unrecognized is associated with an increased incidence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Identification of primary aldosteronism is based on use of the plasma aldosterone level, plasma renin activity, and the aldosterone:renin ratio. Differentiation between unilateral and bilateral autonomous adrenal aldosterone production then guides further therapy, with use of mineralocorticoid-receptor blockers for patients with bilateral autonomous adrenal aldosterone production and laparoscopic adrenalectomy for patients with unilateral autonomous aldosterone production. In this review, we discuss in detail the pathogenesis of primary aldosteronism-induced hypertension and potassium disorders, the evaluation of the patient with suspected primary aldosteronism, and the management of primary aldosteronism, both through medications and surgery.
Anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody immunotherapy: a promising strategy in the prevention of neuroblastoma relapse

In spite of the satisfactory frequency of clinical response to first-line therapy in neuroblastoma (NB), complete eradication of NB cells is rarely achieved. As a consequence, the majority of patients with advanced stage NB undergo relapse, which is often resistant to conventional treatment and rapidly overwhelming. Thus, after induction of the apparent remission, new therapeutic strategies are needed to completely eradicate the small number of surviving NB cells and to prevent relapse. We explored the potential of different doses of the anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) 14G2a in an experimental metastatic model where a limited number of HTLA-230 human NB cells are injected i.v. into nude mice, leading to extensive metastases and death of animals within 7-8 weeks. Treatment with 14G2a mAb (1-4 mg/kg cumulative dose given as five i.v. daily administrations) dramatically reduced the metastatic spread of NB cells and prolonged the long-term survival of treated mice in a dose-dependent manner. Neither macrophages nor NK cells appeared to contribute to the protective effect of antibody treatment in vivo, suggesting either an involvement of granulocytes or a complement-mediated cytotoxicity towards NB cells. Whatever the effecting mechanism(s) involved, these results strongly support the clinical use of anti-GD2 mAbs after first-line induction regimens.
Dynamics of sub-5-nm air-bearing sliders in the presence of electrostatic and intermolecular forces at the head-disk interface

A head-disk interface (HDI) model has been used to investigate the effect of the intermolecular and electrostatic forces on the static and dynamic performance of air-bearing sliders. It is seen that the intermolecular and electrostatic forces increase the level of flying height modulations at low flying heights, which in turn results in dynamic instability of the system similar to what has also been observed in experiments. In the analysis a stiffness matrix is defined to characterize the stability in the vertical, pitch, and roll directions. Fly height diagrams are used to examine the multiple equilibriums that exist for low flying sliders. In addition, the simulation results are compared with previously published experiments for validation.
Le progrès, le transfert et le choix technologiques dans les pays en voie de développement (PVD) : vers une approche plus réaliste du problème de la substitution

In this paper it is argued that the conventional estimation of production functions may be misleading for the study of technological progress and technology choice in developing countries. The analysis of technical progress and technology transfers requires empirical production functions which should reflect accurately the state of technology and productivity in a given country or region. The neoclassical production function embracing as an envelope all observations in an industry is likely to overstate the number of techniques already established in the region. It may therefore underestimate the technical progress achieved by further transfers. The problem lies in the very concept of technological progress which is defined as a shift of the universal production function and excludes movements along the production isoquant.As to the choice of technology the estimation of the elasticity of substitution may be equally misleading for the purpose of predicting changes of factor use caused by factor price changes. The substitution possibilites between factors of production in the actually existing choice set of techniques for a given country or region are better described by the concept of a technology shelf. Two important characteristics of the technology shelf are the range and density of substitution. It is argued that industrial engineering information should be used to better describe the technology shelf. In its empirical part, using data of the manufacturing sector of Zaire, the paper shows how such engineering information may be used to estimate the range and density of substitution.
INTERPRETATIONS OF ELECTRON MICROGRAPHS OF SINGLE AND SERIAL SECTIONS

A method of securing serial sections for electron microscopy is described. Serial sections present certain anomalies of interpretation of a nature such that a complete and detailed three-dimensional reconstruction of the sectioned tissue cannot be made. These anomalies are discussed, as well as those which have been encountered in the interpretation of single sections. Observations of the following kinds have been made in an attempt to elucidate the interpretation of single and serial sections: differing methods of mounting adjacent sections, observation of the same section by high-angle stereoscopy, and examination of sections which have been shadowed prior to and subsequent to electron microscopy. It is found that the appearance of sections is independent of the choice of side to be placed against the formvar films. Stereoscopy shows that the appearance of fine structures is strongly dependent upon the direction of the penetrating electron beam with respect to the plane of the structures. Stereoscopy, combined with shadowing, shows quantitatively that extensive sublimation of polymer occurs upon normal exposure in the electron microscope. Observation of sections shadowed prior to electron microscopy indicates that varying amounts of material are removed between sections by the action of microtomy; i.e., it is probable that the sum of the thicknesses of several serial sections is considerably less than the total thickness of material removed from the block. It is believed that this effect, combined with the effect of sublimation, aids in explaining the failure of adjacent sections to exhibit continuity in their detailed structures.
Career Concerns and Excessive Risk Taking

In a seminal paper, Holmstrom (1999) shows that an agent who is unsure of her ability and has a payoff linear in her reputation underinvests in risky projects. I show that if the agent privately knows her ability, then the opposite must happen, that is, she always overinvests in risky projects, no matter what the curvature of her payoff in reputation. Moreover, if project quality is verifiable and the agent is uninformed about her ability, then she reveals project quality and first best is attained; but if she privately knows her ability, first best is not attainable and she still overinvests.
Interactions of the renin-angiotensin system and alpha-1 adrenoceptors on renal hemodynamics in healthy and acute renal failure rats: the role of nitric oxide.

Ajayi AAL, Hercule HC, Pamugo J, Dixon D, Oyekan AO. Interactions of the renin‐angiotensin system and alpha-1 adrenoceptors on renal hemodynamics in healthy and acute renal failure rats: the role of nitric oxide. Blood Pressure 2001; 10: 238‐246. The renin‐angiotensin (RAS) and the a1 sympathetic nervous system (SNS) interact at different levels in cardiovascular regulation. Concurrent use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and a1 receptor antagonists result in a synergistic antihypertensive action and is of wide utility in cardiovascular therapy. We examined the impact of concurrent inhibition of RAS (captopril or losartan) and the SNS (prazosin) before and after acute nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition with L-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on renal cortical perfusion (RCF) and blood pressure (MAP) in healthy and acute ischemic renal failure (ARF) rats (n = 6). Captopril or losartan reduced MAP and increased RCF more in healthy (p < 0.001) and ARF rats (p < 0.02). Prazosin alone reduced both MAP and RCF (p < 0.001). The combination of prazosin with captopril or losartan caused an additive fall in MAP, and mitigated the fall in RCF. Captopril ‡ prazosin caused a profound fall in RCF following L-NAME, in healthy but not ARF rats (p < 0.001). Acetylcholine (Ach), a vasodilator which stimulates endogenous NO production caused a profound paradoxical fall in RCF in ARF, but not in healthy rats (p < 0.001 ANOVA). These results indicate a significant interaction between angiotensin II and phenylephrine in renal vasomotion. It establishes that endogenous NO homeostatically opposes angiotensin II-a1-mediated renal vasoconstriction, and that the vasodilator role of NO is diminished in ARF. The paradoxical fall in RCF induced by Ach in ARF is speculated to result, at least in part, from the formation of peroxynitrite (ONOO-), which acts as a renal vasoconstrictor, following the combination of ischemia-generated super oxide anion (O-2), with endothelial NO released by Ach. Key words: acute ischemic renal failure, a1 receptor, angiotensin II, nitric oxide, renal cortical eow.
Executive function, rule selection, and probability judgment

Results of fMRI studies show that on tasks involving reasoning about probabilities, brain activation patterns differ between those who make judgments based on ratio rules and those who make judgments based on intuitive heuristics. These results suggest a three-layer adaptive resonance theory model connecting the amygdala and three executive prefrontal regions (orbital, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral). A simplified version of the model can reproduce ratio bias data and is now being applied to base rate neglect data.
Pursuing and finishing an undergraduate computing degree: insights from women computing graduates

Female underrepresentation in computing academia has been a perplexing problem for researchers to understand and remedy for more than two decades. In the early to mid-1980s, female computing graduation percentages were approximately 35% when compared to males. A steady graduation percentage decline has occurred over the last thirty years with recent data indicating the percentages to be an 82% to 18% split, males to females. The decline stems from the lack of success colleges and universities, who offer computing degree programs, have found in recruiting women and to keep the small numbers who do enroll. Yet, there are women who decide to follow the computing education path and receive a degree. A study was conducted in late 2012 and early 2013 that investigated women who pursued, persisted and finished an undergraduate major in computing resulting in a degree. Major factors leading to a decision to enroll in a computing course of study were found along with primary reasons contributing to women persisting and finishing the degree.
Tendon Transfers to Improve Grasp after Injuries of the Cervical Spinal Cord

Twenty-four hands of twenty carefully selected patients with injury to the cervical spinal cord and paralysis of the upper extremities had better grasp after tendon transfers. Grouping the patients with these injuries according to the presence of certain voluntarily functioning muscles was helpful in planning treatment. When a proper program of positioning, exercises, and splinting was carried out, most quadriplegic patients achieved useful grasp by means of the tenodesis effect of the automatic hand. Voluntary wrist extension was the key to good grasp with or without surgery. If effective prehension was not acquired after a rehabilitation program had been completed, and improvement in neural function had ceased, transferring suitable motors improved grasp by providing finger flexion and thumb opposition.
First impressions and beyond: marketing your practice in touch points--Part II.

Often medical administrators or providers call in a marketing expert when they feel the practice is lacking the growth they want. What's on their mind is usually how to bring in more patients, and they automatically look to external marketing strategies. However, one of the most important elements to successfully marketing a practice is making sure you haven't created a turnstile, where new patients are coming often but not returning or being converted into loyal, referring patients. When new patients are going as quickly as they are coming, you aren't building solid growth. Loyal, referring patients are powerful marketing assets-they are in the community speaking good of you and your practice from first-hand experience. You can create this atmosphere of loyal, referring patients by providing positive touch points that fulfill the needs of your patients. Touch points are the groundwork supporting other types of marketing. This article covers three important touch points that are crucial to a positive patient experience.
Blueprints-Clinical Cases in Emergency Medicine, 2nd Edition, C. Tsien Silvers, M.R. Filbin, A.B. Caughey. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins (2006), 480 pages, $29.95 ISBN 1-4051-0497-X

McMahon PJ McGraw Hill, 2006 328 pages, $59.95 ISBN 0-07-141063-5. The emergency department is often the first place an injured or ill athlete goes for medical care. A working knowledge of sports medicine helps the emergency physician detect potentially devastating illness and injury, and may assist in hastening recovery and return-to-play. Despite a plethora of sports medicine texts and references, few focus on the needs of physicians in the emergency department. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Sports Medicine comes in at a lean 287 pages, making it easy to carry to and from work. The text is divided into 11 chapters, 6 of which discuss orthopedic injury. The remaining chapters cover medical aspects of sports, concussion, the youth athlete, the female athlete, and rehabilitation principles. The orthopedic sections are subdivided into individual clinical entities, with discussion dedicated to prevention, clinical findings, and treatment. Each subsection begins with “essentials of diagnosis” which contains several bulleted high-yield facts. The majority of the orthopedic chapters contain a nice combination of black and white photos, radiographs, and illustrations. The text is edited by Patrick McMahon of McMahon Orthopedics. His authors are predominantly orthopedic surgeons and orthopedic surgical subspecialists. The emphasis on surgery is evident, especially in the chapters on sports injury. There is often significant discussion of surgical options and techniques, despite operative care making up only a small overall portion of sports medicine. Chapters such as knee and shoulder injury provide detailed explanation on the performance of tests such as Lachman’s or assessment of shoulder instability, yet elsewhere in the book, orthopedic terminology is used liberally without further explanation. In the preface, Dr. McMahon states his intended audience is “all clinicians caring for athletes,” and that the text is directed towards those in training. While providing useful overview of sports medicine for the
High Pressure Nmr Studies of Confined Liquids

The main goal of our novel NMR experiments on confined liquids was to determine the effects of pressure on the dynamics of liquids in the surface layer by using the two-state, fast exchange model and compare them to the pressure effects observed for bulk liquids. With this goal in mind, the deuteron NMR spin-lattice relaxation times, T1, in liquid pyridine-d5, nitrobenzene-d5, and methylcyclohexane-d14 confined to sol-gel porous silica glasses with pore radii in the range from 18 A to 96 A were measured as a function of pressure up to 5 kbar at 300 K. In another set of high resolution natural abundance 13C NMR experiments, the 13C relaxation behavior of each carbon in 2-ethylhexyl benzoate model lubricant was measured as a function of pressure in porous silica glasses. In fact, the described experimental approach which allows investigation of the effects of pressure on the dynamic behavior or surface-layer liquids, may provide a new tool in studies of model liquid lubricants at extreme conditions of pressure and temperature. In addition, selected results of a recent study of acetonitrile-d3 are reviewed. The 2H and 14N spin-lattice relaxation times of acetonitrile-d3 in porous silica glasses were measured in order to study the confinement effects on the anisotropic reorientation characterized by rotational diffusion constants, D⊥ and % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaagKart1ev2aqatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn % hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr % 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9 % vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x % fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaeiramaaBa % aaleaacqWILicuaeqaaaaa!3812! ${{\text{D}}_\parallel }$ , of this symmetric-top molecule.
A generalized impedance matching feedback law for structural-acoustic control

Impedance matching compensators are investigated for structural-acoustic control. The primary method for deriving these compensators is the minimization of acoustic power flow emanating from the structure-acoustic boundary. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the solution, power flow minimization via Wiener filtering can only be used for extremely simple situations. The power flow minimization is recast in a state-space formulation that has a wealth of numerical tools, namely .the Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) design technique. The equivalence between power flow minimization and the solution of the LQG problem is demonstrated on a simple one-dimensional structural-acoustic sample problem. To illustrate the LQG impedance matching derivation for more realistic systems, it is applied to a two-dimensional sample problem.
Abstract 253: The Association of Socioeconomic Status With Elevation of N-terminal Pro-b-type Natriuretic Peptide

Background: The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well established. However, the association between SES and subclinical cardiac overload is unclear. We examined the association of SES with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP), a marker of cardiac overload, in a population without prevalent clinical CVD (coronary disease, stroke, and heart failure hospitalization). Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 11,026 ARIC Study participants without prevalent clinical CVD at visit 2 (1990-1992), we assessed whether education level ( high school (high)) and household income (<$12,000 (low), $12,000 - $24,999 (medium) and ≥ $25,000 (high): $1 in 1991 = ~$1.75 in 2015) were associated with elevated NT-pro-BNP (≥400 pg/ml) in logistic regression models. Given that disproportionately high number of blacks belong to low SES and levels of NT-proBNP might vary by race, we tested SES-race interaction and stratified analyses by race. Results: After accounting for potential confounders, those with low education and income levels demonstrated higher odds of having elevated NT-proBNP compared to those with high education and income, although statistical significance was observed only for income. In race-stratified analysis, association of low education and income with NT-pro-BNP did not appear to differ between blacks and whites (p-interaction with income=0.99 or with education=0.52). When using NT-pro-BNP as a continuous dependent variable, both, low income and education showed a significant association with higher NT-proBNP levels compared to those with high income and education, respectively. Conclusions: Low SES (particularly low income) was associated with elevated level of NT-pro-BNP. Targeting low SES individuals might be helpful in early identification of high risk population for cardiac overload. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Progress Marches On

It is almost a miracle. The pace of innovation and change would be staggering to contemplate, if we didn’t happen to find ourselves smack dab in the middle of it.
Middle Fossa Approach for Vestibular Schwannoma: Good Hearing and Facial Nerve Outcomes with Low Morbidity

Objective The middle fossa approach (MFA) is not used as frequently as the traditional translabyrinthine and retrosigmoid approaches for accessing vestibular schwannomas (VSs). Here, MFA was used to remove primarily intracanalicular tumors in patients in whom hearing preservation is a goal of surgery. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to identify consecutive adult patients who underwent MFA for VS. Demographic profile, perioperative complications, pre- and postoperative hearing, and facial nerve outcomes were analyzed with linear regression analysis to identify factors predicting hearing outcome. Results Among 78 identified patients (mean age, 49 years; 53% female; mean tumor size, 7.5 mm), 78% had functional hearing preoperatively (American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery class A/B). Follow-up audiologic data were available for 60 patients overall (mean follow-up, 15.1 months). The hearing preservation rate was 75.5% (37/49) at last known follow-up for patients with functional hearing preoperatively. Other than preoperative hearing status ( P P > 0.05). Good functional preservation of the facial nerve (House-Brackmann class I/II) was achieved in 90% of patients. The only operative complications were 3 wound infections (3.8%). Conclusions Preliminary results from this single-center retrospective study of patients undergoing MFA for resection of VS showed that good hearing preservation and facial nerve outcomes could be achieved with few complications. These results suggest that resection via the MFA is a rational alternative to watchful waiting or stereotactic radiosurgery.
Epidemiological analysis of rabies-exposed population in Qionghai City from 2012 to 2013

Objective To analyze the epidemiological features of population exposed to rabies in Qionghai City. Methods The data of 7 393 cases exposed to rabies in rabies-clinics during 2012~2013 were collected and analyzed bydescriptive epidemiology method. Results The annual incidence in 2012 and 2013 in Qinghai City was 793/100 000 and710/100 000 with its annual average incidence of 752/100 000. The ratio of rural and urban was 4.01:1 and the ratio of ruraland rural-urban fringe zone was 2.67:1. The ratio of male and female was 1.24:1. Children aged under 15 accounted for23.35%, children aged under 5 years( 8.78%), patient aged 45~59 being 23.10%. The cases were distributed in every monthbut concentrated on the period from June to October(46.46%).Patients bitten by dogs were 68.78%, by domestic dogs 37.78%and by mice 16.45%. Most of exposure part were legs(44.08%, 3269/7419) and hands(28.09%, 2 083/7 419). Post-exposuretreatment in clinic accounted for 82.39%, rabies exposure in Grade III was 63.63%, 434 cases received human rabiesimmunoglobulin(9.23%), 30.06% cases were not given full vaccination after exposure. Conclusions The population inQinghai City lacked the self-protection awareness of rabies knowledge such as untreated wounds after exposure and lowinoculation rate, low rate of rabies antiserum among patients with Grade III. Therefore, the propaganda of prevention andcontrol of rabies be strengthened and rabies antiserum be included in rural medical insurance.
Lovastatin inhibits apoptosis of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from rat bone marrow

Objective To investigate the effect of lovastatin on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) apoptosis induced by hypoxia and serum deprivation(Hypoxia/SD) in vitro,focusing in particular on regulation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway,and to find the useful therapeutic methods to increase transplanted MSCs survival.Methods MSCs were isolated from bone marrow of Sprague-Dawley rats.The anti-apoptotic effects of lovastatin were detected using Hoechst33342 and Annexin V-FITC/PI binding assay by flow cytometric analysis.The cytochrome C and the activation of caspase-3 were detected by Western blot.Results Lovastatin(0.01-1μmol/L)remarkably prevented MSCs from hypoxia/SD-induced apoptosis through inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway,leading to attenuation of caspase-3 activation.The loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome C release from mitochondria to cytosol were significantly inhibited by lovastatin.Conclusion Lovastatin protects MSCs from hypoxia/SD-induced apoptosis via inhibiting mitochondrial pathway,suggesting that it may provide a useful therapeutic adjunct for transplanting MSCs into damaged heart after myocardial infarction.
Benign Diseases of the Prostate

SUMMARY Benign diseases of the prostate are problems frequently seen by the primary care physician. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is easily diagnosed and effectively treated. The prostatitis syndromes can be confusing. A careful approach to their diagnosis is needed so that proper and effective therapy can be initiated.
Advection Effects Near Changes in Surface Conditions

The concepts reviewed up to this point are applicable to study local evaporation from surfaces, which are sufficiently uniform and large, so that edge effects involving horizontal advection by the mean wind are relatively unimportant. The assumption of a horizontally homogeneous and steady boundary layer allows a one-dimensional treatment of the transport phenomena near the surface. However, under natural conditions, this assumption is often invalid. In the case of evaporation from surfaces of limited extent, such as finite-size lakes or irrigated areas surrounded by arid land, the horizontal inhomogeneity can be very important.
Efficacy of Intravenous Chlorothiazide for Refractory Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Unresponsive to Adjunct Metolazone

tudy Objective To assess the efficacy of intravenous chlorothiazide in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) who were determined to be loop diuretic resistant and refractory to metolazone. Design Retrospective cohort study with patients serving as their own controls. Setting Large, academic, tertiary care hospital. Patients Forty-five patients with ADHF who had an inadequate response to high-dose loop diuretics and then received at least one dose of oral metolazone 5 mg or greater (metolazone index dose) followed by at least one dose of intravenous chlorothiazide 500 mg (chlorothiazide index dose) if the response to metolazone was considered inadequate, according to the institutional protocol, between February 4, 2013, and February 28, 2015, were included. If multiple doses of metolazone were administered, the last dose given before the chlorothiazide index dose was considered the index dose; the metolazone index dose had to have been administered more than 2 hours before the chlorothiazide index dose. Measurements and Main Results Data for a total of 90 diuretic doses (45 metolazone, 45 chlorothiazide) were included in the analysis. The median dose of loop diuretic in intravenous furosemide equivalents given over the 24-hour period before the metolazone index dose was 400 mg. The average length of stay was 34.7 days, and in-hospital mortality was 35.6% (16/45 patients). The primary end point of a net-negative urine output of 500 ml or greater during the 12 hours after the index dose occurred in 42.2% (19/45 patients) and 35.5% (16/45 patients) for the chlorothiazide and metolazone doses, respectively (p=0.581). The median 12-hour urine output following administration of metolazone was 810 ml (interquartile range [IQR] 866 ml) versus 1075 ml (IQR 940 ml) following administration of chlorothiazide (p=0.363). Compared with metolazone, the chlorothiazide doses did not result in an increase in urine output of at least 500 ml during the 12 hours following the dose relative to the 12 hours before the dose (31.1% vs 22.2%, p=0.754). No significant difference in achievement of net-negative urine output of 500 ml or greater during the 12 hours following the chlorothiazide or metolazone dose was noted (42.2% for chlorothiazide vs 35.5% for metolazone, p=0.581). Conclusion The addition of intravenous chlorothiazide did not result in improved diuresis in patients with ADHF determined to be refractory to loop diuretics and adjunctive oral metolazone.
A Comprehensive Environment for Automatic Packaging and Scheduling of Parallelism

The state of the art in vectorizing and parallelizing compilers has overcome the language barrier and offers a viable (and not necessarily exclusive) alternative to parallel programming. The evolution of parallel programming languages has not kept up with the evolution of parallel architectures [KDLS86], [GGKM83], [Chen83], [MiUc84]. Even though this may change in the future, currently we are confined to using enhanced versions of existing languages which do not provide either the power or the flexibility for programming modern parallel supercomputers [ANSI86], [GuPL88], [MeRo85]. Under this reality parallel programming remains still a highly complex and empirical art, even for the skillful programmer. Parallelizing compilers offer a solution to both of these problems. A serial program can be automatically vectorized and/or parallelized, and in many cases automatic concurrentization can proceed to the maximum possible degree.
Writing Value in a Neoliberal World: Necropolitics and Affective Rhetoric

A human-interest story tells about a woman from Kakamega Forest, Kenya, who enters the global and regional marketplace by selling butterflies, vastly improving her livelihood. In Nakuru County, Kenya, women who raise bees are able to send their children to school. At the same moment, a news story tells about how women who live on the margins of New York City find refuge in a shelter. In a short human-interest story that appeared in a university newspaper in Washington, DC, a subcontracted construction worker is killed in a tragic and regrettable accident at an urban university. He is briefly mourned, demonstrating the capacity for recognition and sympathy in the community, and then quickly forgotten. In Isiolo, Kenya, women from a third-world city try to help other women leave the sex industry with government support. Efforts to convince female sex workers who have children to leave sex work fail. Another story documents how a woman struggles to feed herself and her family in Cape Town, South Africa. Agents of the local government provide assistance.
Supporting Multi-objective Decision Making Within a Supervisory Control Environment

This paper discusses decision making challenges involved in the management of multiple unmanned vehicles within a dynamic mission environment. Given the increased likelihood of this new supervisory control paradigm, the authors developed the Supervisory Control Operations User Testbed SCOUT. A brief overview of SCOUT will be provided, followed by a summary of initial research conducted within the testbed which demonstrates how eye tracking measurements can be utilized to assess workload and predict situation awareness. Subsequent discussion will address challenges associated with dynamic decision making under uncertainty, with respect to multiple asset allocation. Techniques for measuring the accuracy of these decisions as well as assessing operator risk throughout the mission will also be presented. The paper concludes with discussion of how these new decision making metrics can be used to drive decision aids and compares decision making performance and risk bias under varying levels of task load.
International Census/Survey Data and the Short Set of Disability Questions Developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics

The production of cross-nationally comparable data on disability has been one of the primary goals of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) since its inception in 2002.
Impact of ejection fraction on infectious, renal, and respiratory morbidity for patients undergoing noncardiac surgery

Abstract Objective We sought to determine if decreased left ventricular systolic function was associated with an increased risk of postoperative infectious, respiratory, or renal complications in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Single tertiary-care, university-based medical center. Patients We studied individuals who participated in the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program and had a preoperative echocardiogram conducted at our institution. Interventions None. Measurements The incidences of postoperative respiratory (need for postoperative mechanical ventilation or unplanned intubation), renal (acute renal failure or renal insufficiency), and infectious (pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, or wound infection) complications were analyzed. Main results Postoperative infections (n=175, 10%) represented the most common postoperative complication seen in the study population of 1692 individuals. Respiratory complications occurred in 77 (5%) and renal complications occurred in 29 (2%) participants. The time between the echocardiogram and surgery ranged from 7 months (interquartile range [IQR] 1.8-15.7) for those with severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to 24 months (IQR 2.5-38.6) for those with a normal LVEF ( P =.038). Univariate analysis demonstrated a relationship between decreased preoperative LVEF and infectious and renal complications, but not respiratory complications. After adjusting for preoperative characteristics, decreased preoperative LVEF was associated with infectious (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.68; P =.0265) and renal (odds ratio, 1.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-2.48; P =.0142) complications. Conclusions Decreased preoperative LVEF is associated with postoperative infections and renal complications.
Laparoscopic Low Anterior Resection

Laparoscopic low anterior resection is performed for rectal adenocarcinoma up to 6 cm from anal verge. This chapter describes indications, essential steps, variations, and complications of this procedure. It provides a detailed template operative note for the procedure.
Developmental Disabilities: Physical

Advances in pediatric medicine have resulted in over 90% survival of children with life-threatening illness. Among the 20 million preschool children in the US, more than 200 000 have survived very preterm birth (32 weeks completed gestation and 1500 g birthweight), over <100 000 have survived congenital heart disease requiring surgery, over 4000 will have a form of muscular dystrophy, over 2000 will be long-term survivors of leukemia, and more than 8000 will be born with spina bifida. Also, very preterm children are at higher risk for cerebral palsy, the most common neurodevelopmental disability in childhood. Advances in neuroimaging have helped our understanding of vulnerable brain regions involved in the cerebral palsy syndrome. Among children undergoing open heart surgery with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest or low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass, there are high rates of learning, higher cortical functioning, perceptual and information processing disorders. Neurosurgical, orthopedic, and urological surgeries have improved medical care and outcome of children with spina bifida. Our knowledge of genetic diagnosis and multidisciplinary management increased our understanding of muscular distrophy and supports required by children. These five disorders highlight the importance of neuroprotection and ways to optimize functioning and participation. We will use the International Classification of Functioning model of child disability to examine biopsychosocial medical advances improving developmental outcomes
Sustainable cities and healthy cities: Are they the same?

There is robust literature examining the wide array of public policies and programs cities pursue in order to try to become more sustainable. Whether the focus of such programs is explicitly on improving the bio-physical environment, climate protection and adaptation, energy efficiency, land use regulation, or any of a number of other targets, such programs often carry with them an expectation that the programs will contribute to improve the health of populations. While there is significant attention to asserting that such a relationship exists, or ought to exist, there have been no efforts to explicitly and empirically link city policies to health outcomes. This paper tackles this issue head-on, investigating the extent to which cities in the US that have the most aggressive sustainability initiatives exhibit better health outcomes than cities with less aggressive sustainability initiatives. Using data from the largest cities in the US, this paper presents evidence concerning the strength of this relationship, discusses the foundations for the relationship, and provides a discussion of the implications for urban planning, sustainability policies and for improving the health of populations.
Cough strength and expiratory force in aspirating and nonaspirating postradiation head and neck cancer survivors

Objective Expiratory functions that clear aspiration from the airway are compromised in patients with neurogenic dysphagia for whom cough and expiratory force may be impaired by the primary disease process. The relationship between expiratory function, cough, and aspiration is less clear in head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors for whom the disease process does not directly impact the lower respiratory system. Our objective was to compare mechanisms of airway clearance (expiratory force and cough) with aspiration status in postradiated HNC survivors. Study design Cross-sectional study. Methods One hundred and three disease-free HNC survivors ≥ 3-months postradiotherapy referred for modified barium swallow studies were prospectively enrolled regardless of dysphagia status. Maximum expiratory pressures (MEPs) and peak cough flow (PCF) measures were taken at enrollment and examined as a function of aspiration status using generalized linear regression methods. Results Thirty-four (33%) patients aspirated. Maximum expiratory pressure and PCF demonstrated a moderate positive correlation (Pearson's r = 0.35). Adjusting for sex and age, MEPs were on average 19.2% lower (21.1 cm H2 O, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.3, 36.8) among aspirators. Peak cough flow was also 14.9% lower (59.6 L/minute, 95% CI 15.8, 103.3) among aspirators after adjusting for age and sex. Conclusion Expiratory functions were depressed in postradiated HNC aspirators relative to nonaspirators, suggesting that airway protection impairments may extend beyond disrupted laryngopharyngeal mechanisms in the local treatment field. Exercises to strengthen subglottic expiratory force-generating capacity may offer an adjunctive therapeutic target to improve airway protection in chronic aspirators after head and neck radiotherapy. Level of evidence 2b. Laryngoscope, 128:1615-1621, 2018.
Malawi’s Orphans: The Role of Transnational Humanitarian Organizations

Emerging literature on the new humanitarianism, presented in this chapter, provides a lens to consider the work of transnational orphan care organizations. We draw on this literature to examine the images and discourses transnational orphan care organizations in Malawi use to enlist support for their endeavors. These include the websites, picture galleries, fund-raisers, and volunteer tours of orphanages that they purposely construct, using sentiments of compassion in order to enlist international contributors and volunteers in their activities. Our study draws upon research conducted during 2006 and 2008 in Malawi and the United States (USA).
The Chincha lines

Recent research reveals a set of linear geoglyphs and structures in the Carmen Pampa in the upper Chincha valley of southern Peru. These geoglyphs are similar to others on the south coast in valley...
Integrity and the Moral Gestalt: Zaner Tells his Mother’s Story

Richard Zaner is brilliant and eccentric. When I first met him in the early 1990s, he wore purple spectacles like some beloved wizard from Harry Potter. He is something of a wizard, in fact. I studied clinical ethics with Dick while pursuing my Masters in Theological Studies and doctoral degrees at Vanderbilt University. I quickly learned that, unlike some philosophers who are dismissive of theological argument and reflection, Zaner relished the opportunity to both understand theological perspectives and to coax us to unpack our taken-for-granted values. What made him such a remarkable mentor was that the philosophical questioning and debate embodied and enacted his genuine care for us. Dick’s teaching became a way to nurture each of us in our unique circumstances. He asked us to excavate our deepest commitments, both for the intellectual honesty that such an exercise demands and in recognition of our own vulnerability and the vulnerability of the patients and families we would meet.
Graphing and Inverse Functions

This chapter focuses on the graphs of trigonometric functions. It presents tables of values of x and y that satisfy the equations. It presents a graph of the trigonometric functions of the form y = A sin ( Bx + C ) and y = A cos ( Bx + C ) without the use of tables. Equations of this form have many applications. For instance, they can be used as mathematical models for sound waves and to describe such things as the variations in electrical current in an alternating circuit. The chapter also describes inverse trigonometric relations and inverse trigonometric functions. The chapter explains the process by which one obtains the equation of the inverse of a function from the function itself, and describes the the relationship between the graph of a function and the graph of its inverse.
Facial bone healing and bone grafts: A review of clinical physiology

The physiology of bone healing, regeneration, and bone transfer is discussed from the dual perspectives of basic physiology and the application to clinical situations of bone transfer. Recommendations are made regarding clinical applications for the site, orientation, and fixation of grated materials. Rationale for the use of vascularized transfers is presented.