cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocytes: Control of protein synthesis initiation by a Met-tRNAfMet deacylase and peptide chain initiation factors

Abstract The 0.5M KCl wash of rabbit reticulocyte ribosomes (I fraction) catalyzes the deacylation of Met-tRNA f Met . Upon DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, the deacylase activity elutes with the 0.1M KCl wash of the column (f1) and is well-resolved from the peptide chain initiation factors (1–3). The deacylase activity is specific for Met-tRNA f Met (retic., E. coli ). Other aminoacyl tRNAs tested including fMet-tRNA f Met (retic., E. coli ), Phe-tRNA ( E. coli ), Val-tRNA (retic.), and Arg-tRNA (retic.) are completely resistant to the action of the deacylase. In the presence of the peptide chain initiation factor (IF1) and GTP, retic. Met-tRNA f Met forms the initiation complex Met-tRNA f Met :IF1:GTP (2), and in this ternary complex Met-tRNA f Met is not degraded by the deacylase. E. coli Met-tRNA f Met binds to IF1 independent of GTP, and in this complex, this Met-tRNA f Met is degraded by the deacylase. Prior incubation of f1 with Met-tRNA f Met (retic.) strongly inhibited protein synthesis initiation, presumably due to deacylation of the initiator tRNA. This inhibition by f1 was completely prevented when Met-tRNA f Met (retic.) was pre-incubated with peptide chain initiation factors.
Building a farmer-centered land grant university organic agriculture program: A Midwestern partnership

Based on citizen demand, Iowa State University (ISU) established the first organic specialist faculty position at a US land grant university in 1997, as a shared appointment in the departments of horticulture and agronomy, with a 70% extension and 30% research split. By 1999, a national survey determined that ISU had reached the upper percentile of organic research, extension and educational activities at land grant universities in the US. This result was attributed to a series of successful Organic Agriculture Focus Groups in 1998, convened to help direct the new organic research and extension program at ISU. Partnerships with the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the College of Agriculture facilitated the ISU sustainable agriculture extension leader and organic specialist‘s participation in an extensive focus group dialogue with a diverse group of farmers (organic and conventional), agribusiness professionals, bankers and consumers in six agricultural communities across Iowa. Focus group responses included the need for organic research at the university level, since the majority of organic farmers (65%) were receiving their information from other organic farmers and non-governmental publications. Paramount in the needs assessment was the establishment of organic research sites across the state to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits associated with organic farming practices over the long term. Specific outcomes-based extension needs were articulated, which led to the development of an annual schedule of organic workshops, field days and conferences. In 2001, in a survey of 300 farmers to assess the outcomes of the Organic Agriculture Program, all respondents (39% return rate) reported benefiting from an extension organic program. Similar to focus group results, farmers rated workshops and field days as the most likely venue for information dissemination. As a result of organic farming practices, 90% of respondents reported an increase in soil quality and 67% reported a 6–30% increase in farm income. The success of land grant university organic programs will be dependent upon administrative support, sufficient resources and community involvement in the decision-making process.
Ligands Influence Zn Transport into Cultured Endothelial Cells

Experimental results were obtained that demonstrate the importance of the relative concentrations of Zn ligands and their affinities for Zn to the rate of Zn transport across a biological membrane. The transport rate into cultured endothelial cells became saturated near a Zn concentration of 30 microM in the presence or absence of 14% serum. However, the maximum transport rate identified by the saturation plateau was nearly twice as fast from serum-free medium. The addition of histidine or picolinic acid to the medium with serum resulted in the coincidental shift of Zn from high molecular weight ligands to low molecular weight ligands and increased the overall transport rate. In serum-free medium, adding histidine or picolinic acid slowed the transport rate. This indicates that the rate of Zn transport is influenced by the ligand to which it is associated and that altering the relative proportions of specific ligands influences the Zn transport rate. The rate of Zn transport decreased in a stepwise fashion as the albumin to Zn ratio increased from 0 to 4:1, with further increases having little effect. This suggests that albumin has a special role as modulator of Zn transport into endothelial cells. These studies underscore the importance of controlling the relative concentrations of Zn and its ligands in Zn transport kinetic research and suggest that varying their concentrations in a physiological range may be a method of regulating the distribution of Zn into specific cells and tissues.
Rank-Order Tests for the Parallelism of Several Regression Surfaces.

Abstract For testing the hypothesis that several (s⩾2) linear regression surfaces Xki=αk+βkcki+Zki (k=1,…,s) are parallel to one another, i.e., β1=⋯=βs, a class of rank-order tests are considered. The tests are shown to be asymptotically distribution-free, and their asymptotic efficiency relative to the general likelihood ratio test is derived. Asymptotic optimality in the sense of Wald is also discussed.
Development of fish oil industry in the United States.

The American Fish Oil Industry began in 1811 in Rhode Island using extremely crude manufacturing procedures. By 1855 many of the current-day processing methods were being used, and by 1911 most of such procedures had been adopted. In the intervening years since 1911, most progress has been toward improving quality of the oil and in increasing mechanization. Menhaden oil makes up almost 90% of current American production. Much American fish oil is exported for hydrogenation for use abroad in margarine and shortening. Modern refining techniques have led to improved characteristics and uniformity of specifications permitting many industrial uses without most of the former problems associated with fish oil applications. Protective coatings and fatty acid and fatty acid derivatives are among the most important industrial uses. Some potential uses in the pharmaceutical field may widen demands for fish oil in the future. One such promising possibility, although requiring additional supportive research, is the use by the medical profession of fish oil or fish oil fatty acid fractions in capsule form for prolonging the life of heart patients.
Preparation and characterization of biaxially oriented polypropylene film with high molecular orientation in the machine direction by sequential biaxial stretching

Novel approach of applying the ternary polymer blend of long-chain branched polypropylene (LCB-PP), conventional polypropylene (PP), and hydrogenated polydicyclopentadiene (hDCPD) has been employed to tensilize biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film in the machine direction (MD) by successive sequential biaxial stretching method. It is found that the addition of LCB-PP improves the MD stretchability of the BOPP film of PP/hDCPD blend. Depending on the content of LCB-PP, LCB-PP/PP/hDCPD ternary blend could be biaxially stretched up to the MD stretching ratio (MDX) of 12 without film breakage whereas that of PP (conventional BOPP film) resulted in the MDX up to 6. This excellent MD stretchability enabled to tensilize the BOPP film in the MD, where Young's modulus in the MD could be increased up to 4.9 GPa, twice higher than that of conventional BOPP film. The orientation of total molecular chains and that of crystalline molecular chains were evaluated by in-plane distribution of refractive indices and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, respectively. The results are discussed from the viewpoint of deformation behavior during stretching process. Moreover, the resultant film had a dimensional stability substantially equivalent to that of conventional one, in spite of the higher stretching ratio, and an improved moisture barrier property. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007
Developmental Constraints Associated with Children's Use of the Keyword Method of Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning.

Abstract Second- and sixth-grade (ages 7 and 11 years, respectively) subjects were instructed to learn simple Spanish vocabulary nouns using the keyword method. To remember a foreign word translation the keyword method user must: (1) associate the foreign word to an English word (the keyword) that sounds like part of the foreign word; and (2) remember an image of the keyword and translation referents interacting. Second-grade keyword users who were provided with interactive pictures remembered more vocabulary items than those who generated their own imagery links when given separate pictures of the keyword and translation referents. Second graders who generated their own linking images when given only the keywords and translation words recalled fewer items than both picture groups, and were not significantly different from control subjects. Sixth graders in the three imagery-link variations performed at comparable levels and better than control subjects. The results are in complete accord with previous speculations about the development of imagery strategies in children.
Topology Optimization for an Evolutionary Design of a Thermal Protection System

An optimal thermal protection system design for a spacecraft operating in extreme environments of thermal and acoustic loading is of significant importance for today's military space missions. These military space missions tend to push the envelope of the spacecraft's capabilities to the extreme, requiring robust performance of all key systems to assure a successful mission. Because thermal protection system protects the entire spacecraft, its survival from these extreme conditions is critical to the safety of the mission. The design criteria for the thermal and acoustic loading conditions tend to be conflicting. To reduce thermal stress, free boundaries that allow for expansion of the thermal protection system are desirable. However, the random sound pressure level fluctuations associated with, for example, engine noise during ascent, subject the thermal protection system to a wide-band random excitation. Therefore, if the thermal protection system possesses low frequency modes, damaging strains could result. To limit the magnitude of the strains, higher frequency (stiffer) designs with fixity at the boundary are desirable. Therefore, when designing the thermal protection system within these two simultaneous operating environments, the safe operating region is often severely restricted. This research aims at evolving a design that satisfies these two design requirements.
Changes in alpha-glycerophosphate, succinic, and malic dehydrogenases in flight muscles of the housefly, Musca domestica, with age.

Abstract Activities of flavin-linked alpha-glycerophosphate, succinic, and malate dehydrogenases were studied in the flight muscles of male houseflies of different ages. Enzyme levels are higher in 4, 14, and 21 day old flies as compared to 7 and 18 day old flies. Results of this study indicate that dehydrogenase activity is apparently unrelated to the age-related decline in flight activity of the housefly.
Development of a Proton-Transfer Reaction-Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer for Quantitative Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds

Currently, proton-transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) allows for quantitative determination of volatile organic compounds in real time at concentrations in the low ppt range, but cannot differentiate isomers or isobaric molecules, using the conventional quadrupole mass filter. Here we pursue the application of linear quadrupole ion trap (LIT) mass spectrometry in combination with proton-transfer reaction chemical ionization to provide the advantages of specificity from MS/MS. A commercial PTR-MS platform composed of a quadrupole mass filter with the addition of end cap electrodes enabled the mass filter to operate as a linear ion trap. The rf drive electronics were adapted to enable the application of dipolar excitation to opposing rods, for collision-induced dissociation (CID) of trapped ions. This adaptation enabled ion isolation, ion activation, and mass analysis. The utility of the PTR-LIT was demonstrated by distinguishing between the isomeric isoprene oxidation pair, methyl vinyl ketone (MV...
Palliative care for elderly patients with advanced cancer: a long-term intervention for end-of-life care.

Abstract Objective This essay identifies elderly cancer patients as a population that experiences cancer-related health disparities at the end-of-life. Methods While hospice and palliative care (PC) are care options for this population, it is argued that PC prior to hospice will yield numerous benefits for long-term end-of-life care. Results It is theorized that PC prior to hospice will be beneficial in meeting the family's needs in a timely and adequate manner, improving quality of life, increasing caregiver satisfaction and communication, possibly delay institutionalization of the patient, and may ultimately impact bereavement. Conclusion Patients would be able to benefit from PC in an early stage of their disease, positively influencing older cancer patients and families. Practice implications Long-term assessment of the impact of PC prior to hospice is proposed as a promising direction of future research.
Musings on genome medicine: cholesterol and coronary artery disease

Cholesterol levels and not inflammatory markers are the major variables that pose a risk of coronary artery disease. Diabetes greatly increases the risk at any cholesterol level. Coronary artery disease and cancer are linked by a common protein - an apoptotic protein that also functions as a regulator of insulin secretion.
A health education program for Brazilian public schoolchildren: the effects on dental health practice and oral health awareness.

Objectives: Determine the impact of an oral health education program on oral hygiene and the awareness level of elementary schoolchildren. Methods: A total sample of 247 schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 15 years from the public school system of Parnamirim, Brazil, were selected and randomly allocated to a control (n = 115) and experimental (n = 132) group. Sociodemographic data were recorded and a clinical examination was given to establish the decayed, missing and filled surfaces index (DMFS) and the dmfs index. The visible plaque index (VPI) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were collected before and after the intervention. A closed-question questionnaire was applied to the schoolchildren before and after intervention to determine their knowledge of oral health. The experimental group took part in oral health education activities over a 4-month period. Results: The VPI (P = 0.014; CI 0.24-0.86) and GBI (P = 0.013; CI 0.28-0.87) of the experimental group were significantly lower after educational activities. Similarly, the experimental group also obtained a higher number of correct answers on the questionnaire (P < 0.0001; CI 3.73-26.81). However, there was no association between oral hygiene indicators, VPI (P = 0.311; CI 0.23-1.60), and GBI (P = 0.927; CI 0.43-2.16), and the information level of the schoolchildren. Conclusions: Contextualized educational activities in the school routine had positive effects on oral hygiene and the level of information about oral health, although the more informed individuals did not always practice better oral hygiene.
Use of antipsychotics among elderly nursing home residents with dementia in the US: an analysis of National Survey Data.

Background Atypical antipsychotic agents are increasingly being used for the treatment of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. However, recent data suggest that the risk of adverse effects may offset the benefits of atypical agents in patients with dementia.
Prenatal diagnosis of complicated abdominal wall defects.

Abstract The accurate prenatal diagnosis of anterior abdominal wall defects is important because it affects patient management and prognosis. The pathophysiology of each defect leads to key characteristics that make it possible to differentiate one entity from another. Among these features are the location of the defect in relation to cord insertion, the size and contents of the defect, and the associated anomalies. This article reviews the underlying defects, the characteristic ultrasound findings, the associated anomalies, and the prognosis of simple and complicated abdominal wall defects. The basic features of simple abdominal wall defects (ie, omphalocele and gastroschisis) were used as the initial points of assessment. A comparison of the different features of these abnormalities and how they differ from one another resulted in the development of criteria that facilitated the understanding of the different ultrasound manifestations of these anomalies.
Age, Gender, and Ethnicity Differences in Patterns of Cocaine and Ethanol Use Preceding Suicide

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between suicide and substance use among completed suicides in Fulton County, Ga., from 1994 through 1998. METHOD: Extensive data on completed suicides were obtained from records of the Office of the Medical Examiner. Specific characteristics of the victims who had used cocaine, ethanol, or both before committing suicide were compared across demographic groups. RESULTS: There were important race, sex, and age differences among the victims who had used cocaine and ethanol before committing suicide. Almost all (94.6%) of the suicide victims in whom cocaine was detected were male, 51.4% of the cocaine-positive victims were African American men, and 43.2% were white men. Substance use by teenage victims differed dramatically across ethnic lines. The vast majority (86.7%) of African American teenagers did not use either substance before committing suicide, whereas 50.0% of the white teenage victims had used one or both substances, with 41.7% of t...
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. A RANDOM SURVEY OF A COLLEGE POPULATION

To determine the incidence of bicycle-related accidents and injuries in a given population 1,200 questionnaires were sent to a random sample of college students. Seventy-one percent of the students responded. Of the responders, 62% were bicyclists and 13% of these had been involved in an accident in the previous 1-year period. Sixty-two percent of those involved in an accident sustained an injury and 32% were significant enough to require medical attention. Only 8% of accidents were police-reported. If these trends hold true for other populations, studies based on hospital or police records fail to give a true picture of bicycle-related accidents and injuries.
Spectrum of malignancy and premalignancy in Carney syndrome

Carney syndrome is a rare, autosomal dominant, multi-system disorder comprising 8 well-characterized findings, only 2 of which need be present for a definitive diagnosis. Benign neoplasms are frequent, but malignancies are thought to be uncommon. We have studied a family to clarify the diagnosis and spectrum of clinical manifestations of the syndrome and to develop guidelines for management. The proposita, a 34-year-old woman had classic findings of Carney syndrome, invasive follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland, Barrett metaplasia of the esophagus, neoplastic colonic polyps, bipolar affective disorder, and atypical mesenchymal neoplasm of the uterine cervix distinct from the myxoid uterine leiomyoma usually seen in this syndrome. Although thyroid gland neoplasm is rare in Carney syndrome, this patient's most aggressive manifestation was her thyroid carcinoma. The diagnosis of Carney syndrome was established in her 9-year-old son and is a probable diagnosis in her 12-year-old daughter. Endocrine manifestations were prominent in the family with at least 9 relatives in 3 generations affected with various endocrine abnormalities. The findings in this family indicate that the spectrum of manifestations in this pleiotropic gene apparently includes a malignant course with premalignant and endocrinologic disorders not previously recognized.
Identifying the risk factors for late-stage head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) prognosis, like most cancers, depends largely on the stage of the tumor, but other factors related to lifestyle such as smoking and alcohol consumption, comorbidity, access to care, and tumor biology can also affect outcome. Clinical stage, the most important prognostic factor for patients with HNC[1], assembled through accurate mapping of the tumor for precise local (T), regional nodal (N), and distant (M) extent of the tumor, and assigned a pretreatment TNM stage, is critical before commencing therapy [2]. Periodic revisions of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) {AJCCUICC} TNM staging system used for staging HNC worldwide [2], include advances in diagnosis (e.g., endoscopy and radiologic imaging) as well as progress in improving our understanding of the biologic behavior of tumors arising in specific head and neck sites. The latest version [2] has undergone significant modification unlike many other cancers and underscores HNC as a heterogeneous disease, both at the molecular and clinical level. Accurate and reliable stratification of HNC for prediction of outcomes has been challenging, mainly because of the numerous anatomic sites and subsites from which tumors can arise and the diversity of histologic types of tumors in these locations [2]. The overwhelming majority of mucosal HNCs are squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), affecting more than 500,000 people worldwide each year, accounting for 5% of all malignancies [3]. In the United States, approximately 52,140 new cases are expected in 2011 with an estimated 11,460 deaths for HNC of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx [4]. Despite considerable efforts, the 5-year survival rate for HNSCC has not changed significantly. Early stage (I and II) patients have a 60% to 95% chance of cure with local treatment alone, but patients with more advanced disease have a greater than 50% risk of recurrence or development of distant metastatic disease [3]. Lymph node metastases and distant metastases are the most important predictors of prognosis [3]. Many patients present with clinically advanced disease, where surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are the standard of care. Given the highly disfigurative nature of HNSCC surgical treatment and typically repeated exposure to high-dose radiation, identification of primary HNSCC tumors with enhanced metastatic potential by molecular means can aid clinicians in tailoring appropriate treatment strategies, especially in cases that have no apparent nodal involvement. Improvements in our ability to diagnose, evaluate, and stage these patients can improve individualization of treatment.
Claims about the misuse of insecticide-treated mosquito nets: are these evidence-based?

Nearly all experts agree that insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) are a lifesaving intervention, supported by strong evidence from carefully conducted trials that show ITNs to be efficacious at preventing all-cause child mortality and malaria morbidity in children and pregnant women [1],[2]. Under program conditions, ITNs have also been associated with significant reductions in malaria morbidity and all-cause child mortality [3]–[6]. However, there are a number of potentially damaging misconceptions about ITNs in Africa that have been propagated in media reports. One example is the recent Los Angeles Times article on the potential pitfalls of relying on ITNs to combat malaria across Africa: “While we see the treated nets as a lifesaving gift, they see them as a discomfort that provides only partial protection against a trivial illness. Is it any wonder that many use their nets to catch fish or as wedding veils or room dividers—all documented uses of insecticide-treated bed nets?” [7] Other examples of widespread ITN misuse have been reported by the media over the past 10 years and include claims about the use of nets as wedding veils in Uganda and Tanzania [8],[9], for fishing in Kenya and Zambia [10]–[13], as protection of plants/crops in Sierra Leone [14], as chicken coops in the Democratic Republic of Congo [15], and general misuse in Nigeria [16]. While it is clear there is room for improving the level of ITN use among those who have them [17], and that misuse of nets occasionally occurs [18],[19], we found very little evidence to support claims of widespread misuse. Unsubstantiated reports about widespread misuse of ITNs may undermine public and donor confidence in a life-saving intervention. With Global Fund replenishment pledges falling short of targets and a generally constricting donor picture, such inaccurate media articles could have the potential to do lasting damage to a global malaria control effort that is at a tipping point. While the media is often driven by negative news and controversy, when lives are at stake we should demand better.
Tonguing behaviours in persons with Down syndrome: moderator of the effects of negative mood on behaviour problems.

AbstractBackground There is concern that tongue protrusion may be maladaptive in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). However, tonguing and other self-manipulatory behaviours have been shown to contribute to emotion regulation in children without disabilities.Method Sixty individuals with intellectual disability (40 with DS, 20 of mixed aetiology) and their parents were videotaped during a puzzle-book task. Empirical relationships between observed tongue protrusion, other observed nonverbal behaviours, and reported negative mood, maladaptive behaviours, and stress-inducing characteristics were assessed.Results Individuals with DS and reported negative mood who did not engage in tonguing were more likely to display internalising and externalising behaviours and stress-inducing characteristics, whereas those who did engage in tonguing were not more likely to display these characteristics.Conclusion These findings are consistent with the possibility that tongue protrusion serves an emotion regulation functio...
Software Cost Option Strategy Tool (S-COST)

The process of resolving cost-requirements conflicts is difficult because of incompatibilities among stakeholders' interests and priorities, complex cost requirements dependencies, and an exponentially increasing option space for larger systems. The paper describes an exploratory knowledge-based tool,the Software Cost Option Strategy Tool (S-COST), for assisting stakeholders to surface appropriate cost resolution options, to visualize the options, and to negotiate a mutually satisfactory balance of requirements and cost. S-COST operates in the context of the USC-CSE WinWin system (a groupware support system for determining software and system requirements as negotiated win conditions), QARCC (a support system for identifying conflicts in quality requirements), and COCOMO (constructive cost estimation model). Initial analyses of its capabilities indicate that its semiautomated approach provides users with improved capabilities for addressing cost-requirements issues.
Modulation classification of MFSK signals using the higher-order correlation domain

The problem of classification of M-ary frequency shift keying (MFSK) signals when contaminated by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is addressed. In particular, we propose a novel class of classifiers that utilizes time-domain higher-order correlation (HOC) operations while completely avoiding the explicit determination of the spectrum of the observed signal. Families of classification rules are identified for three different cases that exhaust all possible relations between symbol duration and bandwidth. The performances are numerically established in terms of the probability of correct classification. It is shown that the HOC-based method delivers a performance which tightly lower-bounds that of the optimal likelihood-ratio test. In addition, this intrinsically wideband method possesses an immunity to imperfect knowledge of exact frequency locations. Substantial performance improvement is also reported over the energy-based rule whenever it is applicable.
History and recent developments in pulse oximetry

To honour Siggaard-Andersen's role in the development of accurate blood oximetry, this paper was abstracted from a recent review and survey of over 750 publications of pulse oximetry. Pulse oximetry usage has become nearly universal during anesthesia and related critical care in the developed world during the last decade. More than 35 manufacturers offer pulse oximetry. Costs of some have fallen to less than $1500 per device, with no necessary on-going charges. Pulse oximeters are remarkable: Accuracy is +/- 2% down to 70% SaO2 without any user calibration, no drift, instantaneous readout, and almost no maintenance or safety problems. New developments include better understanding of management of premature infants, beginning use for fetal SaO2 during labor, sophisticated methods of ignoring motion artifacts and room light interference, and awareness of sources of error. Oximetry use has caused anesthesiologists and most critical care physicians to become far more able to avoid severe hypoxia in patients. Malpractice insurance rates for anesthesiologists have dropped in the USA, and other evidence suggests, although failing to prove, that anesthesia and critical care is now safer, probably due to oximetry.
Augmenting Maintenance of Sinus Rhythm in the Control of Atrial Fibrillation by Antiarrhythmic Drug Combinations

In recent years, a major development in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) is the use of catheter ablation, and a significant number of patients may benefit from this mode of therapy. On a global scale, it may not be feasible to deal with most patients solely on the basis of ablation. Therefore, it is likely that much of the therapy for AF will continue to rely on antiarrhythmic agents for maintaining sinus rhythm. For many years, amiodarone and sotalol have been the dominant antiarrhythmic agents, with amiodarone being the most effective antiarrhythmic in suppressing AF; however, amiodarone use is limited due to concerns of end-organ toxicity. Upstream therapies, such as statins, fish oil, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers may also provide additive efficacy to these and other membrane-active antiarrhythmics. In recent years, a number of new agents are being developed and the first successful congener of amiodarone, dronedarone, has been shown to be effective in controlling AF and reducing cardiovascular hospitalization. This paper explores the possibility of augmenting the extent of controlling AF by combining multiple potent antiarrhythmic agents old and new.
The impact of delirium in the intensive care unit on hospital length of stay

Study objective: To determine the relationship between delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) and outcomes including length of stay in the hospital. Design: A prospective cohort study. Setting: The adult medical ICU of a tertiary care, university-based medical center. Participants: The study population consisted of 48 patients admitted to the ICU, 24 of whom received mechanical ventilation. Measurements: All patients were evaluated for the development and persistence of delirium on a daily basis by a geriatric or psychiatric specialist with expertise in delirium assessment using the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) criteria of the American Psychiatric Association, the reference standard for delirium ratings. Primary outcomes measured were length of stay in the ICU and hospital. Results: The mean onset of delirium was 2.6 days (S.D.±1.7), and the mean duration was 3.4±1.9 days. Of the 48 patients, 39 (81.3%) developed delirium, and of these 29 (60.4%) developed the complication while still in the ICU. The duration of delirium was associated with length of stay in the ICU (r=0.65, P=0.0001) and in the hospital (r=0.68, P<0.0001). Using multivariate analysis, delirium was the strongest predictor of length of stay in the hospital (P=0.006) even after adjusting for severity of illness, age, gender, race, and days of benzodiazepine and narcotic drug administration. Conclusions: In this patient cohort, the majority of patients developed delirium in the ICU, and delirium was the strongest independent determinant of length of stay in the hospital. Further study and monitoring of delirium in the ICU and the risk factors for its development are warranted.
QoS provisioning using a clearing house architecture

We have designed a clearing house (CH) architecture that facilitates resource reservations over multiple network domains, and performs local admission control. Two key ideas employed in this design to make the CH scalable to a large user base are hierarchy and aggregation. In our model, we assume the network is composed of various basic routing domains which can be aggregated to form logical domains. This introduces a hierarchical tree of logical domains and a distributed CH architecture is associated with each logical domain to maintain the intra-domain aggregate reservations. The parent CH in the logical tree maintains the inter-domain reservation requests. Call setup time is reduced by performing advanced reservations based on statistical estimates of the call traffic across various links. We explore, with simulations, the efficiency of the CH-architecture in terms of resource utilization, call rejections and reservation setup time.
Reproduction and progeny of Silene latifolia (Caryophyllaceae) as affected by atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Sexual dimorphism in plants has been known for over two millennia. However, little is known about how male and female reproduction of dioecious species will respond to anthropogenic environmental perturbations. Using growth chambers, the effects of CO 2 enrichment on male and female reproduction in Silene latifolia were examined and whether parental CO2 environment affected progeny germination and sex ratio. Reproduction of male and female S. latifolia was enhanced by a similar magnitude at elevated CO2. Over the growing season, males produced 16 times as many flowers as females did fruits per plant, but no difference in reproductive biomass between genders was observed at ambient or elevated CO2. Germination of seeds produced by plants grown at different CO2 concentrations was significantly different. Female seeds from higher CO 2-grown plants tended to emerge earlier than those from ambientCO2-grown plants, but emergence of male seeds was little affected. Overall, seeds from elevated-CO 2-grown plants had 20% higher germination and were more female-biased than those from ambient-CO2-grown plants. Because of the enhanced reproduction and more female-biased progeny under elevated CO2, the population structure of this cosmopolitan weedy species will likely be altered in a future environment.
Multinomial logit random effects models

This article presents a general approach for logit random effects modelling of clustered ordinal and nominal responses. We review multinomial logit random effects models in a unified form as multivariate generalized linear mixed models. Maximum likelihood estimation utilizes adaptive Gauss-Hermite quadrature within a quasi-Newton maximization algorithm. For cases in which this is computationally infeasible, we generalize a Monte Carlo EM algorithm. We also generalize a pseudo-likelihood approach that is simpler but provides poorer approximations for the likelihood. Besides the usual normality structure for random effects, we also present a semi-parametric approach treating the random effects in a non-parametric manner. An example comparing reviews of movie critics uses adjacent-categories logit models and a related baseline-category logit model.
Unusual Diffuse Pulmonary Lymphatic Proliferation in a Young Boy

We describe a 4-year-old boy who died of an unusual generalized pulmonary lymphatic proliferation. His condition cannot clearly be categorized with any of the previously described pulmonary lymphatic disorders.
FIRST RECORD OF A CHIMAEROID FISH FROM THE EOCENE OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Although fossilized teeth of sharks and rays are common elements in Eocene nearshore marine sediments of the southeastern United States (Parmley and Cicimurri, 2003 and references within), fossil remains of chimaeroid fishes are unknown from this region. Here we provide the first report of an Eocene chimaeroid fish from the southeastern United States, consisting of a partial, well-preserved left mandibular tooth plate recovered from central Georgia. The specimen was collected from late Eocene (ca. 36.0–34.2 Ma; Parmley and Holman, 2003) Clinchfield Formation sediments exposed in an abandoned central Georgia kaolin mine formally known as the Hardie Mine (Westgate, 2001). The Hardie Mine is located approximately 3.9 km north-northeast of Gordon, Wilkinson County, Georgia. This site has yielded a relatively well-preserved and diverse nearshore marine vertebrate fauna consisting of sharks, rays, bony fishes, reptiles, and whales (Westgate, 2001; Parmley and Cicimurri, 2003; Parmley and Holman, 2003). Additionally, the vertebra of a colubrid snake (Parmley and Holman, 2003) and partial teeth of at least two species of land mammals (unstudied fossils in the paleontological collections of Georgia College and State University–GCVP) are known from the Hardie Mine site. The vast majority of fossils collected from the Hardie Mine were recovered from a series of spoil pile sediments. It has been shown, however, that these sediments were derived locally from nearby in situ fossiliferous Clinchfield Formation sediments exposed in the north wall of the mine (see Westgate, 2001; Parmley and Cicimurri, 2003; Parmley and Holman, 2003). For the purposes of this report we follow the descriptive terminology utilized by Stahl (1999), and a comprehensive classification scheme can be found in Stahl and Parris (2004). We utilized the histological terminology of Stahl (1999), but we did not perform any direct microscopic analyses of tissues. The specimen …
Stability of transportation networks under adaptive routing policies

Abstract Growing concerns regarding urban congestion, and the recent explosion of mobile devices able to provide real-time information to traffic users have motivated increasing reliance on real-time route guidance for the online management of traffic networks. However, while the theory of traffic equilibria is very well-known, much fewer results exist on the stability of such equilibria, especially in the context of adaptive routing policy. In this work, we consider the problem of characterizing the stability properties of traffic equilibria in the context of online adaptive route choice induced by GPS-based decision making. We first extend the recent framework of “Markovian Traffic Equilibria” (MTE), in which users update their route choice at each intersection of the road network based on traffic conditions, to the case of non-equilibrium conditions, while preserving consistency with known existence and uniqueness results on MTE. We then exhibit sufficient conditions on the network topology and the latency functions for those MTEs to be stable in the sense of Lyapunov for a single destination problem. For various more restricted classes of network topologies motivated by the observed properties of travel patterns in the Singapore network, under certain assumptions we prove local exponential stability of the MTE, and derive analytical results on the sensitivity of the characteristic time of convergence on network and traffic parameters. The results proposed in this work are illustrated and validated on synthetic toy problems as well as on the full Singapore road network with real demand and traffic data, and the applicability of our results for online road network analysis, pricing and control is discussed.
A quarter century of changes in oral health in the United States

This paper provides an overview of the oral health status of Americans since the 1960s. Data from seven national surveys, conducted between 1960 and 1987, have been presented. Estimates of coronal and root caries, periodontal diseases, and tooth loss were reviewed. In addition, data on edentulism and oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer were included. Although the purpose of this paper is descriptive rather than analytical, some important trends have been noted: The number of children who were free from dental caries increased dramatically between 1963 and 1987. By 1987, almost one-half of school children between the ages of 5 and 17 were caries-free. Among those children with dental decay, the number of teeth affected has also declined. The oral health of adults also improved during the 27-year period included in this review. In particular, the mean number of missing teeth and the percentage of edentulous adults have declined substantially. Trends in periodontal diseases were difficult to determine due to changes in the measures of periodontal diseases utilized in the surveys. In the most recent survey of employed U.S. adults, approximately 44 percent were found to have gingivitis and slightly more than 13 percent had periodontal pockets 4-5 mm in depth. Approximately 30,000 new cases of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer were diagnosed in 1993, resulting in approximately 8,000 deaths. African Americans have higher incidence and mortality rates than white Americans and also have a much lower five-year survival rate.
New Information on the Basal Pelycosaurian-Grade Synapsid Oedaleops

The Early Permian amniote Oedaleops is generally considered to be one of the basalmost pelycosaurian-grade synapsids. Thus it occupies a key position for understanding the phylogenetic relationships of basal synapsids specifically and basal amniote interrelationships more generally. This assessment has until now been based almost exclusively on the remains of a single skull from the Lower Permian Cutler Formation of north-central New Mexico. The identification of additional cranial as well as numerous postcranial elements of at least three additional individuals now permits a more complete understanding of its anatomy and allows the first attempt at a partial body reconstruction of this basal pelycosaurian-grade synapsid. Oedaleops is confirmed as an extremely basal synapsid taxon, but the addition of postcranial data from Oedaleops to data matrices of earlier phylogenetic analyses unexpectedly weakens, as opposed to strengthens, support for the hypotheses of a monophyletic Eothyrididae.
Re-Imagined Communities: How Changing Patterns of Communication Change American Democracy

Despite enormous changes in the methods and modes of communication across American history, political science has only recently begun to consider how broad-based changes to the system of communication might alter politics. Although the potential for properties of the system to operate as causal mechanisms has long been implicit in a diverse array of literatures, scholars have only very rarely made such possibilities explicit. Through an exploration of some of the most foundational works in the study of American politics, this paper demonstrates how deeply embedded the assumption of stasis in the properties of communication and information has been in many of our explanations for the behavior of individuals, the formation of groups, and the evolution of institutions. To correct these errors, a new new framework is proposed to both improve our understanding of the phenomenon and to guide future research.
Establishing Cooperation in Highly-Connected Networks Using Altruistic Agents

This paper addresses the importance and challenges of establishing cooperation among self-interested agents in multiagent systems (MAS). We study MAS operating on highly-connected random and scale-free (SF) networks. However, we emphasize SF networks as these are prevalent in society and nature. Existing imitation-based approaches for cooperation have been shown to not fare very well in these highly-connected networks. Motivated by studies that show the advantage of altruistic privacy buddies in online social networks to provide better privacy guarantees in highly-connected networks, we present a stochastic influencer altruistic agent (StIAA) mechanism for cooperation. In StIAA, a small proportion of altruistic agents which irrespective of their payoff, always cooperate with their neighbors are introduced into a network of self-interested agents that try to maximize their payoff by imitating the wealthiest agents in their neighborhood. To determine optimality of their action choices, the self-interested agents imitate the cooperative action of their altruistic neighbors (should there be one) with a small exploration probability. We show, both analytically and experimentally, that StIAA leads to significantly higher cooperation in highly-connected networks than the existing imitation-based approaches. We also conduct a comprehensive study on the performance of StIAA and the results indicate that it is both robust and scalable.
Abstract B21: Marital status, cancer-directed surgery, and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Survival after a cancer diagnosis is largely a function of tumor biology. However, social factors may influence cancer treatment choices, potentially affecting patient survival. In the current study, we studied the interrelations between marital status, cancer-directed surgery received, and disease-specific survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), using population-based data. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database (1988–2004) was used to identify cases of HCC. The 2 statistic was used to determine significant differences between groups of patient, tumor, and treatment factors. HCC-CC Disease-specific survival (DSS) was calculated. Significant differences in survival were determined by Cox regression in multivariate analyses. Results: Of 28,100 patients with HCC, 47.4% were married, 49.3% were unmarried, and 3.3% were of unknown marital status. Unmarried patients were less likely to be recommended for (31.9% of unmarried patients vs. 36.9% of married patients, P Conclusion: Unmarried patients with HCC were less likely to be recommended for and undergo cancer-directed surgery; age at diagnosis, gender, ethnicity, tumor size> 5cm, stage, marital status, cancer directed surgery, and year of diagnosis were indentified as independent predictors for disease specific survival in the patients with HCC.
Pathogenicity of Three Entomogenous Fungi to the Southern Pine Beetle at Various Temperatures and Humidities

Three entomogenous fungi, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, Aspergillus flavus Link, and Fusarium solani (Martius) Appel & Wollenweber, were tested against healthy adults of Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman at temperatures ranging from 5 to 30°C and relative humidities of 55, 75, or 94%. The greatest difference between the times for the beetles inoculated with the various fungi to achieve 50 or 90% mortality occurred in the range from 15 to 20°C. Variations in humidity did not significantly affect mortality. At the humidity levels tested, all inoculated beetles died sooner at 30°C than at the other temperatures. Mortality of mycotic beetles averaged 50% in 6.3 days and 90% in 11.0 days and was significantly different from that of the controls except at 5 and lO°C.
Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Feasibility of Shortened Fasts in Intubated ICU Patients Undergoing Tracheotomy.

ObjectiveAmerican Society of Anesthesiology guidelines recommend preoperative fasts of 6 hours after light snacks and 8 hours after large meals. These guidelines were designed for healthy patients ...