cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract B36: Maintenance chemotherapy after chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer

Background: More than half of patients (pts) with pancreatic cancer (PC) initially present with unresectable, locally advanced disease (LAPC). Data on management of these pts after systemic chemotherapy are scarce. Many clinicians utilize a strategy of induction chemotherapy followed by consolidative concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) for pts not progressing on initial chemotherapy. How to manage pts after CRT is controversial. We sought to evaluate the role of maintenance chemotherapy (MCT) after CRT in pts with LAPC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed LAPC pts treated with CRT at MD Anderson from 2005-2018. Pts who were taken for curative-intent surgery were excluded. Primary and secondary outcomes were median progression-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS), respectively, as measured from the start date of CRT. Data were also obtained on pt demographics, response, and duration of induction chemotherapy as well as MCT regimens. Results: We included 165 pts with LAPC treated with CRT in our analysis. Median age was 66 (range 39 – 84), and 97 (59%) pts were male. Median follow-up was 12.9 months. The median duration from initiation of induction chemotherapy to start of CRT was 4.4 months. Most pts (84%) received 1 line of induction chemotherapy prior to CRT. Ten pts (6%) did not receive induction chemotherapy and 17 pts (10%) received at least 2 lines prior to CRT. All but 9 pts (94%) developed disease progression (PD) after CRT, and 49 pts (33%) had PD within 3 months of CRT. On univariate analysis, PD on the induction chemotherapy regimen immediately prior to CRT was associated with shortened PFS (HR 2.46, p Conclusions: In this single-institution retrospective analysis of 165 pts with LAPC treated with CRT, treatment with post-CRT MCT was associated with a significant improvement in both PFS and OS as measured from the start date of CRT. Based on these results, MCT may be an appropriate option for pts with LAPC who have not progressed following consolidative CRT, and a prospective trial should be performed to better address this knowledge gap. Citation Format: Jonathan D. Mizrahi, Shalini Moningi, Graciela M. Nogueras-Gonzalez, Robert A. Wolff, Milind M. Javle, Gauri R. Varadhachary, Linus Ho, David R. Fogelman, Kanwal P. Raghav, Michael J. Overman, Christopher H. Crane, Joseph M. Herman, Albert C. Koong, Eugene J. Koay, Jane E. Rogers, Shubham Pant. Maintenance chemotherapy after chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2019 Sept 6-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(24 Suppl):Abstract nr B36.
Decay of Electrostatic Force of Dust Particles on Photovoltaic Modules

Photovoltaic (PV) energy yield loss due to solar module soiling has become increasingly important as solar module deployment is now at the hundreds of gigawatts scale and continues to grow rapidly. We have reported on direct measurements—using atomic force microscopy (AFM)—of strong electric-field-induced attraction and adhesion force (Fes) of dust particles onto solar panel that are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude stronger than the van der Waals and water capillary forces, corroborated by observing the increase in system voltage-induced soiling rate. Here, we report another characteristic of Fes on soiling—long lasting or slow decay after turning off the high voltage applied to solar panels. The Fes decay time varies in a wide time range of 1 to 10 hours, depending on two factors: 1) either/both the cell or/and particle were charged with high voltage before the voltages were turned off; and 2) how the cell was connected to the ground after the voltage was turned off—either connected through the power supply electronics, directly connected to the ground, or electrically floated. The Fes decay is understood in terms of 1) net electrical charge dissipations in both particle and cell, 2) thermal disordering of dipole polarization in the module glass dielectrics, and 3) charge redistribution by the electrostatic interaction of particle and module glass. This long-lasting Fes for hours can significantly affect the solar panel soiling after sunset, especially combined with water condensation.
Leadership Development in Academic Health Science Centers: Towards a Paradigm Shift.

Problem In an era of increasing complexity, leadership development is an urgent need for academic health science centers (AHSCs). The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and others have described the need for a focus on organizational leadership development and more rigorous evaluation of outcomes. Although the business literature notes the importance of evaluating institutional leadership culture, there is sparse conversation in the medical literature about this vital aspect of leadership development. Defining the leadership attributes that best align with and move an AHSC forward must serve as the foundational framework for strategic leadership development. Approach In 2015, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) began a systematic process to approach strategic leadership development for the organization. An interprofessional group completed an inventory of our leadership development programs and identified key drivers of a new institutional strategic plan. A strategic leadership advisory committee designed a series of leadership retreats to evaluate both individual and collective leadership development needs. Outcomes Three key drivers were identified as critical attributes for the success of our institutional strategy. Four specific areas of focus for the growth of the institution's ideal leadership culture were identified, with specific action items or behaviors developed for our leaders to model. As a result of this foundational work, we have now launched the MUSC Leadership Institute. Next steps Knowledge of our current leadership culture, key drivers of strategy and our desired collective leadership attributes are the basis for building our institutional leadership development strategy. This will be a longitudinal process that will start with senior leadership engagement, organizational restructuring, new programming and involve significant experimentation. Disciplined, thoughtful evaluation will be required to find the right model. In addition to individual transformation with leadership development, MUSC will measure specifically identified strategic outcomes and performance metrics for the institution.
Análisis de redes egocéntricas con R (II). Una red egocéntrica

This text is the second of a series of four documents that together constitute a workshop on analysis of ego-networks (and / or personal networks) using R. The text is accompanied by data files and the R scripts necessary to carry out the suggested activities.
The Prices of Rights: Toward a Positive Theory of Unconstitutional Conditions

This Article suggests a new approach to the unconstitutional conditions doctrine and, as a first test, uses it to examine the historically problematic group of cases involving public assistance benefits. Although a clear pattern is present in the rhetoric of the twenty-three such cases the Court has decided beginning with Sherbert v. Verner (1963), there is no similar facial pattern to be found in their results. The unconstitutional conditions doctrine itself remains murky. The Court has provided no coherent explication of when and how it will apply the doctrine in this area, and commentators' attempts to make sense of these cases have produced only expressions of despair and normative proposals. The approach suggested in this Article yields a positive theory of the Court's resolution of challenges to conditions on public assistance benefits. This theory reveals substantial underlying consistency in the decisions of the Warren, Burger, and Rehnquist Courts in an area so politically controversial that some at least might expect to find systematically divergent results. Contrary to these Courts' own rhetoric, however, the key is not the ever-problematic distinction between choice and coercion. Rather, the core of the doctrine's coherence, at least with regard to this group of cases, lies in the Court's tacit attempt to ensure a certain non-wealth-dependent equality of constitutional rights within the constraints of our essentially market economy. This Article begins with a discussion of the general problem posed by statutory conditions on government benefits and the several explicit approaches suggested by the Court and its commentators. Part II focuses on a group of cases that have been found especially problematic: constitutional challenges to statutory conditions on public assistance benefits. An initial examination reveals a surface consistency in the Court's reasoning and rhetoric in these cases. Those patterns, however, raise further, deeper issues for discussion and resolution. Part III presents a positive theory of the unconstitutional conditions doctrine in challenges involving public assistance benefits, then reexamines the public assistance cases in light of the proposed positive theory. The normative underpinnings of the theory are discussed in Part IV. The Article concludes with speculation on both the value of this descriptive theory for understanding the Court's treatment of conditional allocations other than public assistance benefits, and the utility of the proposed overall approach for arriving at a general conception of the unconstitutional conditions doctrine.
Majority members misperceive even "win-win" diversity policies as unbeneficial to them.

Six studies show that majority members misperceive diversity policies as unbeneficial to their ingroup, even when policies benefit them. Majority members perceived nonzero-sum university admission policies-policies that increase acceptance of both URM (i.e., underrepresented minority) and non-URM applicants-as harmful to their ingroup when merely framed as "diversity" policies. Even for policies lacking a diversity framing (i.e., "leadership" policies), majority members misperceived that their ingroup would not benefit when policies provided relatively greater benefit to URMs, but not when they provided relatively greater benefit to non-URMs. No consistent evidence emerged that these effects were driven by ideological factors: Majority members' misperceptions occurred even when accounting for self-reported beliefs around diversity, hierarchy, race, and politics. Instead, we find that majority group membership itself predicts misperceptions, such that both Black and White participants accurately perceive nonzero-sum diversity policies as also benefiting the majority when participants are represented as members of the minority group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Healthcare Utilization for Stroke Patients at the End of Life: Nationally Representative Data.

Abstract Objectives Stroke and post-stroke complications are associated with high morbidity, mortality, and cost. Our objective was to examine healthcare utilization and hospice enrollment for stroke patients at the end of life. Materials and methods The 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database is a national database of > 14 million admissions. We used validated ICD-9 codes to identify fatal ischemic stroke, summarized demographics and hospitalization characteristics, and examined healthcare use within 30 days before fatal stroke admission. We used de-identified 2014 Medicare hospice data to identify stroke and non-stroke patients admitted to hospice. Results Among IS admissions in 2014 (n = 472,969), 22652 (4.8%) had in-hospital death. 28.2% with fatal IS had two or more hospitalizations in 2014. Among those with fatal IS admission, 13.0% were admitted with cerebrovascular disease within 30 days of fatal IS admission. Half of stroke patients discharged to hospice from the Medicare dataset were hospitalized with cerebrovascular disease within the thirty days prior to hospice enrollment. Within the study year, 6.9% of hospice enrollees had one or more emergency room visits, 31.7% had one or more inpatient encounters, and 5.2% had one or more nursing facility encounters (compared to 21.4%, 70.6%, and 27.2% respectively in the 30-day period prior to enrollment). Conclusions High rates of readmission prior to fatal stroke may indicate opportunity for improvement in acute stroke management, secondary prevention, and palliative care involvement as encouraged by AHA/ASA guidelines. For patients who are expected to survive 6 months or less, hospice may offer goal-concordant services for patients and caregivers who desire comfort-focused care.
kTMP: A New Non-invasive Magnetic Induction Method to Modulate Cortical Excitability.

We report a novel subthreshold non-invasive brain stimulation approach that we refer to as kilohertz transcranial magnetic perturbation, or kTMP. kTMP is a magnetic induction method that delivers kHz-frequency cortical E-fields and, through amplitude modulation of the kHz carrier frequency, may mimic E-fields at physiological frequencies. To evaluate the efficacy of kTMP, we used suprathreshold TMS to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEP) in a peripheral muscle, comparing the amplitude of the MEPs before and after kTMP stimulation. In Experiment 1, we used non-modulated kTMP with an E-field amplitude of 2 V/m over motor cortex. Ten minutes of kTMP stimulation resulted in an increase in cortical excitability in a frequency-specific manner. We replicated this effect in Experiment 2 and found that amplitude-modulation at 20 Hz produced an additional boost in cortical excitability. The only percept associated with kTMP is a faint auditory tone, making kTMP ideal for double-blind experimentation.
The Arms Traffic in World History

Starting in the sixteenth century, European traders began trafficking arms into African, American, and, to a lesser extent, Asian markets. Practically from the beginning of the trafficking in firearms there have also been attempts to control the arms trade through forms of export controls for ideological and political reasons. The global story of the arms traffic intertwines with the story of disarmament and arms control. This chapter traces the developing story of arms trafficking from the advent of the gunpowder age through the end of the Cold War. In broad terms it surveys the following eras: (1) origins in the early modern period ca. 1500-ca 1800 (2) dramatic expansion due to mass production in the era of industrial imperialism ca. 1860–1918 (3) various projects of control and limitation of arms trafficking and failure during the interwar era 1919–1939, and (4) the huge expansion of the arms business during the Cold war era 1945–1989. Placed in a world historical context, the contemporary situation represents an acceleration and quantitative expansion of much older patterns. This overview of the preceding five centuries of firearms trafficking around the world shows that the gun markets are deeply embedded in the international landscape. It would be a gross misunderstanding to view the current problems of gun-running and weapons trafficking as recent developments or as primarily resulting from the international consequences of Cold War rivalries. Each successive historical period has brought forth bigger waves of the supply and demand for firearms, which have overwhelmed the attempts to monitor and control the trade through export licensing schemes and international agreements.
Cellular Automata and Genetic Algorithms for Parallel Problem Solving in Human Genetics

An important goal of human genetics is to identify variations in genes that are associated with risk of disease. This goal is complicated by the fact that, for common multifactorial diseases such as hypertension, interactions between genetic variations are likely to be more important than the independent effects of any single genetic variation. Attribute interaction is a well-known problem in data mining and is a complicating factor in genetic data analysis. We have previously addressed this problem by developing a parallel approach to problem solving that utilizes one-dimensional cellular automata (CA) for knowledge representation and genetic algorithms (GA) for optimization. In this study, we evaluate the power of this parallel CA approach by simulating gene-gene interactions and adding noise from several common real-world sources. These simulation studies document the strengths of the CA approach and document a weakness that needs to be addressed.
Regulation, Political Economy of

Government regulation of firms uses the ‘coercive power’ of the state to alter firms' pricing, entry, production, investment, and product choice decisions. An extensive empirical literature analyzes the effects of ‘economic regulation’ of price and entry as well as environmental, health, safety, and information regulation. Results of this work suggest that regulation cannot be understood simply as an efficient intervention to correct market failure. Research on the political economy of regulation seeks instead to understand the origin, structure, and reform of regulatory policy as an outcome of rent-seeking behavior by interest groups mediated through the political process. These models have considerable empirical power in explaining variation in support for particular regulations, but fall short in explaining why some industries are regulated while others are not, and why policy in this area tends to occur in waves.
Managerial issues for telecommuting

In this paper the issues faced by firms in todayâ€™s telecommunications environment are compared and contrasted with an actual telecommuting case study of Trade Reporting and Data Exchange, Inc. (T.R.A.D.E.), a software engineering company located in San Mateo, CA. Initial results indicate that telecommuting was successful for T.R.A.D.E because the required technology was widely available (the candidate initiated the idea and had the necessary industry and company experience) the organization could provide the flexible work arrangement while retaining a valuable employee, the employees were able to live in a geographic area of their choice, overall costs could be shared by the company and employees, the job category was an ideal fit, and existing procedures were in place for communicating and managing the geographically detached worker. As telecommunications technology evolves this arrangement will continue to challenge the firm and their employees.
Dye binding probes of lipid-binding structures. An investigation of 2-p-Toluidinvinaphthylene-6-sulfonate binding to human and bovine prothrombin and fragment 1 in the presence and ansence of calcium and magnesium ions

TNS (2-p-toluidinylnaphthylene-6-sulfonate) binds to human and bovine prothrombin and Fragment 1 in the absence and presence of added Ca2+. The stoichiometry of TNS binding is 1:1 for human and bovine prothrombin and Fragment 1. The Ca2+-dependence of the fluorescence of TNS bound to bovine prothrombin Fragment 1 yields a modified Hill plot slope of 2.7, which is consistent with the slope obtained by monitoring the Ca2+ dependence of protein fluorescence quenching, CD changes and phospholipid binding. Mg2+ has have no effect on the fluorescence of TNS-prothrombin fluorescence. TNS binding to the amino-terminal region of prothrombin is the first relatively simple probe of the subtle and complex relationship which exists between protein structure and phospholipid binding.
Role of the dorsocentral striatum in contralateral neglect and recovery from neglect in rats

Neglect is a complex and devastating human neuropsychological disorder characterized by a failure to attend to novel or meaningful stimuli presented to the side contralateral to a brain lesion, in the absence of a primary sensory or motor dysfunction. Some manifestation of neglect is found in approximately 40% of all cases of brain damage, although more frequently following right hemisphere damage. The vast majority (80–90%) of all cases of neglect are produced by destruction of one of three cortical regions: the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex, the cingulate cortex, or the parietotemporal junction [Heilman et al., 1993, Karnath et al., 2001, Mesulam, 1980, Mesulam, 1990]. The neglect syndrome goes far beyond a lack of responsiveness to contralesional stimuli to include dramatic attentional and cognitive spatial deficits. These include several major associated disorders. Patients may exhibit hemispatial neglect in which the patient does not have a cognitive representation of the contralesional hemispace, and will omit details of an imagined scene. Hemiinattention to contralesional stimulation across several or one sensory modality is also quite common. The patients may display hemiakinesia, or a paucity of movement of the contralesional limbs. Inappropriate orientations (allesthesia) may also occur in which the patient will respond or orient to contralesional stimulation as if it came from the ipsilesional side. Extinction to bilateral simultaneous stimulation may also be exhibited.
Hot Compression Behavior of Magnesium Alloys ZE20 and AM30

Magnesium alloys have recently received much attention for their weight-saving potential in transportation systems. Their implementation is hindered, however, by poor formability. The present work compares the mechanical response to warm isothermal compression of two recently developed magnesium extrusion alloys, AM30 (Mg-3Al-0.4Mn)1 and ZE20 (Mg-2Zn-0.2Ce). It was found that AM30 exhibits higher initial hardening hardening followed by softening, while ZE20 exhibited only slight softening and ended at a higher steady-state stress than AM30.
Autonomous door opening and traversal

In order to access many spaces in human environments, mobile robots need to be adept at using doors: opening the door, traversing (i.e., passing through) the doorway, and possibly closing the door afterwards. The challenges in these problems vary with the type of door (push-/pull-doors, self-closing mechanisms, etc.) and type of door handle (knob, lever, crashbar, etc.) In addition, the capabilities and limitations of the robot can have a strong effect on the techniques and strategies needed for these tasks. We have developed a system that autonomously opens and traverses push- and pull-doors, with or without self-closing mechanisms, with knobs or levers, using an iRobot 510 PackBot® (a nonholonomic mobile base with a 5 degree-of-freedom arm) and a custom gripper with a passive 2 degree-of-freedom wrist. To the best of our knowledge, our system is the first to demonstrate autonomous door opening and traversal on the most challenging combination of a pull-door with a self-closing mechanism. In this paper, we describe the operation of our system and the results of our experimental testing.
Analysis of Stability and Symmetry Implications for ICF

Pellet gains in excess of 100 will probably be necessary for most applications of inertial fusion.1 In order to achieve these high gains a number of critical physics elements must be controlled. These include (1) high coupling efficiency, (2) low fuel preheat, (3) implosion symmetry, (4) implosion stability (ablation pressure) and (5) an ignition scheme. These factors interact with each other providing conflicting requirements. In particular the first two items are directly in conflict with the second two. For example, high coupling efficiency and low fuel preheat requires control of deleterious plasma instabilities. These instabilities generally scale as Iλ2. Therefore they are usually controlled by the use of lower intensities or shorter laser wavelength. But lower laser intensities are generally associated with thinner shell or double shell target designs,2 and these higher aspect ratio designs place severe requirements on laser symmetry and target stability. Smoothing out laser nonuniformities by lateral thermal conduction3 requires that the absorption-to-ablation distance be on the order of the target radius, leading to longer, not shorter wavelengths. This separation distance also produces a lower hydro-dynamic efficiency.
Screening for Hepatitis C Virus in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Individuals

Immunosuppression from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may impair antibody formation, and false-negative hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) tests have been reported in individuals coinfected with HIV and HCV. It is unknown if the frequency of false-negative tests is sufficiently high to change screening recommendations in this setting. Thus, the prevalence of false-negative results for anti-HCV by third-generation tests was determined with samples from HIV-infected individuals. Sera from 559 HIV-infected and 944 HIV-negative prospectively followed injection drug users were tested for anti-HCV by a third-generation enzyme immunoassay and for HCV RNA by using a branched DNA assay and the HCV COBAS AMPLICOR system. Of 559 HIV-infected participants, 547 (97.8%) were anti-HCV positive. One of the remaining 12 anti-HCV-negative participants was HCV RNA positive, and she later developed detectable anti-HCV. Of the 944 HIV-negative participants, 825 (87.4%) were anti-HCV positive. One of the remaining 119 anti-HCV-negative participants was HCV RNA positive, and she also developed detectable anti-HCV at a later visit. These data indicate that HIV infection does not alter the approach to hepatitis C virus screening, which should be performed with third-generation assays for anti-HCV unless acute infection is suspected.
A new mechanism of methylprednisolone and other corticosteroids action demonstrated in vitro: inhibition of a proteinase (calpain) prevents myelin and cytoskeletal protein degradation

Abstract The affect of methylprednisolone (MP), an anti-inflammatory drug upon purified calpain and the Ca2+-mediated degradation of endogenous proteins of spinal cord homogenate in vitro has been examined. Activity of calpain purified from rabbit muscle was greatly inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by MP. A 50% inhibition was obtained with 3.2 mM MP concentration and the activity was inhibited further (80%) at 8.1 mM. More potent inhibition of the purified enzyme (70–80%) was produced by dexamethasone (3.9 mM) and prednisolone (4.1 mM). Calpain-mediated degradation of myelin basic protein (MBP) was also inhibited by MP as was cathepsin B-mediated MBP breakdown. The effect of MP and other steroids upon calcium-mediated degradation of spinal cord homogenate was also evaluated. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed significant inhibition of neurofilament protein breakdown by MP and other corticosteroids. This inhibitory effect was much less than that exerted by the calpain inhibitors calpeptin and/or E64-d. These results indicate that MP acts as a proteinase (calpain) inhibitor and define a new mechanism for its actions.
Evaluation of a Classwide Teaching Program for Developing Preschool Life Skills

Recently, nonmaternal center-based child care has been linked to problem behavior in young children (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2003). In response, a comprehensive program to promote prosocial skills was evaluated in a classroom of 16 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Classroom observations were conducted during evocative situations to determine the likelihood of problem behavior (noncompliance, vocal or motor disruptions, aggression) and preschool life skills. A classwide teaching program was then implemented in a staggered manner across instruction following, functional communication, delay tolerance, and friendship skills. These four categories of preschool life skills, which included two to four related skills, were selected for classwide teaching because they were either identified by educators as important for early school success, have often been taught following functional assessments of more severe problem behavior, or both. Skills were taught on a classwide basis during typically scheduled activities (circle, free play, transitions, meals) via instructions, modeling, role play, and feedback. A multiple probe design showed that the program resulted in an 74% reduction in problem behavior and a more than four-fold increase in preschool life skills. Similar beneficial effects of the program were evident in questionnaire data gathered prior to and at the close of the evaluation. Finally, the teachers who implemented the program reported overall high levels of satisfaction with the classwide teaching program, the target skills, and the results. Implications for the design of early childhood experiences for preempting the development of serious problem behavior are discussed.
Arctic ripe for ozone depletion

Scientists just back from a midwinter airborne probe of the Arctic say the stratosphere there “is primed for ozone destruction.” Although the depletion is not expected to be as extreme as what has been found in Antarctica, the mounting evidence that ozone at both poles is vulnerable has led representatives of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to call for modification of the Montreal protocol on ozone depletion to account for the greater potential depletion. When atmospheric scientists of the second National Ozone Expedition returned from Antarctica in 1987, they announced they had found the “smoking gun” implicating chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the documented destruction of ozone in the stratosphere—highly elevated levels of chemicals like the chlorine monoxide radical (CIO) that result from the breakdown of CFCs. Now the same scientists have found the same chemicals in the Arctic stratosphere and confirmed the apparent role of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the formation of the destructive chlorine compounds.
Spin-rotation and hfs constants for the X2Σ+ and B2Σ+ states of CaI

The molecular-beam, laser-rf double-response technique is used to obtain precise values for the spin-rotation and hyperfine interaction constants in the X/sup 2/..sigma../sup +/ ground state of /sup 40/Ca/sup 127/I. The measured X-strate splitting information is supplemented by B in equilibrium X optical hfs splitting data to obtain hfs constants for the exicted B/sup 2/..sigma../sup +/ state. The results for both states are compared with previously reported values for CaI and other calcium monohalides. 21 references, 3 figures, 4 tables.
Measuring in situ reaction rate constants in wetland sediments

Wetlands are ecologically important and play a key role in many environmentally significant chemical reactions. However, an accurate way of measuring in situ reaction rates in wetland sediments has yet to be established. This study evaluates the feasibility of adapting the push-pull test often used to measure in situ kinetics in subsurface environments, to wetlands. Experiments comparing the rates obtained with two methods, the push-pull test and a steady-state flow-through reactor, were conducted in a constructed wetland microcosm. First-order kinetic rate constants were determined for both sulfate and chromate reduction using both methods. Chromate reduction rates showed good agreement between the two methods, while sulfate reduction rates determined by the two methods differed significantly. Since the analysis for the push-pull test is based on a first-order kinetic, this discrepancy is likely due to the non-first-order behavior of sulfate reduction under the given environmental conditions. The largest obstacle identified prohibiting the use of this method is the availability of a tracer that is conservative in the presence of plants.
Fetal edema from benzhydrylpiperazines as a possible cause of oral-facial malformations in rats.

Abstract The following findings may help to explain the production of oral-facial malformations, in rats, after the maternal administration of benzhydrylpiperazine compounds: (1) A delay in the process of palate formation occurs when chlorcyclizine is administered, orally, at a dose that yields a 50% incidence of cleft palate (50 mg/kg). (2) At this dose edema, manifested partly as thoracic enlargement, can be demonstrated during the delay. (3) A similar increase in thoracic size, due to the edema, occurs after the administration of four additional benzhydrylpiperazine compounds that produce the oral-facial malformations, when administered at appropriate doses, but not after three other antihistamines that do not yield the cleft palate. (4) Edema formation is dose-dependent at the intermediate doses for cleft palate formation. (5) Finally, edema production is not dependent upon cleft palate production, but cleft palate production may be dependent upon the edema. From these findings and reference to the literature, a mechanism is suggested that relates the production of the cleft palate, micrognathia (receded mandible), microstomia (small mouth), and glossopalatine fusion (fusion of the tongue to the palatine processes) to pressures from fluidenlarged tissue, perhaps partly from the enlarged thorax. The mechanism is discussed.
The degrees of bi-hyperhyperimmune sets

Abstract We study the degrees of bi-hyperhyperimmune (bi-hhi) sets. Our main result characterizes these degrees as those that compute a function that is not dominated by any Δ 2 0 function, and equivalently, those that compute a weak 2-generic. These characterizations imply that the collection of bi-hhi Turing degrees is closed upwards.
Erythropoietin protects cardiac myocytes against anthracycline-induced apoptosis.

The cardiotoxic adverse effects of anthracycline antibiotics limit their therapeutic utility as essential components of chemotherapy regimens for hematologic and solid malignancies. Here we show that the hematopoietic cytokine erythropoietin attenuates doxorubicin-induced apoptosis of primary neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Erythropoietin treatment induced rapid, time-dependent phosphorylation of MAP kinases (MAPK) Erk1/2 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase substrate Akt. Treatment of cardiomyocytes with inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (LY294002) or Akt (Akti-1/2) abolished the protective effect of erythropoietin, whereas treatment with MAPK kinase (MEK1) inhibitor U0126 did not. Erythropoietin also induced the phosphorylation of GSK-3β, a downstream target of PI3K-Akt. Because phosphorylation is known to inactivate GSK-3β, we investigated whether GSK-3β inhibition is cardioprotective. We found that GSK-3β inhibitors SB216763 or lithium chloride blocked doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in a manner similar to erythropoietin, suggesting that GSK-3β inhibition is involved in erythropoietin-mediated cardioprotection. Erythropoietin may serve as a novel cardioprotective agent against anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity.
Diplostomiasis, a Hatchery Disease of Fresh-Water Fishes New to North America

(1939). Diplostomiasis, a Hatchery Disease of Fresh-Water Fishes New to North America. The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 6, No. 45, pp. 41-47.
Analysis of Avoided Carbon-Dioxide Due to Photovoltaic and Wind Turbine Technologies Displacing Electrical Peaking Facilities

Many studies that examine the impact of renewable energy installations on avoided carbon-dioxide utilize national, regional or state averages to determine the predicted carbon-dioxide offset. The approach of this computational study was to implement a dispatching strategy in order to determine precisely which electrical facilities would be avoided due to the installation of renewable energy technologies. This study focused on a single geographic location for renewable technology installation, San Antonio, Texas. The results indicate an important difference between calculating avoided carbon-dioxide when using simple average rates of carbon-dioxide emissions and a dispatching strategy that accounts for the specific electrical plants used to meet electrical demands. The avoided carbon-dioxide due to renewable energy technologies is overestimated when using national, regional and state averages. This occurs because these averages include the carbon-dioxide emission factors of electrical generating assets that are not likely to be displaced by the renewable technology installation. The study also provides a comparison of two specific renewable energy technologies: photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines. The results suggest that investment in PV is more cost effective for the San Antonio location. While the results are only applicable to this location, the methodology is useful for evaluating renewable technologies at any location.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Climate change and the distribution and intensity of infectious diseases.

Many infectious diseases of humans, including ma-laria, dengue, cholera, and schistosomiasis, are restrictedto, or more prevalent in, tropical and subtropical zones.Within the tropics and subtropics, they are moreprevalent at lower than at higher altitudes. Warmertemperatures characteristic of lower latitudes andaltitudes generally increase rates of survival, develop-ment, and replication of parasites and of blood-feedingvectors such as mosquitoes. Warmer conditions alsoincrease activity (including biting) rates of vectors,resulting in higher rates of parasite transmission(reviewed by Harvell et al. 2002). A series of papers inthe 1990s (e.g., Shope 1991, Martens et al. 1995, Colwell1996, McMichael et al. 1996, Patz et al. 1996) contendedthat recent and future trends in climate warming werelikely to increase the incidence and geographic distribu-tion of infectious diseases, particularly those caused byvector-borne and water-borne parasites and pathogens.Owing to media attention and popular concern, thespread of infectious diseases was featured in the growinglist of negative outcomes known or anticipated to arisefrom anthropogenic climate change (e.g., Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change 2001; the 2006documentary ﬁlm, An Inconvenient Truth). However,unequivocal demonstrations of a causal link betweenclimate change and human infectious diseases are rare(albeit increasing). Some diseases are likely to decreasein incidence and range with climate warming (Harvell etal. 2002), and others are likely to respond to precipita-tion or humidity more than to temperature, leading topoor predictive power under warming scenarios. Manydiseases are strongly inﬂuenced by other ecological,sociological, economic, and evolutionary factors besidesclimate change. These latter observations have stimu-lated the emergence of critics of a climate-change–infectious-disease linkage. Lafferty (2009) provides anoverview of recent criticisms, emphasizing three majorcategories: (1) In many cases, we should expect diseasesto shift geographically without net expansion underclimate change; (2) non-climatic factors are moreimportant than climate; and (3) models that predictincreasing disease transmission with climate warmingare ﬂawed if transmission rates fail to exceed a speciﬁcthreshold (R
A simple method for blood exchange in mice.

Ease of transfusion and high long-term survival rate were obtained when whole blood was administered via the corpus cavernosum of the penis and removed from the orbital sinus of male C57Bl mice. When 2 volumes of blood are replaced approximately 14% of pre-transfusion red cells remain after hematocrit corrections are made. The posttransfusion hematocrit levels dropped 19%, probably the result of leakage, which is difficult to avoid.
A new search method for domain decomposition for ODEs

Abstract Using singular perturbation and artificial intelligence techniques for domain decomposition for ordinary differential equations (ODEs) has proven to be a successful method. In the new method we define a search space which is stretched on the reduced solutions. The space is represented by a B-tree. The object of the search is to construct an acceptable path that traverses the space from one end of the boundary to the other end of the boundary. Two search strategies, DFS search and backtrack, are used in the search process. The search method is implemented in Smalltalk, an object oriented programming environment.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF THE NORMAL EYE AND ORBIT OF THE DOG AND CAT

Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the normal eye and orbit of the dog and cat were acquired. T1-weighted, proton-density, and T2-weighed images were obtained in the oblique dorsal, straight sagittal, and oblique sagittal planes. Signal intensity for the various orbital structures differed among the three resonance techniques. T1-weighted images provided the greatest contrast of the retrobulbar structures. T-1 weighted images also had the highest signal to noise ratio, thereby providing the best anatomic detail. Anatomic components of the globe, retrobulbar structures and ocular adnexa were easily seen in all MR sections. The oblique dorsal and oblique sagittal planes were superior for evaluating the optic nerve in its entirety.
Cyclobutylpyrimidine Dimer Base Flipping by DNA Photolyase

DNA Photolyase is a flavoprotein that uses light to repair cyclobutylpyrimidine dimers in DNA. From considerations of the crystal structure of the protein, it has been hypothesized that the dimer lesion is flipped out of the DNA double helix into the substrate binding pocket. We have used a fluorescent adenine analog, 2-aminopurine (2-Ap), as a probe of local double helical structure upon binding of the substrate to the protein. Our results show that the local structure around the thymidine lesion changes dramatically upon binding to Photolyase. This is consistent with base flipping of the lesion into the protein binding cavity with concomitant destacking of the opposing complementary 2-Ap nucleotide.
Co-crystal formation between 2,2′-dithiodibenzoic acid and each of 4,4′-bipyridine, trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane

The results of crystallographic analyses on a series of 1 ∶ 1 and 2 ∶ 1 co-crystals formed between 2,2′-dithiodibenzoic acid (DTBA) and each of 4,4′-bipyridine, trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane are described. Neutral molecules connected via O–H⋯N hydrogen-bonds leading to chains are found in the 1 ∶ 1 co-crystals. The intervention of a lattice water in a pseudo-polymorph of DTBA ∶ 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane consolidates chains into a 2-D array. Proton transfer occurs in the 2 ∶ 1 co-crystals so that the predominant motifs are chains of DTBA anions connected via charge-assisted O–H⋯O− interactions. In the co-crystal formed between 2(DTBA) ∶ 4,4′-bipyridine, characterised as a monohydrate, layers comprising DTBA anions are interspersed with layers of bipyridinium cations connected by water molecules. In the 2(DTBA) ∶ trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene and 2(DTBA) ∶ 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane co-crystals, the layers of DTBA anions are connected via O–H⋯O hydrogen-bonds and define columns in which are threaded chains of bipyridinium cations connected via N–H⋯N+ hydrogen-bonding. Finally, in the pseudopolymorph, 2(DTBA) ∶ 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane.EtOH, layers of anions are bridged by bipyridinium cations so that rectangular columns are defined and in which the solvent ethanol molecules reside.
Structural basis of substrate specificity in the serine proteases

Structure-based mutational analysis of serine protease specificity has produced a large database of information useful in addressing biological function and in establishing a basis for targeted design efforts. Critical issues examined include the function of water molecules in providing strength and specificity of binding, the extent to which binding subsites are interdependent, and the roles of polypeptide chain flexibility and distal structural elements in contributing to specificity profiles. The studies also provide a foundation for exploring why specificity modification can be either straightforward or complex, depending on the particular system.
Quality of life for children with persistent sinonasal symptoms.

Abstract Objective: The goal was to validate the SN-5 survey as a measure of longitudinal change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for children with persistent sinonasal symptoms. Design and Setting: We conducted a before and after study of 85 children aged 2 to 12 years in a metropolitan pediatric otolaryngology practice. Caregivers completed the SN-5 survey at entry and at least 4 weeks later. The survey included 5 symptom-cluster items covering the domains of sinus infection, nasal obstruction, allergy symptoms, emotional distress, and activity limitations. Results: Good test-retest reliability (R = 0.70) was obtained for the overall SN-5 score and the individual survey items (R ≥ 0.58). The mean baseline SN-5 score was 3.8 (SD, 1.0) of a maximum of 7.0, with higher scores indicating poorer HRQoL. All SN-5 items had adequate correlation (R ≥ 0.36) with external constructs. The mean change in SN-5 score after routine clinical care was 0.88 (SD, 1.19) with an effect size of 0.74 indicating good responsiveness to longitudinal change. The change scores correlated appropriately with changes in related external constructs (R ≥ 0.42). Conclusions: The SN-5 is a valid, reliable, and responsive measure of HRQoL for children with persistent sinonasal symptoms, suitable for use in outcomes studies and routine clinical care. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;128:17-26.)
A Brief Review of Selected Cognitive Remediation Therapies for Older Adults

Cognitive reserve theories posit that subtle cognitive declines occur as a function of normal aging as well as a host of physiological, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Such cognitive declines can impair everyday functioning and reduce quality of life in older adults. Fortunately, cognitive remediation interventions continue to be developed, refined, and validated in multiple populations and contexts. Such cognitive remediation interventions promote neuroplasticity and increase cognitive reserve, which facilitate successful cognitive aging. With the efficacy of such cognitive remediation interventions, improvement in specific cognitive abilities as well as everyday functioning can occur, resulting in better adaptation to age-related changes. Underlying principles of cognitive remediation interventions are stated. Concomitantly, several cognitive remediation interventions are elucidated; limitations and strengths are provided for practical implementation of such techniques. Finally, implications for c...
DNA Cross-Linking by a Phototriggered Dehydromonocrotaline Progenitor

A wide variety of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, such as monocrotaline, and the clinically significant mitomycins and the related FR-900482, FK 973, and FR-66979 exert their cytotoxicity through the formation of DNA−DNA interstrand cross-links and DNA−protein cross-links. These naturally occurring antitumor antibiotics are generally either oxidatively or reductively activated in vivo forming a highly reactive pyrrolic-type intermediate, which is responsible for the ultimate DNA cross-linking reaction. These oxidative and reductive pathways, however, often lead to a variety of undesirable toxic events. With the increasing demand for new and less cytotoxic antitumor agents and the recent success of clinically significant photopheresis technologies, we describe here the semisynthesis and DNA cross-linking of the first photochemically triggered progenitor of dehydromonocrotaline.
New tracking algorithm for stereoscopic imaging velocimetry

Particle tracking is an essential step in data process of stereoscopic imaging velocimetry. It is known that in particle tracking velocimetry, part of the individual particle images or equivalently data points are likely to be lost when a flow field is seeded with a high-density particles. In order to maximize the data point-recovery and to enhance the measurement reliability, the neural networks are employed to attain a globally-optical solution in finding appropriate particle tracks. Our investigation indicates that the neural networks offer very good potential for performance enhancement and has proven to be very useful for stereoscopic imaging velocimetry.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.