cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of imaging surveillance for surgically treated early-stage lung cancer.

Background Current guidelines recommend routine imaging surveillance for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after treatment. Little is known about surveillance patterns for patients with surgically resected early-stage lung cancer in the community at large. We sought to characterize surveillance patterns in a national cohort. Methods We conducted a retrospective study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results (SEER)-Medicare database (1995–2010). Patients with stage I/II NSCLC treated with surgical resection were included. Our primary outcome was receipt of imaging between 4 and 8 months after the surgical procedure. Covariates included demographics and comorbidities. Results Chest radiography (CXR) was the most frequent initial modality (60%), followed by chest computed tomography (CT) (25%). Positron emission tomography (PET) was least frequent as an initial imaging modality (3%). A total of 13% of patients received no imaging within the initial surveillance period. Adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for imaging by overall prevalence was 47% for receipt of CT; however, rates of CT increased over time from 28% to 61% ( p Conclusions Imaging after definitive surgical treatment for NSCLC predominantly used CXR rather than CT. Most of this imaging is likely for surveillance, and in that context CXR has inferior detection rates for recurrence and new cancers. Adherence to guideline-recommended CT surveillance after surgical treatment is poor, but the reasons are multifactorial. Efforts to improve adherence to imaging surveillance must be coupled with greater evidence demonstrating improved long-term outcomes.
What do we most need to learn about food intake regulation

Many mechanisms are known to contribute to the regulation of food intake. This notwithstanding, variations in food intake from day to day and deviations from daily energy balance are substantial and very readily tolerated. Yet, despite this very loose short-term adjustment of food intake to energy expenditure, most adults maintain stable body compositions during long periods of their lives. This is particularly puzzling when it occurs in the face of an ubiquitous supply of appealing foods and under circumstances that, in many ways, promote food consumption. Thus, the question arises as to why people in affluent societies eat substantially less on most days, than the amounts that they can so readily consume on high-intake days? In addition to conscious decisions, physiological phenomena restraining food consumption must be presumed to play an important role in limiting weight. But what are the phenomena that cause spontaneous reduction in food intake after a few days of overeating? Our ignorance about the nature and impact of these effects stands in the way of a better understanding of body weight regulation and of the factors responsible for the induction and maintenance of obesity.
Experimental Determination of the Structure Function of the Pion

Abstract It was shown in the preceeding letter that dimuon production by 22 GeV pions proceeds in part through qq annihilations in agreement with the Drell-Yan model. Using these data we extract the quark distribution function of the pion. Comparison of our structure function with that obtained from data at higher energy reveals differences compatible with the QCD calculations of the Q 2 -dependence (scale breaking) of the pion structure function.
Mapping brain size and cortical gray matter changes in elderly depression

Abstract Background In elderly depression, volumetric brain imaging findings suggest abnormalities of the frontal lobe, particularly the orbitofrontal cortex, and the hippocampus. No studies to date have mapped cortical abnormalities over the entire brain surface in major depression. Here, we conducted detailed spatial analyses of brain size and gray matter within the cortical mantle in elderly patients with major depression. Methods High-resolution, three-dimensional, structural magnetic resonance imaging data and cortical pattern matching methods were used in 24 depressed elderly patients and 19 group-matched controls to measure local brain size and proportions of gray matter at thousands of homologous cortical surface locations. Results Prominent brain size reductions were observed in the depressed subjects in the orbitofrontal cortex bilaterally. Cortical gray matter measurements revealed significant gray matter increases in the orbitofrontal cortex, adjacent to focal trend level significant decreases of gray matter in the same region. Depressed patients also exhibited significant gray matter increases in parietal cortices, as well as the left temporal cortex. Conclusions Complex cortical changes may contribute to the brain size reduction of the orbitofrontal cortex and to the gray matter abnormalities detected in orbitofrontal cortex and temporoparietal cortices, thereby providing a potentially new window into the pathophysiology of elderly depression.
Novel use of dual immunomodulation for treating stiff-person syndrome, cerebellar variant.

Stiff-person syndrome is an autoimmune syndrome defined by muscle spasms and rigidity of proximal and axial muscles. Glutamic acid decarboxylase is the autoantigen found in 60%‐80% of stiff person syndrome patients. 1,2 Stiff person syndrome, cerebellar variant was characterized in a subpopulation of patients (5 of 38) with stiff person syndrome and concomitant cerebellar dysfunction 3 and confirmed in another case series (3 of 61). 4 In both case series, increased intrathecal synthesis of anti‐glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies was found in stiff person syndrome, cerebellar variant patients. Gamma-aminobutyric acid agonists such as diazepam and immunotherapies improved their stiffness but not cerebellar dysfunction. 3 In this case report we evaluate a therapy using rituximab and cyclophosphamide; this dual immunomodulation improved both stiffness and cerebellar function in our patient.
Empirical and modeled acoustic transfer functions in a simple room: effects of distance and direction

Empirical transfer functions were measured for a manikin head as a function of source position (relative to the listener) and listener position (relative to the room) for sources within a meter of the listener. Empirical results are compared to room simulations using a standard image-method model combined with anechoic, distance-dependent head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). Results suggest that the biggest discrepancies between measured and modeled impulse responses arise due to interactions of the head with the source, which cannot be ignored for sources this close to the listener. Results give insight into the importance of the acoustic effects of the head and room on the total signal reaching a listener and have implications for understanding spatial perception in rooms and developing realistic 3D spatial auditory displays.
Identifying and grading factors that modify the outcome of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair

Prospective randomization is a fundamental feature of clinical trial design because this process provides a mechanism for equal distribution among treatment arms of all factors, both recognized and hidden, that might modify outcome. Although an acceptable substitute for randomization does not exist, in the area of endovascular therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysm, practical considerations often limit the use of randomization. In this regard, adjusting for case severity mix provides a mechanism to obtain some measure of confidence in comparing the outcomes of two or more treatment protocols pursued within a single clinical trial or reported by separate investigators. Relevant examples include comparing outcomes of two or more different devices undergoing separate clinical trials; analyzing results of the same technical approach reported by different investigators; and gauging the effect of an adjunctive measure, improved device, or enhanced deployment system. Thus, it would be inappropriate to compare the outcomes of endograft repair between two studies if one was populated with healthy patients and relatively small aneurysms and the other treated more complex aneurysms among patients with significant comorbidities. The objective of adjusting for case variability is best achieved with severity scoring schemes incorporating all factors known to affect the outcome being assessed. Although scoring schemes that attempt to define the severity of associated medical comorbidities and anatomic factors have been reported for lower-extremity peripheral vascular 1 and venous disease, 2 comparable systems that are appropriate for endovascular aneurysm repair have yet to be proposed. In this report, comorbidity and anatomic schemes are offered as an initial effort to develop useful tools for the comparative analysis of data related to endovascular treatment of aortic
Cognitive function in morbidly obese individuals with and without binge eating disorder

Abstract Objective Obesity is associated with poorer cognitive function and impulsivity, which may contribute to binge eating disorder (BED). The objective of this study was to compare cognitive function in morbidly obese individuals with and without BED. Method A total of 131 morbidly obese individuals (41 with past or present BED, 90 with no BED history) completed a computerized battery of cognitive tests including executive, memory, language, and attention. Results Both groups of participants evidenced high rates of cognitive impairment; however, no significant differences emerged between persons with and without BED on cognitive testing. Comparison of persons without BED, current BED, and past BED also yielded no differences. Discussion In the present sample, morbidly obese individuals with and without BED were clinically indistinguishable on tests of cognitive function. Our findings suggest that obesity, rather than binge eating, may be more directly related to cognition. Future studies should further examine this relationship because it might provide greater insight into the neural mechanisms for this BED.
First principles investigation of scaling trends of zirconium silicate interface band offsets

First principles density functional theory calculations are carried out to investigate the scaling trends of band offsets at model silicon/zirconium silicate interfaces. Owing to the d character of zirconium silicate conduction bands, the band gap and band offset are shown to decrease as the zirconium concentration is increased. Since the valence band character of silicates remains unchanged relative to SiO2, the conduction band offset alone decreases, leading to increasingly asymmetric band offsets at higher zirconium concentrations. The use of charge transfer dipoles at the interface is investigated as a possible remedy to restore the band offset symmetry by shifting the silicate bands relative to the silicon bands.
Phase-interchange relations for the elastic moduli of two-phase composites

Abstract For isotropic two-phase composites, we derive phase-interchange inequalities for the bulk and shear moduli in two and three space dimensions. We find optimal microstructures that realize part of the bull, and shear moduli bounds in two dimensions. Geometrical-parameter bounds and the translation method are used to prove the results. The phase-interchange relations are applied to composites with cavities or a perfectly rigid phase, composites near the percolation threshold, incompressible composites, composites with equal bulk or shear phase moduli, and symmetric composites.
Visible-near-infrared spectroscopy to predict water-holding capacity in normal and pale broiler breast meat.

Abstract Visible–near-infrared spectroscopy was examined as a tool for rapidly determining water-holding capacity (WHC) in broiler breast meat. Reflectance measurements for 85 breast filets were recorded over the 400 to 2,498 nm wavelength range at 0.5-nm intervals and 32 scans. Chemometric analysis was performed utilizing Savitzky-Golay derivative processing and multiplicative scatter correction. Both partial least squares regression and discriminant analysis were used to develop calibration models tested by cross-validation. Partial least squares regression modeling resulted in coefficients of determinants of 0.72, 0.67, and 0.62 for WHC, pH, and lightness (L*) values, respectively. The mean spectra of samples categorized as either high or low WHC, pH, and L* showed significant differences between absorption peaks between 400 to 800 nm and between 1,400 to 2,500 nm (associated with heme pigments and water absorption, respectively). The results showed potential use of visible–near-infrared spectroscopy as a predictor of WHC in pale broiler breast meat.
Usual suspects? Public views about immigrants’ impact on crime in European countries

Using data from the 2002/3 module of the European Social Survey project, this study examines the relationship between public views about immigrants’ impact on crime and measures of criminal behavior in 21 countries of Europe. The results from hierarchical regression models show that perceptions about immigrants’ impact are unaffected by personal experience with crime and by contextual measures such as the homicide rate, prison population rate, and ratio of foreign inmate to non-European foreign population. The analysis further reveals that perceived immigrants’ impact on crime is sensitive to having friends among immigrants, residing in an ethnic neighborhood, having affinity with right-wing ideologies, as well as several socio-demographic characteristics. At the country level, perceptions that immigrants worsen crime problems are more evident in societies harboring larger stocks of non-European immigrants, but such views are not affected by economic circumstances. These findings imply that Europeans’ exp...
Phylogenetic and Biologic Evidence That Babesia divergens Is Not Endemic in the United States

The causative agent of human babesiosis in a Kentucky case, which was first identified as Babesia divergens, is identical to a parasite of eastern cottontail rabbits on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts based on piroplasm size, morphology, and ribosomal RNA sequence analysis. Studies showing differential infectivity for cattle, host erythrocyte specificity in vitro, parasite size and morphology in vitro, and ribosomal RNA sequences clearly demonstrate that the parasite from the rabbit (conspecific with the human Kentucky agent) is not the same organism as B. divergens.
A molecular-level approach for characterizing water-insoluble components of ambient organic aerosol particulates using ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry

Abstract. The chemical composition of organic aerosols in the atmosphere is strongly influenced by human emissions. The effect these have on the environment, human health, and climate change is determined by the molecular nature of these chemical species. The complexity of organic aerosol samples limits the ability to study the chemical composition, and therefore the associated properties and the impacts they have. Many studies have addressed the water-soluble fraction of organic aerosols and have had much success in identifying specific molecular formulas for thousands of compounds present. However, little attention is given to the water-insoluble portion, which can contain most of the fossil material that is emitted through human activity. Here we compare the organic aerosols present in water extracts and organic solvent extracts (pyridine and acetonitrile) of an ambient aerosol sample collected in a rural location that is impacted by natural and anthropogenic emission sources. A semiquantitative method was developed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine that the amount of organic matter extracted by pyridine is comparable to that of water. Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectra show that pyridine extracts a molecularly unique fraction of organic matter compared to water or acetonitrile, which extract chemically similar organic matter components. The molecular formulas unique to pyridine were less polar, more aliphatic, and reveal formulas containing sulfur to be an important component of insoluble aerosol organic matter.
Osmoregulation in the Hawaiian anchialine shrimp Halocaridina rubra (Crustacea: Atyidae): expression of ion transporters, mitochondria-rich cell proliferation and hemolymph osmolality during salinity transfers

Studies of euryhaline crustaceans have identified conserved osmoregulatory adaptions allowing hyper-osmoregulation in dilute waters. However, previous studies have mainly examined decapod brachyurans with marine ancestries inhabiting estuaries or tidal creeks on a seasonal basis. Here, we describe osmoregulation in the atyid Halocaridina rubra, an endemic Hawaiian shrimp of freshwater ancestry from the islands' anchialine ecosystem (coastal ponds with subsurface freshwater and seawater connections) that encounters near-continuous spatial and temporal salinity changes. Given this, survival and osmoregulatory responses were examined over a wide salinity range. In the laboratory, H. rubra tolerated salinities of ~0-56‰, acting as both a hyper- and hypo-osmoregulator and maintaining a maximum osmotic gradient of ~868 mOsm kg(-1) H2O in freshwater. Furthermore, hemolymph osmolality was more stable during salinity transfers relative to other crustaceans. Silver nitrate and vital mitochondria-rich cell staining suggest all gills are osmoregulatory, with a large proportion of each individual gill functioning in ion transport (including when H. rubra acts as an osmoconformer in seawater). Additionally, expression of ion transporters and supporting enzymes that typically undergo upregulation during salinity transfer in osmoregulatory gills (i.e. Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, carbonic anhydrase, Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) cotransporter, V-type H(+)-ATPase and arginine kinase) were generally unaltered in H. rubra during similar transfers. These results suggest H. rubra (and possibly other anchialine species) maintains high, constitutive levels of gene expression and ion transport capability in the gills as a means of potentially coping with the fluctuating salinities that are encountered in anchialine habitats. Thus, anchialine taxa represent an interesting avenue for future physiological research.
Organization for a Community Cardiovascular Health Program: Experiences from the Minnesota Heart Health Program

The World Health Organization has emphasized the importance of community participation as a keystone of primary health care and in meeting their goal of health for all. This article reports on the first three years of experience in a community-based approach to cardiovascular health. The project involves three communities totaling almost a quarter of a million inhabitants with matched comparison communities. An extensive volunteer structure provides a dynamic partnership wih the education research group in bringing learning opportunities and enabling situations for the practice of heart healthy life styles in the total community. The project goal is to demonstrate reduced mortality and morbidity from educational interventions. The parti cipative intervention model suggests a feasible alternative for future public health practice.
An Update for Professionals Working with Neonates at Risk

Advances in neonatal intensive care have dramatically increased the survival rate of infants born prematurely or with medical complications. To meet the needs of these at-risk neonates and their families, early interventionists must be well acquainted with the many aspects of neonatal intensive care. The purpose of this paper is to provide a resource for professionals involved with infant service delivery, to update their knowledge regarding neonatal intensive care. Treatment approaches found in the neonatal intensive care unit are discussed in terms of (a) organization and staffing patterns, (b) basic equipment, (c) routine care procedures, (d) family involvement, and (e) common infant diseases/problems and intervention techniques.
Trade-Union Government: A Formal Analysis

Importance of studying the formal aspects of trade-union government, 78. — Scope of the paper, 80. — I. Structural elements: the industry within which the union operates, 80; administrative problems faced by the union, 89; competition of other unions, 93; legal directives, 96. — II. Initative elements: meaning of the concept, 98; illustrations, 99. — III. Power elements: meaning of the concept, 102; classification, 102; the Musicians' Union, 104; other cases, 106. — IV. Summary and conclusion: two basic characteristics revealed, 108; relative importance of different factors, 108; separation of legislative, executive and judicial authority, 109; conflicting interests, 109; union philosophy, 109; centralization, 110.
Algorithms for traversal-based generic programming

Polytypic programming is very useful in functional languages to capture generic functionality, but is of little help to programmers in object-oriented languages. We have developed a form of polytypic programming, which is more object-oriented friendly, that we call traversal-based generic programming. The approach involves the use of several algorithms for function set generation, dispatch, and type-checking. In this paper we give an overview of our approach and a detailed account of the various algorithms involved in making traversal-based generic programming useful, safe, and efficient
Internal Geology and Evolution of the Redondo Dome, Valles Caldera, New Mexico

Deep geothermal drilling in the resurgent Redondo dome of the Valles caldera has allowed us to define a consistent intracaldera stratigraphic sequence that differs in a number of respects from the temporally equivalent sequence outside the caldera. Above the deeply eroded, Pliocene Paliza Canyon Formation, felsic ash flows and sediments in the dome area form a complex sequence of undetermined age that we call the Lower Tuffs. An erosional interval separates these rocks from the overlying Otowi Member (1.4 m.y.) of the Bandelier Tuff. Another period of erosion, during which a tuffaceous sandstone was deposited, separates the Otowi from the overlying Tshirege Member (1.1 m.y.) of the Bandelier. Both the Otowi and Tshirege members, with maximum thicknesses of 833 and 1155 m, respectively, are substantially thicker within the caldera than outside, indicating simultaneous deposition and cauldron subsidence. Both are predominantly densely welded with distinctive interior zones of granophyric crystallization. Resurgent doming was initiated after emplacement of the Tshirege Member as evidenced by erosion of the upper portions of the cooling unit prior to deposition of overlying units. An isopach map of the sandstone deposited during this erosional period shows that streams draining the uplifting dome were localized along the present Redondo Creek trend. Subsequent volcanic activity resulted in the formation of at least three additional ash flow tuff cooling units prior to deposition of caldera fill and eruption of the Redondo Creek Member of the Valles Rhyolite. A numerical model applied to formation of the Redondo dome suggests that the top of the causative magma body is located at a depth of about 4700 m, 1458 m beneath the bottom of the deepest geothermal well in the dome. No wells have penetrated intrusives that could be related to this magma. We suggest that the locations of faults bounding the apical graben of the dome were influenced by older faults associated with the northeast trending Jemez lineament. These faults were active early in the uplift history of the dome and account for many of the structural differences between hypothetical dome development and reality.
Public health dentists and dental hygienists express an interest in continuing education

The writer of this report has gathered information that should be useful to those engaged in planning continuing education for personnel practicing dental public health.
The impact of BGP dynamics on intra-domain traffic

Recent work in network traffic matrix estimation has focused on generating router-to-router or PoP-to-PoP (Point-of-Presence) traffic matrices within an ISP backbone from network link load data. However, these estimation techniques have not considered the impact of inter-domain routing changes in BGP (Border Gateway Protocol). BGP routing changes have the potential to introduce significant errors in estimated traffic matrices by causing traffic shifts between egress routers or PoPs within a single backbone network. We present a methodology to correlate BGP routing table changes with packet traces in order to analyze how BGP dynamics affect traffic fan-out within a large "tier-1" network. Despite an average of 133 BGP routing updates per minute, we find that BGP routing changes do not cause more than 0.03% of ingress traffic to shift between egress PoPs. This limited impact is mostly due to the relative stability of network prefixes that receive the majority of traffic -- 0.05% of BGP routing table changes affect intra-domain routes for prefixes that carry 80% of the traffic. Thus our work validates an important assumption underlying existing techniques for traffic matrix estimation in large IP networks.
Latently Expressed Human Herpesvirus 8-Encoded Interferon Regulatory Factor 2 Inhibits Double-Stranded RNA-Activated Protein Kinase

Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8; Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus) encodes four open reading frames with homology to cellular proteins of interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family. Three of them, viral IRF-1 (vIRF-1), vIRF-2, and vIRF-3, have been cloned and found, when overexpressed, to down-regulate the transcriptional activity of interferon type I gene promoters in infected cells by interfering with the transactivating activity of cellular IRFs. In this study, we have further characterized vIRF-2 and shown that it is a nuclear protein which is constitutively expressed in HHV-8-positive pleural effusion lymphoma cell lines. Nuclear localization of vIRF-2 was confirmed by in situ detection of ectopically expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein/vIRF-2 fusion protein. We found that the expression of vIRF-2 in HEK293 cells inhibited the antiviral effect of interferon and rescued translation of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA from interferon-induced translational block. To provide insight into the mechanism of this effect we have demonstrated that vIRF-2 physically interacts with PKR consequently inhibiting autophosphorylation of double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) and blocking phosphorylation of PKR substrates histone 2A and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α. These results suggest that the latently expressed vIRF-2 has a role in viral mimicry which targets the activity of interferon-induced PKR kinase. By inhibiting the kinase activity of PKR and consequent down-modulation of protein synthesis, HHV-8 has evolved a mechanism by which it can overcome the interferon-mediated antiviral effect. Thus, the anti-interferon functions of vIRF-2 may contribute to the establishment of a chronic or latent infection.
TCR-Mediated Recognition of Glycolipid CD1 Complexes

Populations of unconventional T lymphocytes that express alpha beta T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) have been characterized, including T cells reactive to glycolipids presented by CD1 molecules. The CD1 molecules have a structure broadly similar to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II proteins, but because the antigens CD 1 presents are so different from peptides, it is possible that glycolipid reactive TCRs have properties that distinguish them from TCRs expressed by conventional T cells. Consistent with this possibility, CD1-reactive T cells have an unrestrained pattern of co-receptor expression, as they include CD4+, CD8+, and double-negative cells. Furthermore, unlike peptide-reactive T cells, there are populations of glycolipid-reactive T cells with invariant alpha chain TCRs that are conserved across species. There are also glycolipid reactive populations with more variable TCRs, however, suggesting that it may be difficult to make categorical generalizations about glycolipid reactive TCRs. Among the glycolipid reactive TCRs, the invariant TCR expressed by CD1d reactive NKT cells has been by far the most thoroughly studied, and in this article we emphasize the unique features of this antigen recognition system, including repertoire formation, fine specificity, TCR affinity, and TCR structure.
Increase in frequencies of circulating Th-17 cells in HIV-1 infected patients with poor CD4+ T-cell reconstitution on effective HAART.

Although circulating Th-17 (cTh-17) cells are related to inflammatory diseases, its role in HIV immunopathogenesis is not well known. We investigated the association of cTh-17 cells with immune activation (IA), immune exhaustion (IE) and regulatory T-cells (T-regs) in HAART treated virologically controlled (<40 HIV RNA copies/ml) HIV-1 infected patients with poor CD4 T-cell recovery (discordant).
Knockout of the neural and heart expressed gene HF-1b results in apical deficits of ventricular structure and activation

Objective : Knockout of the neural and cardiac expressed transcription factor HF-1b causes electrophysiological abnormalities including fatal ventricular arrhythmias that occur with increasing frequency around the 4th week of postnatal life. This study addresses factors that may contribute to conduction disturbance in the ventricle of the HF-1b knockout mouse. Disruptions to gap junctional connexin40 (Cx40) have been reported in distal (i.e., apically located), but not proximal His–Purkinje conduction tissues of the HF-1b knockout mouse. This abnormality in myocardial Cx40 led us to address whether 4-week-old HF-1b knockout postnates display other disruptions to ventricular structure and function. Methods : Western blotting and immunoconfocal quantification of Cx43 and coronary arteriole density and function were undertaken in the ventricle. Electrical activation was described by optical mapping. Results : Western blotting and immunoconfocal microscopy indicated that overall levels of Cx43 ( p <0.001) and percent of Cx43 localized in intercalated disks ( p <0.001) were significantly decreased in the ventricular myocardium of knockouts relative to wildtype littermate controls. Analysis of the reduction in Cx43 level by basal and apical territories revealed that the decrease was most pronounced in the lower, apical half of the ventricle of knockouts relative to controls ( p <0.001). Myocyte size also showed a significant decrease in the knockout, that was more marked within the apical half of the ventricle ( p <0.05). Optical recordings of ventricular activation indicated apically localized sectors of slowed conduction in knockout ventricles not occurring in controls that could be correlated directly to tissues showing reduced Cx43. These discrete sectors of abnormal conduction in the knockout heart were resolved following point stimulation of the ventricular epicardium and thus were not explained by dysfunction of the His–Purkinje system. To further probe base-to-apex abnormalities in the HF-1b knockout ventricle, we analyzed coronary arterial structure and function. These analyses indicated that relative to controls, the apical ventricular territory of the HF-1b knockout had reductions in the density of small resistance vessels ( p <0.01) and deficits in arterial function as assayed by bead perfusion ( p <0.01). Conclusion : The HF-1b knockout ventricle displays abnormalities in Cx43 level, myocyte size, activation spread and coronary arterial structure and function. These abnormalities tend to be more pronounced in the apical territory of the ventricle and seem likely to be factors contributing to the pathological disturbance of cardiac conduction that characterizes the heart of the HF-1b knockout mouse.
Pseudo-cleistothecia in Trichophyton rubrum

Observations have shown that the anthropophilic dermatophyte T. tubrum has the potential ability to reproduce sexually, the perfect form being identifiable with the genus Arthroderma but, at the time of publication, fertile cleistothecia have not been demonstrated.Preliminary experiments made to determine the compatible mating strains of the species indicate that the organism is present in nature predominantly in the negative mating type and this may account for the fact that the fertile sexual organs have not been encountered.
Reduced vancomycin susceptibility and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type distribution in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia

OBJECTIVES Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that genotypic and phenotypic characteristics that have typically distinguished community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and healthcare-associated MRSA strains may be evolving. The objective of this study was to examine the association between reduced vancomycin susceptibility (RVS) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type in MRSA bloodstream isolates. METHODS A cohort study of patients who were hospitalized from 2007 to 2009 with S. aureus bacteraemia was conducted within a university health system. Bivariable analyses were conducted to determine the association between RVS and SCCmec type, as well as other microbiological characteristics including Panton-Valentine leucocidin, accessory gene regulator (agr) dysfunction and vancomycin heteroresistance. RESULTS A total of 188 patients with MRSA bacteraemia were identified: 116 (61.7%) and 72 (38.3%) patients had infections due to healthcare-associated MRSA and community-associated MRSA, respectively. As defined by a vancomycin Etest MIC > 1.0 mg/L, the prevalence of RVS was 40.4%. Isolates with RVS were significantly more likely to be associated with SCCmec II compared with isolates without RVS (74.7% and 47.3%, respectively, P < 0.001), but not with Panton-Valentine leucocidin (P = 0.10), agr dysfunction (P = 0.19) or healthcare-associated infection (P = 0.36). CONCLUSIONS The results of our study demonstrate important microbiological characteristics among MRSA isolates characterized by RVS, including a significant association between SCCmec II and elevated vancomycin MIC. It is clear that the clinical and molecular epidemiology of MRSA is evolving, and further understanding of factors determining virulence will be important for the elucidation of optimal treatment approaches for associated infections.
The space of translation

This paper explores the space of translation spanning cross-cultural description and the verbal act of rendering in one language what is expressed in another. We make a three-way distinction between translation as a method of revealing difference and similarity, cultural interpretation, which is related but distinct, and endogenous translation that takes place within a single language or culture. Intracultural translation plays a constitutive role in the social life of any human group, and not only in mediating between different groups and languages. This is evident in all varieties of reported speech, paraphrase, commentary, and exegesis. These share with translation two features that distinguish it from other kinds of interpretation: a translation both refers to and paraphrases its source text. It is the target language into which one translates that ultimately constrains the process . An adequate target language must be functionally capable of self-interpetation through metalanguage. Cross-linguistic translation presupposes intralinguistic translation. Historical examples of languages changing through intertranslation abound in (post)colonial contexts in which authoritative texts in a dominant language are translated into a subordinated language. This process inevitably alters the semantics and pragmatics of the subordinate language. The direction, scope, and depth of change are historically variable. Examples are adduced from modern and colonial Yucatec Maya and Spanish.
Guest Editorial: “Spatializing Demography for the Urban Future”

Today’s demographic methods inherit traditions from an era when far less than half of the world’s population lived in cities and towns. Now that the world’s population as a whole has become more urban than rural, it is an opportune moment to ask whether these methods and the concepts that have informed them would benefit from a reappraisal. To ensure that demographic thinking continues to add value in the upcoming urban era, we should ask: What features of urban context and demographic behavior are distinctive from rural? In what way do the multiple spaces of urban life—its neighborhoods, the social networks that traverse neighborhoods, the connections and flows that reach across cities and link to rural areas, the multiple levels and units of government, and the highly diverse private sector of the urban economy—need to be considered in fashioning new methodological and conceptual tools? In the high-income West, one can draw insight from a venerable tradition of detailed sociological, geographic, and economic analysis of cities. But it remains surprising how limited to high-income settings this ‘‘Chicago School’’ of analysis has been, and how seldom its theoretical apparatus has been trained on the cities and towns of poor countries. Furthermore, to rely on methods that for the most part treat the wide variety of cities and towns as if they are all
Reduced Susceptibility to Xanthomonas citri in Transgenic Citrus Expressing the FLS2 Receptor From Nicotiana benthamiana

Overexpression of plant pattern-recognition receptors by genetic engineering provides a novel approach to enhance plant immunity and broad-spectrum disease resistance. Citrus canker disease associated with Xanthomonas citri is one of the most important diseases damaging citrus production worldwide. In this study, we cloned the FLS2 gene from Nicotiana benthamiana cDNA and inserted it into the binary vector pBinPlus/ARS to transform Hamlin sweet orange and Carrizo citrange. Transgene presence was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene expression of NbFLS2 was compared by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to flg22Xcc was detected in transgenic Hamlin but not in nontransformed controls. Low or no ROS production was detected from nontransformed Hamlin seedlings challenged with flg22Xcc. Transgenic plants highly expressing NbFLS2 were selected and were evaluated for resistance to canker incited by X. citri 3213. Our results showed that the integration and expression of the NbFLS2 gene in citrus can increase canker resistance and defense-associated gene expression when challenged with X. citri. These results suggest that canker-susceptible Citrus genotypes lack strong basal defense induced by X. citri flagellin and the resistance of these genotypes can be enhanced by transgenic expression of the flagellin receptor from a resistant species.
Comparing Prognostic Value of Imaging Agents and Imaging Techniques

In the development trajectory of a new noninvasive imaging agent or technology, initial studies often focus on the ability of the modality to detect or rule out coronary disease, driven in part by regulatory considerations because regulatory approval often involves measures of diagnostic performance
No Evidence on Directional vs. Proximity

The directional and proximity models offer dramatically different theories for how voters make decisions and fundamentally divergent views of the supposed microfoundations on which vast bodies of literature in theoretical rational choice and empirical political behavior have been built. We demonstrate here that the empirical tests in the large and growing body of literature on this subject amount to theoretical debates about which statistical assumption is right. The key statistical assumptions have not been empirically tested and, indeed, turn out to be effectively untestable with exiting methods and data. Unfortunately, these assumptions are also crucial since changing them leads to different conclusions about voter processes.
Choice, responsibility, and health: What role for the food movement?

First paragraphs: In making decisions about how best to improve the food choices people make, the food movement faces a dilemma. On the one hand, individuals decide what to put in their mouths and swallow, suggesting that improvements require changing what's inside people's heads: their knowledge, skills, and motivation. On the other hand, growing evidence shows that these choices are shaped by external forces: the food that giant corporations produce; the relentless advertising of some products but not others; the taxes and subsidies of governments; and the proximity, price, and products offered at local retail outlets. Taking on these external influences will require changing organizations, policies, and environments. Many of our national food fights pit proponents of changing demand for food against those who advocate changing our food supply by changing the business practices of the food industry. In theory it should be obvious that we need to do both, but in practice food activists are often polarized by this debate. More broadly, the food movement's trouble in articulating the connections between changing individuals and changing institutions and environments makes it more difficult to enlist the public in mobilizing for either type of change...
De novo protein structure modeling from cryoem data through a dynamic programming algorithm in the secondary structure topology graph

Proteins are the molecules carry out the vital functions and make more than the half of dry weight in every cell. Protein in nature folds into a unique and energetically favorable 3-Dimensional (3-D) structure which is critical and unique to its biological function. In contrast to other methods for protein structure determination, Electron Cryo-rricroscopy (CryoEM) is able to produce volumetric maps of proteins that are poorly soluble, large and hard to crystallize. Furthermore, it studies the proteins in their native environment. Unfortunately, the volumetric maps generated by current advances in CryoEM technique produces protein maps at medium resolution about (~5 to 10A) in which it is hard to determine the atomic-structure of the protein. However, the resolution of the volumetric maps is improving steadily, and recent works could obtain atomic models at higher resolutions (~3A). De novo protein modeling is the process of building the structure of the protein using its CryoEM volumetric map. Thereupon, the volumetric maps at medium resolution generated by CryoEM technique proposed a new challenge. At the medium resolution, the location and orientation of secondary structure elements (SSE) can be visually and computationally identified. However, the order and direction (called protein topology) of the SSEs detected from the CryoEM volumetric map are not visible. In order to determine the protein structure, the topology of the SSEs has to be figured out and then the backbone can be built. Consequently, the topology problem has become a bottle neck for protein modeling using CryoEM In this dissertation, we focus to establish an effective computational framework to derive the atomic structure of a protein from the medium resolution CryoEM volumetric maps. This framework includes a topology graph component to rank effectively the topologies of the SSEs and a model building component. In order to generate the small subset of candidate topologies, the problem is translated into a layered graph representation. We developed a dynamic programming algorithm (TopoDP) for the new representation to overcome the problem of large search space. Our approach shows the improved accuracy, speed and memory use when compared with existing methods. However, the generating of such set was infeasible using a brute force method. Therefore, the topology graph component effectively reduces the topological space using the geometrical features of the secondary structures through a constrained K-shortest paths method in our layered graph. The model building component involves the bending of a helix and the loop construction using skeleton of the volumetric map. The forward-backward CCD is applied to bend the helices and model the loops.
FASN, Dietary Fat Intake, and Risk of Uterine Leiomyomata in the Black Women’s Health Study

Objective To replicate results from a previous genome-wide association study of European ancestry women, in which a positive association was found between uterine leiomyomata (UL) and rs4247357, a single-nucleotide polymorphism located near the fatty acid synthase ( FASN ) gene. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) African-American women aged 23–50 years, who were premenopausal and had an intact uterus in 1997. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) We genotyped rs4247357 among 2,301 incident UL cases and 3,005 controls from the Black Women's Health Study (1997-2011). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression with control for age, geographic region of residence, and percent European ancestry using a panel of validated ancestry informative markers. Result(s) Overall, rs4247357 was not associated with UL risk. Relative to the CC genotype, ORs were 1.04 (95% CI 0.92–1.19) for the AC genotype and 1.09 (95% CI 0.93–1.29) for the AA genotype. A positive association was found, however, among those with higher European ancestry (≥40%). Relative to the CC genotype, ORs were 2.03 (95% CI 1.12–3.69) for the AC genotype and 2.44 (95% CI 1.20–4.96) for the AA genotype. Dietary fat intake also appeared to modify the FASN –UL association. Conclusion(s) Although there was little overall association between rs4247357 and UL risk, a positive association was observed among women with ≥40% European ancestry. Direct sequencing of this genomic region might be warranted to determine whether rs4247357, or some other variant, is causally related to UL.
The Ratings Agencies — More Perfect Information?

Risk assessment is a highly technical problem. If each bond investor was to try to estimate the downside risk of each asset under consideration, it would be likely that few investors would be qualified to buy bonds or other risk bearing fixed income securities. If such were the case, those issuing the bonds would have few buyers, and would then have to offer a commensurately higher interest rate to attract sufficient interest and raise sufficient capital. With such uncertainty and such an advantage to most skilled analyses, it would be smart for the bond issuers or investment houses marketing the bond issues to hire a risk-assessment agent to analyze the proposed security and give it a letter grade that would signal the level of risk to the marketplace. This is the job of the ratings agencies.
Exploratory tests of dodecylbenzene for use in power transformers

Mineral oil serves to insulate and cool practically all large power transformers. The transformer oils offered by the various companies are basically similar, but minor variations in the constitution of such oils are found between vendors, and there are continued differences of opinion within the industry as to the most desirable formulation to use. In view of such variations, and the underlying complex composition of oil, it is not surprising that most basic research has been concentrated upon simpler dielectric fluids. Accordingly, the chances of interpreting the many and various breakdown phenomena in liquid-filled high-voltage equipment would be improved if a well-defined alternative to mineral oil were brought into general use.