cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Erythema necrolyticum migrans nach Rektumadenokarzinom

Das Erythema necrolyticum migrans (ENM) ist in den meisten Fallen mit einem α-Zelltumor des Pankreas (Glukagonom) assoziiert und gilt als obligate kutane Paraneoplasie. Wir berichten uber eine 74jahrige Patientin, bei der ein ENM erst nach operativer Entfernung eines Rektumadenokarzinoms auftrat. Trotz intensiver Tumorsuche konnte innerhalb von 4 Jahren bei langsam zuruckgehendem Eruptionsdruck des ENM kein Anhalt fur eine Metastasierung oder ein weiteres Malignom gefunden werden.
Taking Contraband Seriously: Practicing “Legitimate Work” at the Mexico‐Guatemala Border

This article details the work experiences of small-scale smugglers at the Mexico-Guatemala border and how they give meaning to their work by redefining contraband as legitimate “business.” Through their daily practices, border residents distinguish between the “legal” flows of the everyday goods they smuggle and “illicit” flows of drugs, arms, and migrants. I apply a practice theory perspective to illustrate how everyday work practices deemed illegitimate by statist ideologies can lead to a reevaluation of hegemonic notions of “work.” Through their daily extralegal activities, border residents challenge conventional assessments of work and redefine neoliberal market logics that otherwise exclude them. Furthermore, I argue that a reflexive engagement with the ethnographic process provides insight into our own work principles and praxis. I reflect on my experience as an American female working among mostly male smugglers, leading to a critical reformulation not only of dominant definitions of legality, but of the politics and ethics of what is considered legitimate and worthwhile work.
A visual evoked potential study of spatial noise

Since evoked potentials have the highest temporal resolution of any noninvasive measurement of brain activity, this technique is an invaluable tool for investigating human brain function. In this study, we examined the visual evoked potential (VEP) to a square-wave grating pattern embedded in different degrees of spatial noise. The five basic patterns used as visual stimuli were selected as a representative sample from convergent sequence of images generated by the ALOPEX optimization algorithm. All stimulus patterns were rectangular grayscale images of the same size and average luminance. In addition, the stimulus content of each pattern was quantified using a number of image processing algorithms including space-averaged global contrast, image entropy, central moments, 2D Fourier transform, and 2D wavelet transform. The results presented demonstrate the affects of spatial noise on both the time and frequency components of the visual evoked potential recorded from different lobes of the brain.
Comparison of the sensory attributes of an African staple (fufu) processed from American and African varieties of grain sorghum

The sensory attributes of ‘fufu’, a popular carbohydrate-based staple in West Africa, was investigated using flour milled from the grain sorghum varieties Shallu and Feterita of African origin, and Tub 7 and G-550 of North American origin. A laboratory method was developed, based on traditional protocols, and applied to the preparation of fufu from the flours. The fufu products were then scored by sensory analyses for color, elasticity, texture, flavor, overall quality and acceptability by a trained panel of African judges. The results obtained from these analyses indicate that the fufu products varied significantly in sensory properties. Feterita scored significantly lower than the other three in all sensory factors except elasticity. Shallu was scored highest of the four varieties for most sensory properties. In terms of overall acceptability Shallu, Tub 7, G-550 and Feterita were scored in that order. The judges unanimously selected color and texture as the most influential factors in fufu evaluation. ...
Oxidative stress in a phenylketonuria animal model.

Oxidative stress is seen in various metabolic disorders for unknown reasons. Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant status in favor of the former. This study investigated whether oxidative stress exists in phenylketonuria (PKU) using the BTBR-Pah enu2 animal model for PKU. Animals (14 -24 weeks old) were sacrificed and brain and red blood cells (RBCs) were obtained aseptically. The lipid peroxidation by-product, evaluated as malondialdehyde (MDA), was significantly higher in the brains and RBCs of PKU animals (n 6) than in controls (n 6). Glutathione/glutathione disulfide, a good indicator for tissue thiol status, was significantly decreased both in the brains and RBCs. Some antioxidant enzymes were also analyzed in RBCs, including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), which provides the RBC's main reducing power, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and catalase detoxifies H 2O2 by catalyzing its reduction to O2 and H2O. Both catalase and G6PD were significantly increased in the RBCs of PKU animals. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. Keywords—Phenylketonuria, Oxidative stress, Glutathione, Free radicals
Food-Based Validation of a Dietary Questionnaire: The Effects of Week-to-Week Variation in Food Consumption

The reproducibility and validity of responses for 55 specific foods and beverages on a self-administered food frequency questionnaire were evaluated. One hundred and seventy three women from the Nurses' Health Study completed the questionnaire twice approximately 12 months apart and also recorded their food consumption for seven consecutive days, four times during the one-year interval. For the 55 foods, the mean of correlation coefficients between frequencies of intake for first versus second questionnaire was 0.57 (range = 0.24 for fruit punch to 0.93 for beer). The mean of correlation coefficients between the dietary records and first questionnaire was 0.44 (range = 0.09 for yellow squash to 0.83 for beer and tea) and between the dietary records and the second questionnaire was 0.52 (range = 0.08 for spinach to 0.90 for tea). Ratios of within- to between-person variance for the 55 foods were computed using the mean four one-week dietary records for each person as replicate measurements. For most foods this ratio was greater than 1.0 (geometric mean of ratios = 1.88), ranging from 0.25 (skimmed milk) to 14.76 (spinach). Correlation coefficients comparing questionnaire and dietary record for the 55 foods were corrected for the within-person variation (mean corrected value = 0.55 for dietary record versus first questionnaire and 0.66 versus the second). Mean daily amounts of each food calculated by the questionnaire and by the dietary record were also compared; the observed differences suggested that responses to the questionnaire tended to over-represent socially desirable foods. This analysis documents the validity and reproducibility of the questionnaire for measuring specific foods and beverages, as well as the large within-person variation for food intake measured by dietary records. Differences in the degree of validity for specific foods revealed in this type of analysis can be useful in improving questionnaire design and in interpreting findings from epidemiological studies that use the instrument.
HIGH-TC SUPERCONDUCTORS FROM METALLORGANIC PRECURSORS

Abstract High T c cuprate superconductors have been made by pyrolysis of metallorganic precursors incorporating the appropriate molar ratios of metal ions to form the desired copper oxide compounds. Twp processes have been described as representative examples of novel strategies to produce high T c superconductors in bulk and thin film form: pyrolysis of metallorganic powders for bulk processing and spray pyrolysis for thin film fabrication.
Network Building in the Innovation Journey: How Chinese Science Institutes Jump on the Nanotech Bandwagon

This article examines the process in which Chinese science actors undertook nanotechnology research as an innovation journey. In this journey, Chinese science actors sought domestic and overseas networks to overcome resource and infrastructural constraints. To analyze salient issues at different stages of this journey, I draw on an established framework from the literature of technology innovation. Thus, the “Chinese nanotech innovation journey” is divided into five temporal stages. My findings suggest that network resources are able to compensate for an inadequate infrastructure in significant ways. Yet, the utility of networks depended on overcoming communication difficulties and trust barriers and the adoption of a learning-by-doing attitude. This research combines quantitative data and ethnographic fieldwork. In the conclusion, I discuss the broader implications of this research and directions for further studies.
Exact Distribution of the Ratio of Gamma and Rayleigh Random Variables

The distributions of the ratio of two independent random variables arise in many applied problems and have been extensively studied by many researchers. This article derives the distributions of the ratio Z=|x/y| , when x and y are gamma and Rayleigh random variables respectively and are distributed independently of each other. The associated pdf, cdf, and moments have been given in terms of different special functions, for examples, confluent hypergeometric function, parabolic-cylinder function and beta functions. Some plots for the cdf and pdf associated with the distribution of the ratio have been provided.
Infection Prevention and Control Programs in US Nursing Homes: Results of a National Survey

Objectives The objectives of this study were to (1) obtain a national perspective of the current state of nursing home (NH) infection prevention and control (IPC) programs and (2) examine differences in IPC program characteristics for NHs that had and had not received an infection control deficiency citation.
Systemic Issues with Low-Dollar Lien Filing

This article suggests a better system for exercising judgment when filing the notice of federal tax lien on low dollar delinquent accounts.
Detached-Eddy Simulation of Airfoil-Endwall Secondary Flow

This paper describes a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes(RANS/URANS) and detachededdy simulation(DES) for the flow over an airfoil-endwall junction. The test case considered for the present study utilizes a wing-body junction geometry that was constructed to simulate aa wing/endwall; a NACA0020 airfoil tail joined at the maximum thickness with a 3:2 elliptic leading edge was attached to a flat plate endwall. The flow was low-speed with a Reynolds number based on wing chord of 5 × 10 5 and freestream Mach number and total temperature of 0.078 and 537.32 ◦ R, respectively. Numerical results are compared with experimental data. Good overall agreement between the calculated and measured mean flow characteristics in the junction region was attained. The DES and URANS procedures were found to predict the best results for the pressure coefficient on the wing surface in the vicinity of the endwall.
Altered ultrastructural morphology of self-aggregated low density lipoproteins : coalescence of lipid domains forming droplets and vesicles

Lipid droplets and vesicles can presumably be formed directly from lipoproteins in the extracellular space in atherosclerosis, but an in vitro demonstration of the phenomenon in the absence of cellular pathways has been lacking. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are known to undergo self-aggregation after brief vortexing in vitro. In the present study, LDL aggregates were examined by electron microscopy, using new mordant techniques for lipid visualization, and by chemical analysis. Aggregation of LDL by vortexing is regularly accompanied by the formation of comparatively large lipid droplets (up to 600 nm diameter) and vesicles. Aggregates containing droplets and vesicles were formed after as little as 5 sec of vortexing, and LDL protein and cholesteryl ester were almost completely (95%) incorporated into aggregates after 4 min vortexing. Substantial fractions of phospholipid and unesterified cholesterol from the original LDL remained in solution even after 4 min vortexing, forming large multilamellar vesicles that did not adhere to the aggregated material. Spontaneous aggregates retrieved from LDL solutions after prolonged storage were also examined by electron microscopy, revealing similar lipid droplets and vesicles. The ultrastructural appearance of LDL aggregated in vitro is remarkably similar to the appearance of extracellular lipid deposits in atherosclerosis, lending credence to the hypothesis of direct extracellular formation of these deposits from lipoproteins.
The refinement and validation of the critical decision making and problem solving scale moral dilema (CDP-MD)

OF THE THESIS THE REFINEMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE CRITICAL DECISION MAKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING SCALE MORAL DILEMMAS (CDP-MD)
Rationale for Prolonged Glucocorticoid Use in Pediatric ARDS: What the Adults Can Teach Us

Based on molecular mechanisms and physiologic data, a strong association has been established between dysregulated systemic inflammation and progression of ARDS. In ARDS patients, glucocorticoid receptor-mediated down-regulation of systemic inflammation is essential to restore homeostasis, decrease morbidity, and improves survival and can be significantly enhanced with prolonged low-to-moderate dose glucocorticoid treatment. A large body of evidence supports a strong association between prolonged glucocorticoid treatment-induced down-regulation of the inflammatory response and improvement in pulmonary and extra-pulmonary physiology. The balance of the available data from eight controlled trials (n=622) provides consistent strong level of evidence for improving patient-centered outcomes and hospital survival. The sizable increase in mechanical ventilation-free days (weighted mean difference, 6.48 days; CI 95% 2.57-10.38, p<0.0001) and ICU-free days (weighted mean difference, 7.7 days; 95% CI, 3.13-12.20, p<0.0001) by day 28 is superior to any investigated intervention in ARDS. For treatment initiated before day 14 of ARDS, the increased in hospital survival (70% vs. 52%, OR 2.41, CI 95% 1.50-3.87, p=0.0003) translates into a number needed to treat to save one life of 5.5. Importantly, prolonged glucocorticoid treatment is not associated with increased risk for nosocomial infections (22% vs. 27%, OR 0.61, CI 95% 0.35-1.04, p=0.07). Treatment decisions involve a tradeoff between benefits and risks, as well as costs. This low cost highly effective therapy is familiar to every physician, and has a low risk profile when secondary prevention measures are implemented.
The effect of individual differences on computer attitudes

Computer competency is no longer a skill to be learned only by students majoring in technology-related fields. All individuals in our society must acquire basic computer literacy to function successfully. Despite the wide-spread influx of technology in all segments of our society, the literature often reports high levels of anxiety and negative attitudes about using computers. Monitoring the computer attitudes and developing an understanding of the variables that affect computer attitudes will assist educators and adult trainers in providing appropriate learning experiences in which learners can succeed. This study examined the relationship between computer attitude and experience, demographic/educational variables, personality type, and learning style of 214 students enrolled in a university computer literacy course.
OLD-AGE PENSIONS: THE ARCHITECTURE OF EXPENDITURE

The previous two chapters focused on the denominator of the elderly/non-elderly spending ratio, exploring the origins of different levels of spending in Italy and the Netherlands on two key social welfare programs directed at the non-elderly: family allowances and unemployment benefits. The divergent spending paths that these two countries followed in the post–World War II period, and the much greater emphasis on spending for youth and working-age adults in the Netherlands than in Italy, appeared to be a result of the interaction between the structure of social programs and the kind of competitive strategies that politicians used to gain support in the electoral arena. This chapter focuses on the numerator of the age orientation measure: pension spending. It argues that the interaction of program structure (universal or fragmented occupational) and how politicians compete (using programmatic or particularistic appeals) shapes the development of pension expenditures in Italy and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, public pensions have been available on a citizenship basis since immediately following World War II, and political competition has been highly programmatic. As a result, electoral pressure has not eroded the floors and ceilings that maintain benefit levels and eligibility rules at levels conducive to moderate pension expenditures, despite coverage rates of close to 100 percent. Italy, by contrast, provides subsistence-level benefits or above to only about 70 percent of the elderly.
Use of Dried Blood Spots to Elucidate Full-Length Transmitted/Founder HIV-1 Genomes

Background: Identification of HIV-1 genomes responsible for establishing clinical infection in newly infected individuals is fundamental to prevention and pathogenesis research. Processing, storage, and transportation of the clinical samples required to perform these virologic assays in resource-limited settings requires challenging venipuncture and cold chain logistics. Here, we validate the use of dried-blood spots (DBS) as a simple and convenient alternative to collecting and storing frozen plasma. Methods: We performed parallel nucleic acid extraction, single genome amplification (SGA), next generation sequencing (NGS), and phylogenetic analyses on plasma and DBS. Results: We demonstrated the capacity to extract viral RNA from DBS and perform SGA to infer the complete nucleotide sequence of the transmitted/founder (TF) HIV-1 envelope gene and full-length genome in two acutely infected individuals. Using both SGA and NGS methodologies, we showed that sequences generated from DBS and plasma display comparable phylogenetic patterns in both acute and chronic infection. SGA was successful on samples with a range of plasma viremia, including samples as low as 1,700 copies/ml and an estimated ~50 viral copies per blood spot. Further, we demonstrated reproducible efficiency in gp160 env sequencing in DBS stored at ambient temperature for up to three weeks or at -20oC for up to five months. Conclusions: These findings support the use of DBS as a practical and cost-effective alternative to frozen plasma for clinical trials and translational research conducted in resource-limited settings.
Sediment Volume Scattering

Sediment heterogeneity can produce appreciable levels of sound scattering, particularly in soft sediments for which transmission into and out of the seafloor is facilitated by the small contrast of sediment density and sound speed compared to water. Heterogeneity, as demonstrated in Ch. 7, can take many forms: layering due to widespread erosional and deposition processes, continuous spatial fluctuations in acoustic properties due to the activity of benthic animals [Jones and Jackson 1997], buried shell fragments [Ivakin 2005, Lyons 2005], gas bubbles [Tang et al. 1994, Boyle and Chotiros 1995a, Lyons et al. 1996], and the inherent granularity of the sediment itself [Williams et al. 1988, Chotiros 2002a, Greenlaw et al. 2004]. It is generally agreed that sediment volume scattering is an important contributor to seafloor reverberation [Ivakin 1981, Ivakin and Lysanov 1981a, Ivakin and Lysanov 1981b, D. Jackson et al. 1986a, Ivakin 1990, Hines 1990, D. Jackson and Briggs 1992, Gensane 1993, Lyons et al. 1994, Pace 1994, Boyle and Chotiros 1995b, Yamamoto 1996, Hines 1996, Pouliquen et al. 2000b, Pouliquen and Lyons 2002].
Global warming-induced upper-ocean freshening and the intensification of super typhoons

Super typhoons (STYs), intense tropical cyclones of the western North Pacific, rank among the most destructive natural hazards globally. The violent winds of these storms induce deep mixing of the upper ocean, resulting in strong sea surface cooling and making STYs highly sensitive to ocean density stratification. Although a few studies examined the potential impacts of changes in ocean thermal structure on future tropical cyclones, they did not take into account changes in near-surface salinity. Here, using a combination of observations and coupled climate model simulations, we show that freshening of the upper ocean, caused by greater rainfall in places where typhoons form, tends to intensify STYs by reducing their ability to cool the upper ocean. We further demonstrate that the strengthening effect of this freshening over the period 1961–2008 is ∼53% stronger than the suppressive effect of temperature, whereas under twenty-first century projections, the positive effect of salinity is about half of the negative effect of ocean temperature changes. Super typhoons pose significant societal threats, yet their future behaviour due to rainfall-driven stratification changes remains unexplored. Here, observations and climate models reveal increased precipitation and subsequent freshening will likely intensify future super typhoons in the western N. Pacific.
Time-Frequency Operators

The fundamental idea of time-frequency analysis is to understand and describe how the frequency content of a signal is changing in time [20, 18]. By a signal one means a function of time, for example the electric and magnetic fields, pressure, voltage etc. Time functions are called wave forms or signals. We shall denote the signal by s(t). Examples of man-made signals whose frequencies are clearly changing in time are music and human speech where indeed it is the changing frequencies that are the essence of the signals.
Protein phosphatase 2C is responsible for VP-induced dephosphorylation of AQP2 serine 261

Aquaporin 2 (AQP2) trafficking is regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of serine residues in the AQP2 COOH terminus. Vasopressin (VP) binding to its receptor (V2R) leads to a cascade ...
Preference Representations for Catastrophic Risk Analysis

This note surveys some behavioral models of preference relations applicable for analysis of decisions in the face of catastrophic risk. Catastrophic risk is characterized, and the implications of various representations explored in simple, illustrative examples. An argument is presented for the more general applicability of “variational preferences” for the analysis of behavior and decision making in the face of catastrophic risk.
CS-specific modifications of auditory evoked potentials in the behaviorally conditioned rat

The current report provides a detailed analysis of the changes in the first two components of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) that accompany associative learning. AEPs were recorded from the primary auditory cortex before and after training sessions. Experimental subjects underwent one (n=5) or two (n=7) days of conditioning in which a tone, serving as a conditioned stimulus (CS), was paired with mild foot shock. Control subjects received one (n=5) or two (n=7) days of exposure to the same stimuli delivered randomly. Only animals receiving paired CS-US training developed a conditioned tachycardia response to the tone. Our analyses demonstrated that both early components of the AEP recorded from the granular layer of the cortex undergo CS-specific associative changes: (1) the first, negative component (occurring ∼21ms following tone onset) was significantly augmented after one and two days of training while maintaining its latency, and (2) the second, positive component (occurring ∼50ms following tone onset) was augmented after two days of training, and showed a significant reduction in latency after one and two days of training. We view these changes as evidence of increased cortical synchronization, thereby lending new insight into the temporal dynamics of neural network activity related to auditory learning.
Mechanical failure of metal/ceramic interfacial regions under shear loading

Abstract Shear failure of the interfacial regions of CrN/Cu/Si and CrN/Ti/Si ceramic-coating/metal-adhesion-layer/substrate systems was measured quantitatively and observed concurrently through instrumented compression of cylindrical micro-pillars in-situ a scanning electron microscope. Results indicate that shear failure of the interfacial region occurred in two stages: an initial shear deformation of the entire metal interlayer followed by an unstable shear-off close to the metal/ceramic interface. The shear-off is suggested to be concomitant with the metal/ceramic interface going from being “locked”, with no relative displacement between materials on the two sides of the interface, to being “unlocked”, with significant relative displacements. Density functional theory and molecular dynamics studies on a related metal/ceramic interface, Ti/TiN, showed that a weak interaction plane exists in the metal layer near the chemical interface in a coherent Ti/TiN structure. Consequently, the free energy and theoretical shear strength of the semi-coherent Ti/TiN interface is found to depend on the physical location of the misfit dislocation network (MDN). The minimum energy and strength of the interface occur when the MDN is near, but not at the chemical interface. The relevance of the present work to other metal/ceramic interfaces is discussed.
Efficacy of Vibrating Gloves for Chronic Hand Pain due to Osteoarthritis.

Objective This study investigated the efficacy of vibration technology for women with hand pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) to see if mild compression and small vibrating motors were beneficial with periodic use. Methods Sixty-nine (N = 69) women with OA hand pain were randomized into two groups, one that used vibrating gloves once a day for 20 minutes (Experimental, N = 34) and one that was monitored for three months without gloves (Control, N = 35). All subjects completed baseline questionnaires, were administered mechanical quantitative sensory testing (QST), and uploaded a smartphone pain app for daily assessment. Patients were included if they had chronic pain for more than three months, reported a 4 or higher on a 0-10 pain intensity scale, and could speak and understand English. Results In general, compared with the control subjects, those in the experimental condition demonstrated reduced pain intensity (P < 0.05) after using the vibrating gloves. No differences were found between groups on activity interference, mood, or sleep. No differences were also noted based on age, pain duration, hand dominance, weight, body mass index, or hours sleeping. Those with greater sensitivity on QST demonstrated more disability, emotional distress, and pain catastrophizing (P < 0.05) but no differences in pain relief from or satisfaction with the vibrating gloves. Discussion Overall, the results demonstrated that the vibrating gloves were moderately helpful in reducing hand pain in women with OA (53.5%), and most expressed willingness to use the gloves (71.4%) and use the pain app (55.8%) in the future. Additional studies to determine the mechanism of action of the gloves in managing pain would be recommended.
Brain Biochemistry and Brain Disorders

Introduction to brain function Overall structure of the brain at the neuroanatomical level Cellular structure of the brain Electrical signalling in neurones Chemical signalling at the synapse - synaptic transmission Receptors and receptor mechanisms Functional properties of neurones the mind-body problem Disorders of human brain - a general introduction Parkinson's disease Huntington's disease Alzheimer's disease Schizophrenia Affective disorders (depression and mania) Anxiety The present and the future Bibliography Index
Photoactivity of doped αFe2O3 electrodes

Photoactivity of α-Fe2O3 electrodes in aqueous electrolytes has been reported by several investigators. Performance in photoelectrochemical cells depends on the method of preparation and, in particular, on the presence of dopants. This paper surveys much of the previously published work and presents new results for several dopants. In addition to chemical doping to produce conductive samples, reduction methods such as sintering in a He atmosphere or heating with aluminum carbide are reported. Photoelectrochemical studies include the effect of dopant type on the photocurrent, photopotential and spectral response as well as photocurrent efficiency with doping level. The roles that dopants may play is discussed.
Darwinian Evolutionism Is Applicable to Historical Archaeology

Over the past decade or so, an increasing number of archaeologists have begun to show interest in employing Darwinian evolutionary theory to explain variations in the material record. Epistemological and methodological issues surrounding the implementation of Darwinian evolutionism in archaeology are numerous, the most basic of which is that Darwinism embodies a materialist perspective, whereas archaeology traditionally has maintained an essentialist outlook. Stemming from this dichotomy are fundamental differences in such things as how units are created and how they are used to measure change. As archaeologists grapple with these issues, specific examples of how Darwinian evolutionism can be used to build historical narratives and create historical explanations are appearing with more frequency, but with few exceptions, proponents have focused specifically on the prehistoric record. This gives the impression that Darwinian evolutionism is not applicable to the more-recent material record, which is decidedly not the case. The kind of evolutionism proposed here transcends the age of the record under investigation.
Renal arteriovenous fistulas: a review of etiology, diagnosis, and management.

ARTERIOVENOUS (A-V) FISTULAS between the renal artery and vein are being recognized with increasing frequency. The increased use of diagnostic percutaneous renal biopsy and use of diagnostic arteriography coupled with high urban violence rates are the primary responsible factors. The first intrarenal fistula was reported by Vorela’ in 1928. The earliest symptomatic cases were treated by nephrectomy. Advances in vascular surg+al techniques and interventional radiology have altered the management of such fistulas. The aim of current therapy is to preserve most or all of the functioning kidney on the involved side. Our recent experience in dealing with a patient with a large renal A-V fistula, causing progressive congestive heart failure and angina pectoris, prompted a review of the etiology, diagnosis, and management of this disease.
Natural Occurrence and Metabolism of the Isomeric Octopamines and Synephrines

The development of a radiochemical enzyme assay for the quantitative determination of p-octopamine (Molinoff et al, 1969) led to its discovery in a wide variety of invertebrate nerve systems and in mammalian sympathetic nerves. Subsequent work led to the conclusion that p-octopamine is an invertebrate neurotransmitter and a cotransmitter with norepinephrine in mammalian sympathetic nerves (Axelrod and Saavedra, 1977). It was discovered in 1976 that the radiochemical enzyme assay was not specific for p-octopamine because the m- and p- isomers of octopamine could not be resolved. The use of a modification of the technique showed that both m- and p-octopamine are present in rat salivary gland (Robertson et al, 1977) and brain (Danielson et al, 1977). The radiochemical enzyme assay depends upon norepinephrine N-methyltransf erase, which can accept all three positional isomers of octopamines as substrates with varying efficiency. The resultant products, the corresponding synephrines, are also substrates for the enzyme (Axelrod, 1962; Fuller et al, 1981). Consequently any one of these amines (or a mixture of them) would have been detected by the original unmodified assay but identified and quantified as p-octopamine.
Extreme body messages: themes from Facebook posts in extreme fitness and nutrition online support groups.

Background: Extreme fitness and nutrition programs, that are said to “jump start” a healthy lifestyle, are becoming more pervasive. While some research has explored the harmful impact of fitspiration, thinspiration, and pro-anorexia/bulimia websites, no studies have examined the content associated with these extreme programs that advertised as promoting a healthy lifestyle. The objective of this study was to analyze posts found on extreme fitness and nutrition program support pages on Facebook. As these programs have become more popular, along with Facebook platforms for their participants, examining online user-generated posts related to these programs can provide information about the types of messages being promoted, and whether these can contribute to disordered eating and other harmful health behaviors. Methods: User data were selected from one month from public posts on two popular Facebook fitness groups. Both groups were short-term programs that set extreme guidelines for fitness and nutrition. Researchers examined the data for harmful health messages using an individual coding strategy with inter-rater reliability (Kappa =0.92). Results: Majority (88.6%) of messages analyzed promoted harmful health messages. Common categories of messages included losing weight/fat, promoting dieting/restraint, and harmful body messages, which promoted unsafe ways to attain certain body types. Conclusions: The data analyzed in this study represent overwhelmingly negative commentary relating to harmful health and body messages. Messages in this study normalized dysfunctional behaviors and promoted fixating on certain body parts and objectifying bodies. These Facebook groups, though intended to be a sort of online support forum, provide an open space for body negativity and promotion of extreme behaviors for the sake of thinness. Most concerning, participants of these programs, which are advertised as promoting health, are expressing unhealthy thoughts and behaviors surrounding food, exercise, and body image. Given the ease of accessibility to this content using online platforms, these harmful messages can reach large groups of people and continue adding to a culture that values physical appearance to the detriment of health.
Prolonged respiratory support of any type impacts outcomes of extremely low birth weight infants

OBJECTIVES This study tested the hypothesis that longer duration of any type of respiratory support is associated with an increased rate of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) at 18-22 months. METHODS Retrospective cohort study using the Generic Database of NICHD Neonatal Research Network from 2006 to 2010. Infants were born at <27 weeks gestational age with birth weights of 401-1000 g. Respiratory support received during initial hospitalization from birth was characterized as follows: no support, only invasive support, only non-invasive support or mixed invasive, and non-invasive support. The primary outcome was death after 24 h of life or NDI at 18-22 months corrected age. RESULTS In a cohort of 3651 infants, 1494 (40.9%) died or had NDI. Cumulative respiratory support of any type beyond 60 days was associated with the likelihood of death or NDI. Infants who only received invasive support had the highest rate (89.1%), followed by those received mixed support (26.1%). Infants who received only non-invasive support had the lowest rate (7.7%). When compared to the only non-invasive support group, both invasive [OR 62.7 (95%CI 25.7, 152.6)] and mixed [OR 6.1 (95%CI 2.6, 14.4)] support groups were significantly more likely to die or have NDI. CONCLUSION Prolonged respiratory support, whether invasive or non-invasive, is associated with increased odds of a poor outcome. The proportion of infants with a poor outcome increased in a dose dependent manner by two factors: the cumulative duration of respiratory support beyond 60 days, and the extent to which invasive support is provided.
End Tax Floats by Taxing Receivables or Deferring Payables

Current law allows businesses that sell services or receive rents or royalties to pay tax on the receivables only when they are collected. Exclusion of receivables under current law allows ‘‘tax floats,’’ under which the customer or client immediately deducts the liability but the recipient does not simultaneously include the liability in income. Tax floats make government revenue fall between the cracks and give a welfare-like subsidy to transactions with no special merit. Receivables can be replicated every year, so they are best viewed as a continuous pool or river, with the tax float continuing until the end of the business. Extending credit to customers is an income-producing investment, and it is possible, as a matter of economics, to tax the profit. This proposal would end tax floats by taxing the receivables or by deferring the deduction of a payable until it is paid. The proposal generally would include a service, rent, or royalty receivable in income no later than when the bill is sent out. The Shelf Project is a collaboration among tax professionals to develop proposals to raise revenue in the impending revenue crisis by defending the tax base. It is intended to raise revenue without a VAT or a rate increase in ways that will improve the fairness, efficiency, and rationality of the tax system. The hard work needs to be done now to develop viable proposals. Shelf projects are intended to foreclose both 85 percent income tax rates and 60 percent federal sales taxes.
Essential Changes to Shared REMS

This short comment applauds the FDA's proposed Guidances on shared REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies). The FDA requires REMS when a drug’s risks (such as death or injury) outweigh its rewards. Brands have used REMS, intended to bring drugs to the market, to block generic competition. While most of the attention has taken place on the “front end” when a brand denies a needed sample, there can also be abuse on the “back end” when brands slow-walk negotiations with generics to create shared REMS. Because there may not be a discrete refusal, the conduct presents nuanced issues. This comment applauds the FDA’s proposed changes to the “waiver” process, which allow the agency to more quickly approve generic REMS. It explains how the timing and substance of the changes make sense and restore the statutory objectives. In ensuring that the perfect (unattainable shared REMS) is not the enemy of the good (earlier generic entry), the Guidances benefit the health care system and consumers.
Progress and challenges in identifying molecular mechanisms underlying host and vector manipulation by plant viruses

Plant virus infection fundamentally alters chemical and behavioral phenotypes of hosts and vectors. These alterations often enhance virus transmission, leading researchers to surmise that such effects are manipulations caused by virus adaptations and not just by-products of pathology. But identification of the virus components behind manipulation is missing from most studies performed to date. Here, we evaluate causative empirical evidence that virus components are the drivers of manipulated host and vector phenotypes. To do so, we link findings and methodologies on virus pathology with observational and functional genomics studies on virus manipulation. Our synthesis provides an overview of progress, areas of synergy, and new approaches that will lead to an improved mechanistic understanding of host and vector manipulation by plant viruses.
Quantum Theory of Radiation

Some reflection on the preceding chapters indicates that the Dirac equation, even modified to include external fields, is not yet complete. One of the major lessons of classical electrodynamics is that accelerated charged particles radiate (though this is not necessarily true for all charge distributions), and energy conservation alone requires the dynamical equations of motion to account for this phenomenon. Although we have paid lip service to such a requirement in Eqs.(3–110)-(3–113), a detailed study can be postponed no longer.
A Minimally Invasive Approach to Lobectomy After Induction Therapy Does Not Compromise Survival

Background The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) approach on outcomes in patients who underwent lobectomy after induction therapy. Methods Outcomes of patients with T2-T4, N0, M0 and T1-T4, N1-N2, M0 non-small-cell lung cancer who received induction chemotherapy or chemoradiation followed by lobectomy in the National Cancer Data Base (2010-2014) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier, propensity score-matched, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards analyses. Results In the National Cancer Data Base, 2887 lobectomy patients met inclusion criteria (VATS 676 [23%]; thoracotomy 2211 [77%]). Of the VATS cases, patients who underwent induction chemoradiation were more likely to undergo conversion (adjusted odds ratio 1.70, P = .05). Compared with an open approach, VATS was associated with decreased length of stay (median: 5 days vs 6 days, P Conclusions In this national analysis, a VATS approach for lobectomy in patients who received induction therapy for locally advanced non-small-cell lung cancer was not associated with worse short-term or long-term outcomes when compared with an open approach.
Antenna Pattern Measurement with Compressive Phase Retrieval

Modern wireless communications is placing ever greater demands on the system’s antenna. But high-resolution, wide-band antenna radiation pattern (APR) measurement remains a slow, expensive process that can hinder research, development, and production. Previous research has shown that ARP measurement is an ideal candidate for compressive sensing, which can significantly accelerate measurement by reducing the number samples needed for pattern recovery. This paper extends this research by using compressive phase retrieval to recover full magnitude and phase patterns from magnitude measurements alone, eliminating expensive phase measurements.
Authoring Imaginative Selves Through Digital Narratives in the Science Classroom

Promoting youth science identity work and youth agency in science and community action are important dimensions of science learning. Identity is recognized as serving a central role in student participation in science as it mediates the relationship between students’ attitude toward science and their pathways to do science or be a scientist. In science classrooms, researchers and practitioners have used digital storytelling and the creation of digital narratives as strategies to support youth science identity work and promote agency in science and society. Creating their own narratives provides young people with a space for meaning making around scientific, personal and societal ways of knowing, identities, and positioning. In this chapter, I explore young people’s narratives created as part of a design-based research project focused on development of a middle school (ages 10–13) climate science curriculum in the United States. This curriculum features a climate action superhero and combines engagement in climate science content and practices with creation of a digital climate action film. I examine how in authoring their stories, young people improvise combinations of real (lived experiences, pop culture figures) and imagined (e.g., superheroes, possible future earth scenarios) narrative elements as they play with possible individual, scientific and social futures and identities. Drawing on a subset of exemplar films, I describe how, in this space for authoring, young people negotiated identities and bid for agency by narrating imaginative stories that drew on and transformed existing “voices” from their experience, popular media, and cultural communities.
Pre-Operative Risk Factors of Transfusion during Myomectomy

Study Objective Identify pre-operative risk factors for transfusion during abdominal myomectomy. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic Medical Center. Patients or Participants Patients undergoing abdominal myomectomy by a single surgeon between 2010 and 2016. Interventions Pre-operative patient characteristic data, intra-operative data, and peri-operative transfusion and blood loss data were collected retrospectively. Prior Pelvic Surgery was defined as myomectomy, cesarean section, and/or endometriosis surgery; Transfusion was defined as intra-operative cell salvage transfusion, intra-operative allogeneic transfusion, and/or post-operative allogeneic transfusion. Composite Blood Loss Morbidity was defined as presence of any transfusion, reoperation after myomectomy, hematocrit nadir ≤21, and/or estimated blood loss (EBL) ≥1000mL. Logistic regression analysis of risk factors for transfusion was performed. Measurements and Main Results 554 patient charts were available for review. Eighty (14.4%) patients underwent transfusion as a result of myomectomy (66 (12%) intra-operative cell salvage, 2 (0.4%) intra-operative allogeneic, and 30 (5.4%) post-operative allogeneic). Women with prior pelvic surgery (OR 3.1), prior myomectomy (OR 2.6), prior endometriosis surgery (OR 5.1), prior UAE (OR 6.3), large uterine size ≥20 weeks (OR 4.8), large fibroid (≥10cm) on MRI (OR 2.1), low preoperative hematocrit 2.3 hours (OR 9.7), or many (≥50) fibroids removed (OR 2.1) had significantly greater odds of having a transfusion (P Conclusion Knowledge of patient risk factors for transfusion as a result of abdominal myomectomy is crucial for patient counseling and peri-operative planning.
CONSIDERATION OF SPORT DEMANDS FOR AN 18-YEAR-OLD LACROSSE PLAYER WITH RECALCITRANT SYMPTOMATIC SPONDYLOLYSIS: A CASE REPORT.

Background and purpose Spondylolysis is an anatomical defect or fracture of the pars interarticularis and encompasses almost half of all cases of low back pain in adolescent athletes. Most athletes return to sport with conservative treatment, but it is possible that consideration of sport demands may further improve rate of successful return. When surgery is performed, complication rate is high, so all conservative measures should be explored before considering surgical intervention. The purpose of this case report is to present a program where demands of sport were considered and allowed successful return to sport for a subject with recalcitrant symptomatic spondylolysis that had failed to respond to prior treatment. Case description An 18-year-old lacrosse player with a history of recalcitrant symptomatic spondylolysis that failed three courses of conservative treatment and had been unsuccessful in returning to sport. A multi-phase program with a focus on multi-planar and full kinetic chain activities that addressed the nature of the sport demands is described, along with improvements in pain level, strength, range of motion, and subjective outcome scores. Outcomes The subject was able to successfully return to sport after 10 weeks of physical therapy and complete the remaining few months of his lacrosse season without reinjury. Range of motion and strength testing was markedly improved upon discharge. The subject's Modified Oswestry Disability Index improved from 16% to 0% and his pain level did not rise above 2/10 with any sport activity upon return. Discussion/conclusions Although return to sport rates following spondylolysis in young athletes is high, this case report demonstrates that a consideration of sport demands may increase return to sport rates in athletes that do not respond to standard care and prevent surgical intervention. Level of evidence Level 4, single case report.
Immunodeficiency Secondary to Malignancies and Biologics

There are many causes for secondary immunodeficiency (SID), which commonly presents with increased risk of infections. B-cell malignancies (multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) and chemotherapeutics with B-cell depleting treatments such as rituximab are increasingly recognized risk factors for SID. This chapter discusses the diagnostic approach to patients with SID due to malignancy and biologics, including evaluation of immunoglobulin (Ig) levels and the importance of assessing a vaccine response. The chapter also discusses management options with prophylactic vaccination, prophylactic antibiotics, and Ig replacement (IgR), with a discussion on the pros and cons of intravenous versus subcutaneous administration of IgR.