cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lower Posterior Cingulate Cortex Glutathione Levels in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that lower cerebral levels of glutathione (GSH), associated with increased oxidative stress, may contribute to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, no studies to date have investigated brain GSH levels in individuals with OCD.
Case report: successful use of antifibrinolytic therapy in acquired factor VIII deficiency.

ABSTRACT Acquired factor VIII deficiency is a rare immunologic disorder characterized by severe bleeding due to an antibody inhibitor directed against factor VIII. Treatment of this coagulopathy often is ineffective and costly. The authors report a case of acquired factor VIII deficiency in a patient who developed severe recurrent epistaxis. Antifibrinolytic therapy with epsilon aminocaproic acid (EACA) was used to control the epistaxis with excellent results. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of the efficacy of EACA therapy in acquired factor VIII deficiency. Use of antifibrinolytic therapy may represent a relatively safe, effective, and inexpensive approach to treating factor VIII inhibitors.
Fatal Acute Spontaneous Endometritis Resulting from Clostridium sordellii

Intrauterine clostridial infections have historically been associated with puerperal sepsis, often subsequent to instrumented abortions. Isolated reports have been associated with a malignant neoplasm or degenerating leiomyoma, most often after instrumentation, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy. In these cases, well-known risk factors or obvious niduses for growth and causation of disease were identified. The authors report a case of fatal spontaneous endometritis resulting from Clostridum sordellii , which, to their knowledge, has not been previously reported in the literature. Characteristics of this rare virulent human pathogen are discussed.
A Test of an Environmental Advertisement Hypothesis for the Function of Drumming in Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers

The woodpecker drum is unusual among avian acoustic display because woodpeckers employ material outside their own bodies to produce sound. This allows an opportunity for acoustic analysis of instruments used for drumming that is not possible with other types of acoustic display. Examination of the drum sites of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) revealed that sapsuckers do not use drumming to advertise the presence of nesting and feeding sites in their environment. Controlled hits on a variety of substrates in the sapsuckers' environment were used to compare acoustic properties of spots chosen for drumming to other non-drum spots. In general, sapsuckers drummed in locations that could produce louder and longer lasting sounds than surrounding non-drum substrate including nest trees, feeding trees, and other substrate near the site of drumming. My evidence suggests that sapsucker drumming is an acoustic signal designed for long distance transmission.
Empirical evidence of contrasting soil moisture–precipitation feedbacks across the United States

Soil moisture influences fluxes of heat and moisture originating at the land surface, thus altering atmospheric humidity and temperature profiles. However, empirical and modeling studies disagree on how this affects the propensity for precipitation, mainly owing to the difficulty in establishing causality. We use Granger causality to estimate the relationship between soil moisture and occurrence of subsequent precipitation over the contiguous United States using remotely sensed soil moisture and gauge-based precipitation observations. After removing potential confounding effects of daily persistence, and seasonal and interannual variability in precipitation, we find that soil moisture anomalies significantly influence rainfall probabilities over 38% of the area with a median factor of 13%. The feedback is generally positive in the west and negative in the east, suggesting dependence on regional aridity.
ALD HfO/sub 2/ using heavy water (D/sub 2/O) for improved MOSFET stability

Device instability is one of the most challenging issues to implement high-k gate dielectrics. Incorporation of deuterium during the ALD (atomic layer deposition) process effectively improves the interface quality that enhances high-k device stability and reliability. Compared to H/sub 2/O processed HfO/sub 2/ devices, devices with D/sub 2/O processing result in a significantly smaller Vt shift after constant voltage stressing at room temperature and at 125/spl deg/C under NBTI/PBTI conditions, as well as a longer CHCI lifetime. This process is independent of transistor process integration and is relatively low cost. It has the potential to become an industry standard if ALD high-k gate dielectric processing is the final choice.
The NTP Cell Phone RF Radiation Health Effects Project [Health Matters]

On 26 May 2016, a U.S.-government-led project reported occurrences of two types of rare cancers in laboratory rats exposed to RF radiation used for wireless cell phone operations. This five-year project has been ongoing for more than ten years, with a currently estimated price tag of US$25 million or more of taxpayers' money (two to three times its original budget). That's huge! It is the largest health effects study ever undertaken by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Varroa destructor mites can nimbly climb from flowers onto foraging honey bees

Varroa destructor, the introduced parasite of European honey bees associated with massive colony deaths, spreads readily through populations of honey bee colonies, both managed colonies living crowded together in apiaries and wild colonies living widely dispersed in natural settings. Mites are hypothesized to spread between most managed colonies via phoretically riding forager bees when they engage in robbing colonies or they drift between hives. However, widely spaced wild colonies show Varroa infestation despite limited opportunities for robbing and little or no drifting of bees between colonies. Both wild and managed colonies may also exchange mites via another mechanism that has received remarkably little attention or study: floral transmission. The present study tested the ability of mites to infest foragers at feeders or flowers. We show that Varroa destructor mites are highly capable of phoretically infesting foraging honey bees, detail the mechanisms and maneuvers by which they do so, and describe mite behaviors post-infestation.
Understanding The Dual Nature of Ambivalence: Why and When Ambivalence Leads to Good and Bad Outcomes

A growing body of research unveils the ubiquity of ambivalence—the simultaneous experience of positive and negative emotional or cognitive orientations toward a person, situation, object, task, or ...
Detection of intermediate metabolites of benzene biodegradation under microaerophilic conditions.

The intermediate metabolites of benzene transformation by a microaerophilic bacterial consortium, adapted to degrade gasoline and benzene at low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (<1 mg l-1), were identified. The examined range of initial DO concentration, 0.05 to 1 mg l-1, was considerably lower than the previously reported values believed to be necessary to initiate benzene biodegradation. An extensive transformation of benzene, higher than the theoretical predictions for its aerobic oxidation, was observed. Phenol was identified as the most stable and the major intermediate metabolite which was subsequently transformed into catechol and benzoate. The use of 13C-labeled compounds identified benzene as the source of phenol, and phenol as the source of catechol and benzoate, suggesting the involvement of a monooxygenase enzymatic system in biodegradation of benzene at low DO concentrations. A metabolic sequence was proposed to describe the simultaneous detection of catechol and benzoate during the microaerophilic transformation of benzene. The results of this work demonstrate that it is possible to transform benzene, a highly carcinogenic hydrocarbon and a major contaminant of groundwater, to more easily biodegradable compounds in the presence of very small amounts of oxygen.
Hierarchical Autonomy in Spaceborne Information Processing

Abstract Distributed computer systems have been implemented in some degree for various aircraft and spacecraft including the Space Shuttle. Computer systems of this sort have advantages of modularity, reliability, fault tolerance, and the ability to partition design and validation problems. A hierarchical system design discipline is proposed as a framework for distributed computation. This system concept depends on the use of small computers to support centers of autonomy such as subsystems, components, or areas of a vehicle. Potential benefits include lower design and modification costs, easier software generation and validation, greater system survival, and methodical system specification.
Iterative Algorithms for Performance Evaluation of Wireless Networks with Guard Channels

Analytical and modeling work performed since the late eighties have led to nonlinear equations that relate important parameters used for performance evaluation of wireless networks. These nonlinear equations have no closed-form solution and iterative algorithms are used to find numerical solutions. However, iterative algorithms that are not designed to detect and overcome nonconvergence situations may fail to converge. We present an iterative algorithm that numerically solves six dependent nonlinear equations. The algorithm always converges and obtains values of blocking probability, pb, and forced termination probability, pft, at any desired level of accuracy. We then used this algorithm to numerically show that for a given pair of values of pb and pft, there is an optimal number of guard channels that supports a maximal new-call arrival rate.
The Effects of a Life Stress Emotional Awareness and Expression Interview for Women with Chronic Urogenital Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective Women with chronic urogenital pain (CUP) conditions have elevated rates of lifetime trauma, relational stress, and emotional conflicts, but directly assessing and treating psychological stress is rarely done in women's health care settings. We developed and tested the effects on patients' somatic and psychological symptoms of a life stress interview that encourages disclosure about stressors and uses experiential techniques to increase awareness of links between stress, emotions, and symptoms. Methods In this randomized trial, women with CUP recruited at a multidisciplinary women's urology center received either a single 90-minute life stress interview (N = 37) or no interview (treatment-as-usual control; N = 25). Self-report measures of pain severity (primary outcome), pain interference, pelvic floor symptoms, and psychological symptoms (anxiety and depression) were completed at baseline and six-week follow-up. Results Differences between the life stress interview and control conditions at follow-up were tested with analyses of covariance, controlling for baseline level of the outcome and baseline depression. Compared with the control condition, the interview resulted in significantly lower pain severity and pelvic floor symptoms, but the interview had no effect on pain interference or psychological symptoms. Conclusions An intensive life stress emotional awareness expression interview improved physical but not psychological symptoms among women with CUP seen in a tertiary care clinic. This study suggests that targeting stress and avoided emotions and linking them to symptoms may be beneficial for this complex group of patients.
Mitochondria, Nrf2 and mTOR

Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is the most common recessive ataxia, and it's phenotype is clinically indistinguishable from AVED, a deficiency of Vitamin E transport. We were the first to show that Friedreich's patient cells are very sensitive to oxidative stress. Ultimately this defect appears to reside in a deficiency of the antioxidant pathway Nrf2, which is less active in Friedreich's patient cells, and in FA animal models. Perhaps as a result of this Nrf2 defect, there is increased inflammation in Friedreich's patient cells and mice. But as Nrf2 is not only important in antioxidant homeostasis, but also mitochondrial homeostasis, this was investigated in Friedreich's models and patients. We found that Friedreich's cells, mice, and even people have an approximately 40% mitochondrial biogenesis defect. A high-throughput screening campaign for drugs that rescued Friedreich's cells from death identified three Nrf2 inducers, which could be of benefit in human Friedreich's therapy. One of these drugs, dimethyl fumarate, was shown to dose-dependently increase mitochondrial biogenesis and function when dosed in cells, and to increase mitochondrial biogenesis in mouse and human tissues, with a mechanism that appears to require Nrf2. Thus there is an interplay between Nrf2, mitochondrial biogenesis, and antioxidant status. We observed in a particular cancer there are alterations of mitochondrial biogenesis, which appear to result from differential Nrf2 activity. These differences in mitochondrial number allow the selective killing of such cells by mitochondrial inhibitors and a novel category of mTOR inhibitors.
Chapter 8 The Tropane Alkaloids

Publisher Summary This chapter presents information on tropane alkaloids and a summary on some of the major developments. The chapter discusses isolation and structural elucidation, including brugine, apohyoscine, littorine, genus Datura, Brugmansia alkaloids, confirmation of azetidinium salt structure for a product from cocaine, and others. The relative configurations of cocaine and pseudococaine have been determined by chemical methods. The three-dimensional (3-D) structure of hyoscine hydrobromide (XIII) was investigated by X-ray crystallography on the basis of the up-to-date interpretation of converting scopine to oscine and by the configurational correlation of scopolamine with 3,6β-tropandiol. The configuration of ring nitrogen in pseudotropine ethobromide and in N-carboxymethyl pseudotropinium bromide is discussed in the chapter. Quaternization of tropane, 3-tropanone, and different tropanols and epoxides with methyl bromoacetate and ethyl bromide is preferentially equatorial. Quaternization of tropine with methyl bromoacetate, 2-chloroethyl bromide, and 2-hydroxyethyl bromide likewise is selectively equatorial. The most intriguing new result in the field of nitrogen stereochemistry was the isolation of two N-diastereomeric hydrobromides of 3-phenyltropane (XXX and XXXI). The increasing importance of biogenetic and metabolic studies with tropanes has put heavy emphasis on synthesizing both polytopically and specially labeled derivatives.
Microscopic Simulations of Chemical Reactions in Solutions and Protein Active Sites; Principles and Examples

The reason for the enormous catalytic power of enzymes is one of the most fundamental questions in molecular biophysics. Disregarding magical effects it is clear that enzyme catalysis must be based on some clear and probably simple physical concepts. This paper will examine the microscopic origin of enzyme catalysis by computer simulation approaches. Methods for simulation of chemical reactions in solutions and proteins will be reviewed, emphasizing the insight obtained from the simple Empirical Valence Bond (EVB) formulation. The reader will be introduced to simple approaches that should let him judge for himself which catalytic effects are important and how to formulate a mechanistic hypothesis in terms of well defined energy values.
PCS, a Gene Related to the Immunoglobulin Super Family of Axonal Glycoproteins is Expressed in Murine Plasma Cell Tumors

Intraperitoneal plasma cell tumors (PCTs) are induced by pristane (tetramethylpentadecane), a branched-chain alkane paraffin oil, in BALB/cAn and other susceptible mouse strains with minimal to mean latencies of 120 to 210 days respectively (Potter, 1972). PCTs harbor one of two reciprocal chromosome translocations always involving band D2/3 on chromosome 15 and either the Immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus on 12 or the kappa light chain locus (IgK) on 6 (Ohno et al., 1979). Band D2/3 was subsequently found to be the c-myc gene locus and the activation of this proto-oncogene by such chromosomal rearrangements has been shown to be a contributing factor for plasmacytomagenesis (reviewed by Mushinski, 1988; Marcu et al., 1992). Plasmacytomagenesis was rapidly accelerated (50–120 day mean latencies) upon injection of oncogene-containing retroviruses (v-abl, myc and raf or myc and ras) along with pristane (Potter et al., 1973; Ohno et al., 1984; Potter et al., 1987; Clynes et al., 1988; Troppmair et al., 1989) and viruses-containing an activated myc oncogene induced PCTs without c-myc associated chromosome translocations (Potter et al., 1987; Clynes et al., 1988; Troppmair et al., 1989). Recently, a retrovirus harboring v-abl and c-myc was found to be the most potent oncogene combination inducing PCTs in 100% of adult BALB/c mice with or without a wild type Moloney helper virus and also in the absence of pristane (Weissinger et al., 1991). These observations would collectively argue that multiple genetic events in addition to c-myc activation are required for malignant plasma cell tumor formation. Indeed, at least three recessive genetic loci are believed to confer resistance to PCT formation in non-sensitive mouse strains but the identities of these genes and other dominant acting ones in addition to myc remain unknown.
Erratum for Lowey et al., "Hepatitis C Virus Infection Induces Hepatic Expression of NF-κB-Inducing Kinase and Lipogenesis by Downregulating miR-122".

Volume 10, no. 4, e01617-19, 2019, [https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01617-19][1]. We note that Fig. 4 of the published version is an early version of the figure. This figure was revised during the revision and submission stages. The earlier version of Fig. 4 contains panel G, which was moved to be part
Validating robotic couch isocentricity with 3D surface imaging

Background A proton therapy system with 190° gantries uses robotic couch rotations to change the treatment beam laterality. Couch rotations are typically validated clinically with post-rotation radiographic imaging. Aims This study assesses the specificity and sensitivity of a commercial 3D surface imaging system, AlignRT (Vision RT, London UK) for validating couch rotations. Materials & methods In clinical operation, a reference surface image of the patient is acquired after radiographic setup with couch at 270°, perpendicular to the gantry axis of rotation. The couch is then rotated ±90° to a typical treatment angle, and AlignRT reports a 3D displacement vector. Patient motion, changes in patient surface, non-coincidence between AlignRT and couch isocenter, and mechanical couch run-out all contribute to the 3D vector magnitude. To assess AlignRT sensitivity in detecting couch run-out, volunteers were positioned orthogonal to the proton gantry and reference surface images were captured without x-ray localization. Subjects were repeatedly rotated ±90⁰ to typical treatment angles and displacement vectors were recorded. Additionally, measurements were performed in which intentional translations of 2, 4, 6, and 8 mm were combined with the intended isocentric rotations. Data sets were collected using a phantom; subjects with a thoracic isocenter and no immobilization; and subjects with a cranial isocenter and thermoplastic immobilization. A total of 300 rotations were measured. Results During isocentric rotations, the mean AlignRT displacement vectors for the phantom, immobilized, and non-immobilized volunteers were 0.1 ± 0.1 mm, 0.8 ± 0.1 mm, and 1.1 ± 0.2 mm respectively. 95% of the AlignRT measurements for the immobilized and non-immobilized subjects were within 1 mm and 2 mm of the actual displacement respectively. Discussion After characterizing the accuracy using phantoms and volunteers, we have shown that a three-pod surface imaging system can be used to identify gross non-isocentric patient rotations. Significant positional deviations, either due to improper couch rotation or patient motion, should be followed by radiographic imaging and repositioning. Conculsion AlignRT can be used to verify patient positioning following couch rotations that are applied after the initial x-ray guided patient setup. Using a three-pod AlignRt system, positional deviations exceeding 4 mm were flagged with sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 100% respectively.
An overview of rotavirus vaccination programs in developing countries.

Rotavirus is the leading cause of acute diarrhea among children <5 years worldwide. As all children are equally susceptible to infection and disease development, rotavirus vaccination programs are ...
Demographic and Clinicopathologic Factors of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Safety Net Hospital.

Abstract Background Safety net hospitals have historically cared for a disproportionate number of patients of low socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic minorities, and patients with cancer. These innate challenges make safety net hospitals important in understanding how to improve access to cancer care in order to fit the needs of vulnerable patients and ultimately improve their outcomes. The purpose of this study is to characterize the current state and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) at Ben Taub Hospital, a safety net hospital in Houston, Texas. Materials and methods A retrospective chart review was performed to review the demographic characteristics, clinicopathologic data, treatment strategies, and outcomes of HCC patients at Ben Taub Hospital between January 2012 and December 2014. Results Two-hundred twenty-six men and 78 women with a mean age of 58 y underwent evaluation. Most (87%) were either uninsured or covered by Medicaid. The majority (69%) of patients presented with advanced (stage 2 or more) disease, with 58% of patients presenting with multiple lesions. Of the 40% that presented with a solitary lesion, the average size was 4.97 cm. Transarterial chemoembolization was used in 37% of patients and sorafenib was given to 26% of patients. Five patients underwent successful transplant. One hundred seventeen (38%) patients died of their disease, 25 patients are alive with no evidence of disease, and 159 patients have been lost to follow-up. Conclusions Most patients with HCC presented to this safety net hospital with advanced disease; however, multiple local and systemic treatments were offered. Screening programs to detect HCC at an earlier stage are essential for successful long-term outcomes in a resource-strapped hospital with limited access to liver transplantation.
Dissemination of Prenatal Drinking Guidelines: A Preliminary Study Examining Personal Alcohol Use Among Midwives in a Southwestern US State.

INTRODUCTION The constellation of birth defects seen in fetuses exposed to alcohol in utero have been described as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Evidence suggests that health care providers' communication practices regarding prenatal alcohol use could have beneficial outcomes. There is a paucity of investigations, however, that have examined the health professionals' personal alcohol use and prenatal alcohol recommendations they provide. METHODS This study sought to examine and compare midwives' personal alcohol use and communication practices regarding prenatal alcohol consumption. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified professional midwives (CPMs) in a southwestern US state participated. Inclusion criteria included training in prenatal care, labor, birth, and membership in a midwife professional organization. Personal drinking behaviors were assessed with Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C). RESULTS All midwives (N = 61; 100%) reported they typically screened a patient for alcohol use during an initial prenatal visit. However, 5 (8.2%) respondents opted for recommendations that advised patients to drink once in a while. Similarly, 4 (6.6%) midwives counseled no more than one drink per day. In the cohort of participants (n = 40) with AUDIT-C scores, 25 (62.5%) engaged in nonrisky drinking (AUDIT-C scores <3). Most respondents (n = 39 of 40; 97.5%) typically consumed 1 to 2 standard drinks on the day they drank. There was no statistically significant difference in mean overall AUDIT-C scores between CNMs and CPMs (P = .42). When examining midwives' (1) responses on the AUDIT-C questionnaire, (2) nonrisky or risky drinking behaviors, and 3) communication practices regarding prenatal alcohol use, Fisher's exact test showed no statistically significant differences between CNMs and CPMs. DISCUSSION Results of this study highlight the importance of advocating healthy lifestyles among health care professionals while also promoting communication practices that align with national alcohol guidelines. Future investigations that examine associations between health care professionals' personal alcohol use and type or effectiveness of services offered to patients may be beneficial.
Transpapillary gallbladder stent placement for long-term therapy of acute cholecystitis

Background and Aims Select patients with acute cholecystitis (AC) are poor candidates for cholecystectomy. ERCP-guided transpapillary gallbladder (GB) drainage (ERGD) is one modality for nonoperative management of AC in these patients. Our primary aim was to evaluate long-term success of destination ERGD. Secondary aims were the rate of technical and clinical success, number of repeat procedures, rate of adverse events, and risk factors for recurrent AC. Methods Consecutive patients with AC who were not candidates for cholecystectomy underwent ERGD with attempted transpapillary GB plastic double-pigtail stent placement at a tertiary hospital from January 2008 to December 2019. Long-term success was defined as no AC after ERGD until 6 months, death, or reintervention. Technical success was defined as placement of at least 1 transpapillary stent into the GB and clinical success as resolution of AC symptoms with discharge from the hospital. Results Long-term success was achieved in 95.9% of patients (47/49), technical success in 96% (49/51), and clinical success 100% in those with technical success. Mild adverse events occurred in 5.9% (n = 3). Mean follow-up was 453 days after ERGD (range, 18-1879). A trend toward longer time to recurrence of AC was seen in patients with 2 rather than 1 GB stent placed (P = .13), and more repeat procedures were performed when a single stent was placed (P = .045). Conclusions ERGD with transpapillary GB double-pigtail stent placement is a safe and effective long-term therapy for poor surgical candidates with AC. Risk factors for recurrence include stent removal and single-stent therapy. Double-stent therapy is not always technically feasible but may salvage failed single-stent therapy or recurrence after elective stent removal and may therefore be the preferred treatment modality.
Dasein y desengaño en El Zarco, Los de abajo y Pedro Páramo

Without losing sight of the socio-historic backdrop, this article examines the disillusion suffered by the main characters in El Zarco by Manuel Altamirano, Los de abajo by Mariano Azuela, and Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo. Their arduous awakening to reality drives the narrative, and the way by which they face their true situations reveals the spiritual bearing that enlivens them and which could very well be an echo of the disillusion the authors felt in view of the realities that inspired their works. The ontology proposed by Martin Heidegger in Being and Time serves to consider the characterization of the three novels’ protagonists. Besides revealing these works’ existential vein, this approach invites a consideration of their authors’ philosophical stance.
The Vitality of Animal Spirits for Market Economics

In his General Theory, J. M. Keynes juxtaposed animal spirits and rational action. This juxtaposition created a bifurcation within economic theory. When animal spirits were quiet, societies were dominated by the rationality associated with classical economics. But when those spirits raged, those societies could be ravaged by bouts of boom and bust. Keynes’s framing has cast a long shadow within economic theory as evidenced by an ever-present conflict between centering economics on rational action as opposed to incorporating animal spirits into economic theory. This paper opposes this presumed conflict by presenting an integrated treatment of rational action and animal spirits. It does this by recognizing that animal spirits and rationality are inseparable within all human action. This inseparability, moreover, pertains to politicians and public officials just as fully as it pertains to market participants.
Total and Out-of-Pocket Costs of Procedures After Lung Cancer Screening in a National Commercially Insured Population: Estimating an Episode of Care.

Abstract Objective Consequences of lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose chest CT in clinical settings, including procedures, costs, and complications, are incompletely understood. We evaluated downstream invasive procedures after LCS, total and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of these procedures, and correlates of procedural rates and costs. Methods Using the Clinformatics Data Mart, we retrospectively included patients between ages 55 and 79 years receiving LCS between 2015 and 2017. The types and frequency of downstream invasive procedures (including needle biopsy, bronchoscopy, surgery, and cytology) were described. Treating the LCS examination and downstream procedures as a single LCS episode, we described the per-episode total costs (insurance reimbursement + OOP costs of LCS and downstream procedures) and OOP costs. Correlates of costs were determined using linear and logistic regression. Results A total of 6,268 patients received at least one low-dose chest CT; 462 patients (7.4%) received at least one procedure within 12 months after LCS (needle biopsy 69.0%, cytology 23.6%, bronchoscopy 18.6%, surgery 23.8%). Women and patients ≥65 years were more likely to receive a downstream procedure. Ninety-three patients (20.1%) were diagnosed with lung cancer after LCS. The total cost of managing this population of lung screeners was $5,060,511.04, with an average per-episode total cost of $740.06. The aggregate OOP costs to this population of lung screeners was $427,069.74, with an average per-episode OOP cost of $62.46. Conclusions Rates of invasive procedures after LCS in a commercially insured population exceeded those of clinical trials. Considering LCS and associated downstream procedures as an episode of care results in modest OOP cost.
A Retrospective View

A retrospective view of watershed management in the United States and globally is helpful to understand the issues confronted in land stewardship (see Chapter 4) and the contributions of watershed management to future land stewardship (see Chapter 5). Participants at the conference on “Land Stewardship in the 21st Century: The Contributions of Watershed Management” reviewed the following 4 general topics, which are also discussed in the chapter, from a retrospective viewpoint (Ffolliott et al., 2000).
Cysteine in the manganous-isocitrate binding site of pig heart TPN-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase. II. Identification of a critical cysteine-containing tryptic peptide derived from the thiocyano enzyme.

Abstract The pig heart TPN-speciftc isocitrate dehydrogenase was reacted successively with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) and K 14 CN in the presence of various combinations of substrates and/or inhibitors to produce thiocyano derivatives of the reactive cysteine residues. The thiocyano-enzyme preparations, after cyclization and cleavage to yield iminothiazolidine derivatives, were digested with trypsin and the resultant tryptic digests were fractionated by two-dimensional paper chromatography and high-voltage electrophoresis. The 14 C-labeled peptides were located by a two-dimensional radioscanner. The distribution of radioactivity in the tryptic digests of inactive enzyme, obtained by reaction with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) and K 14 CN in the absence of ligands, was compared with that of enzyme obtained by reaction in the presence of ligands such as Mn 2+ and isocitrate or Ca 2+ and isocitrate which protect against inactivation. The results suggest that modification of one cysteine-containing peptide, termed Peptide 2, leads to inactivation. Peptide 2 has been purified and its amino acid composition determined. Evidence from this and the preceding paper indicates that this peptide participates in the metal-isocitrate binding site. The amino acid composition of the intact pig heart TPN-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase is also presented.
3.5-Way Cuckoo Hashing for the Price of 2-and-a-Bit

The study of hashing is closely related to the analysis of balls and bins; items are hashed to memory locations much as balls are thrown into bins. In particular, Azar et. al. [2] considered putting each ball in the less-full of two random bins. This lowers the probability that a bin exceeds a certain load from exponentially small to doubly exponential, giving maximum load loglogn + O(1) with high probability. Cuckoo hashing [20] draws on this idea. Each item is hashed to two buckets of capacity k. If both are full, then the insertion procedure moves previously-inserted items to their alternate buckets to make space for the new item. In a natural implementation, the buckets are represented by partitioning a fixed array of memory into non-overlapping blocks of size k. An item is hashed to two such blocks and may be stored at any location within either one. We analyze a simple twist in which each item is hashed to two arbitrary size-k memory blocks. (So consecutive blocks are no longer disjoint, but rather overlap by k − 1 locations.) This twist increases the space utilization from 1 − (2/e + o(1)) k to 1 − (1/e + o(1))1.59k in general. For k = 2, the new method improves utilization from 89.7% to 96.5%, yet lookups access only two items at each of two random locations. This result is surprising because the opposite happens in the non-cuckoo setting; if items are not moved during later insertions, then shifting from non-overlapping to overlapping blocks makes the distribution less uniform.
The proportion of stressed individuals who, on any given day, do not have a cold/flu may be increased by the intake of bifidobacteria: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (639.13)

Psychological stress is associated with cold/flu. This study determined whether probiotics increased the proportion of academically stressed students who, on any given day, did not have a cold/flu (ie, healthy day). Before, during, and after final exams (6-wk period), students (20±2 y) took a probiotic (L. helveticus R0052, B. bifidum R0071, or B. longum ssp. infantis R0033) or placebo (n=142 to 147/grp) and self-reported level of stress and symptom intensity (SI, 0=not experiencing to 3=severe) of 9 cold/flu symptoms. SI scores were summed; a score ≤6 was counted as a healthy day. The effects of intervention, week, gender, sleep, stress, and categorized baseline SI scores (to control for individual variation), and 2-way interactions were in the generalized linear mixed model. There was an effect of gender and an interaction between the intervention and stress, sleep, and SI category on the proportion of “healthy” individuals on any given day. B. longum showed a positive relationship with hrs of sle...
Electromagnetic and 3D Effects in the Multipactor Discharge on a Dielectric

In high-power microwave systems with and without the background gas, the effect of the transverse field structure on the discharge is investigated by comparing the pseudo-3D simulation in TE 10 mode with the 1D where TEM mode is presumed. At the presence of the background gas, The number of electrons shows big discrepancy between the 1D and pseudo-3D simulations while the mean kinetic energies of electrons are nearly the same. In the pseudo-3D, the upper boundary of the susceptibility diagram is nearly vertical so that only the lower boundary is relevant. Under the large electric field, the multipactor discharge starts from the edge and moves to the center in the transverse direction as the longitudinal electric field increases.
Culture: Contemporary Views

In 1952 A. L. Kroeber and Clyde Kluckholn formulated a definition of ‘culture’ that became a mantra for a generation of cultural anthropologists who came of scholarly age in the middle of the twentieth century. Little did Kroeber and Kluckholn know that for the next 50 years the idea of ‘culture,’ in its anthropological sense, would be frequently debated, doubted, distrusted, and scorned and associated with a variety of sins. Nor could they have anticipated that at the beginning of the twenty-first century the idea of ‘culture’ would be a key concept in many of the social sciences, while cultural anthropology would remain a scene for various kinds of ‘anticultural’ or ‘postcultural’ critiques. Nevertheless, a concept of ‘culture’ very much like the one recommended by Kroeber and Kluckholn remains useful in social science research today. The concept of ‘culture’ not only survives; it thrives, and for good reason.
Reducing Accidents in the Hospitality Industry through Ergonomics

(1993). Reducing Accidents in the Hospitality Industry through Ergonomics. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 53-55.
Soil greenhouse gas emissions and their mitigation

Agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by humans worldwide. Cropped soils produce over 50% of the global anthropogenic nitrous oxide flux, store and release organic carbon as carbon dioxide, and can produce as well as consume methane. Sources and sinks of each of these GHGs differ, and each is affected differently by agronomic management. Calculating a total GHG balance for different cropping systems reveals a number of GHG mitigation opportunities and best strategies for crediting management changes.
Active sensor fusion for mobile robot exploration and navigation

In this paper we present a paradigm for active sensor fusion and feature integration for the purposes of exploration of a static environment, and subsequent navigation therein. We describe the feature grid representation of the environment which is extensible to a wide range of sensor modalities, allows efficient access of information, and supports inter-agent cooperation. In particular, we have developed a testbed with which we investigate the fusion of data from acoustic range sensors with data from a structured-light sensor capable of delineating object extent. The acoustic sensors are employed for primary detection and localization of an object, as well as for extraction of geometric features such as planar surfaces and corners. Once an object has been identified, an active sensing strategy is invoked, causing the mobile robot to follow a trajectory which brings the object into view of the structured-light sensor. In this way, relatively accurate information can be accumulated regarding object position, extent and orientation.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A comprehensive yet comprehensible analytical model for the direct methanol fuel cell

Abstract The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) has a significant potential in consumer electronics and in backup and portable power. Its progress is, however, hindered, in part, by a lack of an adequate fundamental understanding of the effect of various operating and design variables on its performance. While detailed computational models are available, an analytical model is attractive for ease of comprehension and ready utility. Therefore, we have developed a comprehensive yet tractable one-dimensional, isothermal, explicit analytical model based largely on a priori parameters, and in terms of quantities with tangible meaning. The model correctly predicts the extent of methanol crossover and its effect on open-circuit voltage (OCV) as well as on polarization of the anode, cathode, and the fuel cell. It also accurately describes the effects of methanol feed concentration and temperature on DMFC performance. It aptly predicts the significant power losses from the large anode and cathode overpotentials as well as from methanol crossover, and the resulting low DMFC efficiency, except over a narrow range of operating conditions. The insightful model can be used, e.g., in real-time control of DMFC to operate in the narrow region of high efficiency and power density.
High-speed, multi-input, multi-output control using GPU processing in the HBT-EP tokamak

Abstract We report on the design of a new plasma control system for the HBT-EP tokamak that utilizes a graphical processing unit (GPU) to magnetically control the 3D perturbed equilibrium state [1] of the plasma. The control system achieves cycle times of 5 μs and I/O latencies below 10 μs for up to 96 inputs and 64 outputs. The number of state variables is in the same order. To handle the resulting computational complexity under the given time constraints, the control algorithms are designed for massively parallel processing. The necessary hardware resources are provided by an NVIDIA Tesla M2050 GPU, offering a total of 448 computing cores running at 1.3 GHz each. A new control architecture allows control input from magnetic diagnostics to be pushed directly into GPU memory by a D-TACQ ACQ196 digitizer, and control output to be pulled directly from GPU memory by two D-TACQ AO32 analog output modules. By using peer-to-peer PCI express connections, this technique completely eliminates the use of host RAM and central processing unit (CPU) from the control cycle, permitting single-digit microsecond latencies on a standard Linux host system without any real-time extensions.
BOLD Subjective Value Signals Exhibit Robust Range Adaptation

Many theories of decision making assume that choice options are assessed along a common subjective value (SV) scale. The neural correlates of SV are widespread and reliable, despite the wide variation in the range of values over which decisions are made (e.g., between goods worth a few dollars, in some cases, or hundreds of dollars, in others). According to adaptive coding theories (Barlow, 1961), an efficient value signal should exhibit range adaptation, such that neural activity maintains a fixed dynamic range, and the slope of the value response varies inversely with the range of values within the local context. Although monkey data have demonstrated range adaptation in single-unit correlates of value (Padoa-Schioppa, 2009; Kobayashi et al., 2010), whether BOLD value signals exhibit similar range adaptation is unknown. To test for this possibility, we presented human participants with choices between a fixed immediate and variable delayed payment options. Across two conditions, the delayed options' SVs spanned either a narrow or wide range. SV-tracking activity emerged in the posterior cingulate, ventral striatum, anterior cingulate, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Throughout this network, we observed evidence consistent with the predictions of range adaptation: the SV response slope increased in the narrow versus wide range, with statistically significant slope changes confirmed for the posterior cingulate and ventral striatum. No regions exhibited a reliably increased BOLD activity range in the wide versus narrow condition. Our observations of range adaptation present implications for the interpretation of BOLD SV responses that are measured across different contexts or individuals.
Who cares about integrability

Abstract Problems that admit solitons and are completely integrable have been analyzed in detail since their discovery by Zabusky and Kruskal 25 years ago. Their study has influenced the development of both mathematics and physics during that time. The questions addressed here are: 1. (i) Has this subject run its natural course? 2. (ii) Will it significantly influence the nonlinear science that develops over the next decade? Supporting examples will be chosen from several disciplines, but especially from the study of water waves.
Helper T-cell clones that recognize autologous insulin are stimulated in nonresponder mice by pork insulin.

Abstract Murine antibody responses to various species of insulin are under major histocompatibility complex-linked Ir gene control. Beef insulin differs from pork insulin by only two amino acids in the A-chain loop, yet strain C57BL/10 (B10) mice produce insulin-specific antibodies after immunization with beef insulin and fail to produce antibody after stimulation with pork insulin. Nevertheless, pork insulin primes helper T cells in B10 mice that can be demonstrated if insulin-specific Lyt-1-, -2+ suppressor T cells are removed. Not only do the pork insulin-primed helper and suppressor T cells cross-react with autologous insulin, but also rat insulin (the amino acid sequence of which is identical to mouse insulin) elicits functionally identical helper and suppressor T cells. In this report, we demonstrate that in B10 mice the frequency of helper T cells stimulated by pork insulin is equivalent to that stimulated by beef insulin and that helper T-cell clones induced by beef and pork insulin are major histocompatibility complex-restricted T cells that proliferate, produce lymphokines, and provide helper activity after activation. These helper T-cell clones exhibit different antigenic fine specificities: beef insulin-induced clones respond to beef insulin but not pork or autologous insulin, whereas pork insulin-induced clones cross-react with all species of insulin tested, including rat insulin. In addition, the helper activity of cloned pork insulin-specific T cells is abrogated by pork insulin-primed suppressor T cells. These data support the hypotheses that Ir gene control of antibody responses to certain antigens involves mechanisms used for maintenance of self-tolerance.
High-Intensity Intravenous Cyclophosphamide and Cisplatin, Interim Surgical Debulking, and Intraperitoneal Cisplatin in Advanced Ovarian Carcinoma: A Pilot Trial with Ten-Year Follow-up

Abstract Purpose. This trial was undertaken to study the effect of intensified intravenous cyclophosphamide/cisplatin and interim surgical debulking, followed by intraperitoneal cisplatin on surgically defined complete remission rate and survival in advanced ovarian cancer. Patients and methods. Forty patients with stage IIB through IV ovarian cancer were entered and 36 were evaluable for response and survival for approximately 10 years. Following a first laparotomy for diagnosis and debulking, the patients received two cycles, spaced 28 days apart, of intravenous cisplatin 30–40 mg/m 2 /day with hypertonic saline for 4 to 5 days and cyclophosphamide 200 mg/m 2 /day for 5 days. A second laparotomy was done to further debulk remaining cancer and to place an intraperitoneal catheter. Four cycles of intraperitoneal cisplatin at 50 or 100 mg/m 2 were administered 21 days apart and followed by a third laparotomy to define response and plan any further therapy. Results. The surgically confirmed complete response rate was 47% and median survival is 68.3 months for this group. Ten of the 17 patients (58.8%) relapsed following complete response at a median of 19.5 months (range, 5–98). Both aggressive chemotherapy and surgery seemed to play a role in inducing this high complete response rate. Traditional prognostic factors, including stage and diameter of largest residual disease, had little apparent effect on likelihood of complete response or survival, whereas tumor grade had a more significant effect on survival. Nadir fever was experienced by 33% of patients but peripheral neuropathy was dose limiting. Conclusion. In the context of recent data failing to support any clinical benefit to modest increases in dose escalations of cisplatin or carboplatin, in this trial the high complete response rate suggests that the multimodality approach (i.e., interval surgical debulking and intraperitoneal cisplatin) is worthy of further study. The high relapse rate among complete responders and the unacceptable neurotoxicity also suggest that modifications could improve the results. The use of newer agents and further intensification (substituting carboplatin for cisplatin and the use of paclitaxel) with stem cell support are two examples.