cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solitary pigmented Bowen's disease of the scrotum.

. An elderly Chinese man with solitary pigmented Bowen's disease of the scrotum is described. This disease must be distinguished from seborrheic keratoses, pigmented basal cell carcinoma, melanocytic nevus, malignant melanoma, and bowenoid papulosis.
Effects of gravidity on the metabolism of the reproductively bimodal lizard, Sceloporus aeneus

The metabolic rates of gravid and nongravid females of two subspecies of Sceloporus aeneus exhibiting different reproductive modes (oviparity and viviparity) were compared. Both oviparous and viviparous gravid females exhibited a significant increase in oxygen consumption over that of nongravid females of either reproductive mode. Weight-specific oxygen consumption also is greater in gravid than in nongravid females. The alteration in metabolic rate in gravid females is attributed to a fetal–maternal difference in this parameter-that is, an altered maternal physiology associated with pregnancy.key words weight-specific metabolism, reproduction,oxygen consumption,Sceloporus aeneus reptilia, squamata,iquanidae
Carbon‐13 NMR studies of naturally occurring maytansinoids

The 13C NMR spectra of the antileukemic ansa macrolide maytansine and eight naturally occurring homologues were recorded. Signals were assigned to specific carbon atoms of the ansa macrolide ring and C-3 ester side chain using data from off-resonance decoupling, single frequency decoupling, and 180°–τ–907° double pulse experiments. The assignment of each carbon is discussed for maytansine and tabulated for the other eight maytansinoids.
Platelet Factor 4 Mediates Inflammation in Experimental Cerebral Malaria

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a major complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection in children. The pathogenesis of CM involves vascular inflammation, immune stimulation, and obstruction of cerebral capillaries. Platelets have a prominent role in both immune responses and vascular obstruction. We now demonstrate that the platelet-derived chemokine, platelet factor 4 (PF4)/CXCL4, promotes the development of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). Plasmodium-infected red blood cells (RBCs) activated platelets independently of vascular effects, resulting in increased plasma PF4. PF4 or chemokine receptor CXCR3 null mice had less severe ECM, including decreased T cell recruitment to the brain, and platelet depletion or aspirin treatment reduced the development of ECM. We conclude that Plasmodium-infected RBCs can directly activate platelets, and platelet-derived PF4 then contributes to immune activation and T cell trafficking as part of the pathogenesis of ECM.
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor knock-out exacerbates choroidal neovascularization via multiple pathogenic pathways

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a heterodimeric transcriptional regulator with pleiotropic functions in xenobiotic metabolism and detoxification, vascular development and cancer. Herein, we report a previously undescribed role for the AhR signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of the wet, neovascular subtype of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly in the Western world. Comparative analysis of gene expression profiles of aged AhR(-/-) and wild-type (wt) mice, using high-throughput RNA sequencing, revealed differential modulation of genes belonging to several AMD-related pathogenic pathways, including inflammation, angiogenesis and extracellular matrix regulation. To investigate AhR regulation of these pathways in wet AMD, we experimentally induced choroidal neovascular lesions in AhR(-/-) mice and found that they measured significantly larger in area and volume compared to age-matched wt mice. Furthermore, these lesions displayed a higher number of ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1-positive (Iba1(+) ) microglial cells and a greater amount of collagen type IV deposition, events also seen in human wet AMD pathology specimens. Consistent with our in vivo observations, AhR knock-down was sufficient to increase choroidal endothelial cell migration and tube formation in vitro. Moreover, AhR knock-down caused an increase in collagen type IV production and secretion in both retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) and choroidal endothelial cell cultures, increased expression of angiogenic and inflammatory molecules, including vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) in RPE cells, and increased expression of secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) in choroidal endothelial cells. Collectively, our findings identify AhR as a regulator of multiple pathogenic pathways in experimentally induced choroidal neovascularization, findings that are consistent with a possible role of AhR in wet AMD. The data discussed in this paper have been deposited in NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus; GEO Submission No. GSE56983, NCBI Tracking System No. 17021116.
A new edge-based text verification approach for video

In this paper, we propose a new edge-based text verification approach for video. Based on the investigation of the relation between candidate blocks and their neighbor areas, the proposed approach first detects background edges in candidate blocks, then erases them by an edge tracking technique, and finally the candidate blocks containing too few remaining edges are eliminated as false alarms. Three measures for text detection evaluation in video were used to assess the performance of the proposed text verification approach. Experimental results on 50 broadcast news video clips demonstrate the validity of our approach.
Suppression of the Uranium-Hydrogen Reaction using High-Dose Carbon Implantation

We have previously reported the delay and reduction of the hydriding of uranium by implantation of oxygen. The reduced hydriding was attributed to the presence of the uranium oxide layer created near room temperature. In this paper we present results for the layers formed by implantation of 80 keV C+ to a dose of 8E17 C/cm2. The carbide layers formed were characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, and glancing angle x-ray diffraction. Hydriding properties of both nonimplanted and implanted uranium were measured for 76 Torr hydrogen at 130°C. The implanted specimens had significantly longer incubation times for the start of the reaction after exposure to hydrogen and less area participating in the reaction.
Epithelial cell adherence mediated by the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli tia protein.

In vitro studies have shown that enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are capable of invading cultured epithelial cells derived from the human ileum and colon. Two separate invasion loci (tia and tib) have previously been isolated from the classical ETEC strain H10407. The tia locus has been shown to direct the synthesis of Tia, a 25-kDa outer membrane protein. Tia is sufficient to confer the adherence and invasion phenotypes on laboratory stains of E. coli, suggesting that this protein is an adhesin and invasin. Here we report the purification of Tia and characterize its biological activity. Tia was purified by electroelution of outer membrane proteins that had been separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Purified Tia was labeled with biotin and then shown to bind to HCT8 human ileocecal epithelial cells in a specific and saturable manner. Polyclonal anti-Tia antiserum blocked this binding. These results show that Tia acts as an adhesin. Polyclonal anti-Tia antiserum also inhibited invasion of recombinant E. coli bearing tia clones, indirectly suggesting that Tia may also act as an invasin. We predict Tia to contain eight transmembrane amphipathic β-sheets with four loops that are exposed on the surface of the bacterial cell. A peptide corresponding to 19 residues in one of the four predicted surface-exposed loops inhibits Tia-mediated epithelial cell invasion. Seeding HCT8 cells on wells coated with purified Tia reduced Tia-mediated epithelial cell invasion. Together, these results indicate that Tia is an invasin and adhesin that binds a specific receptor on HCT8 cells.
Dual-Function 3-D Heatsink Antenna for High-Density 3-D Integration

Radiation from heatsinks is typically undesirable and should be minimized to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI). However, in certain applications such as high-power transmitters where both a heatsink and an antenna are required it can be advantageous to maximize the radiation from a heatsink by using the heatsink as the antenna. In this case, not only is the total component count in the transmitter reduced, but the heatsink can be beneficial to the antenna performance. A 2.4 GHz heatsink antenna based on a microstrip patch antenna design shows improved radiation efficiency and broader bandwidth. Also, the peak antenna gain is increased. This presentation reviews the idea of the heatsink antenna and how the heatsink can be exploited for improved antenna performance.
Curve numbers and Green-Ampt effective hydraulic conductivities.

The SCS curve number method is an accepted method for estimating surface water runoff caused by rainfall. Several modern process-based hydrologic models, including the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model, use the Green-Ampt infiltration equation, but the basis for selecting model parameters is not as comprehensive as for curve number selection. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively relate curve numbers to Green-Ampt effective conductivity parameters, K e , so that the information available relative to application of curve number technology may be applied to WEPP for predicting runoff from rainfall. Data used to develop relationships included descriptions of 43 soils, CLIGEN-generated weather information for ten geographic locations in the U.S., and eight different types of cropping practices. Values of K e were derived by optimizing WEPP model output to match that predicted by curve numbers for a 20-year weather sequence. Relationships were developed to describe the optimized K e values for both fallow and cropped conditions. The relationships were tested on approximately 350 plot years of measured data from 11 runoff and erosion stations in the U.S. and shown to perform as well as or better than the SCS curve number approach for individual storm predictions of runoff volumes.
Regular vs Ad-lib Albuterol for Patients Hospitalized With Acute Asthma

Study objectives Inhaled, short-acting β-agonists and systemic corticosteroids form the mainstay of therapy in acute asthma exacerbation. Asthma, however, is an inflammatory disease of the airways, and its underlying pathology is not impacted by short-acting β-agonists. While the efficacy of ad-lib β-agonist administration in outpatient management of asthma symptoms is well established, little data exist to support this strategy in patients with acute, severe asthma. We postulate that as long as patients hospitalized with severe asthma exacerbation receive systemic corticosteroids, regular, scheduled administration of short-acting β-agonists is unnecessary. Similar therapeutic outcomes can be achieved with the ad-lib administration of the short-acting β-agonists. Design Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting Pulmonary floor of a 600-bed municipal hospital. Patients or participants Sixty-two patients hospitalized for acute asthma. Interventions Patients were randomized to receive either albuterol nebulizations (regular albuterol group) or saline solution nebulizations (ad-lib group) every 4 h with management of breakthrough symptoms with albuterol metered-dose inhaler or nebulizations for both groups. All patients received systemic corticosteroids. Peak expiratory flows, asthma symptoms, and need for rescue bronchodilator were followed up on each patient until discharge. Results There was no significant difference in the length of hospitalization (median length, 48 h for ad-lib group vs 57.5 h for regular albuterol group, p = 0.82), rate of improvement in peak flow, or symptoms between the two groups. Ad-lib β-agonist use compared to regular albuterol scheduled use resulted in a significant reduction in the total number of albuterol treatments administered (median, 7 treatments vs 19 treatments, p = 0.001) during hospitalization. Conclusions In the management of asthma exacerbation, ad-lib administration of albuterol is therapeutically as effective as regular, scheduled administration. This method of drug administration also reduces the total dose of β-agonists received by the hospitalized patient.
A Data Mining Method to Extract and Rank Papers Describing Coexpression Predicates Semantically

Information management and extraction in the field of biomedical research has become a requirement with the rapid increase in the amount of data being published in this area. In this paper, a graphical model, Conditional Random Fields has been used to extract a particular gene-gene relationship called “coexpression” from the existing literature. First, a Conditional Random Fields based model has been trained and tested on full-length papers downloaded from PubMed, to label the predicates that talk about coexpression of genes. Proper local and contextual text features at both word and sentence levels are proposed and extracted during the pre-processing step. The classification performance of the model trained based on the proposed features has been compared with the that of Support Vector Machines, Nearest Neighbor with generalization, and Neural Networks algorithms, and seen to outperform them all. In our second experiment, the proposed ranking scheme, which is based on classification results, is applied to the ranked lists of papers returned by PubMed and Google, respectively. The comparison of our ranked results to that of PubMed and Google demonstrates that our proposed ranking scheme performs better than both in distinguishing a positive paper from a negative paper. In conclusion, this paper describes a specialized classification and ranking framework that can retrieve papers that really talk about coexpression between and among genes based on mining of semantics and not just lexical search.
On the efficiency of the orthogonal least squares training method for radial basis function networks

The efficiency of the orthogonal least squares (OLS) method for training approximation networks is examined using the criterion of energy compaction. We show that the selection of basis vectors produced by the procedure is not the most compact when the approximation is performed using a nonorthogonal basis. Hence, the algorithm does not produce the smallest possible networks for a given approximation error. Specific examples are given using the Gaussian radial basis functions type of approximation networks.
Remarkable conservation of structure among intermediate filament genes

Using a cloned cDNA complementary to a portion of the mRNA for the 50 kd human epidermal keratin, we have screened a human genomic library and have isolated and sequenced the gene encoding this keratin. A comparison of the keratin gene with the very distantly related vimentin gene has enabled us to explore the relation between the evolutionary conservation of structure in intermediate filament (IF) subunits and the conservation of structure in IF genes. Our results reveal that not only the secondary structure of the IF proteins, but also the structural skeleton of their genes, has been maintained throughout evolution. These characteristics have persisted despite considerable flexibility in both protein and nucleic acid sequence. Surprisingly, although the positions of the introns within these two genes are highly conserved, they do not seem to correspond to the boundaries of the structural domains common to all IF subunits.
New dimensions in wavelet analysis

A new class of signal analysis tools that generalizes the popular wavelet and short-time Fourier transforms is introduced. The class allows skews and rotations of the analyzing wavelet in the time-frequency plane, in addition to the time and frequency translations and scalings used by conventional transforms. In addition to providing a unifying framework for studying existing time-frequency representations, the general class provides a systematic method for designing new representations with properties useful for certain types of signals. >
Synthetic curcumin analog EF31 inhibits the growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma xenografts

Objectives are to examine the efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of a synthetic curcumin analog EF31 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The synthesis of EF31 was described for the first time. Solubility of EF24 and EF31 was compared using nephelometric analysis. Human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma Tu212 xenograft tumors were established in athymic nude mice and treated with EF31 i.p. once daily five days a week for about 5–6 weeks. The long term effect of EF31 on the NF-κB signaling system in the tumors was examined by Western blot analysis. EF31 at 25 mg kg−1, i.p. inhibited tumor growth almost completely. Solubilities of EF24 and EF31 are <10 and 13 μg mL−1 or <32 and 47 μM, respectively. The serum chemistry profiles of treated mice were within the limits of normal, they revealed a linear increase of Cmax. EF31 decreased the level of phosphorylation of NF-κB p65. In conclusion, the novel synthetic curcumin analog EF31 is efficacious in inhibiting the growth of Tu212 xenograft tumors and may be useful for treating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The long term EF31 treatment inhibited NF-κB p65 phosphorylation in xenografts, implicating downregulation of cancer promoting transcription factors such as angiogenesis and metastasis.
Adjustment to the Highrise Variables in a German Sample

The study concerns interviews with a German sample of 430 residents of highrise complexes (with comparison with 166 nonhighrise residents). The data were analyzed primarily according to social backgrounds such as social class, sex, marital status, and age. Satisfaction in the highrise was largely conditioned by physical aspects of the apartment, but also by the ability to form social networks. Whatever their reservations about the highrise, parents were more enthusiastic about the adjustment of children than were childless respondents. On the whole, there appears to be considerable self-selectivity among highrise residents even though many regard their residence as temporary.
Pre‐hospital opioid analgesia for traumatic injuries

Reason for withdrawal from publication 2 March 2017: The authors do not intend to complete this review. The protocol is being withdrawn from the Cochrane Library.
Multipoint: a millimeter wave system for quick access to the information super-highway

Broadband wireless service is a natural progression of wireless technology. First cellular and then Personal Communications Services (PCS) demonstrated the advantages of wireless communications for mobil users. However with the deployment of wireless technology, other advantages of wireless systems became apparent. The first advantage is the rapidity with which wireless systems can be deployed compared to wired solutions. The second advantage is the lower cost per subscriber for low take rates for the service. These advantages are independent of the mobility aspect of cellular systems. The demand for broadband services such as interactive entertainment, video conferencing, high-speed data, etc., has created the need for the Information Super-Highway. The obvious transmission medium of choice is Fiber Optic networks such as Hybrid Fiber/Coax (HFC), Fiber-to-the-Curb (FTTC) and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH). However the time and cost to deploy a wired solution, particularly during the early stages of low take rates in a competitive environment, make the economics of a wired broadband digital solution uncertain. A broadband wireless solution provides an alternative which offers the advantages of quick deployment and good economics in low take-rate environments. This paper describes how a 27-30 GHz system can offer a wireless alternative for broadband digital services.
No “Knapsack of Invisible Privilege” for ESL University Students

This essay is inspired by Peggy McIntosh’s (2003, originally 1988) well-known essay containing a list of items in the knapsack of privilege, meaning unearned and invisible privilege that White people unconsciously carry. Because of the power of such concretization of types of privilege, here I have created a similar list based on the (also unearned and invisible) privilege that non–English as a second language (generally English monolingual) students in universities in the United States often carry. This list thus illustrates, in contrast, both overt and subtle types of disadvantage and discrimination that many English as a second language (ESL) students, both international and immigrant, experience in classrooms, advising, housing, services, and encounters with nearby communities. Of course ESL students are not all the same, and some students experience more or less of such disadvantage, depending at least partly on their other identities such as social class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, an...
The induction of labor

Abstract Castor Oil and Quinine .—Efficacious in 40 to 50 per cent of patients at term; harmless if dosage of quinine is 10 gr. or less. Castor Oil, Quinine, and Pituitrin .—Efficacious in 60 or 70 per cent of patients at term; harmless if dosage of quinine is low and if administration of pituitrin (preferably nasal) is vigilantly supervised. Contraindicated in toxemias. Artificial Rupture of Membranes .—Efficacious in 98 per cent of patients at term, provided contraindications are followed. Labor is usually shortened. In about 2 per cent of the patients the latent period is unusually long and in these cases the likelihood of infection is increased. The method is therefore not without some small danger and should be used only on definite indication, that is, when the hazard of allowing the pregnancy (presumably pathologic) to continue is greater than the slight hazard involved in the induction. Bougie Induction .—Useful in cases in which artificial rupture of the membranes is contraindicated, particularly when patient is three or four weeks from her expected date of confinement. At that time efficacy is probably 70 or 80 per cent. Danger imposed on mother and child is greater than artificial rupture of membranes and should be used only on urgent indication. Bag Induction .—Field of usefulness is limited to (1) occasional cases of premature rupture of membranes in which medicinal methods have failed to induce labor and (2) certain cases of uterine inertia.
Social work educator views of DSM: Now what?

ABSTRACTThis Internet-based study surveys views of social work educators on the use of the classification system known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, as a component of the social work mental health curriculum. With reference to the primacy of the profession in mental health services, the transition to a new edition of DSM (DSM-5), and the absence of social work representation on the DSM-5 Task Force, social work educators (319) were asked about their overall views of the DSM system and the positioning of DSM in the curriculum of their own universities. Educators—the majority of whom have clinical (81%) and/or teaching (53%) experience using editions previous to DSM-5—revealed a combination of caution and positive regard for the DSM.
Farm Bill "Reform" Is in the Eye of the Beholder

For decades (most recently in 2008), Congress has set American farm policy by passing a series of acts, known commonly as the “farm bill,” every five years or so. The scope of the farm bill has expanded over time, to the point where farm subsidies, as typically understood, now make up a relatively small share of the total spending on the farm bill. Nutrition programs, including what used to be known as “food stamps,” make up the lion’s share of the budget — about $80 billion per year — and the bill now includes energy and environmental programs, too.
Effects of Substituents upon the P···N Noncovalent Interaction: The Limits of Its Strength

Previous work has documented the ability of the P atom to form a direct attractive noncovalent interaction with a N atom, based in large measure on the charge transfer from the N lone pair into the σ* antibonding orbital of the P-H that is turned away from the N atom. As the systems studied to date include only hydrides, the present work considers how substituents affect the interaction and examines whether P···N might compete with other attractive forces such as H-bonds. It is found that the addition of electron-withdrawing substituents greatly strengthens the P···N interaction to the point where it exceeds that of the majority of H-bonds. The highest interaction energy occurs in the FH(2)P···N(CH(3))(3) complex, amounting to 11 kcal/mol. A breakdown of the individual forces involved attributes the stability of the interaction to approximately equal parts electrostatic and induction energy, with a smaller contribution from dispersion.
Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation: fixing the problems and pushing the envelope.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW A recent development within pediatric cardiology is percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI). This has extended the life of surgical conduits and decreased the number of surgical procedures required. Early reports focused on feasibility and safety of the technique; recent literature has focused on avoidance of complications such as stent fractures and on expanding the procedure to nonconduit implantation. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent data regarding stent fractures and alternative uses of the valve. RECENT FINDINGS Stent fractures following PPVI are reported in 20-28% of patients. Prestenting has recently been shown to be protective and to extend the freedom from stent fractures. The use of PPVI has also been reported in nonconduit positions such as in bioprosthetic tricuspid valves, branch pulmonary arteries, aortic and mitral positions. In addition, the valve has been implanted in higher pressure environments. The short-term success in these applications appears to be quite good. SUMMARY PPVI has allowed extension of the life of surgical conduits and failure of the valve is mainly related to stent fractures. Recent developments have minimized this complication. In addition, use of the valve has been extended to nontraditional locations and short-term results are favorable.
Children with Special Needs: Sources of Support and Stress for Families

This discussion describes the sources of stress and support in the lives of twenty-five families caring for children with developmental disabilities. Utilizing the ecomap as an assessment and planning tool, four family profiles are suggested: the well-supported family; the stressed family; the isolated family; and the overextended family. The importance of assessing the environmental stresses and social supports of parents and children with disabilities is discussed and intervention strategies are suggested.
ON THE ANALOGY BETWEEN THE CURRENT DENSITY DISTRIBUTION IN A THIN CONDUCTIVE PLATE AND THE ANTI-PLANE SHEAR PROBLEM

Qualitative analysis of current density distribution in a thin conductive plate containing cracks is the first problem to be solved for the crack-preventing technology based on the electromagnetic heating effect. To investigate the singular distribution of the current density at the crack tips, most of the existing solutions are complicated or are only valid for a specific arrangement of the cracks. In this paper it is found that there exists a close analogy between the current density distribution and the anti-plane shear problem. Hence the solution to the current density distribution in a cracked conductive plate can be deduced by considering a corresponding mode III crack problem. The current density factor is defined in a similar way as the stress intensity factor, as its counterpart in the mode III crack problem. The consequent crack problem can be solved efficiently by the distributed dislocation technique, which is a widely applied tool in fracture mechanics. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate that the proposed numerical method is convenient and accurate and also helps to the understanding of the singularity of the current density distribution at the crack tip.
Rupture Causes Analysis and Countermeasures on Rear Platen Superheater Tube of 300 MW Power Station Boiler

Based on the experimental data,an failure analysis about the causes of the dissimilar steel weld joints rupture in the rear platen superheater tube of a large power plant boiler has been done.The results demonstrated that the enriched carbon layers around the melting line,residual stress and stress concentration leads to a premature failure of the dissimilar steel weld joints,and the retrofitting measures are introduced to ensure the safe operation of the power station boiler.At the same time,it can also supply references to the failure analysis of the similar structure boiler heating tubes.
Adolescence and the ontogeny of the hormonal stress response in male and female rats and mice.

Abstract Adolescent development is marked by many changes in neuroendocrine function, resulting in both immediate and long-term influences on an individual’s physiology and behavior. Stress-induced hormonal responses are one such change, with adolescent animals often showing different patterns of hormonal reactivity following a stressor compared with adults. This review will describe the unique ways in which adolescent animals respond to a variety of stressors and how these adolescent-related changes in hormonal responsiveness can be further modified by the sex and previous experience of the individual. Potential central and peripheral mechanisms that contribute to these developmental shifts in stress reactivity are also discussed. Finally, the short- and long-term programming effects of chronic stress exposure during adolescence on later adult hormonal responsiveness are also examined. Though far from a clear understanding of the neurobehavioral consequences of these adolescent-related shifts in stress reactivity, continued study of developmental changes in stress-induced hormonal responses may shed light on the increased vulnerability to physical and psychological dysfunctions that often accompany a stressful adolescence.
Identity, What We Are, and the Definition of Death

How should we understand human death? What role should personal identity theory play in determining an answer? After providing a historical, conceptual, and scientific introduction to the debate over the definition of death, this chapter addresses these and related questions. INTRODUCTION TO THE DEBATE Before the middle of the twentieth century, there was little controversy over the criteria for human death. Occasional cases of premature burial in the nineteenth century generated alarm, but concerns about the accuracy of diagnosing death largely abated by the turn of the century. In the 1960s widespread dissemination of such new technologies as respirators, defibrillators, drugs that stimulate various bodily functions, and intensive care units created the possibility of radically separating cardiopulmonary failure and cessation of neurological function. Thus, respiration and circulation could be artificially maintained for months or even years after consciousness was irretrievably lost. These developments motivated the question of what constituted human death. Various practical factors provided additional incentive to address this question. Resource constraints in hospitals raised concerns about expensive yet futile treatment. When was it legitimate to turn off life supports? Certainly, they could be discontinued for patients who were already dead. Meanwhile, interest in transplantable organs created the incentive not to delay unnecessarily in determining that an individual had died. Organs, transplant surgeons realized, were more viable the fresher they were, but could not be removed from living patients; otherwise, the surgery itself would kill the donors, violating the law against homicide.
Investigating students' collaborative scientific reasoning during a natural selection investigation

Recent calls to reform science education propose changes in the content and structure of the learning of science. At the classroom level, among others, these calls emphasize investigations that parallel the nature of scientific work, and advocate the value of peer collaboration. Many existing studies of individual students' scientific reasoning claim that middle-school students do poorly, when asked to explain complex problems and provide evidence in support of their explanations. This study investigates how middle-school students, working in academically homogeneous dyads, investigate an extended, data-rich problem. Findings suggest that middle-school students can collaboratively construct evidence-based explanations, but that they still face important challenges that need further support. Both of these points are discussed in more detail in the paper.
System-level performance of an automation solution based on industry standards

The flexibility and reconfigurability requirements of factories and manufacturing plants of the future can be partially met by adopting technologies and solutions already available for testing and experimentation. Openness and adherence to international standards are becoming increasingly important in modern distributed production and automation systems, especially when they have to cope with ever-increasing product differentiations and short product lifecycles. However, the increased flexibility and openness should not come to detriment of the system real-time characteristics. This paper deals with a pilot mechatronic architecture for agile transport systems, which has been specifically developed to enable the study of the aforementioned aspects in the framework of the “Factory of the Future” Italian flagship project. In particular, the paper focuses on possible bottlenecks and pitfalls at the operating system and communication levels, and provides preliminary indications on how to address or mitigate them by means of solutions already available on the market.
Current Controversies and Future Applications

Although administering intraspinal medications such as morphine for pain and baclofen for spasticity have proven to be dramatically successful therapies, controversy still surrounds the high-tech therapy employing a chronic infusion of medications into the spine. Surgically implanting the drug delivery system is invasive, subjecting patients to the typical risks of surgery, but the delivery system is not permanent, allowing alternative methods of treatment to be explored. In addition, motor function is not compromised with this procedure. The cost of the therapy including hospitalization, surgery, physician’s fees, drug, and long-term management seems expensive; however, a report prepared by Medtronic, and Charles River Associates compared the cost components of intrathecal baclofen to the cost of associated care with and without intrathecal baclofen and support intrathecal baclofen as being cost-effective.17,181 A cost analysis conducted by Bedder et al. supports treatment of pain beyond 3months’ duration with an implanted delivery system (SynchroMed pump) to be more cost-effective than an external pump and epidural catheter.182 If the cost of the therapy is deterring patients from treatment, then the treatment’s potential efficacy should be considered. Screening procedures are currently being simplified and conducted in out-patient settings, which may decrease the cost of the hospitalization and the total cost of the therapy.
Variation in Key Flavonoid Biosynthetic Enzymes and Phytochemicals in 'Rio Red' Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) during Fruit Development.

In the current study, the phytochemical contents and expression of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in Rio Red grapefruit were studied at different developmental and maturity stages for the first time. Grapefruit were harvested in June, August, November, January, and April and analyzed for the levels of carotenoids, vitamin C, limonoids, flavonoids, and furocoumarins by HPLC. In addition, genes encoding for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and 1,2-rhamnosyltransferase (2RT) were isolated, and their expression in grapefruit juice vesicles was studied. Fruit maturity had significant influence on the expression of the genes, with PAL, CHS, and CHI having higher expression in immature fruits (June), whereas 2RT expression was higher in mature fruits (November and January). The levels of flavonoids (except naringin and poncirin), vitamin C, and furocoumarins gradually decreased from June to April. Furthermore, limonin levels sharply decreased in Janu...
Evaluating YouTube as a Source of Patient Education on the Role of the Hospitalist: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Hospital medicine is a relatively new specialty field, dedicated to the delivery of comprehensive medical care to hospitalized patients. YouTube is one of the most frequently used websites, offering access to a gamut of videos from self-produced to professionally made. Objective: The aim of our study was to determine the adequacy of YouTube as an effective means to define and depict the role of hospitalists. Methods: YouTube was searched on November 17, 2014, using the following search words: “hospitalist,” “hospitalist definition,” “what is the role of a hospitalist,” “define hospitalist,” and “who is a hospitalist.” Videos found only in the first 10 pages of each search were included. Non-English, noneducational, and nonrelevant videos were excluded. A novel 7-point scoring tool was created by the authors based on the definition of a hospitalist adopted by the Society of Hospital Medicine. Three independent reviewers evaluated, scored, and classified the videos into high, intermediate, and low quality based on the average score. Results: A total of 102 videos out of 855 were identified as relevant and included in the analysis. Videos uploaded by academic institutions had the highest mean score. Only 6 videos were classified as high quality, 53 as intermediate quality, and 42 as low quality, with 82.4% (84/102) of the videos scoring an average of 4 or less. Conclusions: Most videos found in the search of a hospitalist definition are inadequate. Leading medical organizations and academic institutions should consider producing and uploading quality videos to YouTube to help patients and their families better understand the roles and definition of the hospitalist. [Interact J Med Res 2017;6(1):e1]
The Ancient Dissenters

Jason Kuznicki reviews ancient sources that were skeptical of political authority, including particularly the Epicureans and Stoics, who laid the foundations for future theories of limited government and cosmopolitanism. Antiphon the Sophist, Diogenes and Cicero are examined, paying particular attention to the role they assigned to political power in their social theories. Connections are drawn between these authors and classical liberalism. It is noted that absent a viable theory of economics, adequate justification for limited government is exceptionally difficult.
P078 : ASSESSMENT OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NOVEL ALLELES FOR HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Aim Ever increasing novel HLA allele discoveries raise in questions about the clinical relevance of these new alleles and their implications of further working on the donor searching process without compromising the timing of patient’s treatment. Our purpose is to bring attention to the novel allele discovery and provide helpful information to clinicians to make timely and right decisions on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Method HLA class I and class II high resolution (HR) typing for recipients and donors were performed by Sequence Based Typing (SBT) methodology. When a novel allele was detected, we examined its clinical significance in three locations: (1) peptide binding grooves; (2) T cell Receptor contacting area; (3) HLA Epitope-specific positions. Results Seven novel alleles and two confirmatory alleles (highlighted) have been identified in our routine HLA HR typing by SBT (see table). The position and the substitution of each novel allele was identified and listed on the table. Pocket Residue, TCR accessibility to HLA antigen and Epitope specificity were also described in the table. Conclusions/Discussions Taken together, our analysis suggest thats: (1) a mutation of a silent point mutation without change in amino acid would be considered as clinically irrelevant (C ∗ 08:02:08); (2) a mutation located outside of α1 and α2 domains of HLA class I or outside of β 1 of HLA class II and not HLA Epitope-specific should be considered as clinical insignificant (C ∗ 07:308). (3) a mutation located inside of α1 or α2 domains of HLA class I or inside of β 1 of HLA class II could be considered having less clinical relevance if it does not falls into one of the following three criteria: (a) accommodating any peptide-binding pockets, (b) being TCR accessible or (c) being HLA Epitope specific ( ∗ 44:173, C ∗ 03:183, C ∗ 04:158 and C ∗ 16:39:02); however, it would be considered having potential clinical relevance if it falls into one of those three criteria (DQB1 ∗ 03:45, DQB1 ∗ 03:48 and DQB1 ∗ 06:49).
Genetic Models of Vascular Disease

Direct gene transfer is the introduction of recombinant genes into host cells of a recipient organism, and represents a new approach to the study of gene expression and regulation in vivo. Our laboratory has had an interest in using direct gene transfer to investigate the pathobiology of vascular diseases and to develop potential new treatments for these diseases.
INSTABILITY OF DOUBLY CURVED SHEETMETAL PANELS FORMED WITH RESIDUAL STRESSES

ABSTRACT A computer software program based on an energy-consistent shell formulation using the DMV shell theory, the total Lagrangian description of motion and a finite difference energy method has been developed for the geometrically nonlinear analysis of thin imperfect shells. Some numerical procedures such as the Newton-Raphson process, the displacement control method and the constant arc length method are used to trace the prebuckling and postbuckling paths of thin shallow shells with residual (initial) stresses. Such residual stresses are caused by elastic-plastic loading and elastic unloading in a sheet metal forming process. A Galerkin approach has also been used to estimate the global as well as local elastic instability and postbuckling behavior of simply supported shallow shells of rectangular planform with residual stresses and geometrical imperfections.
The Microbial Zoo in the C. elegans Intestine: Bacteria, Fungi and Viruses

C. elegans is an invaluable model organism that has been a driving force in many fundamental biological discoveries. However, it is only in the past two decades that it has been applied to host–pathogen interaction studies. These studies have been facilitated by the discoveries of natural microbes that infect C. elegans, including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Notably, many of these microbes share a common site of infection, the C. elegans intestine. Furthermore, the recent descriptions of a natural gut microbiota in C. elegans raise the possibility that this could be a novel model system for microbiome and trans-kingdom interaction studies. Here we review studies of C. elegans host–microbe interactions with a particular focus on the intestine.
Shear wave speed in pressurized soft tissue

Abstract Shear wave elastography is a non-invasive measurement technique to infer mechanical properties of soft tissue. A shear wave is propagated inside a region of interest. The medium perturbations caused by the wave are measured using an imaging modality, e.g., ultrasound, or NMR. The shear wave speed in the medium is thus inferred. Recent studies reported different shear wave speeds in pressurized soft tissue when measured in constrained versus unconstrained conditions, i.e., the volume of the body is free to change or not. Acoustoelasticity theory, which accounts for prestress in elastic materials, does not explain this phenomenon. We model this phenomenon by examining incremental waves in a pressurized poroelastic medium with incompressible phases. We derive a simple formula for the shear wave speed in an isotropic poroelastic medium, with the solid phase modeled by an arbitrary strain energy function. We discuss necessary constraints on the form of the strain energy function that are evident in this context. Interestingly, these constraints exclude all decoupled strain energy functions. We then specialize to a specific exponential model that yields shear wave speeds consistent with previously published measurements.
Monitoring student activities in a computer classroom: nifty tools

There are many benefits of teaching technology-related classes in a computer classroom. For many instructors, however, monitoring student activities in the online environment is a challenge. Students are often distracted by the availability of the technology allowing them to check emails, surf the Internet, or work on homework assignments for other classes. In addition, when it comes to administering online tests, access to the computer network including the Internet opens the door to the information outside the classroom; hence, increases the possibility of academic dishonesty.
Simulation for Planning and Design

Designing is an anticipatory activity, directed toward creating the new and altering and improving what currently exists. Anticipating future states requires that designers and planners grasp and work with the tangible realities of the present. And, in order to understand these present realities, they must first represent them, structuring a representation that allows a preferred plan or design to be developed. Because the complexities of the real world defy a complete rendering, representations are, of necessity, a selected view or abstraction of actual conditions.
Antibiotic Exposure and Reduced Short Chain Fatty Acid Production after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant.

Abstract Human studies have shown loss of diversity of the gut microbiome following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in association with significant gut injury caused by the preparative regimen. Prolonged antibiotic use worsens loss of microbiome diversity and increases risk of complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Our data support the hypothesis that loss of intestinal commensals that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) may increase dysbiosis. Here, we report an extensive longitudinal examination of changes in the luminal SCFAs in children undergoing allogeneic HSCT, and the relationship of those changes to the microbiota and antibiotic exposure. We found significant and progressive alterations in butyrate, and in additional SCFAs in stool in the first 14 days after transplant, a finding not observed in published mouse studies. SCFA levels were lower in children receiving antibiotics with activity against anaerobic organisms. Moreover, day 14 post-HSCT butyrate and propionate levels are lower in children who went on to develop GVHD, although our disease population was small. These data provide insight into the mechanism of prior observations that loss of diversity and increased antibiotic use are associated with GVHD following HSCT. Our findings offer potential modifiable targets to reduce risk of GVHD and improve survival after HSCT.