cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Yoga and Tai Chi: a mind-body approach in managing respiratory symptoms in obstructive lung diseases.

Purpose of review Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation because of airway and/or alveolar abnormalities. Symptoms include dyspnea, cough, chronic sputum production. As the third-ranked cause of death as well as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), it poses a significant burden on patients, families, healthcare system and society. Regular physical activity is linked to decrease in morbidity and mortality associated with COPD, but implementation remains challenging. There is a need for community-based interventions that promote physical activity. Yoga and Tai Chi are widely available in the community and have been shown to be beneficial in patients with COPD as well as many of the co-morbid conditions associated with COPD. Recent findings Yoga and Tai Chi have been found to be more effective than usual care in COPD with clinically meaningful improvements in 6-min walk distance (6MWD), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). They have also been found to be comparable to pulmonary rehabilitation interventions. Summary Yoga and Tai Chi provide community-based options for patients with COPD to improve their physical activity, quality of life, and pulmonary function.
Substrates, inhibitors, and probes of mammalian transglutaminase 2

Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) is a ubiquitous but enigmatic mammalian protein to which a number of biological functions have been ascribed but not definitively proven. As a member of the transglutaminase family, TG2 can catalyze deamidation or alternatively transamidation of selected Gln residues in proteins and peptides. It is also known to harbor other enzymatic properties, including protein disulfide isomerase, GTP-dependent signal transduction, and ATP dependent protein kinase activity. Given its multifunctional chemistry, it is unsurprising that a long list of proteins from the mammalian proteome have been identified as substrates and/or binding partners; however, the biological relevance of none of these protein-protein interactions has been clarified as yet. Remarkably, the most definitive insights into the biology of TG2 stem from its pathophysiological role in gluten peptide deamidation in celiac disease. Meanwhile our understanding of TG2 chemistry has been leveraged to engineer a spectrum of inhibitors and other molecular probes of TG2 biology in vivo. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the enzymology and regulation of human TG2 with a focus on its physiological substrates as well as tool molecules whose engineering was inspired by their identities.
Clinically-derived vagus nerve stimulation enhances cerebrospinal fluid penetrance.

Abstract Introduction Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an FDA-approved neuromodulatory treatment used in the clinic today for epilepsy, depression, and cluster headaches. Moreover, evidence in the literature has led to a growing list of possible clinical indications, with several small clinical trials applying VNS to treat conditions ranging from neurodegenerative diseases to arthritis, anxiety disorders, and obesity. Despite the growing list of therapeutic applications, the fundamental mechanisms by which VNS achieves its beneficial effects are poorly understood. In parallel, the glymphatic and meningeal lymphatic systems have recently been described as methods by which the brain maintains a healthy homeostasis and removes waste without a traditionally defined lymphatic system. In particular, the glymphatic system relates to the interchange of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF) whose net effect is to wash through the brain parenchyma removing metabolic waste products and misfolded proteins. Objective/Hypothesis As VNS has well-documented effects on many of the pathways recently linked to the clearance systems of the brain, we hypothesized that VNS could increase CSF penetrance in the brain. Methods We injected a low molecular weight lysine-fixable fluorescent tracer (TxRed-3kD) into the CSF system of mice with a cervical vagus nerve cuff implant and measured the amount of CSF penetrance following an application of a clinically-derived VNS paradigm (30 Hz, 10% duty cycle). Results We found that the clinical VNS group showed a significant increase in CSF tracer penetrance as compared to the naive control and sham groups. Conclusion (s): This study demonstrates that VNS therapeutic strategies already being applied in the clinic today may induce intended effects and/or unwanted side effects by altering CSF/ISF exchange in the brain. This may have broad ranging implications in the treatment of various CNS pathologies.
How Can Local Governments Address Pandemic Inequities

COVID-19 is exposing a nexus between communities disproportionately suffering from underlying health conditions, policy-reinforced disparities, and susceptibility to the disease. As the virus spreads, policy responses will need to shift from focusing on surveillance and mitigation to recovery and prevention. Local governments, with their histories of mutual aid and familiarity with local communities, are capable of meeting these challenges. However, funding must flow in a flexible enough fashion for local governments to tailor their efforts to preserve vital services and rebuild local economies. We argue in this article that the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) programs are mechanisms for how to provide funds in a manner adaptable to local context while also focusing on increasing social equity. Administrators must emphasize the fourth pillar of public administration -- social equity -- in framing government responses to the pandemic.
COVID-19-Related Ethics Consultations at a Cancer Center in New York City: A Content Review of Ethics Consultations During the Early Stages of the Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised a variety of ethical dilemmas for health care providers. Limited data are available on how a patient's concomitant cancer diagnosis affected ethical concerns raised during the early stages of the pandemic. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of all COVID-related ethics consultations registered in a prospectively collected ethics database at a tertiary cancer center between March 14, 2020, and April 28, 2020. Primary and secondary ethical issues, as well as important contextual factors, were identified. RESULTS: Twenty-six clinical ethics consultations were performed on 24 patients with cancer (58.3% male; median age, 65.5 years). The most common primary ethical issues were code status (n = 11), obligation to provide nonbeneficial treatment (n = 3), patient autonomy (n = 3), resource allocation (n = 3), and delivery of care wherein the risk to staff might outweigh the potential benefit to the patient (n = 3). An additional nine consultations raised concerns about staff safety in the context of likely nonbeneficial treatment as a secondary issue. Unique contextual issues identified included concerns about public safety for patients requesting discharge against medical advice (n = 3) and difficulties around decision making, especially with regard to code status because of an inability to reach surrogates (n = 3). CONCLUSION: During the early pandemic, the care of patients with cancer and COVID-19 spurred a number of ethics consultations, which were largely focused on code status. Most cases also raised concerns about staff safety in the context of limited benefit to patients, a highly unusual scenario at our institution that may have been triggered by critical supply shortages.
Inside Out: Change Through Art.

Background: Over the past three decades, there has been a 900% increase in the number of women experiencing incarceration in Minnesota. We wished to test whether handwriting, as creative visual art...
Dynamical Constraints On Alternatives To Massive Black Holes In Galactic Nuclei

The compelling dynamical evidence for massive dark objects in galactic nuclei does not uniquely imply massive black holes (BHs). To argue convincingly that these objects are BHs we must rule out alternatives to a BH, and the alternative to a point mass is a cluster of some sort of nonluminous objects, such as a cluster of brown dwarfs or stellar remnants. We use simple physical considerations to derive the maximum possible lifetime of a dark cluster which may consist of any plausible form of non-luminous gravitating objects -- from brown dwarfs and very low-mass objects of cosmic composition, to white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. The lower this limit relative to the galaxy age, the more implausible is the cluster hypothesis, thus arguing for a point mass. A cluster with a lifetime much shorter than ~10 Gyr is unacceptable, since observing it at the present epoch would be highly improbable. Since the goal is to rule out a dark cluster by showing that its lifetime must be very short, we make the most generous assumptions possible under the observational constraints to allow for its survival. We find that the lifetime of such an hypothetical cluster must be much shorter than the galaxy age only in the cases of NGC 4258 and our Galaxy, thus strongly arguing for a point mass. In all other galaxies, the case of a massive BH, although compelling, is not yet watertight. We also note that there are two exotic alternatives to a massive BH that cannot be ruled out even in the cases of NGC 4258 and the Galaxy: clusters of elementary particles (e.g. bosons), and clusters of very low-mass BHs. We point out, however, serious difficulties with these alternatives, and argue that they are highly implausible.
Compressive and Tensile Deformations Alter ATP Hydrolysis and Phosphate Release Rates in Actin Filaments.

Actin filament networks in eukaryotic cells are constantly remodeled through nucleotide state controlled interactions with actin binding proteins, leading to macroscopic structures such as bundled ...
The Psychological Well-Being of Medical versus Dental GME residents during the Covid 19 Pandemic: A Cross Sectional Study

Purpose Trainees are facing isolation and burnout, due to the fear of contracting and transmitting novel coronavirus-19 (COVID-19). There has been a reduction in clinical activities of residents. The purpose of this paper is to measure and compare the psychological well-being of dental versus medical residents during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods This is a cross-sectional study whereby trainees of a hospital in New York City were sent a questionnaire. Participants were from the dental and medical departments. Psychological measures of depression and post traumatic stress disorder were assessed utilizing the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and The Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R) questionnaire. Other variables compared were age, gender, smoking status, living situation and comorbidities. Data analysis utilized chi-squared (X2) and t-tests. Bivariate correlation and linear regression analyses were also utilized. Results The survey was sent to 19 dental (Dental) and 171 medical (MD) residents. There were 66 participants. The response rate was 63.16 and 35.09% for the Dental and MD residents, respectively. The mean age for the Dental and MD residents, respectively, was 29.62 ± 2.09 and 34.82 ± 9.32 (P = .014). Eighty-one percent of the Dental respondents were male and 33.3% of the MD respondents were male (P Conclusions Dental residents and being positive or symptomatic for COVID-19 resulted in higher PHQ-9 and IES-R scores. Being aware of the impact of COVID-19 is an important step in providing intervention.
NIH Funding of Researchers in Surgery: Decreased Career Development Awards Over Time.

ABSTRACT Background Over time, NIH funding has become increasingly competitive. In addition, academic surgeons’ research competes with time required for patient care, operating, and administrative work. Due to these competing interests for surgeons, we hypothesize that the percentage of NIH grants awarded to researchers from departments of surgery is decreasing. Methods The NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool was queried for the number and value of new and renewal R01 grants, and career development awards noting which surgery departments received awards from 1998 to -2018. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate and multivariable logistic regression. Results The number of career development awards granted to researchers from departments of surgery decreased significantly over time (P = 0.007) while new R01’s and R01 renewal awards were stable. The number of grants awarded to researchers from all procedural departments were compared to non-procedural departments and again, career development awards decreased significantly (P = 0.005) over time but new R01’s and R01 renewals stayed stable. Looking at the difference in average dollar amount received for new R01, renewal R01, or career development awards between department of surgery awardees and non-surgery over time, there was no significant difference. Conclusions NIH funding is becoming increasingly competitive and surgeons have many competing interests. Our study found that there has been a significant decrease in career development awards to department of surgery awardees and procedural specialists. The decrease in receipt of these awards is particularly concerning given that they are meant to provide protected time for developing researchers and thus have potential consequences for future research.
Gastric Neuroendocrine Tumors: Reappraisal of Type in Predicting Outcome

Type I gastric neuroendocrine tumors (GNETs) are typically managed either expectantly or endoscopically. In contrast, locoregional surgery has been recommended for patients with type III GNETs because of the risk of metastasis. This study aimed to identify predictors of outcome independent of type in a contemporary cohort of GNET patients. A single-institution retrospective cohort study of 121 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of primary GNET between January 2009 and June 2019 was performed. GNETs were designated as type 1 (n = 74) if atrophic gastritis was present, or as type III (n = 47) in the absence of atrophic gastritis. Demographic, clinical, and histopathologic factors were examined using Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox regression to assess the impact of various factors on recurrence and overall survival. Median follow-up for the entire cohort was 62.7 months. While there was no difference in OS in patients with different GNET types (p = 0.10), higher tumor grade (p = 0.02) and presence of nodal or distant metastases (p = 0.02) predicted worse survival on multivariable analysis. Among type III GNET patients, those with small (< 0.5 cm), grade 1 lesions (“low-risk”) were less likely to develop metastases (0% versus 33%, p < 0.01) and more likely to survive (100% versus 67%, p < 0.01) at 5 years. Size and tumor grade predict recurrence and survival in patients with GNETs irrespective of type. Small, low-grade type III GNETs are associated with minimal risk of progression and may be managed accordingly.
Single Arm Prospective Trial on BOLD fMRI Radiation-Induced Changes in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Patients.

Purpose/Objective(s) Standard therapy for patients with glioblastoma (GBM) consists of maximal safe surgical resection followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation (CRT) to the postoperative cavity and residual disease. After CRT, patients are standardly assessed at regular intervals of approximately 1-4 months with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to monitor for residual or recurrent tumor growth. At present, there are no accepted MRI methods or protocols to predict response either during or after CRT. Notably, GBM is associated with vascular dysregulation, manifesting radiographically as asynchrony on resting state BOLD fMRI. However, the impact of radiation therapy on BOLD asynchrony in glioblastoma remains unknown. In this study, we sought to collect radiographic data on a cohort of patients with recently resected glioblastoma prior to the start of CRT and again during the third week of therapy. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to determine the feasibility of collecting radiographic data to inform patient outcomes and ultimately predict the interval to disease progression of GBM using pre-treatment and mid-treatment MRI acquisitions. Materials/Methods Twelve patients with newly-diagnosed histologically proven GBM were enrolled in this institutional IRB approved prospective trial between 2015 and 2017. Patients underwent two resting-state BOLD fMRI scans: one immediately prior to starting standard six weeks of radiation and another during the third week of radiation. BOLD scans were processed and linearly registered to structural images. A BOLD asynchrony map was generated by comparing the time series in each voxel to the time series of the contralesional, radiographically normal brain, such that positive values denote synchrony with the contralateral hemisphere. The 60 Gy radiation dose maps were used for the purposes of determining the total radiation dose at each voxel. Results There were 8 males and 4 females included in the analysis with a median age at diagnosis of 63 years. We divided the brain into voxels that received lower total doses of radiation ( 24 Gy), and determined the mean change in the BOLD asynchrony before and during radiation for each group of voxels for each patient. The absolute change in BOLD asynchrony between the two scanning sessions was significantly higher in the regions that received higher doses of radiation (0.71 vs 0.04, P = 0.0007). Conclusion Here we show that radiation doses higher than 24 Gy change vascular regulation in glioblastoma patients, manifesting as altered asynchrony on resting-state BOLD fMRI. Further prospective evaluation is warranted to develop a non-invasive radiographic biomarker to predict and monitor responses to standard interventions for glioblastoma.
Public health aspects of HIV/AIDS in low and middle income countries: Epidemiology, prevention and care

Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Low and Middle Income Countries: Where Global AIDS is and Where it is Going.- HIV Prevention Needs: Primary Prevention and Prevention for People Living with HIV/AIDS.- Future of HIV/AIDS Care in Low- and Middle- Income Countries.- HIV/AIDS Care: The Minimum Package and Scaling Up.- HIV/AIDS Vaccine Research.- Microbicide Development.- How the Pandemic Shapes the Public Health Response - the Case of HIV/AIDS in Brazil.- Advocacy, Activism, Community and the AIDS Response in Africa.- Political Challenges to Mounting and Sustaining a Public Health Response to HIV/AIDS in Developing Countries.- Sub-Saharan Africa.- The HIV/AIDS Epidemics of Africa.- The Situation in the Cradle of AIDS: Congo and Central Africa.- Public Health Aspects of HIV/AIDS - Nigeria and West Africa.- East Africa - Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda.- Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe).- HIV/AIDS in the Horn of Africa.- South and Southeast Asia.- HIV/AIDS in South and Southeast Asia: An Overview.- China.- The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Thailand - The First Two Decades.- HIV AIDS in Burma: Public Health Constrained.- The HIV Epidemic in Vietnam: Past, Present, and Opportunities.- Malaysia.- Towards Equitable and Quality HIV Prevention and Care Services: Assessing the Situation in India.- Eastern Europe & Central Asia.- The HIV/AIDS Epidemics in the Former Soviet Union, Central Asia, and Iran.- Russian Federation.- HIV in Central Asia: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.- Drug Abuse and HIV Transmission in Iran-Responding to the Public Health Challenges.- Latin American and Caribbean.- The HIV/AIDS Epidemics of the Americas.- Epidemiology, Prevention and Care of HIV in Peru.- AIDS in Brazil: The Challenge and the Response.- The State of HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic: Guarded Optimism amidst Sustainability Concerns.- Public Health Aspects of HIV/AIDS in Haiti: Epidemiology, Prevention and Care.- HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care: Present Status, Future Needs and Some Possible Solutions.
Assured network delivery

True quality of service (QoS) providing consistent performance under high stress conditions is necessary to meet the needs of many mission critical applications. The concept of network centric warfare relies heavily on distributed operations. Many activities centralized previously are now widely distributed. For real time and mission critical applications to function reliably, network services must provide a high degree of performance predictability. Currently, this degree of deterministic performance does not exist over IP-based networks. The objective of this paper is to document ongoing research that explores emerging technologies that potentially provide true end-to-end quality of service and predictability of performance under all conditions. To meet our research objective, one must be able to request this service from an end-to-end perspective, provision the service, and address the management and security issues. We are utilizing extensions to the session initiation protocol (SIP) as the primary mechanism to request and provide end-to-end service. The SIP messages that go between client-server or peer-to-peer are also translated into network service request messages. The network service requests are sent to the network services broker that provides the requisite network service. The request or the user can also be validated or authenticated by a policy server to ensure that only approved applications and authenticated users have access to these network services. We are exploring various network technologies in conjunction with the SIP design to demonstrate potential implementations. These include cetacean sequencing (for guaranteed bandwidth), Cisco routers (to show long vs. short latency links) and optical switches (to investigate fast reroute).
Comment, The Evidentiary Uses of Neutron Activation Analysis

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is a method of detecting with great sensitivity the presence and concentrations of most chemical elements in materials, without, in most cases, destroying the sample analyzed. It permits identification and measurement of concentrations of elements which are present in only minute or trace quantities, such as specks of paint, which because of their size are not susceptible to other techniques. Also, under appropriate circumstances, NAA can identify both large and small pieces of material by accurately analyzing their trace element concentrations. Such identifications rely on the fact that, although concentrations of the major constituents of similar specimens such as two pieces of glass may be nearly the same, impurity trace elements sometimes show a wide variation from one source to another because manufacturers make no effort to control the quantities of these elements in their products. Besides its high sensitivity, NAA's potential for nondestructive measurement provides the further advantage that the samples which are measured can be preserved for production in court or for further tests.NAA, properly applied, can be a valuable forensic tool. However, the interpretation of the analysis presents difficult legal problems that depend almost entirely on the circumstances of the individual case. The analytical chemist is qualified to present the results of the analysis, but his subjective interpretation, as a chemist, is worthless; an expert in statistics is required to present a legal interpretation of the analysis. The expert must have a solid, objective basis for any statement beyond the composition of the measured samples, and the burden of laying an objective foundation for the testimony should rest on the party seeking to introduce the results of the tests. The expert must use well-defined terms which fit the legal issue presented by the facts of the case, and must present his testimony in such a way that the trier of fact clearly understands the limitations of the analysis.
Estimation: Point and Interval

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by G. Casella † , R.L. Berger, volume 10, pp. 4744–4749, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
E3 Immunity Substance A PROTEIN FROM E3-COLICINOGENIC CELLS THAT ACCOUNTS FOR THEIR IMMUNITY TO COLICIN E3

Abstract Colicin E3 (E3) inactivates ribosomes both in vivo and in vitro by causing a specific cleavage of 16 S ribosomal RNA. A protein which prevents the E3-induced in vitro ribosome inactivation has been isolated from E3-colicinogenic cells and purified to a homogeneous state as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.7 and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 7.1. The purified protein (called "E3 immunity substance") has no detectable phosphorus or carbohydrate. It is a very acidic protein and its molecular weight is about 9500. The amino acid compositions of the protein and its tryptic peptides were determined. There was good correspondence between the amino acid composition calculated from the sum of amino acid residues in the tryptic peptides and the amino acid composition of the whole protein, confirming the homogeneity of the purified protein preparations. The immunity substance was found only in extracts from cells carrying E3-colicinogenic factor (Col E3 factor), but not in extracts from cells carrying other colicinogenic factors, suggesting that either the structural gene for the E3 immunity substance is located on the Col E3 factor or the production of E3 immunity substance is controlled by a gene on the factor. This finding also suggests that the isolated E3 immunity substance is responsible for immunity of E3-colicinogenic cells in vivo. Direct interaction of E3 immunity substance with colicin E3 in the absence of ribosomes has been demonstrated by experiments in which the E3 immunity substance inhibited the reaction of anti-E3 antibodies with colicin E3. However, E3 immunity substance does not irreversibly inactivate colicin E3. Other experiments suggest that the interaction of E3 with E3 immunity substance shows a 1:1 molar stoichiometry; 1 molecule of E3 immunity substance "neutralizes" 1 molecule of E3. This could account for the immunity breakdown of colicinogenic cells by large excess of homologous colicins observed in in vivo experiments.
Breadth versus depth: The timing of specialization in higher education

This paper examines the trade-off between early and late specialization in the context of higher education. I develop a model in which individuals accumulate field-specific skills and receive noisy signals of match quality across different fields of study. I derive comparative static predictions between educational regimes with early and late specialization, and examine these predictions across British systems of higher education. Using survey data on 1980 university graduates, I find that individuals who switch to unrelated occupations have lower initial earnings, and that early specialization in England is associated with more costly switches. But higher wage growth among those who switch eliminates the wage difference after several years, and average earnings are not significantly different between England and Scotland.
An adapted education program to increase adherence to the dietary guidelines for Americans: a feasibility study (807.1)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) was culturally tailored in order to increase adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as the vehicle for preventing childhood overweight and obesity in Louisiana families. We Can! Louisiana is an educational program aimed at promoting adherence to the healthful food and physical activity recommendations set forth in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the resulting effect on reducing weight gain and the risk factors for obesity-related chronic disease in parents and children in rural Louisiana communities. The education program designed with input from representatives of the target population including time and location of classes and selection of the healthy lifestyle promoter from the community, included topics gathered from the focus groups that were historical, social, cultural, and environmental in nature that influence health behavior of the target population. The We Can! Louisiana w...
Relationship of site and stand characteristics to Armillaria root disease incidence on ponderosa pine in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Summary Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) in the Black Hills National Forest, SD, USA, was surveyed for Armillaria root disease (ARD). The root pathogen Armillaria ostoyae occurred on ponderosa pine seedlings, saplings, pole-size trees and large-diameter trees. The mean incidence of aboveground disease symptoms by stem count was low (0.2%), but in certain areas, the incidence was higher, affecting the regeneration success and tree longevity. Symptomatic ponderosa pine were in areas characterized by having higher elevation, greater annual precipitation, more seedlings, bigger large-diameter trees and greater odds of past harvesting activity than in areas without root disease. Stump density was positively spatially correlated with root disease incidence. No particular soil type was related to disease occurrence; though, in areas with symptomatic trees, soil available water holding capacity (AWC) was greater and soil permeability was less where root disease was present. Spatial analysis confirmed the relationships found in linear correlations, with soil AWC and stump density positively and soil permeability negatively correlated with per cent infected stems ha−1 and basal area infected.
Performance Fees and Asset Prices in Equilibrium

The paper examines the effects of exogenous changes in the performance fees paid from terminal investors such as households to intermediaries managing their assets, on endogenous variables such as the risky asset volatility and risk premium, in the context of a dynamic equilibrium asset pricing model. The importance of the household behavior is highlighted by comparing two settings, one in which households are naive and perceive the investment opportunities as constant, and one in which households are more sophisticated and perceive the true opportunity set conditionally on the state variables. Intermediaries receive performance-based fees that are convex in the actual performance. These fees have a component proportional to performance, as well as a component capturing the convexity of fees as a function of performance. When households are naive, a higher proportional fee coefficient implies higher asset volatility and risk premium, as well as higher volatility in these variables. Moreover, a higher convex component has little impact on the volatility, but reduces the risk premium. In contrast, when households are sophisticated, a higher proportional fee component has little impact on the economy dynamic, but a higher convex component increases stock volatility and risk premium, as well as the volatility of these variables. If changes in the fee structure are important, the economic effects can be significant. Empirically, hedge fund performance fees are related to market returns and volatility in ways consistent with the framework where households are naive.
The International Sepsis Forum's frontiers in sepsis: high cardiac output should not be maintained in severe sepsis

Abnormal oxygen utilisation is one of the features of septic shock. Some studies have observed that patients that survive septic shock tend to have higher cardiac output and oxygen delivery compared to those that do not. It has been proposed that higher than normal (or "supra-normal") levels of cardiac output and oxygen deliver should be the goal in the management of septic shock. However, randomised controlled trials have not been able to validate that such a goal provides a mortality or morbidity advantage. In this commentary we discuss the various reasons put forward by the proponents of this strategy and review the available evidence.
A progenitor of the outer membrane LamB trimer.

Abstract During its localization to the outer membrane, LamB possesses distinctive biochemical properties as it passes through the cytoplasmic membrane. Because LamB entered this dynamic state with an attached signal sequence and leaves after cleavage, we call this export-related form of LamB the early-translocation form (et-LamB).
Applied physiology of cycling

Historically, the bicycle has evolved through the stages of a machine for efficient human transportation, a toy for children, a finely-tuned racing machine, and a tool for physical fitness development, maintenance and testing. Recently, major strides have been made in the aerodynamic design of the bicycle. These innovations have resulted in new land speed records for human powered machines.
Reactive airways dysfunction syndrome presenting as a reversible restrictive defect.

A 25-year-old farm worker developed acute bronchopneumonia after heavy exposure to a respiratory irritant in a silo. He recovered from the acute episode but then experienced chronic dyspnea and fatigue. Pulmonary function testing showed small lung volumes with a normal ratio of 1 s forced expiratory volume/forced vital capacity (restrictive defect). This defect improved markedly with bronchodilator treatment and changed to a mixed obstructive/restrictive defect with methacholine challenge. We believe that this is an example of the reactive airways dysfunction syndrome manifested by a restrictive rather than obstructive defect. Constriction of airways at the bronchoile or alveolar duct level is the most likely cause of the syndrome.
Thermoplstic response of metal-matrix composites with homogenized and functionally graded interfaces

Abstract A recently developed micromechanical model for axisymmetric thermoplastic response of unidirectional metal-matrix composites is further extended to investigate the potential of composite interfaces in reducing thermally induced residual stresses. The model combines elements of a multiple concentric cylinder assemblage that is used in solving the thermoplastic boundary-value problem of a unidirectional composite under axisymmetric thermal loading, and the three-dimensional version of the method of cells newly incorporated into the global solution strategy. The method of cells is employed to determine the thermoplastic response of the interfacial region that consists of varying proportions of two distinct phases. The homogenized properties of the interfacial region determined from the method of cells are then used as input to the global boundary-value problem of a composite cylinder consisting of a fiber, interfacial region with uniformly distributed or functionally graded properties, and the surrounding matrix. The results presented provide insight into designing/engineering homogenized and functionally graded interfaces in advanced metal-matrix composites.
An approach towards the reduction of sink marks in sheet molding compound

Sink marks are shallow depressions normally observed above reinforcing ribs in molded Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) parts. In this paper, the effect of mold geometry, particularly the rib entrance shape, on the flow pattern of molding compound and the resulting sink marks in molded parts is presented. Flat plate specimens with a single reinforcing rib in the center were used in this work. Rib entrance shape was varied and its effect on both sink depth and fiber orientation measured. A reduction in sink depth from 0.0007 in. to less than 0.0001 in. was observed when comparing rounded and protruding rib entrances, respectively. The effect of inducing unequal flow rates from the two sides of the rib was also investigated and found to give a reduction in sink depth of about one-third. A computer simulation of the flow during molding was, used to compare observed flow patterns with simple theoretical predictions. The SMC was modeled as a highly viscous Newtonian fluid and finite difference methods were used to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. Extension of this modeling procedure to more complex geometries will aid in the design of nearly sink free molds.
Spectral multi-domain for large-scale fluid dynamic simulations

A number of successful applications of a spectral collocation method extended by a multi-domain patching technique are shown. The multi-domain technique can be used to improve resolution for problems with widely disparate scales, and to reduce the ill-conditioning of the spectral operators for problems in which a large number of points are required for distributed resolution. A new nonreflecting outflow boundary treatment for unsteady transition-to-turbulence simulations is also presented, which relies on the multi-domain technique. The role of multi-domain in improving the efficiency of such calculations is discussed.
DNA Methylation Induces a More Compact and Rigid Nucleosome Structure

Cytosine methylation in CpG dinucleotides is an important epigenetic modification in eukaryotes with roles in regulating a variety of genome transactions. There have been many studies of DNA methyltransferases and methyl-CpG binding proteins elucidating their roles in various genome activities. However, less is known about how methylated CpGs directly affect nucleosome structure. We implemented a single molecule FRET coupled with anisotropy that can simultaneously measure dynamic distance changes and flexibility of the two ends of a nucleosomal DNA. Using the method, we monitored effects of DNA methylation on the structure of mononucleosomes. In the absence of methylation, most nucleosomes displayed two low FRET states (FRET efficiency 40-fold increase in the number of nucleosomes that made excursions to a high FRET state (FRET efficiency >0.7). Moreover, based on the anisotropy measurements, a stronger association between the DNA ends and the histone octamer was observed from the nucleosomes in the high FRET state. The increased FRET and anisotropy after DNA methylation strongly suggest a more compact and rigid nucleosomal structure and provide a basic biophysical understanding of how DNA methylation may contribute to the formation of a repressive and transcriptionally inactive chromatin structure.
Analysis of planar vehicle collisions using equations of impulse and momentum

Various methods are used to calculate unknown velocities and velocity changes for the collision of automobiles. Most methods use some form of the equations of impulse and momentum from mechanics. In this paper the planar impact between two vehicles is modeled through the use of six algebraic equations. These equations relate the three velocity components of each vehicle at the beginning of contact to the three velocity components of each vehicle at separation using two coefficients of restitution and an equivalent coefficient of sliding friction. The first part of the paper contains a discussion of some of the fundamental assumptions connected with the use of impulse and momentum concepts for collision analysis. A summary of the derivation of the six model equations is presented. In a second part of the paper, the equations are solved for the conditions corresponding to two experimental collisions. Values of the three coefficients are systematically varied to assess their effect on the vehicle velocity changes. A listing of a computer program is furnished, written in the BASIC language. The program can be used to solve the model equations for the final velocities given the initial velocities and coefficients. The vehicle properties and collision geometry must also be known.
Disorders of the long head of the biceps tendon

The long head of the biceps tendon long has been recognized as a potential source of clinically significant pathology and symptoms. There has been significant controversy, however, regarding the biomechanical function of the long head of the biceps tendon and the exact cause of pathology associated with the tendon. Terminology describing disorders of the tendon has been misleading at times. This article reviews the pertinent anatomy, pathology, function, clinical evaluation, and treatment of disorders of the long head of the biceps tendon. Anatomy The long head of the biceps tendon is an approximately 9-cm-long structure originating at the supraglenoid tubercle and the glenoid labrum of the shoulder. The course of the tendon is oblique over the top of the humeral head, then inferior into the bicipital (intertubercular) groove. When out of the groove, the tendon proceeds inferiorly along the ventral portion of the humerus and becomes musculotendinous at approximately the level of the deltoid insertion. The cross-sectional anatomy of the tendon is such that it is typically smallest at its midsection [1]. McGough et al [2] showed that the tendon’s tensile strength is least within its midsection, corresponding with its site of smallest cross-sectional area. The proximal portion of the tendon is enclosed by a reflection of the glenohumeral joint’s synovial sheath, which continues along the course of the tendon to the level of the bicipital groove. The long head of the biceps tendon is an intra-articular, but extrasynovial structure. The length of the intraarticular portion varies with the position of the arm. The intra-articular
Erythroid induction of K562 human leukemia cells: enhancement by purines.

K562 cells are human leukemia cells inducible for hemoglobin synthesis by a variety of agents. This report demonstrates that hypoxanthine, which alone has no inductive effect, enhances induction by thymidine, resulting in a greater absolute, as well as relative, percentage of benzidine positive cells. This effect is seen over a 20-fold concentration range for both thymidine and hypoxanthine. This enhancement involves commitment, i.e., a process in which the induction of hemoglobin synthesis is coupled to a limitation in the number of subsequent cell divisions. Although thymidine alone increases the percentage of cells in S phase, hypoxanthine does not augment this. Purines other than hypoxanthine also enhance induction by thymidine. This enhancement by hypoxanthine of thymidine induction is inhibited by pyrimidine nucleosides. Mycophenolic acid, an inhibitor of IMP dehydrogenase, itself an effective K562 inducer, is not additive to thymidine and hypoxanthine, suggesting that hypoxanthine may act by reducing the supply of guanosine nucleosides.
Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs for the management of rheumatoid arthritis before and during pregnancy.

Purpose of reviewTo review the recent literature on the safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids and traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs before and during pregnancy.Recent findingsRecent data suggest that the risk of cleft palate formation after in-utero
PS62. A Retrospective Review of the Prevalence, Growth Rate, and Treatment Outcomes of Aortoiliac Aneurysms in Orthotopic Heart Transplant Recipients

Objectives: Complex aortic endografting has emerged as an alternative to open surgery for pararenal, suprarenal and thoracoabdominal aneurysms. Definitions of these aneurysms vary and are often related to clamp placement. With the emergence of complex endovascular options for repair, defining aneurysm morphology based on clamp placement is now obsolete and a new classification system should be developed. Methods: We propose division of the visceral segment into zones based on the anatomy and location of the endovascular “seal-zone”:
Correlation between dinucleotide periodicities and nucleosome positioning on mouse satellite DNA.

Previous studies demonstrated 16 well-defined nucleosome locations (A–P) on a tandemly repeated prototype 234 base pair (bp) mouse satellite repeat unit. We have aligned the A–P fragments to search for DNA sequence elements that might contribute to nucleosome placement at these positions. Our results demonstrate a strikingly regular, uninterrupted, periodic pattern for the AA dinucleotide occurrences along the entire length of the aligned fragments. The periodicity of the AA occurrences is about 9.7 bp. The pattern exhibits a local minimum at position 74, near the nucleosome dyad axis of symmetry. Other dinucleotides—including AC : GT, CA : TG, and CC : GG—are also placed periodically, but their patterns of occurrence are less regular and less frequent than AA. The calculated spacings between consecutive preferred nucleosome locations on mouse satellite DNA are nearly identical, corresponding to multiples of 9.7 bp. The correlation between the periodicity of dinucleotide occurrences and the average spacing of nucleosome positions suggests that the preferred nucleosome locations recur at intervals that may correspond to the DNA helical repeat in the mouse satellite nucleosomes, and that the histone octamers sample (or slip along) the duplex in steps of 9.7 bp during nucleosome formation on mouse satellite DNA.
Kinetics of Instabilities in Solid Films

We consider the instabilities of a solid film perturbed by a single hole which exposes the substrate. We predict growth for holes larger than a critical size, proportional to ρc, the ratio of the film thickness and the equilibrium contact angle. The asymptotic velocity of the hole decays to zero with time t as t¾[log3 (t/ρc4)]. The growth of these holes eventually ruptures the film, creating a set of disconnected islands.
Temperature sensing microspheres for image-guided transcatheter thermal therapy in the liver

Synthesis and evaluation of a pre-loaded drug eluting radiopaque composite embolic microsphere (CEM) for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) N. Kilcup, S. Kehoe, E. Tonkopi, R. Abraham, D. Boyd; School of Biomedical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; ABK Biomedical Inc., Halifax, NS, Canada; Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Dalhousie University, QE II HSC, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Applied Oral Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
L-dopa-induced modification of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis.

SummaryThe effect of L-dopa and isoproterenol in DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis was measured in the salivary glands, brain, and liver of the mouse. These data indicate that L-dopa does not cause gross changes in nucleic acid and protein synthesis.We thank Dr. George C. Cotzias for stimulating this work and Miss Roberta Klimaski for technical assistance.
Correcting the Oversupply of Specialists by Limiting Residencies for Graduates of Foreign Medical Schools

It is estimated that there will be an excess of approximately 165,000 specialist physicians in the United States in the year 2000.1,2 Consistent with these projections are anecdotal reports that ph...