cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Labyrinth morphology and the evolution of low-frequency phonoreception in elasmobranchs

Abstract Labyrinth morphology in extant elasmobranchs (neoselachians: sharks, skates and rays) and several extinct chondrichthyans ranging in age from Pliocene to Devonian is investigated using high-resolution computed tomography (CT scanning) and digital reconstitution techniques. The elasmobranch labyrinth is highly specialized toward low-frequency semi-directional sound detection (LFSDP), optimally around 100 Hz. Several features associated with LFSDP in neoselachians also occur in Mesozoic hybodonts (e.g., Egertonodus, Tribodus) and in some incertae sedis extinct sharks (Acronemus, Tristychius), but are absent in osteichthyans, extant and fossil holocephalans, and certain Paleozoic chondrichthyans (ctenacanths, symmoriiforms, Pucapampella). Thus, LFSDP is regarded as an evolutionary novelty of elasmobranchs that arose some time after their divergence from chimaeroids. The suite of characters associated with LFSDP was probably acquired progressively, some characters being more widely distributed among fossil chondrichthyans than others. LFSDP evolved only within chondrichthyans whose otico-occipital fissure became secondarily closed during ontogeny.
An Evaluation of Ureteral Flow after Doppler-guided Uterine Artery Occlusion Device Placement during Organ-preserving Gynecologic Procedures

We studied the use of color Doppler ultrasonography for ureteral patency after placement of a transvaginal Doppler-guided uterine artery occlusion device before organ-preserving surgery for leiomyomata uteri. Our case series involved 7 patients in whom ureteral flow was assessed using color Doppler sonography before and after placement of a Doppler-guided uterine artery occlusion device. Bilateral ureteral flow was assessed at the trigone using a grading system. Furosemide and additional intravenous hydration were administered if no flow was observed. Color Doppler ultrasonography can quantify ureteral flow before and after Doppler-guided uterine artery occlusion device placement during organ-preserving gynecologic procedures, facilitating safe placement and repositioning of the transvaginal device when necessary.
Ocular perfusion pressure and choroidal blood flow in the rabbit.

Purpose To compare choroidal blood pressure versus flow relationships obtained by three different methods of changing the ocular perfusion pressure. Methods Experiments were performed in pentobarbital-anesthetized rabbits with occluders on the aorta and inferior vena cava to control mean arterial pressure (MAP). The central ear artery was cannulated to measure MAP. Two 23-gauge needles were inserted through the pars plana into the vitreous: one connected to a saline-filled syringe to vary the ocular volume and the other to a pressure transducer to measure intraocular pressure (IOP). Choroidal perfusion was measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry with the probe in the vitreous over the posterior pole. In group 1 (n = 15), the MAP was varied while holding the IOP at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mm Hg. In group 2 (n = 19), the IOP was increased while holding the MAP at 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30 and 20 mm Hg. In group 3 (n = 21), the MAP was varied without controlling the IOP. Results Group 1 baseline choroidal flows were similar at the five IOPs. When the flow was plotted against MAP, the curves diverged and extrapolated to intersect the pressure axis when the MAP equaled the set IOP. Group 2 baseline flows were similar at MAPs greater than 40 mm Hg. When the flow was plotted against the IOP, the curves diverged and intersected the pressure axis when the IOP equaled the MAP. In both groups, plotting the flow against the perfusion pressure (i.e., MAP minus IOP) collapsed the data points into single curves. Choroidal autoregulation occurred in all three groups; however, the low end of the autoregulatory perfusion pressure range was approximately 50 mm Hg in group 1, approximately 40 mm Hg in group 2, and approximately 30 mm Hg in group 3. Conclusions The results show that the effective choroidal perfusion pressure gradient equals the MAP minus the IOP, and that choroidal autoregulation is most effective when the MAP varies and IOP is not controlled.
Adaptive Jamming-Resistant Broadcast Systems with Partial Channel Sharing

Wireless communication is particularly vulnerable to signal jamming attacks. Spread spectrum mitigates such problem by spreading normal narrowband signals over a much wider band of frequencies and forcing jammers who do not know such spread pattern to invest much more effort to launch attacks. However, in broadcast systems, jammers can easily find out the spread pattern by compromising some receivers. Several group-based approaches have been proposed to deal with insider jammers who can compromise receivers in broadcast systems, they can tolerate t malicious receivers as long as the system can afford 2t additional copies for each broadcast message. This paper introduces a novel jamming-resistant broadcast system that organizes receivers into multiple channel-sharing broadcast groups and isolates malicious receivers using adaptive re-grouping. By letting receivers in different groups partially share their channels, this scheme reduces the extra communication cost from 2t to (2 − ρ)t copies, where ρ is the channel sharing factor (0
Decoding beads in a randomly assembled optical nose

In Illumina’s technology, the term bead is synonymous with microsensors used in optical arrays. Unlike orderly arranged microarrays, a randomly assembled array would need to be processed via a so-called decoding step, in order to identify the location of each beadtype. Illumina’s O-nose technology is radically different from the electronic nose (E-nose) technologies by several factors, e.g., the number of sensors. In an O-nose application, one can easily obtain 2000 usable sensors. The quantity of sensors, however, does come at a price, i.e., the necessity for a decoding procedure. The decoding step plays a challenging role in the O-nose technology. A novel supervised learning technique of decoding randomly assembled arrays, based on subspace classifier method is proposed. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Gaylord Torrence. The American Indian Parfleche.

The American Indian Parfleche:. Tradition of Abstract Painting, GAYLORD TORRENCE. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. Published with the Des Moines Art Center. 272 pp., 148 illustrations, 103 in color, map, notes, bibliography, index. $60.00 (cloth), $35.00 (paper).
The Diversity of Natural Organochlorines in Living Organisms

Of the more than 2600 known naturally occurring organohalogen compounds, more than 1500 contain chlorine. These organochlorines, which range in structural intricacy from the ubiquitous fungal and plant metabolite chloromethane to the complex life-saving antibiotic vancomycin, are produced by marine and terrestrial plants, bacteria, fungi, lichens, insects, marine animals (sponges, sea hares, nudibranchs, gorgonians, tunicates), some higher animals, and a few mammals. New examples are continually being discovered and the total number of natural organohalogens may surpass 3000 by the turn of the century.
Registration of physical space to laparoscopic image space for use in minimally invasive hepatic surgery

While laparoscopes are used for numerous minimally invasive (MI) procedures, MI liver resection and ablative surgery is infrequently performed. The paucity of cases is due to the restriction of the field of view by the laparoscope and the difficulty in determining tumor location and margins under video guidance. By merging MI surgery with interactive, image-guided surgery (IIGS), the authors hope to overcome localization difficulties present in laparoscopic liver procedures. One key component of any IIGS system is the development of accurate registration techniques to map image space to physical or patient space. This manuscript focuses on the accuracy and analysis of the direct linear transformation (DLT) method to register physical space with laparoscopic image space on both distorted and distortion-corrected video images. Experiments were conducted on a liver-sized plastic phantom affixed with 20 markers at various depths, After localizing the points in both physical and laparoscopic image space, registration accuracy was assessed for different combinations and numbers of control points (n) to determine the quantity necessary to develop a robust registration matrix. For n=11, average target registration error (TRE) was 0.70/spl plusmn/0.20 mm. The authors also studied the effects of distortion correction on registration accuracy For the particular distortion correction method and laparoscope used in the authors' experiments, there was no statistical significance between physical to image registration error for distorted and corrected images. In cases where a minimum number of control points (n=6) are acquired, the DLT is often not stable and the mathematical process can lead to high TRE values. Mathematical filters developed through the analysis of the DLT were used to prospectively eliminate outlier cases where the TRE was high. For n=6, prefilter average TRE was 17.4/spl plusmn/153 mm for all trials; when the filters were applied, average TRE decreased to 1.64/spl plusmn/1.10 mm for the remaining trials.
Angiotensin potentiates excitatory sensory synaptic transmission to medial solitary tract nucleus neurons

Femtomole doses of angiotensin (ANG) II microinjected into nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) decrease blood pressure and heart rate, mimicking activation of the baroreflex, whereas higher doses depre...
Multilevel analysis of municipal officials’ participation in land use policies supportive of active living: City and individual factors

Abstract Purpose. To investigate individual- and city-level factors associated with municipal officials' participation in a local land use policy that supports active living. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. Eighty-three cities in eight states. Subjects. Four hundred thirteen elected and appointed officials with various job functions including mayors, city councilors, aldermen, selectmen, city or town managers, and heads of departments of planning, community development, public works, transportation, engineering, parks and recreation, neighborhood services, and public health. Measures. A Web-based survey assessed perceived importance of physical activity and livability issues to job responsibilities; perceived resident support of local government action to address physical activity and livability issues; and residence. City-level factors obtained from Census data included percentage of commuters by walking, bicycling, and public transit. The dependent variable was self-reported participation in dev...
Normal hemoglobin clearances in chronic proteinuria.

Conclusions1. The ratio of simultaneously determined renal clearances of hemoglobin and inulin, in successive clearance periods in a group of 5 control and 3 patients with the nephrotic syndrome, indicate that the overall glomerular porosity, for hemoglobin, of the patients with proteinuria is no greater than that of normals.2. It is probable that glomerular permeability, in terms of “pores,” is not the factor determining the degree of proteinuria in the nephrotic syndrome.
MOLECULAR SIMULATION OF PHASE EQUILIBRIA

This chapter presents an introduction to the rapidly expanding field of molecular simulation methodologies for calculations of fluid-phase coexistence, with particular emphasis on high pressure and supercritical systems. The first part of the chapter deals with methodological issues. The focus is on Monte Carlo techniques for the determination of free energies and phase equilibria. Particle insertion techniques are first briefly discussed. The Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo method is then covered in detail. While the original method is applicable primarily to simple model potentials, recently developed configurational-bias sampling techniques allow the study of a broad range of systems. The second part of the chapter reviews applications of molecular simulation techniques to systems of interest for supercritical processes. Phase diagrams of pure components, including water, hydrocarbons, ionic and polymeric fluids are first discussed. Studies of simple mixtures reveal that conformai solution theories have a significantly greater range of applicability than previously thought. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the future promise and limitations of molecular simulation techniques for the study of fluid phase equilibria.
The Film Criminal Justice: Race, Gender, and University Experience in Students’ Perceptions of Racism and Guilt

This research examines the use of the film Criminal Justice to consider the extent to which students’ race, gender, and university experience influence their determinations of guilt and perceptions of racism in the criminal justice system. The study samples 835 students in large criminal justice classes taught at an urban university in an eastern, predominately Black city and at an urban university in a southwestern, predominately Hispanic city. Analysis shows some statistically significant relationships, including those perceiving racism in the film as more likely to view the film’s defendant as not guilty, White students perceiving racism as more likely to see the defendant as not guilty, and males perceiving racism in the system as more likely to view the film’s defendant as not guilty. However, Black females perceiving racism as a factor in the film were significantly more likely to find the film’s defendant guilty than any other combination of race/ethnicity and gender, leaving an intriguing set of q...
Twitter as “a journalistic substitute”? Examining #wiunion tweeters’ behavior and self-perception:

Twitter has been cited as a key factor behind a number of recent protest movements. Through interviews with heavy users of the #wiunion hashtag, this study examines the motivations and perceptions behind its usage during the 2011 Wisconsin labor protests. Findings suggest these users see a blurred boundary between citizen journalism and activism, but that their Twitter behavior is driven in part by distrust of traditional news sources and a desire to present an alternative. Notably, most do not see themselves as citizen journalists because they see journalism as an institutional, rather than individual, practice. Their orientation toward information credibility also diverges from traditional journalism, relying on interpersonal trust and the availability of visual evidence. These findings are discussed in the broader context of protest mobilization through information gathering and sharing.
Letter From a Newly-Tenured Professor (A Response to Hambrick and a Call to Action for My Fellow Associate Professors)

The drive for tenure can be all consuming. And yet, actually attaining that goal often leads to just as great a challenge-successfully transitioning from “junior” to “senior” faculty member. Hambri...
Pharmacokinetics of low-dose cidofovir in kidney transplant recipients with BK virus infection.

BK virus (BKV) is a kidney-tropic polyomavirus that is associated with premature graft failure in immunosuppressed renal transplant recipients (1-5). BKV carries a substantial disease burden, with an estimated incidence of viruria, viremia, and nephropathy of 35-40%, 11-13%, and 5-8%, respectively (6, 7). Optimal therapeutic interventions for BKV have yet to be elucidated and a firmly established antiviral therapy is lacking. Cidofovir (Vistide®, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, California USA) is a nucleotide analog of deoxycytidine monophosphate with in vitro and in vivo activity against herpesviruses, adenoviruses, poxviruses, and polyomaviruses (8-11). A low-dose cidofovir regimen of 0.25–1.0 mg/kg weekly is used empirically for the management of BKV infections. However, the literature on the efficacy of cidofovir for BKV is conflicting, with some studies reporting apparent stabilization of renal function (12, 13), while others describe no discernible benefit (14, 15). These contradictory data may reflect the absence of a defined exposure-response relationship, which could be utilized to improve the dosing regimen. Our group has previously shown that the 50% effective concentration (EC50) in vitro for cidofovir against BKV is approximately 36 μg/mL (11), although cidofovir exposure following low-dose administration has not been evaluated in kidney transplant recipients. The disposition of cidofovir has been investigated in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with normal kidney function and with varying degrees of renal insufficiency (16-19). Tubular secretion plays a role in cidofovir clearance, as renal clearance is nearly 50% higher than baseline creatinine clearance. Further, in vitro studies have demonstrated that secretion of cidofovir involves human organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1)- mediated basolateral uptake into renal proximal tubule cells (20). However, the functional activity of OAT1 is unknown in kidney transplant recipients. The prototypical OAT1 inhibitor probenecid blocks the tubular uptake of cidofovir and is used clinically to prevent cidofovir-associated nephrotoxicity during treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis (16). However, withholding probenecid when cidofovir is used for BKV may allow for increased cidofovir concentrations to be achieved within the proximal tubules, which is the site of viral replication. In HIV-infected patients, probenecid reduces the renal secretion of cidofovir to a level approaching the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (19), consistent with near-complete inhibition of OAT1-mediated cidofovir secretion. The objectives of the current study were to (i) characterize the pharmacokinetics of low- dose cidofovir in kidney transplant recipients with BKV infection in order to allow for future investigations into pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships, and (ii) to assess the OAT1-dependent anionic renal secretion capacity in this population by evaluating the effect of probenecid on the systemic and renal clearance of cidofovir.
GENETIC EFFECTIVE SIZE OF A WILD PRIMATE POPULATION: INFLUENCE OF CURRENT AND HISTORICAL DEMOGRAPHY

A comprehensive assessment of the determinants of effective population size (Ne) requires estimates of variance in lifetime reproductive success and past changes in census numbers. For natural populations, such information can be best obtained by combining longitudinal data on individual life histories and genetic marker-based inferences of demographic history. Independent estimates of the variance effective size (NeV, obtained from life-history data) and the inbreeding effective size (NeI, obtained from genetic data) provide a means of disentangling the effects of current and historical demography. The purpose of this study was to assess the demographic determinants of Ne in one of the most intensively studied natural populations of a vertebrate species: the population of savannah baboons (Papio cynocephalus) in the Amboseli Basin, southern Kenya. We tested the hypotheses that NeV , N , NeI (where N 5 population census number) due to a recent demographic bottleneck. NeV was estimated using a stochastic de- mographic model based on detailed life-history data spanning a 28-year period. Using empirical estimates of age- specific rates of survival and fertility for both sexes, individual-based simulations were used to estimate the variance in lifetime reproductive success. The resultant values translated into an NeV/N estimate of 0.329 (SD 5 0.116, 95% CI 5 0.172-0.537). Historical NeI was estimated from 14-locus microsatellite genotypes using a coalescent-based simulation model. Estimates of NeI were 2.2 to 7.2 times higher than the contemporary census number of the Amboseli baboon population. In addition to the effects of immigration, the disparity between historical NeI and contemporary N is likely attributable to the time lag between the recent drop in census numbers and the rate of increase in the average probability of allelic identity-by-descent. Thus, observed levels of genetic diversity may primarily reflect the population's prebottleneck history rather than its current demography.
Pharmacologic basis for the use of selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of neuropathic pain conditions

Abstract Introduction: This article will review the pharmacologic and clinical evidence supporting the use of selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, most notably atomoxetine, for the treatment of neuropathic pain states. Many medications initially marketed for psychiatric indications have gained widespread use for their analgesic properties after additional research. Methods: In search of alternative treatments for neuropathic pain, current guidelines, published reviews, and primary literature, including both rodent and human trials, were reviewed. Results and Discussion: The first group of medications to gain widespread use in pain management was the tricyclic antidepressants. As further research was completed and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors began to be utilized for their analgesic properties, a growing body of evidence began to indicate that the analgesic properties of these medications were primarily due to the blockade of norepinephrine reuptake with serotonin playing only a mi...
Epidermal and hepatocyte growth factors stimulate chemotaxis in an intestinal epithelial cell line

The migration of intestinal cells is important in the development and maintenance of normal epithelium, in a process that may be regulated by growth factors and cytokines. Although a number of grow...
Somatosensory- and Motor-Evoked Potentials in Surgery of Eloquent Cortex Under General Anesthesia: Advantages and Limitations

In this chapter we will discuss two neurophysiological tools: somatosensory-evoked potentials (scalp and cortically recorded) and motor-evoked potentials (transcranial stimulation, direct cortical stimulation, and direct subcortical white matter stimulation), which assist the neurological surgeon operating under general anesthesia upon a patient with a cerebral lesion in proximity to eloquent cortex. We define eloquent cortex as a region whose damage may likely result in a neurological deficit within the realm of motor (paralysis, weakness, coordination), or sensory discrimination (perceptual, visual, spatial orientation, agnosia, apraxia).
Effective Pedagogical Strategies for Millennial University Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Student Survey Results

University instructors nationwide have been recognizing the increased importance of updating classroom teaching strategies to accommodate the needs of the millennial student generation. This article shares results of surveys of 323 university students in communication sciences and disorders and what they view as effective pedagogical strategies that meet their needs in university classrooms.
Formation Mechanisms of Gold–Zinc Oxide Hexagonal Nanopyramids by Heterogeneous Nucleation using Microwave Synthesis

This work reports the development of a fast and simple “one-pot” route for the synthesis of hybrid Au-ZnO hexagonal nanopyramids by sequential homogeneous–heterogeneous nucleation steps involving both Au and Zn ions using microwave irradiation (MWI). The rapid decomposition of zinc acetate by MWI in the presence of a mixture of oleic acid (OAc) and oleylamine (OAm) results in the formation of hexagonal ZnO nanopyramids. In the presence of Au ions, the initially formed Au nanocrystals act as heterogeneous nuclei for the nucleation and growth of the ZnO nanopyramids. The Au nanoparticles promote the heterogeneous nucleation of ZnO and the formation of the hexagonal base of the ZnO nanopyramids. Using preformed Au nanoparticles instead of Au ions results in a narrow size distribution of uniform Au-ZnO nanopyramids, each consisting of a gold nanoparticle embedded in the center of the hexagonal base of the ZnO nanopyramid. We study the factors that control the nucleation and growth of these complex structures,...
Heaven's Tense: Narration in The Gates Ajar

“Heaven's Tense” is about Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's best-selling nineteenth-century text, The Gates Ajar, which was published in the aftermath of the Civil War for the emotional benefit of the immense number of women who had lost their loved ones in the conflict. The overwhelming popularity of this book, like that of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, has produced critical accounts that tend to shy away from formal, textual analyses in the interests of developing more culturally oriented readings. My essay attends both to the cultural contexts that inform the novel and to its specific stylistic oddities. The narrative theories of Gerard Genette and Roland Barthes provide my reading with the vocabulary that allows me to establish and explicate the text's formal complexities—particularly its inconsistent use of tense—and interpret them in relation to the religious imperatives of the novel. The religious goal of the novel is to console women with the belief that the men they have lost are not dead, not absent, but present. The narrative implication of a belief in which death does not mark the difference between past and present is a story that does not know what tense to tell itself in. Phelps's text vacillates between tenses, seeking to make all people inhabit the present; however, narration depends on keeping these time frames discrete, and as the religious goal of the novel is achieved, its narrative cohesion is undermined.
Investigation of Salmonella and Shigella carrier in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture: an analysis of 1523 people

Objective:To strengthen supervision and management of medical health practitioners working to prevent intestinal practitioners with Shigella and Salmonella bacteria cause food poisoning and gastro-intestinal infections or pandemic occurs.Methods:By anal swab method to identify bacteria isolated and cultured.Results:To healthily examinate of the 1523 public places on practitioners,four Practitioners in the stool(rectal swab) were detected two Shigella,and two Salmonella 2.Conclusion:The practitioners strengthen intestinal Shigella spp and Salmonella testing,It′s important to prevent food poisoning and intestinal infectious diseases.
Replacing Exams by Holding Competitions— Analysis on Practical Teaching for Electronic Commerce Major in Vocational Colleges

Currently,graduates from electronic commerce major cannot meet the social needs.As a result,how to improve the skills for electronic commerce majors at college and cultivate students' autonomous learning ability,innovative ability and practical ability should be the breakthrough in teaching.In this paper,the author first analyses the present situation of practical teaching of electronic commerce major in vocational colleges and then proposes an assessment mode of holding competitions to replace exams.Finally,the author discusses the feasibility,advantage as well as the specific strategies for this mode.
On Forestry Conventional Law of Lin'an

The decrees of feudal governments of China before the Ming Dynasty,such as "planting trees along roads","growing mulberry for raising silk worms" and "protecting trees planted in and around Buddhist temples",had played an active role in safeguarding forestry of Lin'an,whereas other practices such as cutting down trees on small hills and slopes for planting tea trees had led severe deforestation.The protection of trees in and around temples in Tianmu Mountain led to the exuberance of forestry.The old steles reveal that private ownership of forestry existed for a long time.Nursery gardens cultivated a lot of seedlings to be planted and met the need for wood.The thirty regulations of forestry supervision from 50s to 80s of 20th Century in Lin'an indicate maturity of forestry rules to a certain extent.
Global Imbalances and us Policy Responses

The world economy has been suffering a number of large global imbalances during the 1980s, which if left unresolved could seriously threaten world welfare in the remainder of this century. The correction of these global imbalances requires an understanding of how they have arisen and will greatly influence the operation of the international economic system to the turn of the century.
Afro-Caribbean Immigrants and the Politics of Incorporation: Beyond Black and White: Theories of Political Incorporation

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars … I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek … Langston Hughes How are Afro-Caribbeans and the millions of other recent immigrants from Asia and Latin America adapting to the American political system? How is the political incorporation process unfolding for these newcomers in the cities where they have settled? These groups are part of a long historical succession of outsiders who have attempted to become insiders and gain a foothold in American democracy – from European immigrants in the early twentieth century to African Americans only a few decades ago. Although the research on today's newcomers is just emerging, there is an established political science literature on the earlier generations of outsiders, European immigrants and African Americans. This body of research potentially provides a road map for charting how the new wave of newcomers might adapt to American political life. Before I delve into the experiences of Afro-Caribbean immigrants, I use this chapter to explore this literature and establish the theoretical scaffolding for the study. First, I offer a definition of political incorporation that extends beyond the usual focus on outcomes to consider the dynamics of the process. I then review the details of the dominant models of incorporation – specifically, the pluralist and minority group approaches – to set the stage for the analysis in the following chapters.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Second-Line Chemotherapy Agents for Advanced Gastric Cancer.

tudy Objective Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Chemotherapy options for patients who fail first-line treatment are limited. Thus the objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of second-line treatment options for patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. Design Cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov model to compare the cost-effectiveness of six possible second-line treatment options for patients with advanced gastric cancer who have failed previous chemotherapy: irinotecan, docetaxel, paclitaxel, ramucirumab, paclitaxel plus ramucirumab, and palliative care. Measurements and Main Results The model was performed from a third-party payer's perspective to compare lifetime costs and health benefits associated with studied second-line therapies. Costs included only relevant direct medical costs. The model assumed chemotherapy cycle lengths of 30 days and a maximum number of 24 cycles. Systematic review of literature was performed to identify clinical data sources and utility and cost data. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. The primary outcome measure for this analysis was the ICER between different therapies, where the incremental cost was divided by the number of QALYs saved. The ICER was compared with a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold that was set at $50,000/QALY gained, and an exploratory analysis using $160,000/QALY gained was also used. The model's robustness was tested by using 1-way sensitivity analyses and a 10,000 Monte Carlo simulation probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA). Irinotecan had the lowest lifetime cost and was associated with a QALY gain of 0.35 year. Docetaxel, ramucirumab alone, and palliative care were dominated strategies. Paclitaxel and the combination of paclitaxel plus ramucirumab led to higher QALYs gained, at an incremental cost of $86,815 and $1,056,125 per QALY gained, respectively. Based on our prespecified WTP threshold, our base case analysis demonstrated that irinotecan alone is the most cost-effective regimen, and both paclitaxel alone and the combination of paclitaxel and ramucirumab were not cost-effective (ICER more than $50,000). Both 1-way sensitivity analyses and PSA demonstrated the model's robustness. PSA illustrated that paclitaxel plus ramucirumab was extremely unlikely to be cost-effective at a WTP threshold less than $400,000/QALY gained. Conclusion Irinotecan alone appears to be the most cost-effective second-line regimen for patients with gastric cancer. Paclitaxel may be cost-effective if the WTP threshold was set at $160,000/QALY gained.
The economic impact of the Food and Drug Administration’s Final Juice HACCP Rule

Using 1998–2008 data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on foodborne illnesses and outbreaks, we examine the economic impact of the Food and Drug Administration’s final rule titled “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP); Procedures for the Safe and Sanitary Processing and Importing of Juice” (the Final Juice Rule). Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the rule led to an annual reduction of between 462 and 508 foodborne illnesses associated with juice-bearing products. Furthermore, our reevaluated estimate of the rule’s benefits compares favorably to its estimated cost.
Necrotizing pulmonary infection from retained foreign body: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract Airway foreign body is one of the more common and potentially life-threatening consultations received by pediatric otolaryngologists. Despite a low-threshold for operative evaluation, airway foreign bodies are frequently missed and can result in serious complications. Necrotizing pulmonary infection is one such possible complication that has been historically treated with lung resection. We report the case of a 2-year-old boy presenting with a necrotizing pulmonary infection from a foreign body in the distal left lower lobe that had gone unrecognized for one year and subsequently review the literature regarding a changing trend in management of pediatric necrotizing pulmonary infections.
Growth Factor and Signaling Networks

Growth factors are a diverse group of polypeptides that stimulate cell proliferation through binding to specific high-affinity cell membrane-bound receptors. Growth factors typically act as signaling molecules between the cells. Growth factors and growth factor receptors play a major role in growth and development, wound healing, angiogenesis, and have many physiological functions. Derangement in the functions of these molecules plays a critical role in cancer progression. Both tumor and stromal/endothelial cells utilize important, in some cases redundant, groups of growth factor receptors to encode signals required for (1) proliferation/survival, (2) migration, (3) invasion and matrix degradation, (4) actin cytoskeletal rearrangement, (5) angiogenesis, and (6) chemoradiosensitivity in vivo . This article reviews the role of growth factors and their receptors in cancer, particularly the member of the receptor tyrosine kinase.
Direct acting oral anticoagulants for the treatment of suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) therapy in hospitalized patients with suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Methods Retrospective cohort study of adult patients prescribed apixaban, dabigatran, or rivaroxaban for the treatment of acute HIT from January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2017. Eligibility requirements included an intermediate or high pretest probability for HIT (4T score≥4) and a positive IgG-specific anti-PF4/heparin complex assay. The primary outcome measure was the composite of newly diagnosed venous or arterial thromboembolism, gangrene, or amputation due to critical limb ischemia during hospitalization. Results A total of 12 patients were included for analysis, five of which experienced HIT-related thrombosis prior to initiation of DOAC therapy. Seven patients received parenteral therapy with argatroban prior to initiation of DOAC treatment. Nine patients were treated with apixaban while three received rivaroxaban for an average of 9.33 days while hospitalized. Zero patients experienced the primary outcome of HIT-related thrombosis, and no patients experienced major bleeding post DOAC initiation. All patients achieved platelet recovery while receiving DOAC therapy. Conclusions In this small retrospective study of adult patients treated for acute HIT, treatment with DOAC therapy was not associated with in-hospital thrombotic or hemorrhagic events.
A Tubulin Binding Switch Underlies Kip3/Kinesin-8 Depolymerase Activity

Summary Kinesin-8 motors regulate the size of microtubule structures, using length-dependent accumulation at the plus end to preferentially disassemble long microtubules. Despite extensive study, the kinesin-8 depolymerase mechanism remains under debate. Here, we provide evidence for an alternative, tubulin curvature-sensing model of microtubule depolymerization by the budding yeast kinesin-8, Kip3. Kinesin-8/Kip3 uses ATP hydrolysis, like other kinesins, for stepping on the microtubule lattice, but at the plus end Kip3 undergoes a switch: its ATPase activity is suppressed when it binds tightly to the curved conformation of tubulin. This prolongs plus-end binding, stabilizes protofilament curvature, and ultimately promotes microtubule disassembly. The tubulin curvature-sensing model is supported by our identification of Kip3 structural elements necessary and sufficient for plus-end binding and depolymerase activity, as well as by the identification of an α-tubulin residue specifically required for the Kip3-curved tubulin interaction. Together, these findings elucidate a major regulatory mechanism controlling the size of cellular microtubule structures.
Examination of Glycoside Hydrolysis Methods for the Determination of Terpenyl Glycoside Contents of Different Hop Cultivars

The essential oil fraction of hops clearly plays a significant and important role in their contribution to the aroma of beer, yet the potential role of water-soluble flavor precursors in hops is mu...
Managing Through Technology: The Future of Organizations

Technology is developing at an accelerating pace and rapidly transforming human civilization. Yet our evolved social apparatus, moral psychology, and behavioral instincts are adapted to a pre-techn...
The Educational Progress of Normal Peers in an Integrated Preschool Class with Autistic Children: A Preliminary Report.

The educational progress of four normal peers integrated for one year into a preschool class with five children with autism was examined with the Learning Accomplishment Profile and the Preschool L...
Making Chocolate Sweeter: How to Encourage Hershey Company to Clean Up Its Supply Chain and Eliminate Child Labor

Child labor is a complex issue that deeply permeates cocoa production in West Africa. Multinational corporations, such as Hershey Company, are often in the best position to address child labor because these human rights violations occur within their own supply chains. The U.S. legislature can encourage multinational corporations to address child labor through mandatory public disclosure and due diligence. This mandatory disclosure may encourage multinational corporations to use fair trade certification or sponsorship programs—solutions that keep children away from hazardous occupations while still addressing the root cause of child labor, poverty.
The effect of pH and temperature on the self-association of recombinant human interleukin-2 as studied by equilibrium sedimentation.

The self-association of recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2) in solution was investigated as a function of pH and temperature using equilibrium sedimentation. Studies were performed at pH 3.6, 6.5 and 8.2, at 1°C and 20°C. A model assuming an ideal single molecular species describes the data observed at pH 6.5 at both temperatures. At pH 8.2, the data from both temperatures can be better described by a weak monomer-dimer association equilibrium. The values of the association constants obtained indicate the presence of less than 10% dimer at a concentration of 1 mg/ml at both temperatures. At pH 3.6, aggregates with a Z average molecular weight of over 35 times that of monomeric rhIL-2 were formed. The smallest associating species present under these conditions corresponds to the monomer, which produces aggregates with a wide range of molecular weights. The monomer appears to be in equilibrium with the smallest aggregates, in that a model describing an indefinite association fits the data obtained at the highest centrifugal speed. No model was found to successfully describe the association of the monomer into the much larger aggregates observed at lower speeds. This may be the result of the lack of rapid thermodynamic reversibility of the larger aggregates. Temperature was found to have no significant effect on the largest aggregates that were formed at pH 3.6.
Peer Group Interactions and the Student-Perceived Climate for Caring

Using the descriptive mode of qualitative inquiry, this study was conducted with 10 junior nursing students at five baccalaureate schools of nursing to describe a climate for caring as it is experienced within the context of peer group interactions. The findings from this study indicate that a climate for caring is experienced through peer group behaviors that are perceived as caring, and during peer group interactional episodes that are characterized by giving assistance. Based on the data from these participants, student vulnerability and personal knowledge of peers are suggested as factors that mediate the ability of junior nursing students to experience a climate for caring during peer group interactions.
Middle-aged death and taxes in the USA: Association of state tax burden and expenditures in 2005 with survival from 2006 to 2015

Background Longevity in the United States ranks below most other Western nations despite spending more on healthcare per capita than any other country. Across the world, mortality has been declining, but in the USA the trend toward improvement has stalled in some middle-aged demographic groups. Cross-national studies suggest that social welfare is positively associated with longevity. The United States has less government sponsored welfare, education and healthcare than almost all other Western nations, but the level of this social welfare commitment varies across the states. In this study we examined the association of state tax burden and state government expenditures with subsequent middle-aged mortality. Methods The primary exposure was state tax burden in 2005, defined as proportion of all state income paid to the state. We also examined the impact of state expenditures per capita in 2005 for education, healthcare, welfare, police and highways. The dependent variable was mortality during the subsequent 10 years. Death counts and population sizes by sex, age group and race strata for 2006–2015 were abstracted from CDC WONDER. Binomial logistic regression was employed based on the number of deaths and underlying population within each county-sex-age-race bin. Results State tax burden in 2005 varied from 5.8% to 12.2%. An increase of 1.0 percentage point in state tax burden was associated with a 5.8% (SE = 0.1%) reduction in mortality adjusted for sex, age and race, but was associated with a 1.1% (SE = 0.1%) reduction when further adjusting for state income and education levels. Controlling for sex, age and race each type of state expenditures was associated with decreases in middle aged mortality, notably K-12 education (reduction of 4.7%, SE = 0.1%, per 10% expenditure increase) except healthcare but all types were associated with mortality decreases further controlling for state income and education. Conclusion The residents of states with higher state taxation and higher expenditures per capita have lower middle aged mortality rates.
A Risk Based Approach for Human Assurance

Mission assurance confirms that a mission will be successful given a set of risks. It verifies that the activities completed at the system level generate the expected outcomes required at the mission level. However, an often-overlooked component of mission assurance is the impact that the human operator has on the system outcomes. Human assurance can be considered the probability of acceptable operator performance given a set of conditions that include the operator, the system and the environment. This paper provides a method to assess human assurance by leveraging data collected in the Human Viewpoint models and applying a risk-based approach. An example of an intelligence crew supporting a long endurance, multi-sensor platform is used to develop a risk-based model to evaluate the adherence to the human assurance threshold under different risk profiles. In this case, the likelihood that the desired sensor target will be tracked to completion is influenced by the operational tempo and sensor combinations that impact the availability of proficient operators. The model can be used to identify the acceptable risk profiles that meet the human assurance threshold and evaluate the use of organizational methods to mitigate the risk.
Understanding variability in marine fisheries: importance of environmental forcing

Abstract The success of any management strategy rests on its ability to set harvest rates that do not impair future sustainability. As the oceans warm, become more acidic, and lose oxygen, there is no alternative but to account for the impact of environmental variability on fisheries dynamics. In this chapter we discuss patterns of population variability in marine fisheries and provide an updated scheme to classify the dynamics of fish stocks based on a set of biologically motivated time series probes. Then we succinctly review some of the hypotheses proposed to explain fluctuations in fisheries abundance and highlight how recent developments in Earth observations, ecological forecasting, and probabilistic modeling bring the opportunity to solve some of the pressing issues in marine fisheries science.
Does measurement of the hepatic artery velocity improve the sonographic diagnosis of cholangitis

To determine the frequency of elevated peak systolic proper hepatic artery velocity (HAV) in patients with acute cholangitis and to determine the diagnostic performance of this metric relative to existing criteria. Between 9/2016 and 11/2017, 107 patients clinically suspected to have cholangitis were referred for an abdominal ultrasound. Of these, 56 patients had HAV measurements and were included in the final analysis. Clinical and imaging features, including HAV, HAV resistive index (RI), portal vein velocity (PVV), biliary dilation, and presence of an obstructive etiology were extracted. The diagnostic performance of HAV was compared to the existing available clinical criteria (Charcot’s triad and 2018 Tokyo Guidelines). Elevated HAV was defined as HAV > 100 cm/s. Presence of cholangitis was determined by the discharge summary following medical workup and admission or observation. 32% had cholangitis while 68% did not. Average HAV for patients with cholangitis was 152 ± 54 cm/s versus 91 ± 44 cm/s for those without (p < 0.0001; t test). The HAV was elevated in 83% of patients with cholangitis. When considered in isolation, an elevated HAV had a high negative predictive value (90%), was more accurate (77%; 95% confidence interval 64–87%) than Charcot’s triad (73%; 60–83%), and had similar accuracy compared to 2018 Tokyo Guidelines (79%; 66–88%). Substitution of conventional imaging criteria with elevated HAV in the 2018 Tokyo Guidelines yielded the highest overall accuracy of 84% (72–92%). HAV is elevated in the majority of patients with cholangitis. Substitution of an elevated HAV for conventional sonographic criteria is more accurate than existing clinical criteria in identifying patients with cholangitis.