cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ReverseCloak: A Reversible Multi-level Location Privacy Protection System

With the fast popularization of mobile devices and wireless networks, along with advances in sensing and positioning technology, we are witnessing a huge proliferation of Location-based Services (LBSs). Location anonymization refers to the process of perturbing the exact location of LBS users as a cloaking region such that a user's location becomes indistinguishable from the location of a set of other users. However, existing location anonymization techniques focus primarily on single level unidirectional anonymization, which fails to control the access to the cloaking data to let data requesters with different privileges get information with varying degrees of anonymity. In this demonstration, we present a toolkit for ReverseCloak, a location perturbation system to protect location privacy over road networks in a multi-level reversible manner, consisting of an `Anonymizer' GUI to adjust the anonymization settings and visualize the multilevel cloaking regions over road network for location data owners and a `De-anonymizer' GUI to de-anonymize the cloaking region and display the reduced region over road network for location data requesters. With the toolkit, we demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of the ReverseCloak approach.
The Lovász Local Lemma – A Survey

The Local Lemma of Lovasz has affected multiple sciences. We survey its impact on mathematics, computer science and statistical physics.
A Document Analysis of Teacher Evaluation Systems Specific to Physical Education

Purpose: The purpose of this document analysis study was to examine current teacher evaluation systems, understand current practices, and determine whether the instrumentation is a valid measure of teaching quality as reflected in teacher behavior and effectiveness specific to physical education (PE). Method: An interpretive document analysis study was conducted on three teacher evaluation systems with documents collected from 10 school districts from the western United States. The three teacher evaluation systems were (a) the Danielson Framework for Teaching (FFT), (b) the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), and (c) Marzano’s Teacher Evaluation Model. The National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) PE teacher evaluation instrument was used in this study as a comparative tool to determine whether the targeted knowledge, skills, and behaviors within PE settings were present within the three teacher evaluation systems. Findings: Two systems had a high percentage of the NASPE key items present (TAP 87.5%, FFT 82.5%). The Marzano model had the least number of NASPE key items present within its system (62.5%). Conclusion: The TAP and FFT tools appear to be appropriate for use in evaluating PE teachers, contingent on at least two criteria: (a) school administrators having completed proper training on the use of the evaluation tool and (b) the evaluator having adequate PE-specific content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Subscribe to TPE
Tourism and resilience: individual, organizational, and destination perspectives

The necessity of this book arises from the need to understand rapid global changes that are affecting tourism and how the tourism system responds. The risks resulting from the changes have driven t...
Implementation of peer-review quality rounds for gynecologic brachytherapy in a high-volume academic center.

Abstract Purpose While peer review is critical for quality and safety in radiotherapy, there are neither formal guidelines nor format examples for brachytherapy (BT) peer review. We report on a gynecologic BT peer-review method implemented at a high-volume academic center. Methods and Materials We analyzed discussions at bimonthly gynecologic BT peer-review rounds between July and December 2018. Rounds consisted of 2–5 attending physicians with gynecologic BT expertise, 1–2 BT physicists, and trainees. Peer-review targets included clinical case review, contours, implant technique, dose/fractionation, and target/organ-at-risk (OAR) dosimetry. The projected/final target and OAR dosimetry were analyzed. Results 55 separate implants from 44 patients were reviewed. Implants were mostly reviewed after the first BT fraction (n = 16, 29%) or at another time point during BT (n = 20, 36%). One (2%) implant was presented prospectively. The applicator type and BT technique were reviewed for all implants. Dose/fractionation was evaluated for 46 implants (84%); contours were discussed for 21 (38%). Target and OAR dosimetry were reviewed for 54 (98%) and 28 implants (51%), respectively. Six cases (11%) underwent minor changes to the applicator type to improve target and/or OAR dosimetry. One case (2%) had a major change recommended to the dose/fractionation. Conclusions Gynecologic BT peer review may enhance BT quality by allowing for implant optimization and formal review of challenging cases, ultimately improving medical decision-making and team communication. Peer review should be implemented in centers offering gynecologic BT.
C.E.T.A. personnel as a manpower resource for mental health agencies.

Historically federal monies for job training and public service employment were administered and allocated through catagorical programs. These programs were inefficient, overlapping, unresponsive to local needs, and expensive to administer. In 1967, there were seventeen separate federal employment programs each with their own administration, funding procedures and eligibility requirements. The Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) of 1973 (P.L. 93-203) was the proposed solution to these problems. This legislation transferred the control of a large portion of federal revenues for manpower programs to state and local jurisdictions. The state and local governments were given flexible guidelines for use of the money as opposed to dealing with a variety of categorical federal programs that may, or may not, have met local needs.
Cumulant Spectral Estimates

In Chapter V a class of spectral density estimates were introduced and their asymptotic properties were analyzed. There two alternative representations as given by (V. 18) and (V. 19) were given. In the early days of spectral analysis, it was common to use representation (V. 19) so that covariances were initially estimated and then Fourier transformed (with weights) so as to obtain spectral density estimates. In recent years, it has been more usual to employ the alternative representation (V. 18) of the spectral density estimate as a smoothed periodogram. Actually a Riemann sum as a discrete approximation to (V. 18) is considered. A discrete Fourier transform is used to compute the periodogram at the frequencies 2 π j/N, j = 0, 1, ... , N − 1, and the periodogram is then smoothed to produce the spectral density estimate. For composite numbers N there is a computational advantage in making use of the finite Fourier transform and carrying out the computation by employing the fast Fourier transform. For this reason, there will be an introductory discussion of the finite Fourier transform and fast Fourier transform in section 2.
Bedside Laparotomy and Decompression of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome

Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is defined as a sustained intra-abdominal pressure, as measured with bladder pressure, >12 mmHg in adults or >10 mmHg in children. Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is defined as a sustained bladder pressure >20 mmHg in adults or >10 mmHg in children, combined with evidence of new organ dysfunction or failure, i.e., respiratory or renal failure. ACS may be primary (due intra-abdominal conditions such as trauma, major surgery, peritonitis) or secondary (due to extra-abdominal conditions, such as massive fluid administration in burns or trauma). IAH and ACS should be suspected in the presence of a distended abdomen and are often associated with increasing peak inspiratory pressure in mechanically ventilated patients, progressive hypoxia and hypercapnia, tachycardia, hypotension, and oliguria. The diagnosis of ACS is confirmed by elevated intra-abdominal pressure (reference pressures above) as measured by bladder pressures in combination with any of the above clinical findings. In patients with borderline ACS, the intra-abdominal pressure can be reduced by restricting intravenous fluids, pain control, pharmacological paralysis, decompression of the gastrointestinal tract by means of a gastric or rectal tubes, and percutaneous drainage of large ascites (often effective in burn patients). In patients with severe ACS not responding to conventional measures, a decompressive laparotomy should be considered without any delay. Decompressive laparotomy is usually performed in the operating room. However, in some cases with severe ACS, bedside laparotomy in the ICU should be performed. Indications for bedside laparotomy include: Patient instability for transport. Operating room unavailable. Suboptimal, austere environments, where a fully equipped OR may not be available in a timely manner. During decompressive laparotomy, the patient may experience severe hemodynamic decompensation or cardiac arrest, due to pooling of significant blood volume in the visceral vascular bed and reperfusion effects. Following decompressive laparotomy, the abdomen should be managed with temporary abdominal wall closure. Surgical definitive abdominal wall closure should be performed at the earliest possible time to avoid complications associated with having an open abdomen, such as entero-atmospheric fistulas and fascial retraction.
The right to define: analyzing whiteness as a form of property in Washington state bilingual education law

Recent studies of language policy and bilingual education have focused on federal level legislation (Wiley and Garcia in Mod Lang J 100:48–63, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12303), and immediate consequences of state level policy. Although Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been employed to analyze the structural impact of local policy on minoritized communities (Davila and Aviles de Bradley in Educ Found 24:39–58, 2010), few studies have explicitly connected CRT and language policy, or applied CRT to state level law. In this study, I apply CRT, specifically the theory of whiteness as property (Harris in Harv Law Rev 106:1–63, 1993), and the theory of raciolinguistic ideologies to three Washington State laws related to bilingual education: the Transitional Bilingual Instruction Act, the Seal of Biliteracy law, and the Dual Language Grant Program Bill. I utilize a Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the laws, related legislative reports, and materials such as guidelines created by Washington school districts. Results of this analysis suggest that the discourse embedded in these laws and related documents upholds whiteness as a form of property. Further, I relate these findings to language planning, and suggest that language education policy-makers employ racial impact reports (Fathi in Gonzaga Law Rev 47:531–545, 2009) in order to re-center race, racism and racial inequity in language planning.
How evidence-based reform will transform research and practice in education

Evidence-based reform in education refers to policies that enable or encourage the use of programs and practices proven to be effective in rigorous research. This article discusses the increasing r...
The Waste Products of the American Dream: framing Black cultural pathology in the dominant news media in times of crisis

ABSTRACTIn The Waste Products of the American Dream I argue that the ability to influence the popular narrative that frames the Black communities' public existence is critical if the Black urban po...
Central Hemodynamics and Coronary Blood Flow During Exercise

Knowledge of the normal hemodynamic changes associated with exercise is essential to the understanding of exercise physiology. Systolic blood pressure rises progressively as exercise intensity increases. With dynamic exercise, systolic pressures between 30% and 60% above resting values are typically encountered at peak exercise. The percentage increase in pulmonary artery systolic pressure may be even larger. Left atrial pressure also increases, as the systemic ventricle moves up its Starling curve. The transpulmonary gradient (mean pulmonary arter pressure minus mean left atrial pressure) therefore increases only modestly. These changes occur in the setting of a dramatic increase in cardiac output and coronary blood flow. Interactions between the cardiovascular system, skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle contribute to the increase in blood flow.
Outcome measures in a cohort of ambulatory adults with spinal muscular atrophy.

INTRODUCTION With the advent of disease-altering therapies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), there is a requirement to better characterize outcome measures, particularly in milder forms of disease. METHODS Maximal voluntary isometric contraction testing and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) performed in ambulatory SMA adults as part of the SMA-VALIANT trial were analyzed. Test-retest reliability and correlation with other candidate biomarkers and outcomes were investigated. RESULTS Maximal voluntary isometric contraction testing and 6MWT showed good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.98 and 0.85, respectively). Maximal voluntary isometric contraction testing and 6MWT demonstrated very strong correlation (r = 0.83, P <. 0001), and each correlated with the SMA Functional Rating Scale (r = 0.7, P < .0001 and r = 0.65, P = .0001, respectively), lean muscle mass (r = 0.68, P < .0001 and r = 0.56, P = .001, respectively), and ulnar compound muscle action potential (r = 0.57, P = .0008 and r = 0.47, P = .008, respectively). DISCUSSION Maximal voluntary isometric contraction testing and 6MWT are suitable outcomes for use in ambulatory adults with SMA. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction testing may be preferable because of superior test-retest reliability and closer associations with other outcomes and biomarkers of neuromuscular function.
Ultrasound echogenicity is associated with fatigue-induced failure in a cadaveric Achilles tendon model.

Abstract Achilles tendon disorders are among the most difficult sports-related injuries to predict with current diagnostic tools. The purpose of this study was to identify a clinically useful marker for early tendon damage. We hypothesized that alterations in mean echogenicity are linked with changes in vitro tendon mechanics. To test our hypothesis, we harvested Achilles tendons from 10 fresh-frozen cadaveric feet and cyclically fatigued them using a universal test frame while we continuously acquired ultrasound images. Throughout this fatigue protocol, we applied 2 stress tests every 500 loading cycles to quantify changes in ultrasound imaging echogenicity. We continued this fatigue protocol until each tendon either failed completely or survived 150,000 cycles. Tendons that failed during the fatigue loading (6/10) underwent greater changes in mean echogenicity compared to tendons that did not fail (P = 0.031). These tendons that failed during fatigue loading demonstrated greater changes in mean echogenicity that surpassed 1.0%; whereas survivor tendons exhibited less than 0.5% changes in mean echogenicity. We found that changes in mean echogenicity measured with ultrasound increased proportionally with increased tendon damage. The magnitude of these changes was relatively small (
Imaging of acute gastric emergencies: a case-based review

The stomach is one of the most frequently imaged organs in the body with dedicated and incidental inclusion in chest imaging modalities. Gastric emergencies often present clinically with non-specific abdominal, nausea, and vomiting. As such, imaging plays a critical role in early identification and treatment of a myriad of gastric emergencies. The goal of this paper is to showcase gastric emergencies as they appear on multimodality imaging.
Scientific divagations: from signaling and transcription to chromatin changes in T cells.

Anjana Rao describes the team effort to define the changes in chromatin accessibility in naive T cells during TH1 and TH2 cell differentiation after stimulation with TCR ligands and the appropriate cytokines. Her lab showed that differentiated TH1 and TH2 cells, which produce the cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4, respectively, displayed distinct patterns of DNase I hypersensitivity, histone acetylation and NFAT1 transcription factor binding around the Ifng and Il4 genes. This project turned them into a ‘real’ immunology lab!
Experimental Polymer Bearing Health Estimation and Test Stand Benchmarking for Wave Energy Converters

Ocean waves can provide a renewable and secure energy supply to coastal residents around the world. Yet, to safely harness and convert the available energy, issues such as bearing reliability and maintainability need to be resolved. This paper presents the application of a Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) based research methodology to derive empirical models for estimating the wear of polymer bearings installed on wave energy converters. Forming the foundation of the approach is an applicable wave model, sample data set, and experimental test stand to impose loading conditions similar to that expected in real seas. The resulting wear rates were found to be linear and stable, enabling coarse health estimations of the bearing surface.
Supporting Employee Health at Work: How Perceptions Differ Across Wage Category:

Purpose:This study examines the association between sources of stress and perceptions of organizational and supervisor support for health and well-being.Design:Retrospective, cross-sectional analys...
Go with the Flow? A Large-Scale Analysis of Health Care Delivery Networks in the United States Using Hodge Theory.

Health care delivery is a collaborative process, requiring close coordination among networks of providers with specialized expertise. Yet in the United States, care is often spread across multiple disconnected providers (e.g., primary care physicians, specialists), leading to fragmented care delivery networks, and contributing to higher costs and lower quality. While this problem is well known, there are relatively few quantitative tools available for characterizing care delivery networks at scale, thereby inhibiting deeper understanding of care fragmentation and efforts to address it. In this, study, we conduct a large-scale analysis of care delivery networks across the United States using the discrete Hodge decomposition, an emerging method of topological data analysis. Using this technique, we decompose networks of patient flows among physicians into three orthogonal subspaces: gradient (acyclic flow), harmonic (global cyclic flow), and curl (local cyclic flow). We document substantial variation in the relative importance of each subspace, suggesting that there may be systematic differences in the organization of care delivery networks across health care markets. Moreover, we find that the relative importance of each subspace is predictive of local care cost and quality, with outcomes tending to be better with greater curl flow and worse with greater harmonic flow.
Comparison of Medicare risk HMO and FFS enrollees.

The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is a powerful tool for analyzing the Medicare population. Using MCBS data from the 2000 Access to Care File, differences in the composition of the population enrolled in Medicare risk HMOs and of those in the same geographic areas who remained in fee-for-service (FFS) were examined. The results show that differences in the population reflect different rates of managed care enrollment among social, economic, and demographic groups of Medicare beneficiaries. In calendar year 2000, two-thirds of Medicare enrollees lived in a geographic area served by at least one risk health maintenance organization (HMO) (Figure 1). One-quarter of those people—or 17 percent of all enrollees—were enrolled in a risk HMO during the year, and the other three-quarters remained in the Medicare FFS Program. Figure 1 Percentage of Medicare Beneficiaries in Medicare Risk Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and Fee-For-Service (FFS), 2000 The MCBS is a continuous survey of a nationally representative sample of Medicare enrollees. Survey respondents are interviewed three times each year for 3 years, plus an opening and closing interview. Information is collected from them about social, economic, and demographic life factors, as well as use of health care services and financing of those services. This survey information is combined with administrative data on use of and payment for medical care through the Medicare Program. For additional information about the MCBS, visit our Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcbs.
How to Efficiently Process Uncertainty Within a Cyberinfrastructure without Sacrificing Privacy and Confidentiality

In different knowledge domains in science and engineering, there is a large amount of data stored in different locations, and there are many software tools for processing this data, also implemented at different locations. Users may be interested in different information about this domain. I.1Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University, El Paso, TX 79968, USA, longpre@utep.edu, http://www.faculty.utep.edu/longpre I.2Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University, El Paso, TX 79968, USA, vladik@utep.edu, http://www.cs.utep.edu/vladik
Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature

It is alarming to think how quickly, in relative terms, the American love affair with the motor car has fundamentally influenced the pattern of urban and suburban land use planning. More alarming s...
Comity and Parallel Foreign Proceedings: A Reply to Black and Swan

Lloyd's Underwriters v. Cominco Ltd., is a potentially seminal case, currently pending before the Supreme Court of Canada. The case involves the issue of whether Canadian courts should stay litigation in the face of duplicative foreign proceedings. This reply responds to Vaughan Black's and John Swan's comment on the Lloyd's case, which was published in volume 46 of the Canadian Business Law Journal. The reply argues that although Black and Swan have important insights into judgment enforcement when competing, inconsistent decisions exist, their analysis too readily skips over the first-to-file rule and underestimates the costs of reactive litigation. Canadian courts should embrace a nuanced version of the first-to-file rule because avoiding the costs of duplicative, reactive litigation is in Canada's best interest. The reply argues that Canadian courts should treat the issues of parallel proceedings and judgment enforcement symmetrically. Once a Canadian court finds that the same case has already been filed in a court of appropriate adjudicatory jurisdiction (consistent with Canadian jurisdictional principles), it should stay its proceedings unless the party opposing the stay can demonstrate that a clear injustice would occur if the stay is granted. The court should enter a stay, even if a Canadian province has greater connections with the dispute, so long as the foreign forum has real and substantial connections. It concludes by arguing that the Canadian Supreme Court would be wise to reverse the lower courts' decisions and find that the wastes inherent in duplicative litigation favors a stay in the Lloyd's case.
Cuca, chacchob, dzonot ake, tres sitios amurallados del norte de yucatan

Un tema de considerable interes para los arqueo1ogos orientados al estudio de la evolucion cultural es la guerra, como una forma especifica de competicion humana, que influye en la aparicion y · 1~ estructura de sociedades complejas prehistoricas. AI contrario de las reconstrucciones tradicionales, recientemente he mantenido que la guerra era un factor importante en la aparicion y la estructuracion de la civilizacion maya de las tierras bajas, y me encuentro investigando esa proposicion. Dada su ubicuidad entre las sociedades humanas, especialmente las mas complejas, y sus implicaciones evolutivas, la investigacion apropiada de la guerra en contextos arqueologicos es esencial. Desafortunadamente, la guerra es un proceso prehistorico muy dificil de documentar. En parte, esto se debe al hecho de que muy pocos proyectos de investigacion enfocan como tema central el de la guerra prehistorica. Pero el problema fundamental es la naturaleza de la evidencia potencial, la cual es casi siempre susceptible de interpretaciones multiples. Las armas pueden reflejar el conflicto, pero a menos que la tecnologia fuese muy especializada, no se puede asegurar que no fueran usadas con otros propositos tales como la caza. Claro que algunas representaciones artisticas pueden indicar la existencia de la guerra sin equivocacion, pero pocas veces nos informan de manera abundante sobre su escala o intensidad. El analisis osteo1ogico puede mostrar traumatismos causados por el conflicto, pero se necesitan muestras grandes y bien preservadas, las cuales frecuentemente son imposibles de recuperar.
Skp2 regulates androgen receptor through ubiquitin-mediated degradation independent of Akt/mTOR pathways in prostate cancer

BACKGROUND The intervention of advanced prostate cancer (PCa) in patients has been commonly depending on androgen deprivation therapy. Despite of tremendous research efforts, however, molecular mechanisms on AR regulation remain poorly understood, particularly for castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Targeting AR and associated factors is considered an effective strategy in PCa treatment. METHODS Human prostate cancer cells were used in this study. Manipulations of Skp2 expression were achieved by Skp2 shRNA/siRNA or overexpression of plasmids. Dual luciferase reporter assay was applied for AR activity assessment. Western blot, ubiquitination assay, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence were applied to detect the proteins. RESULTS Our results demonstrated that Skp2 directly involves the regulation of AR expression through ubiquitination-mediated degradation. Skp2 interacted with AR protein in PCa cells, and enforced expression of Skp2 resulted in a decreased level and activity of AR. By contrast, Skp2 knockdown increased the protein accumulation and activity of AR. Importantly, changes of AR contributed by Skp2 led to subsequent alterations of PSA level in PCa cells. AR ubiquitination was significantly increased upon Skp2 overexpression but greatly reduced upon Skp2 knockdown. AR mutant at K847R abrogated Skp2-mediated ubiquitination of AR. NVP-BEZ235, a dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, remarkably inhibited Skp2 level with a striking elevation of AR. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that Skp2 is an E3 ligase for proteasome-dependent AR degradation, and K847 on AR is the recognition site for Skp2-mediated ubiquitination. Our findings reveal an essential role of Skp2 in AR signaling. Prostate 74:421–432, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
SILAC-based proteomic analysis to investigate the impact of amyloid precursor protein expression in neuronal-like B103 cells

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia in the elderly. Amyloid plaque formation through aggregation of the amyloid beta peptide derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) is considered one of the hallmark processes leading to AD pathology; however, the precise role of APP in plaque formation and AD pathogenesis is yet to be determined. Using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and MS, protein expression profiles of APP null, rat neuronal-like B103 cells were compared to B103-695 cells that express the APP isoform, APP-695. A total of 2979 unique protein groups were identified among three biological replicates and significant protein expression changes were identified in a total of 102 nonredundant proteins. Some of the top biological functions associated with the differentially expressed proteins identified include cellular assembly, organization and morphology, cell cycle, lipid metabolism, protein folding, and PTMs. We report several novel biological pathways influenced by APP-695 expression in neuronal-like cells and provide additional framework for investigating altered molecular mechanisms associated with APP expression and processing and contribution to AD pathology.
Intercellular adhesion and biocide resistance in nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae biofilms

Respiratory infections caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) are a major medical problem. Evidence suggests that the ability to form biofilms on mucosal surfaces may play a role in NTHi pathogenesis. However, the factors that contribute to NTHi biofilm cohesion remain largely unknown. In this study we investigated the biofilm growth and detachment phenotypes of eight NTHi clinical strains in vitro. We found that the majority of strains produced biofilms within 6 h when cultured statically in tubes. Biofilm formation was inhibited when culture medium was supplemented with proteinase K or DNase I. Both enzymes also caused significant detachment of pre-formed NTHi biofilms. These findings indicate that both proteinaceous adhesins and extracellular DNA contribute to NTHi biofilm cohesion. Treatment of NTHi biofilms cultured in centrifugal filter devices with DNase I, but not with proteinase K, caused a significant decrease in fluid convection through the biofilms. These results suggest that extracellular DNA is the major volumetric component of the NTHi biofilm matrix. Mechanical or enzymatic disruption of NTHi biofilms cultured in microtiter plates significantly increased their sensitivity to killing by SDS, cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorhexidine gluconate, povidone iodine and sodium hypochlorite. These findings indicate that biocide resistance in NTHi biofilms is mediated to a large part by the cohesive and protective properties of the biofilm matrix. Understanding the mechanisms of biofilm cohesion and biocide resistance in NTHi biofilms may lead to new methods for treating NTHi-associated infections.
Emphysema and Mitral Valve Disease

Preoperative pulmonary evluation in 88 patients with class III or IV mitral valve disease revealed emphysema to be present in 17. Total operative mortality was 17 percent, 7 percent in patients without emphysema, 65 percent in patients with emphysema (37 percent when generalized throughout both lungs and 89 percent when upper lobe). In patients with mitral valve disease an increase in left atrial pressure is associated with redistribution of blood from the bottom to the top of the lung without a concomitant redistribution of ventilation, producing a ventilation/perfusion imbalance and a low steady state diffusing capacity. Pulmonary emphysema causes a loss of alveolar surface for gas transfer and a low steady state diffusing capacity. An increase in left atrial pressure and the resultant ventilation/perfusion imbalance will cause patients with generalized emphysema to have further reduction in an already low diffusing capacity. Patients with upper lobe emphysema cannot redistribute blood to the top of their lungs in response to an increase in left atrial pressure, do not develop a ventilation/perfusion imbalance and have an increase in diffusing capacity due to overperfusion of well-ventilated airways. In the postoperative state, patients with upper lobe emphysema do not gain lung units for gas exchange when left atrial pressure decreases, and when they lose additional lung units secondary to fluid transudation caused by operative trauma, there may be limited oxygen transport at a time of increased oxygen demand. The presence of a normal or very low steady state diffusing capacity in the preoperative state in a patient with increased left atrial pressure secondary to mitral valve disease should alert the physician to the possibility of increased surgical risk.
Effect of Butyric or Lactic Acid on the In vivo Colonization of Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract Two groups of newly hatched chicks received standard broiler rations supplemented with 0.6% acid (either butyric or lactic) continuously starting at one day of age, while a control group received unsupplemented feed. At two days of age, chicks were inoculated by oral gavage with 1 mL of 106 CFU Salmonella typhimurium. Ceca were obtained from six chicks of each group at day 7, 14, and 21. After seven days there were no differences in level of Salmonella colonization among the supplemented and control groups. After fourteen days, lactic acid decreased colonization by 1.6 logs (P
Is stenting necessary for a successful pancreatic anastomosis

The effect of stenting on pancreaticojejunostomy has not been studied in a prospective randomized trial. In 34 dogs, the left pancreatic lobe was anastomosed to a Roux-Y jejunal limb using a two-layer mucosa-to-mucosa technique. In one group (n = 12), the anastomosis was constructed over a 3F polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) stent, and the stent was left in situ. A second group (n = 12) had the stent removed at the completion of the anastomosis. A control group (n = 10) had the anastomosis constructed without a stent. After 1 month, autopsies were performed, and anastomoses were examined for evidence of leak, occlusion, or stenosis. No anastomotic leaks occurred when a stent was used, whereas one (10%) occurred when no stent was used. No occlusions occurred in the two groups with stents, but two (20%) occurred in the no-stent group. Stenosis rates were 0% in the stent-in group, 25% in the stent-out group, and 30% in the nostent group. Although no comparisons were statistically significant, there was a trend. Anastomoses performed over a stent, whether or not the stent was left in situ, had lower rates of leak, occlusion, and stenosis. We believe, but cannot prove, that a stent improves anastomotic integrity and patency by facilitating exact placement of mucosal sutures.
The effect of gonadotropins on testicular adenyl cyclase.

Abstract Adenyl cyclase activity was assayed in homogenates and washed particulate preparations of dog and rat testis. The formation of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) from ATP by homogenates of dog testis was consistently increased 55–95% by addition of either interstitial cell stimulating hormone (ICSH) or follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and NaF produced about a 155% increase. Relatively high concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone and l -epinephrine also enhanced adenyl cyclase activity (about 20%). Glucagon was without effect. The effect of l - epinephrine was also observed in the presence of maximal stimulation by either interstitial cell stimulating hormone or follicle stimulating hormone and could be prevented with beta-adrenergic blocking agents. The maximal effects of interstitial cell stimulating hormone and follicle stimulating hormone were, however, not aditive and were unaltered by adrenergic blocking agents. These observations provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that the physiologic and biochemical effects of interstitial cell stimulating hormone and follicle stimulating hormone in testis and probably in ovary are mediated through adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate.
Detection of noisy visual targets: models for the effects of spatial uncertainty and signal-to-noise ratio.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 An “extreme-detector” model for detecting spatially uncertain targets in noisy backgrounds predicts how both detection and localization abilities are degraded by increasing the number of possible target locations. Experiments 1 and 2 show that the model accurately predicts detection and localization performance in tasks with two, four, and eight locations from d’ estimates of the observer’s ability to detect the target in a known spatial location. These predictions can be linked to the physical stimuli by combining the extreme-detector model with a “psychophysical” model that specifies how stimulus measures determine the target’s detectability in a given location. Single-parameter fits of four such combined models were compared with estimates of detection and localization performance in Experiment 3, which manipulated the target’s physical signal-to-noise ratio across various conditions of an eightlocation task.
Wheel-Running Rhythms in Arvicanthis niloticus

Wheel-running behaviour of the Nile grass rat, Arvicanthis niloticus, was studied under a variety of lighting conditions to characterize circadian rhythms in this species. A series of lighting schedules was used to determine the nature of entrainment, the rates of reentrainment after 6-h phase shifts, and the stability of free-running rhythms in constant light (LL) and constant dark (DD). All 15 individuals showed peaks of activity around dawn and dusk, 11 were more likely to run when lights were on and 4 were more likely to run when the lights were off. Three of the latter animals were completely crepuscular, but 1 showed a distinctly different and relatively nocturnal pattern, remaining active well into the dark phase. All 7 animals that were exposed to 6-h phase advances and delays reentrained to both shifts within 9 days. Stable and precise free-running rhythms were exhibited by all animals in LL and DD, and periods were longer in LL than DD. The ratio of the active to the inactive phase was significantly higher in LL than in DD or LD conditions. We conclude that A. niloticus exhibit predominantly diurnal running rhythms, with peaks of activity occurring around dawn and dusk, and that their rhythms are stable and precise and respond rapidly and predictably to changes in lighting conditions.
Molecular genetics and function of NAT1 and NAT2: role in aromatic amine metabolism and carcinogenesis.

Aromatic and heterocyclic amines require metabolic activation to electrophilic intermediates that initiate carcinogenesis. N-Acetyltransferase 1 (NAT1) and 2 (NAT2) are important enzymes in the biotransformation of these carcinogens and exhibit genetic polymorphism. Human NAT1 and NAT2 alleles are listed at: http://www.louisville.edu/medschool/pharmacology/NAT.html by an international gene nomenclature committee. The high frequency of the NAT1 and NAT2 acetylation polymorphisms in human populations together with ubiquitous exposure to aromatic and heterocyclic amines suggest that NAT1 and NAT2 acetylator genotypes are important modifiers of human cancer susceptibility. For cancers in which N-acetylation is a detoxification step such as aromatic amine-related urinary bladder cancer, NAT2 slow acetylator phenotype is at higher risk. Multiple studies have shown that the urinary bladder cancer risk is particularly high in the slowest NAT2 acetylator phenotype or genotype (NAT2(*)5). In contrast, for cancers in which N-acetylation is negligible and O-acetylation is an activation step such as for heterocyclic amine-related colon cancer, NAT2 rapid acetylator phenotype is at higher risk. Although studies have found associations between NAT1 genotype and various cancers, the findings are less consistent and are not well understood. Since cancer risk requires exposure to aromatic and/or heterocyclic amine carcinogens modified by NAT1 and/or NAT2 acetylator genotype, the results from human epidemiology studies are dependent upon the quality and accuracy of the exposure assessment and genotype determination. Conclusions require understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype, as well as the role of genetic variation in carcinogen metabolism, DNA repair, and host susceptibility. Investigations have been carried out in rapid and slow acetylator rodent models in which both exposure and genetic variability are tightly controlled. Human NAT1 and NAT2 alleles have been characterized by recombinant expression to further understand the effects of nucleotide polymorphisms on function and phenotype.
Effects of prazosin on serum lipids in patients with essential hypertension: A review of the findings presented at the satellite symposium on coronary heart disease: Hypertension and other risk factors, Milan, 1983

Accumulated evidence has indicated that the failure of blood pressure control with antihypertensive therapy to reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction may be due to unfavorable effects of drug therapy on other cardiovascular risk factors, particularly lipid concentrations. Several studies have demonstrated that beta-blocking drugs increase serum triglyceride concentration and reduce high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, both of which are risk factors for coronary artery disease. However, several investigators have reported that prazosin, an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent, does not cause adverse changes in those lipid parameters or in the cholesterol ratio. If one considers the net effect of antihypertensive therapy to be the reduction of blood pressure plus the alterations in lipid metabolism, the metabolic response to a drug may be an important determinant of the overall effectiveness of treatment and a deciding factor in the choice among available antihypertensive agents.
Vac8p, a Vacuolar Protein with Armadillo Repeats, Functions in both Vacuole Inheritance and Protein Targeting from the Cytoplasm to Vacuole

During each cell cycle, the yeast vacuole actively partitions between mother and daughter cells. This process requires actin, profilin, an unconventional myosin (Myo2p), and Vac8p. A mutant yeast strain, vac8, is defective in vacuole inheritance, specifically, in early vacuole migration. Vac8p is a 64-kD protein found on the vacuole membrane, a site consistent with its role in vacuole inheritance. Both myristoylation and palmitoylation are required for complete Vac8p localization. Interestingly, whereas myristoylation of Vac8p is not required for vacuole inheritance, palmitoylation is essential. Thus, palmitoylation appears to play a more direct role in vacuole inheritance. Most of the VAC8 sequence encodes 11 armadillo (Arm) repeats. Arm repeats are thought to mediate protein-protein interactions, and many Arm proteins have multiple functions. This is also true for Vac8p. In addition to its role in early vacuole inheritance, Vac8p is required to target aminopeptidase I from the cytoplasm to the vacuole. Mutant analysis demonstrates that Vac8p functions separately in these two processes. Vac8p cosediments with actin filaments. Vac8p is related to beta-catenin and plakoglobin, which connect a specific region of the plasma membrane to the actin cytoskeleton. In analogy, Vac8p may link the vacuole to actin during vacuole partitioning.
Relationship of histologic and gastroscopic findings in the diagnosis of chronic gastritis: A brief review

If we compare the two methods, histologic and gastroscopic, regarding their value for the establishment of the entity; “chronic gastritis,” we find: (1) The positive findings in histology do not prove the existence of a clinical “disease” of the stomach. Almost every adult shows some interstitial changes in the stomach mucosa as compared with the newborn. To say that ulcer, cancer, or blood diseases, etc., are the result of such histologic changes is permissible only when the changes are very marked. (2) Gastroscopy allows repeated study of the interior of quite healthy individuals and the establishment of a morphologic endoscopy for the normal stomach. Changes of this picture prove, with greatest certainty, the presence of an organic lesion, especially of chronic gastritis. Minor pathologic changes are of the highest clinical and scientific significance. (3) A method to harmonize anatomic and gastroscopic findings urgently is needed.
Discrete Adjoint Based Time-Step Adaptation and Error Reduction in Unsteady Flow Problems

The paper presents an adjoint based approach for determining global error in the time domain that is relevant to scalar outputs computed as functions of the unsteady flow solution. The algorithm is derived for the unsteady Euler equations and takes into account the effect of dynamic meshes. Two primary components of the total error are specifically identified, namely, the error due to temporal resolution and the error due to partial convergence of the governing equations at each implicit time step. The primary error components are further decomposed into individual contributions arising from the flow equations and the mesh motion equations. The distribution of the global error from these various components is then used as the criterion for adaptation. The developed method is applied to a simple unsteady test case involving a sinusoidally pitching airfoil in order to demonstrate its strength and features.
Integrated substrate utilization by perinatal lung.

The aims of this study were to examine the pattern and relative utilization of exogenously supplied substrates by the perinatal rat lung and to study their functional relationship at a key period of lung maturation (3 days before birth until one day after birth). Maximal incorporation of 14C-labeled substrates (glucose, lactate, glycerol, and β-hydroxybutyrate) from the media into lung lipids occurred one day before birth and corresponded to maximal incorporation of 14C-choline into disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) (63 n moles × br−1 × g−1), and to maximal increase in tissue DSPC concentration. Whereas, 14C-palmitate utilization for phospholipid synthesis was refractory to changes in DSPC synthesis. Lactate was shown to be a key substrate in fetal lung. When lactate and glucose were supplied at physiological concentrations, lactate: 1) provided 60% of the carbons for de novo fatty acid synthesis compared to only 9% from glucose, 2) produced 5 times more CO2 than glucose (23.9 vs. 4.9 u moles CO2 × h...
Droplet Impingement and Vapor Layer Formation on Hot Hydrophobic Surfaces

We use pump–probe thermal transport measurements and high speed imaging to study the residence time and heat transfer of small (360 μm diameter) water droplets that bounce from hydrophobic surfaces whose temperature exceeds the boiling point. The structure of the hydrophobic surface is a 10 nm thick fluorocarbon coating on a Si substrate; the Si substrate is also patterned with micron-scale ridges using photolithography to further increase the contact angle. The residence time determined by high-speed imaging is constant at ≈1 ms over the temperature range of our study, 110 190 °C. We tentatively associate this time-scale with a ∼1 m s − 1 velocity of the liquid/vapor/solid contact line. The amount of heat transferred during the impact, normalized by the droplet volume, ranges from 0.028 J mm − 3 to 0.048 J mm − 3 in the temperature range 110 < T < 210 °C. This amount of heat transfer is ≈1–2% of the latent heat of evaporation.
Veterans and Aggression: an Empirical Test of Two Rival Theoretical Models:

This article investigates two rival theories for explaining aggression in humans — the model which claims that exposure to aggression increases aggression in humans, versus that which maintains that exposure to aggression drains aggression in humans. The findings appear to support the first model, suggesting that exposure to aggression increases aggression levels in humans.Over the past three decades, a number of researchers have attempted to discover whether exposure to aggression increases or decreases aggression in human beings. Their research was prompted by a long standing dispute concerning these two models as explanations for aggres sion in humans.The first model, which claims that exposure to aggression increases it in the subject is built on the premise that most behaviour, including aggression, is learned. This perspective can be traced back to John Locke who, in 1690, postulated that the human mind was a 'white paper' at birth, waiting to absorb the environment around it (Harris, 1968). Many of...