cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro antimicrobial activities and spectra of U-100592 and U-100766, two novel fluorinated oxazolidinones.

Two new fluorinated oxazolidinones, U-100592 and U-100766, were evaluated against more than 659 gram-positive and -negative organisms and compared with glycopeptides, erythromycin, clindamycin, clinafloxacin, and chloramphenicol. U-100592 and U-100766 were usually equally potent, but the MICs at which 90% of the isolates are inhibited (MIC90s) of U-100592 for some staphylococci and enterococci were slightly lower than those of U-100766 (1 versus 2 micrograms/ml). The MIC90 of U-100592 and U-100766 for oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 2 micrograms/ml, the same as observed for oxacillin-susceptible strains. The oxazolidinone MICs for other Staphylococcus spp. were 64 micrograms/ml) to either oxazolidinone. Three potencies of U-100592 and U-100766 disks were tested (5, 15, and 30 micrograms), and acceptable correlations (r = 0.81 to 0.90) with the measured MICs were observed. Best discrimination of the tentatively susceptible organisms (MICs, < or = 4 micrograms/ml) was demonstrated with the 30-micrograms disk concentration. The oxazolidinones demonstrated a dominant bacteristatic action. These oxazolidinones (U-100592 and U-100766) appear promising for treatment of gram-positive organisms that demonstrate resistance to contemporary therapeutic agents.
Sonographic evaluation of the extensor carpi ulnaris in asymptomatic tennis players.

Abstract Objective To determine the prevalence of structural abnormalities and instability affecting the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendons of asymptomatic recreational tennis players by the use of high-resolution ultrasonography. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting Academic sports medicine center. Participants Twenty-six asymptomatic, recreational male and female tennis players. Methods A single, experienced operator completed bilateral static and dynamic ultrasound examinations of the ECU tendons of 26 asymptomatic, long-term, recreational tennis players ages 26-61 years (11 male, 15 female, average 24.4 ± 14.2 years of tennis participation). Tendons were evaluated for tendinosis and tearing, tendon sheath effusion and tenosynovitis, and instability via a standardized scanning protocol and predetermined diagnostic criteria. Main Outcome Measurements The prevalence of static structural ECU tendon abnormalities (eg, tendinosis, tenosynovitis, tears) and dynamic ECU instability (eg, subluxation, dislocation). Results Thirty-nine of 52 wrists (75%) demonstrated static ECU tendon abnormalities, the most common finding being a partial-thickness tear located just distal to the ulnar groove. Overall, 92% (24/26) of players exhibited tendinosis or tearing in at least one wrist. Dynamic ECU instability was detected in 42% of wrists (22/52) and 91% (20/22) of the time manifested as subluxation. Only 2 ECU tendon dislocations were observed, both occurring in the same individual. Overall, 73% (19/26) of players exhibited ECU instability in at least one wrist. There was no relationship between static and dynamic ECU tendon abnormalities within the methodological limits of the investigation. Complete ECU tearing, tendon sheath effusion, tenosynovitis, and static dislocation were not seen in any wrist. Conclusion Sonographic evidence of ECU tendinosis, partial-thickness tearing, full-thickness tearing, and subluxation can be seen in long-term, asymptomatic, recreational tennis players, whereas tendon sheath effusions, tenosynovitis, and tendon dislocation are uncommon. Further research is warranted to determine the clinical significance of asymptomatic ECU tendon abnormalities among long-term tennis players at multiple skill levels.
Opportunities and Some Lessons Learned from a Career in Behavior Analysis.

Dr. Carol Pilgrim is professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Dr. Pilgrim has contributed substantially to behavior analysis through her leadership, teaching, and research. She has served as president of its major organizations, including ABAI (as well as its Southeastern ABA chapter), the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association. She also served as secretary of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and as a board member of that organization for 8 years. She has advanced the dissemination of behavior analysis and the vitality of its journals in her roles as chair of the Publication Board of ABAI, editor and associate editor of The Behavior Analyst, co-editor of the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, and associate editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She has served on the board of directors of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and other organizations, and chaired numerous committees. Dr. Pilgrim is known, in addition, as a stellar teacher and mentor. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and the ABAI Student Committee Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award. Dr. Pilgrim’s research expertise and contributions traverse both basic experimental and applied behavior analysis. Her health-related research has brought behavior analysis to the attention of scientists and practitioners in cancer prevention, and she is noted for her innovative work on the development and modification of relational stimulus control in children and adults.
Ypt1/Rab1 regulates Hrr25/CK1δ kinase activity in ER–Golgi traffic and macroautophagy

ER-derived COPII-coated vesicles are conventionally targeted to the Golgi. However, during cell stress these vesicles also become a membrane source for autophagosomes, distinct organelles that target cellular components for degradation. How the itinerary of COPII vesicles is coordinated on these pathways remains unknown. Phosphorylation of the COPII coat by casein kinase 1 (CK1), Hrr25, contributes to the directional delivery of ER-derived vesicles to the Golgi. CK1 family members are thought to be constitutively active kinases that are regulated through their subcellular localization. Instead, we show here that the Rab GTPase Ypt1/Rab1 binds and activates Hrr25/CK1δ to spatially regulate its kinase activity. Consistent with a role for COPII vesicles and Hrr25 in membrane traffic and autophagosome biogenesis, hrr25 mutants were defective in ER–Golgi traffic and macroautophagy. These studies are likely to serve as a paradigm for how CK1 kinases act in membrane traffic.
Differential regulation enrichment analysis via the integration of transcriptional regulatory network and gene expression data

Author(s): Ma, Shining; Jiang, Tao; Jiang, Rui | Abstract: MotivationAlthough many gene set analysis methods have been proposed to explore associations between a phenotype and a group of genes sharing common biological functions or involved in the same biological process, the underlying biological mechanisms of identified gene sets are typically unexplained.ResultsWe propose a method called Differential Regulation-based enrichment Analysis for GENe sets (DRAGEN) to identify gene sets in which a significant proportion of genes have their transcriptional regulatory patterns changed in a perturbed phenotype. We conduct comprehensive simulation studies to demonstrate the capability of our method in identifying differentially regulated gene sets. We further apply our method to three human microarray expression datasets, two with hormone treated and control samples and one concerning different cell cycle phases. Results indicate that the capability of DRAGEN in identifying phenotype-associated gene sets is significantly superior to those of four existing methods for analyzing differentially expressed gene sets. We conclude that the proposed differential regulation enrichment analysis method, though exploratory in nature, complements the existing gene set analysis methods and provides a promising new direction for the interpretation of gene expression data.Availability and implementationThe program of DRAGEN is freely available at http://bioinfo.au.tsinghua.edu.cn/dragen/.Contactruijiang@tsinghua.edu.cn or jiang@cs.ucr.eduSupplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Direct simulation of the stably stratified turbulent Ekman layer

The three-dimensional time-dependent turbulent flow in the stably stratified Ekman layer over a smooth surface is computed numerically by directly solving the Navier–Stokes equations, using the Boussinesq approximation to account for buoyancy effects. All relevant scales of motion are included in the simulation so that no turbulence model is needed. The Ekman layer is an idealization of the Earth's boundary layer and provides information concerning atmospheric turbulence models. We find that, when non-dimensionalized according to Nieuwstadt's local scaling scheme, some of the simulation data agree very well with atmospheric measurements. The results also suggest that Brost & Wyngaard's ‘constant Froude number’ and Hunt's ‘shearing length’ stable layer models for the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy are both valid, when Reynolds number effects are accounted for. Simple gradient closures for the temperature variance and heat flux demonstrate the same variation with Richardson number as in Mason & Derbyshire's large-eddy simulation (LES) study, implying both that the models are relatively insensitive to Reynolds number and that local scaling should work well when applied to the stable atmospheric layer. In general we find good agreement between the direct numerical simulation (DNS) results reported here and Mason & Derbyshire's LES results.
A novel approach to maintain planned dose chemotherapy on time: a decision-making tool to improve patient care

Studies of primary prophylaxis of febrile neutropenia with recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (r-metHuG-CSF, filgrastim), administered to all patients starting with the initial course of chemotherapy, have demonstrated an economic advantage over a wide range of settings. In these analyses, the threshold risk for febrile neutropenia at which a cost saving is realised is inversely related to the direct medical costs of hospitalisation. Clinical practice guidelines for the use of filgrastim have been developed based on these observations. Recent studies incorporating indirect institutional costs have demonstrated that cost savings can be achieved at substantially lower febrile neutropenia risk thresholds than previously estimated. Despite the demonstrated efficacy of filgrastim in primary prophylaxis, its value may be further enhanced through the appropriate selection of patients for such therapy and a better understanding of the importance of sustaining dose intensity in specific malignancies. Clinical prediction models capable of identifying individuals at high risk for neutropenic complications yield further reductions in febrile neutropenia risk thresholds and treatment costs in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. Prediction models can also be used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness or cost-efficiency of filgrastim use. Such a model has recently been developed and validated and is described here which incorporates both baseline clinical characteristics as well as the results of the first cycle of chemotherapy in patients with early-stage breast cancer. A cost-effectiveness ratio of US$ 34297 (Euro 32002)dagger per year of life saved (YLS) was calculated based on dose-response assumptions derived from a previously reported adjuvant breast cancer trial studying the impact of dose reduction on disease-free survival. This figure is comparable with accepted cost-effectiveness ratios for other interventions, e.g. US$ 45000/LYS (Euro 41989) for renal dialysis for patients with end-stage renal disease. The cost-effectiveness of filgrastim was evident over a wide range of clinical and cost assumptions. Clinical prediction models permit rational and cost-effective selection of patients for filgrastim support. Current guidelines should be re-evaluated in light of new information available on both the total cost of febrile neutropenia, as well as the cost-effectiveness of these agents in specific clinical situations.
Modeling hydrology and eutrophication in a Louisiana swamp forest ecosystem

The EPA Storm Water Management Model (1971) was used to model hydrodynamics, nutrient dynamics, and eutrophication in a Louisiana swamp forest ecosystem. The present system of canals and spoil banks in the swamp causes impoundment of swamp areas and does not optimize discharge from the swamp forest. Simulations showed that hydraulics could be managed to increase discharge rates to the lower estuary (22 percent), to increase productivity of the swamp forest (100 percent), and to decrease lake eutrophication (43 percent). This could be done by removing spoil banks in the swamp and allowing upland runoff to pass through the backswamp.
Control methodologies for a heterogeneous group of untethered magnetic micro-robots

In this work, we develop methods for controlling multiple untethered magnetic micro-robots (Mag-ÂµBots) without the need for a specialized substrate. We investigate Mag-ÂµBots that are geometrically and magnetically designed to respond uniquely to the same input magnetic fields. Designs include: (1) geometrically similar Mag-ÂµBots with different values of magnetization; (2) geometrically dissimilar Mag-ÂµBots with similar magnetization; and (3) geometrically dissimilar Mag-ÂµBots with dissimilar magnetization. The responses of both magnetically hard and soft Mag-ÂµBots are investigated. By controlling the input magnetic fields, individual and sub-groups of Mag-ÂµBots are able to locomote in a parallel fashion. Specifically, the magnitude and frequency of the imposed driving magnetic fields are used as selection methods among the Mag-ÂµBots. Various methods for accomplishing motion discrimination are discussed, modeled, and tested. It is found that while fully decoupled control is not possible with this method, parallel actuation of sub-groups of Mag-ÂµBots is possible and controllable.
Experiments in distributed locomotion with a unit-compressible modular robot

Effective algorithms for modular self-reconfiguring robots should be distributed and parallel. In previous work, we explored general algorithms for locomotion and self-replication and their instantiations to systems in which modules move over the surface of the robot. In this work, we present several algorithms applied to the Crystal robot-two new distributed locomotion algorithms designed specifically for unit-compressible actuation, as well as the adaptation of a generic division algorithm to the Crystal. We also present the integration of a locomotion algorithm with a distributed goal recognition algorithm developed previously. This allows the robot to reconfigure and recognize the achievement of its goal, all without the use of a central controller. We have instantiated all of these algorithms on the Crystal hardware, and we present results of our experiments. These experiments empirically verify the utility of our distributed algorithms on a self-reconfiguring system.
The proton-proton reaction at high energies

Calculations of the proton-proton reaction p+p→d+e++ve at energies comparable to or greater than the Coulomb barrier are presented. Astrophysical and experimental applications are discussed briefly; it is shown that the competing reaction e−+p→n+ve will be the dominant means of converting protons to neutrons at high energies (E≥0.5 MeV) in most astrophysical situations. The thick target yield for the proton-proton reaction is unobservable even in the best conceivable current laboratory situations, being less than one reaction per 200 000 years for a μA current beam of one MeV in the center of mass.
Strong and weak gravity: A context for unbiased birefringence

We give our reasons for dealing with a 2-metric relativity. Then we give all of the constant solutions for a 5-parameter family of Lagrangian models. These include solutions for which the two null cones do not coincide.
CT of petrous carotid aneurysms.

Aneurysms arising from the petrous part of the internal carotid artery (ICA) are exceedingly uncommon. Only 21 angiographically proven cases have appeared in the literature [1-6) . The CT appearance of these rare lesions has not previously been reported. In the two cases described here, the CT pattern closely resembles that of the more common petrous apex meningioma. Consideration of a petrous carotid aneurysm, when confronted with a lesion in the subtemporal region on CT scan , may have important therapeutic implications. The presence of such an aneurysm may be easily confirmed by angiographic study, averting the possibility of an ill-advised surgical procedure. Cerebral angiography is crucial to a definitive diagnosis. The precise location of the petro us aneurysms in these instances, as well as coexistence of other aneurysms at more common sites, supports the hypothesis that many intrapetrous aneurysms are congenital and develop at the site of origin of an embryologic artery.
Initial experiences in PET/MRI for imaging dementia

2514 Objectives The clinical use of PET/MRI in the evaluation of neurodegenerative disorders. Methods Fourteen patients with clinically suspected dementia underwent a PET/MRI for disease evaluation, eleven received FDG to assess regional glucose metabolism and three F-18 florbetapir (Amyvid) to assess amyloid neuritic plaque density. The patients referred for the FDG scan received 10 mCi and those referred for Amyvid received 10 mCi. Patients had a ten minute emission scan of the brain for the PET imaging and followed by a 30 minute diagnostic MR. MRI acquisition involved appropriate sequences to access structure and to distinguish gray and white matter. Image’s sets were then reviewed for diagnostic quality by physicians experienced in neurologic imaging. Results PET MRI allows for direct fusion of PET functional and MRI anatomic sequences in the same imaging set. The anatomic, volumetric, and functional data available through MRI can complement the biochemical information obtained through FDG and Amyvid PET and provide a comprehensive, single-session neurological imaging evaluation of patients with cognitive impairment. Conclusions PET/MRI fused images provides complementary anatomic, physiologic, metabolic, and functional information about the brain. Specifically, the improved localization of FDG or Amyvid uptake within distinct brain structures allows more accurate differentiation of normal from abnormal uptake in closely adjacent brain areas as well as depicting the extent of involvement within the brain. This should enhance additional quantitative applications as they further develop. The use of PET/ MRI enables the detection of dementia and allows differential diagnosis among neurodegenerative dementia9s in a single imaging session.
Lmo7 is dispensable for skeletal muscle and cardiac function

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a degenerative disease primarily affecting skeletal muscles in early childhood as well as cardiac muscle at later stages. EDMD is caused by a number of m...
A clinician's guide to the premenstrual syndrome

Abstract Many women have menstrual symptoms, but relatively few have severe PMS. PMS is a well-defined premenstrual cluster of predominantly affective symptoms that disrupt a woman's daily functioning. PMS is diagnosed with prospective charting of symptoms and should be differentiated from nondisruptive menstrual symptoms, major affective disorders, and other common medical and gynecologic conditions. Most women with PMS can be helped. The serotonin reuptake inhibitors are becoming the first line of therapy for PMS because they are effective, easily tolerated, and free of major side effects. There is also evidence supporting the role of other antidepressants, anxiolytics, and GnRH agonists in the treatment of PMS. Although increasing control of one's life, promoting a healthy diet, the avoidance of salt and caffeine, vitamin supplementation, and exercise have not been proved as effective treatment for PMS, they should be promoted for their obvious general health benefits. No one treatment fits the heterogeneous PMS population. A trial of medication should be continued for two or three menstrual cycles with appropriate dose adjustments. If relief is not sufficient, other agents or other treatments should be initiated.
Adsorption of Silicon Tetrachloride on Si(111) 7×7

The kinetics of SiCl4 adsorption on Si(lll) 7×7 were studied using laser induced thermal desorption (LITD) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) techniques. The initial reactive sticking coefficient of SiCl4 on Si(lll) 7×7 was observed to decrease with increasing surface temperature. This decrease was consistent with a precursor-mediated adsorption model. Both LITD and TPD experiments monitored SiCl2 as the main desorption product. These results suggest that SiC12 may be the stable chlorine species on the Si(lll) 7×7 surface.
Intellectual assessment of children and youth in the United States of America: Past, present, and future

This article briefly reviews the history of intellectual assessment of children and youth in the United States of America, as well as current practices and future directions. Although administration of intelligence tests in the schools has been a longstanding practice in the United States, their use has also elicited sharp controversy over time. At present, intelligence tests are primarily used in school settings for determining eligibility for special education and related services. In clinical settings, intelligence tests are used for diagnostic, predictive, and treatment planning purposes. Over the past decade, the use of contemporary theory, particularly the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory (CHC), has increasingly been used for test development and interpretation.
Complete Genome Sequences of Five Bacteriophages That Infect Rhodobacter capsulatus.

ABSTRACT Five bacteriophages that infect the Rhodobacter capsulatus strain YW1 were isolated from stream water near Bloomington, Illinois, USA. Two distinct genome types are represented in the newly isolated bacteriophages. These genomes are different from other bacteriophage genomes previously described.
Atypical antipsychotics: A review on the prevalence, monitoring, and management of their metabolic and cardiovascular side effects.

Abstract Introduction: Excessive weight gain, glucose intolerance, and dyslipidemia are well-known physical side effects of the metabolic syndrome commonly associated with atypical antipsychotic (AAP) treatment. We review these side effects of AAPs and their monitoring and management strategies. Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify articles published on the prevalence, monitoring, and management of cardiometabolic side effects of AAPs. Results: Comparative risk of AAPs on weight gain, hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, and QT interval corrected for heart rate prolongation varies across the AAPs currently available. Likewise, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options investigated for management of these side effects, and monitoring those at appropriate intervals, differ based on the clinical condition and risk factors identified. Discussion: Atypical antipsychotics in general have little difference among them in short-term efficacy; however, the prevalence of their physical side effect...
A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR POLY ADP-RIBOSE IN DNA REPAIR

ABSTRACT The synthesis of poly ADP-ribose by BSC or HeLa cell ghosts is dramatically increased by X-irradiation or endonuclease treatment. In a cell-free system it is stimulated by restriction nuclease-digested plasmid DNA according to the type and number of cuts. Thus it probably occurs at or near cut ends of double-stranded DNA and may well occur there in vivo after X-irradiation.
Fractures of the Radial Column

Fractures of the radial styloid can present as isolated fractures, or as part of a more complex intra-articular distal radius fracture, in combination with scaphoid fractures, radiocarpal dislocations, or other carpal injuries. When evaluating radial styloid fractures, it is essential to rule out concomitant injuries as the sequelae of missing the associated injuries and failing to treat them may result in degenerative arthritis of the wrist and disability. One must take into account the complex anatomy surrounding the radial styloid when choosing a surgical approach to treat the fracture and the associated injuries. Various methods of fixation of radial styloid fractures have been employed, with overall acceptable results. Treatment of associated intercarpal ligamentous injuries, however, has a more guarded prognosis.
Paolo Sarpi and Early Stuart Debates over the Papal Antichrist

At first glance, it does not seem to make much sense to define a research project that connects Paolo Sarpi (1552–1623) to seventeenth century English millenarianism, since millenarians are generally thought of as utopian thinkers or political radicals. Sarpi was assuredly neither. An important component of English millenarianism, especially before 1640, was the belief that the Pope was the antichrist. One may reasonably pose the question whether Sarpi — a Catholic writer critical of papal power whose works were published in England with enthusiasm — had an impact on theorists of the papal antichrist in early Stuart England.
Invención e innovación: ley de patentes y tecnología en el México del siglo XIX

ENTRE 1893-1907 EL PIB MEXICANO crecio a una tasa de 5.1% anual. 1 Este se baso en la explotacion de tecnologia nueva. Muchos sectores, entre ellos el ferrocarrilero, la maquila, la mineria, la industria petrolera y la agricultura de exportacion se expandieron gracias a las ventajas que ofrecian la nueva maquinaria, las tecnicas y los productos nuevos. Tanto la tecnologia como el flujo de capital de inversiones provenian de empresarios e inversionistas atraidos por el potencial que se percibia en el mercado mexicano, y por los diversos incentivos que les ofrecia el gobierno. La bibliografia historiografica describe como el Estado se esforzo por desarrollar la industria y atraer capitales, ofreciendo un ambiente propicio para el crecimiento economico, aunque tambien sostiene que estos esfuerzos se basaban en una filosofia subyacente de liberalismo laissez-faire. Cierto historiador escribio que “la promocion de una economia laissez-faire se habia convertido en la politica del gobierno en la decada de 1850. Cuando Porfirio Diaz llego al poder, su vigorosa aplicacion de principios laissez-faire solo intensifico la tendencia establecida en tiempos de Benito Juarez”. 2
An incentive compatible profit allocation mechanism for renewable energy aggregation

Profit allocation mechanism (PAM) for aggregating renewable power producers (RPPs) to participate in two-settlement power markets is studied. As opposed to assuming all renewable generation forecast information are publicly known, with a PAM, the aggregator elicits private forecast information from the RPPs, participates in the power markets, and allocate profit to each RPP. A novel profit allocation mechanism is proposed that simultaneously achieves four design goals: truthfulness, individual rationality, social welfare maximization, and budget balance. The proposed PAM is evaluated using the forecast and generation data from ten wind power producers in PJM, and is observed to closely follow the ideal fair profit allocation derived by assuming all forecast information are public.
Gene Expression Profiling (GEP) in Multiple Myeloma (MM): Comparison of Purified MM Cells (PMM), Random Bone Marrow Biopsies (RBX) and Fine Needle Biopsies from Focal Lesions (FNBX).

Abstract Background: GEP has become a useful tool for the distinction of genetic subgroups of patients with malignant disease of a common pathologic diagnosis, including MM. The aim of this study was to determine whether whole bone marrow biopsies could replace the laborious magnetic bead purification of CD 138-positive plasma cells, with the potential added advantages of: 1. less sample manipulation and thus facilitating shipping to a central processing and analysis facility; 2. encompassing the bone marrow micro-environment as an important contributor to MM survival and drug resistance. Patients and Methods: Samples included paired PMM and RBX from 190 newly diagnosed patients treated on Total Therapy protocols TT2 (n = 85) and TT3 (n = 105); 29 of these patients also had CT-guided fine needle biopsies (FNBX); 5 subjects with MGUS and 5 normal donors were used for comparison. Total RNA was applied to Affymetrix U133 Plus2 microarray chips. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering (UHC) was performed on Log2 transformed GEP intensity values of probe sets with >95% present detection calls and >0.5 standard deviation. Results: UHC analysis of RBX (MM, MGUS, normal) identified 2 major subgroups: one containing both normal and MGUS samples (“normal-like”, N-L) and the other comprising only MM samples (“myeloma-like”, M-L) (Figure 1). In the context of previously defined 7 GEP subgroups (Zhan et al, Blood 2004), the N-L group contained higher proportions of hyperdiploid and normal karyotype cases, whereas the M-L group comprised the majority of MAF/MAFB, FGFR3/MMSET and proliferation cases. Good-risk standard laboratory features (non-IgA isotype, lower B2M and CRP levels, higher Hb concentrations) were over-represented in the N-L group. When applied to TT2 patients with a median follow-up of 3 years, N-L patients had superior 3-yr EFS (85% vs 55% for M-L group; p=.02). A further UHC analysis addressed similarities/differences among PMM, RBX and FNBX samples available in 29 patients. The dendrogram had 2 major branches; one comprising all PMM samples and the other all BX with sub-branches separating RBX and FNBX subgroups. Finally, 90% of all MAF, MAFB, FGFR3, MMSET and CCND1 “spikes” identified in PMM (with well established prognostic implications) were also detectable in RBX and FNBX samples. Conclusion: GEP analysis of RBX distinguished 2 subgroups, M-L and N-L, in the context of comparison with normal subjects and MGUS. Compared to M-L, N-L patients (comprising more favorable genetic and standard laboratory features) had superior EFS. Both RBX and FNBX were adequate tissue sources for the detection of prognosis- and possibly therapy-relevant translocation-associated “spiked” genes. Genes differentiating PMM, RBX and FNBX will be reported at the meeting. BX as tissue source should make GEP studies of MM feasible in the context of multi-institutional trials.
Some men: feminist allies & the movement to end violence against women

In their book, Some men: feminist allies & the movement to end violence against women, Michael A. Messner, Max A. Greenberg and Tal Peretz outline the history and contributions by men to feminist, ...
Vaginal Ewing Sarcoma: An Uncommon Clinical Entity in Pediatric Patients

Ewing sarcoma, including classical Ewing sarcoma of the bone and primitive neuroectodermal tumors arising in bone or extraosseous primary sites, is a highly aggressive childhood neoplasm. We present two cases of Ewing sarcoma arising from the vagina in young girls. Previously reported cases in literature focused on their pathologic rather than radiographic features. We describe the spectrum of multimodality imaging appearances of Ewing sarcoma at this unusual primary site. Awareness of vaginal Ewing tumors may facilitate prompt diagnosis and lead to a different surgical approach than the more commonly encountered vaginal rhabdomyosarcoma.
Differential effects of temperature and precipitation on early‐ vs. late‐flowering species

Shifts in flowering dates have been associated with climate change and warming temperatures. However, the influence of temperature and precipitation on annual phenology patterns in semiarid ecosystems is not well understood. We observed the flowering stages of 21 shortgrass steppe species from 1995 to 2014. We compared first and last flowering dates and used climatic data to interpret relationships between the timing of flowering and temperature and precipitation. On average, the first flowering dates of 21 species advanced 0.53 d over the 20-yr period. This advance was significantly related to an increase in annual March–September mean temperature in that first flowering date advanced at the rate of 7.5 d°C−1. The advance of the first flowering date was significantly related to increased spring temperatures in early-season species. Late-blooming species flowered longer; this delay in end of flowering was significantly related to wetter conditions. Significant advances in first flowering date were related to increasing temperatures over time, suggesting a response to climate change. In the water-limited shortgrass steppe, the effect of the environment on flowering phenology is controlled by warmer temperatures early in the growing season and precipitation later in the growing season.
Assessment of a didactic ambulatory care pharmacy elective on student perceptions and subsequent performance in an ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experience

Abstract Introduction This study assessed student perception in treating chronic disease states before and after taking an ambulatory care didactic elective and the impact on performance within a fourth-year ambulatory care advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). Methods Assessment of student perceptions was evaluated in students taking the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 elective offering by completing an 11-item electronic survey prior to the first lecture of the course and after the last lecture of the course. A retrospective assessment of student performance in the APPE compared students that had taken the elective to those that had not over a two-and-one-half year period. Data collected included the students’ final APPE experiential and required examination grade. Results In all but one survey question, student perceptions significantly improved upon completion of the elective. Student ambulatory care APPE final experiential grades were higher in students who had taken the elective compared to those that had not (90.3% vs. 88.9%, respectively, p = 0.04) as were APPE examination scores (78.0% vs. 74.0%, respectively, p = 0.01). Discussion and conclusions Student perception in key ambulatory care concepts, disease states, and drug knowledge improved after taking the ambulatory care elective. Student ambulatory care APPE performance was also mildly improved as a result of taking the elective compared to those who did not take the course. This is the first study to evaluate subsequent performance in an APPE as a result of taking an elective ambulatory care course and can serve as a template for other research in elective assessment.
Introduction to the Uplift-Climate Connection

Studying the history of the Earth is inherently a highly interdisciplinary task requiring knowledge in many fields of science. This book addresses a provocative interdisciplinary Earth-history problem: the nature of the linkage between uplift of the Earth’s surface and its climatic history. This elusive relationship has interested those studying the history of the Earth for over a century and has in recent years emerged as a focus of wide interest among a large number of scientists.
Evolutionary Specializations of Primate Brain Systems

Primates are distinguished from other mammals by a number of anatomical features, including convergent, close-set orbits; enlarged eyes; digits tipped with nails rather than claws; opposable hallux; and elongated calcaneus (Cartmill, 1992; Martin, 1990; Szalay et al., 1987). These shared, derived characters (synapomorphies) are generally thought to have arisen as adaptations in ancestral (stem) primates for nocturnal activity in the fine, terminal branches of trees (Martin, 1990). The behaviors that drove the evolution of primate anatomical synapomorphies remain at issue, with proposals including visually guided predation on insects and small vertebrates (Allman, 1977; Cartmill, 1972, 1974), foraging on fruits and flowers, in addition to predation (Rasmussen, 1990; Sussman, 1991), and a hindlimb-dominated “graspleaping” locomotor pattern (Szalay and Dagosto, 1988). If evolutionary history left its imprint on the primate body, what mark did it leave on the brain? Traditionally, studies of primate brain evolution have focused on changes in brain size and external morphology. Size and external morphology give little indication of evolutionary changes in internal brain organization, however, and, if modern neuroscience teaches us anything, it is
Successful control of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in a burn intensive care unit by addition of universal decolonization with intranasal mupirocin to basic infection prevention measures.

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is frequently implicated in health care–associated outbreaks in burn intensive care units, incurring substantial morbidity and mortality to these high-risk patients and excess costs to health care systems. Methods MRSA health care–associated infections (HAIs) were noted before and after the implementation of basic infection prevention measures and the subsequent implementation of universal decolonization with intranasal mupirocin. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to determine the relatedness of clinical isolates. A case-control study was conducted to characterize the risk factors for MRSA HAIs. Results Basic interventions failed to decrease the rate of MRSA HAIs, although compliance with these interventions was high throughout the study. MRSA HAIs decreased from 8.53 HAIs per 1,000 patient days before the implementation of intranasal mupirocin to 3.61 HAIs per 1,000 patient days after the implementation of intranasal mupirocin (P = .033). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis disclosed 10 unique clones with no large clusters. The case-control study revealed a significant association between MRSA HAIs and lengths of stay, body surface area burned, intubation, pressor requirement, leukocytosis, lactic acidosis, development of pneumonia, MRSA colonization, and death. Conclusions Basic environmental and behavioral interventions fell short of controlling a low-count, sporadic, and multiclonal MRSA outbreak in the burn intensive care unit of a tertiary medical center. However, the added implementation of universal decolonization with intranasal mupirocin was effective. Burn victims with greater disease severity were at higher risk for MRSA HAIs.
Combined Simulation of Auction Revenue Rights Allocation and Financial Transmission Rights Auction for Electricity Markets

This research work presents an extension of a reputable agent-based open-source software for wholesale day-ahead energy auction to incorporate both financial transmission rights auction and auction revenue rights allocation. Simulation analysis of two different market scenarios was performed on a standard 5-bus test system. Auction revenue rights facilitate market participants to minimize their transmission management costs. Average of all participants’ costs effectively reduces to zero when financial transmission rights auction and auction revenue rights allocation are both allowed. The agent-based open-source software is well suited for adding more market features to facilitate future research and simulation of liberalized electricity markets.
(2‐Carboxy‐2′‐chloro‐4,4′,5,5′‐tetra(benzyloxy))azobenzene from the Benzyne Decomposition of 2‐Carboxy‐4,5‐di(benzyloxy)benzenediazonium Chloride.

When the diazonium salt (I) is heated in dichloroethane in the presence of propylene oxide, the tetra(benzyloxy)azobenzene (II) is obtained in the form of orange crystals.
Cholesteroloma of the breast: A 10 year retrospective review of 79 cases with radiology correlation.

A cholesteroloma or cholesterol granuloma of the breast is an uncommon lesion representing an inflammatory/reactive process with unclear etiology. In this study, we reviewed our 10-year experience with cholesteroloma of the breast with clinical, radiologic, and histopathological correlation. Seventy-nine cases were selected. The mean patient age was 57.7 (range 25-90) years old. Patients had hypercholesterolemia with mean blood cholesterol level of 201 mg/dL (P < 0.001). The mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.7 kg/m2 (P = 0.1976). The indications for the breast biopsies were mass lesion on radiology (85.5%, n = 65) and microcalcifications (10.5%, n = 8). Of the 65 cases of the mass lesions, 52 presented as solid masses and 13 were cystic. On the diagnostic mammogram or ultrasound, 81.9% were BI-RADS 4% and 6.9% were BI-RADS 5. Macrocysts were the most common pathological finding associated with cholesteroloma suggesting the etiology of cholesteroloma may be the result of repair process from obstruction and rupture of the macrocysts. Six cases (9.2%) of cholesterolomas had persistent masses during follow-up. The recognition of this lesion and radio-pathological correlation can help us better understand this entity and distinguish it from its mimickers.
Symmetry breaking and skyrmionic transport in twisted bilayer graphene

Motivated by recent low-temperature magnetoresistance measurements in twisted bilayer graphene aligned with hexagonal boron nitride substrate, we perform a systematic study of possible symmetry breaking orders in this device at a filling of two electrons per moir\'e unit cell. We find that the surprising nonmonotonic dependence of the resistance on an out-of-plane magnetic field is difficult to reconcile with particle-hole charge carriers from the low-energy bands in symmetry broken phases. We invoke the nonzero Chern numbers of the twisted bilayer graphene flat bands to argue that skyrmion textures provide an alternative for the dominant charge carriers. Via an effective field theory for the spin degrees of freedom, we show that the effect of spin Zeeman splitting on the skyrmion excitations provides a possible explanation for the nonmonotonic magnetoresistance. We suggest several experimental tests, including the functional dependence of the activation gap on the magnetic field, for our proposed correlated insulating states at different integer fillings. We also discuss possible exotic phases and quantum phase transitions that can arise via skyrmion pairing on doping such an insulator.
Transforming the agricultural sector for better sustainable development: perspectives from Russia as a member state of the Eurasian Economic Union

The agricultural sector is a core stone to many sustainable development goals and initiatives, including the largest one – the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to achieve many of these goals, it is highly necessary to have effective policies aimed at the sustainable development of the agricultural sector, since it is very much connected to all other sectors of the economy and society and is central to achieving many SDGs. However, to formulate and achieve such diverse and multiple goals, one should be able to control the development of key indicators, track outcomes of the measures being taken, and review the whole array of methods being used in order to allow for guided course corrections. Despite SDGs present a global sustainable development perspective, it is necessary to use them with local and regional indicators that capture well the degree of sustainability in the agricultural sector of a particular country or region. The paper focuses on Russia and the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as an local/regional example. A list of local/regional indicators is proposed in connection to the corresponding global SDGs.
Frosting Weights for Better Continual Training

Training a neural network model can be a lifelong learning process and is a computationally intensive one. A severe adverse effect that may occur in deep neural network models is that they can suffer from catastrophic forgetting during retraining on new data. To avoid such disruptions in the continuous learning, one appealing property is the additive nature of ensemble models. In this paper, we propose two generic ensemble approaches, gradient boosting and meta-learning, to solve the catastrophic forgetting problem in tuning pre-trained neural network models.
The Economics of Trade Unions: A Study of a Research Field and its Findings, By Hristos Doucouliagos,Richard B. Freeman and Patrice Laroche (2017) London: Routledge, 190 pages. ISBN: 978-1-13888-830-2

This book by Hristos Doucouliagos, Richard Freeman and Patrice Laroche provides an in-depth and impressively executed meta-analytic investigation and synthesis of the econometric evidence produced on the economic effects of trade unions since publication of the landmark volume What Do Unions Do? (WDUD) in 1984 by Freeman and Medoff. For Freeman, the book is a fitting tribute to one of the most famous and enduring works ever written on unions and, similarly, for Doucouliagos, Laroche and their colleague Stanley, it is a fitting tribute to their pioneering work on use of meta-analysis in labour economics. One of the standout innovations of WDUD (1984) was to broaden econometric analysis of unions beyond the traditional topic of wage effects to include a variety of non-wage outcomes, such as productivity level and growth, capital investment, employee turnover, job satisfaction and firm profitability. This broader palette of union effects was inspired, in turn, by Freeman and Medoff’s equally innovative expansion of the traditional monopoly model of union wage effects to include collective voice and institutional response effects.
Alfisols, Vertisols, and Andisols

Collectively, Alfisols, Vertisols, and Andisols comprise a small proportion of the soil series and the land area in Nevada. This chapter discusses the distribution, properties and processes, and use and management of soils in these three orders in Nevada.