cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring Quality in Kidney Care: An Evaluation of Existing Quality Metrics and Approach to Facilitating Improvements in Care Delivery.

BACKGROUND Leveraging quality metrics can be a powerful approach to identify substantial performance gaps in kidney disease care that affect patient outcomes. However, metrics must be meaningful, evidence-based, attributable, and feasible to improve care delivery. As members of the American Society of Nephrology Quality Committee, we evaluated existing kidney quality metrics and provide a framework for quality measurement to guide clinicians and policy makers. METHODS We compiled a comprehensive list of national kidney quality metrics from multiple established kidney and quality organizations. To assess the measures' validity, we conducted two rounds of structured metric evaluation, on the basis of the American College of Physicians criteria: importance, appropriate care, clinical evidence base, clarity of measure specifications, and feasibility and applicability. RESULTS We included 60 quality metrics, including seven for CKD prevention, two for slowing CKD progression, two for CKD management, one for advanced CKD and kidney replacement planning, 28 for dialysis management, 18 for broad measures, and two patient-reported outcome measures. We determined that on the basis of defined criteria, 29 (49%) of the metrics have high validity, 23 (38%) have medium validity, and eight (13%) have low validity. CONCLUSIONS We rated less than half of kidney disease quality metrics as highly valid; the others fell short because of unclear attribution, inadequate definitions and risk adjustment, or discordance with recent evidence. Nearly half of the metrics were related to dialysis management, compared with only one metric related to kidney replacement planning and two related to patient-reported outcomes. We advocate refining existing measures and developing new metrics that better reflect the spectrum of kidney care delivery.
Visual Diagnosis: Dysplastic Nails and Elbows in a 15-year-old Boy.

1. Mojgan Hosseinipour, DO* 2. Gretchen Inkumsah, DO† 1. *Department of Dermatology, St Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, NY 2. †Department of Pediatrics, Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lillington, NC A 15-year-old boy presents to the office for a routine sports physical. During the examination his mother mentions that the patient has unusual fingernails and bony deformity of the elbows, both findings present since birth. His mother believes that a nutritional deficiency may be causing the abnormalities. He denies any other musculoskeletal deformities, including of the lower extremities and chest wall. The patient reports no medical history and, despite the deformity, is very active in sports, with no limitations. On further questioning it is reported that several family members on the mother’s paternal side have similar nail findings. His mother and his brother have nail involvement solely of their thumbs. On physical examination, bilateral radial head subluxation is evident. The patient’s arms are deviated laterally (Fig 1). He has limited extension at the elbows, with some limitation of pronation and supination (Fig 2). The patellae are normal on inspection. Examination of the nails reveals incomplete development, or partial anonychia of bilateral thumbs (Fig 3), as well as triangular lunulae with the apex pointing distally. A central longitudinal depression is found on several digits, in addition to small nails or micronychia, hypoplasia of the nail plate, and longitudinal ridges (Fig 4). The toe nails are less severely affected. A clinical diagnosis is made. A urinalysis is performed, and the results are within normal limits. He is referred to orthopedics and ophthalmology for further evaluation. Figure 1. Radial head subluxation and lateral …
Anti-Afropolitan ethics and the performative politics of online scambaiting

Online scambaiting problematises the identity of the 419 scammer whose virtual labours connect significantly to the digital dimensions of Afropolitanism. When examined through the photographic prac...
Applying the social ecological framework to enhance wellness for student veterans.

To increase campus-wide wellness for student service members/veterans (SSM/Vs), student services professionals, healthcare providers, and faculty collaborated to implement the Social Ecological Fra...
On the generation of small dictionaries for fault location

Fault location based on a fault dictionary is considered. To justify the use of a precomputed dictionary in terms of computation time, the computational effort invested in computing a dictionary is first analyzed. The number of circuit diagnoses that need to be performed dynamically, without the use of precomputed knowledge, before the overall effort exceeds the effort of computing a dictionary, is studied. Experimental results on ISCAS-85 circuits show that for relatively small numbers of diagnoses, a precomputed dictionary is more efficient. A method to derive small dictionaries without losing resolution of modeled faults is then proposed. Methods to compact the resulting dictionary further, using compaction techniques generally applied to fault detection, are then described. Experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods are presented. Internal observation points to increase the resolution of the test set are also considered. >
The Uniform Bar Exam: Whither Michigan?

Thirty-six states and territories have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam, including big-ticket states like New York and Texas, and our neighboring states of Illinois and Ohio. The exam questions are expertly drafted, lawyering tasks are tested, and scores are transferrable. The UBE has been endorsed by the Conference of Chief Justices, the ABA Sections of Law Practice and Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, and the ABA House of Delegates. What would it take for Michigan to join the movement?
Improving explosive hazard detection with simulated and augmented data for an unmanned aerial system

Modern supervised machine learning for electro-optical and infrared imagery is based on data-driven learning of features and decision making. State-of-the-art algorithms are largely opaque and questions exist regarding their interpretability and generalizability. For example, what are the learned features, what contexts do they work in, and are the algorithms simply memorizing observations and exploiting unwanted correlations or has it learned an internal representation and causal associations that generalize to new environments? Under the hood, current convolutional neural networks (CNN) are sophisticated curve fitters that are sensitive to sampling (volume and variety). This is problematic as collecting data from real systems is often expensive and time consuming. Furthermore, labeling and quality checking of that data can also be prohibitive. As a result, many are looking to augmentation and simulation to efficiently generate more samples. Herein, we focus on ways to combine augmentation and simulation to improve explosive hazard detection. Specifically, we use the Unreal Engine to produce ray traced simulated data sets of environments and emplacements not captured in real data. We also present a new technique, coined altitude modulated augmentation (AMA), that inserts simulated objects into real world background imagery based on metadata to augment new training data. Thus, the goal of AMA is to increase sampling of observed environments. Preliminary results show that the combination of all techniques is best, followed by augmentation, simulation, then real world data.
Correction: Topology of transition metal dichalcogenides: the case of the core-shell architecture.

Correction for ‘Topology of transition metal dichalcogenides: the case of the core–shell architecture’ by Jennifer G. DiStefano et al., Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 23897–23919, DOI: 10.1039/D0NR06660E.
Re-emerging Bacterial Infections of the Skin

Re-emerging infections are diseases that were formerly major public health problems, subsequently declined but have since reappeared in a significant proportion of the population. Bacterial infections re-emerge for a variety of reasons. A combination of microbiological evolutionary mechanisms and systematic misuse of antibiotics have led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Four general mechanisms can cause resistance to antibiotics: inactivation or modification of the antibiotic, alteration of the target site of the antibiotic that reduces its binding capacity, modification of metabolic pathways to circumvent the antibiotic effect or reduction in intracellular antibiotic accumulation by decreasing the permeability, and increasing the efflux of the antibiotic. Moreover, environmental conditions, sociodemographic changes, and behavioral factors are also important contributors to re-emergence. The consequences are profound and include higher patient mortality rates, prolonged hospital stays, higher medical costs, and the development of resistant bacteria that can defy available antibiotic treatments. Interventions to ameliorate antibiotic resistance are centered on limiting the incidence of infections, improving antibiotic usage, developing new antibiotics, and encouraging efforts in education, surveillance, and feedback.
Association of Echocardiographic Diastolic Dysfunction with Discordance of Invasive Intracoronary Pressure Indices.

Instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR)-guided coronary revascularization has similar clinical outcomes compared to fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided revascularization strategy. However, some studies have shown a discordance of around 20% between iFR and FFR. Although various factors have been reported in the literature to affect pressure indices and lead to such discordance, there is a paucity of data regarding the effect of diastolic dysfunction on functional assessment of coronary arteries. Our study aimed to investigate whether there was an association between echocardiographic left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and iFR/FFR discordance. This retrospective observational study evaluated 100 patients with angiographically intermediate coronary stenosis (50–70%) who underwent physiological testing with iFR and FFR. Transthoracic echocardiograms were reviewed to assess echocardiographic indices of diastolic function. The study population was divided into two groups based on diastolic function. iFR and FFR discordance was measured in each group and compared to evaluate the statistical difference. The mean age of the study population was 66.22 ± 10.02 years. Discordance between iFR and FFR was seen in 45.16% of patients with diastolic dysfunction compared to 24.64% of patients with normal diastolic function (p = 0.04). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that echocardiographic E/e′ was independently associated with iFR/FFR discordance (p = 0.02). Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is a significant factor that can lead to discordance between iFR and FFR and should be taken into account during coronary physiological testing.
Ford Foundation support for Middle Eastern and African studies in the U.S.

A confluence of three sorts of factors has made the past eightteen months a particularly appropriate period for the Ford Foundation to reconsider the magnitude and character of its support for research and training in the United States on the Middle East and Africa. The first of these is that dramatic developments during the past two years involving the Middle East and Africa have heightened public awareness of the critical impact events in these regions will have on the world. The second factor is that the Foundation’s program of general support to meet the core operating costs of African studies centers and Middle East studies centers has drawn to a close. Third, faced with the prospect of drastically reduced budgetary resources, the Foundation staff has had to confront the question of which of its activities should survive or be reshaped in the face of competing claims on scarcer resources. Transcending these three factors and less directly tied to the exigencies of the time is the conviction on the part of the Foundation that there is creative and important work to be done in this sphere and that the Foundation’s staff needs to think hard about past activities and future possibilities so that valuable opportunities do not pass us by.
THE CHANGING GEOGRAPHY OF HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION IN THE USSR, 1917-1985

During the Soviet period the network of medical schools expanded from one essentially limited to the European part of the country to a widely dispersed system covering the entire territory except for the far north. Analysis of the locational factors of Soviet medical school establishment shows that, like other higher education institutions, these medical schools were located primarily by city population size. Many peripheral regions received schools, despite having only lower-order population centers, and those places where schools were established fared much better in retaining physicians than those where they were not.
Robust face recognition strategies using feed-forward architectures and parts

This paper describes new feed-forward architectural and configural/holistic strategies for robust face recognition. This includes adaptive and robust correlation filters that lock on both appearance and location, and recognition-by-parts using boosting over strangeness driven weak learners. The utility of the proposed architectural strategies, shown with respect to different databases, includes occlusion, disguise, and temporal changes. The results obtained confirm and complement key findings on the ways people recognize each other, among them that the facial features are processed holistically and that the eyebrows are among the most important features for recognition.
Statutory Development Rights: Why Implementing Vested Rights Through Statute Serves the Interests of the Developer and Government Alike

This Note explores the ongoing problem of vested rights in the context of building and subdivision permits. Specifically, the Note begins by outlining the two major common law approaches to vested rights disputes in the development complex: a majority, "reliance" approach, and a minority "date certain" approach. The Note argues that the reliance approach is overly problematic, and that the date certain approach is better, but nowhere near ideal. However, there are certain doctrines and restrictions placed on the date certain approach that provide for a better means in resolving vested rights disputes. Importantly, this approach and these restrictions have been incorporated into a statutory scheme, which further helps to provide a clear framework for disputes. The Note closes by proposing more states adopt statutory vested rights schemes with specific restrictions.
The Journey of Tai-me

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: N. Scott Momaday Year: 2009 Pages: 69 Publisher: University of New Mexico Press ISBN: 978-0-8263-4821-0 (hard cover).
Phagocytic activity in the retinal pigment epithelium of the frog Rana pipiens. I. Uptake of polystyrene spheres.

In Rana pipiens embryos, tadpoles, and frogs, the ability of the retinal pigment epithelium (PE) to phagocytize polystyrene spheres was evaluated. Test spheres were injected into the space bounded by the retina and PE. Eyes were recovered at several intervals after injection, and the location of the beads was determined. The PE in each of the stages studied contained numerous bead profiles indicating the active uptake of the test material by this tissue. Bead profiles were not observed in the adjacent retina. In the embryo, the ingested polystyrene was toxic to the PE causing fragmentation of the endoplasmic reticulum and disruption of the mitochondria whereas in the PE of the tadpole and frog no toxicity to polystyrene was noted. Interaction between lysosomes and the polystyrene spheres was observed in each stage examined suggesting an attempt to degrade these ingested particles.
The Chain Rule and the Gradient

In this chapter, we prove the chain rule for functions of several variables and give a number of applications. Among them will be several interpretations for the gradient. These form one of the central points of our theory. They show how powerful the tools we have accumulated turn out to be.
A Formal Comparison of Ethical Systems: Doubts and Ethical Status

The ethical status of individuals whose expressions do not contain the signs ‘+’ and ‘•’ are equal in both systems. For example: $$\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {{{U}_{1}} = a;\quad \quad \left| {{{U}_{1}}} \right| = 1/2;} \\ {{{U}_{2}} = {{a}^{a}};\quad \quad \left| {{{U}_{2}}} \right| = 1;} \\ {{{U}_{3}} = {{a}^{{\overline a }}};\quad \quad \left| {{{U}_{3}}} \right| = 1/2;} \\ {{{U}_{4}} = {{a}^{{{{a}^{a}}}}};\quad \,\;\;\left| {{{U}_{4}}} \right| = 1/2;} \\ {{{U}_{5}} = {{a}^{{{{a}^{{{{a}^{{\overline a }}}}}}}}};\quad \quad \left| {{{U}_{5}}} \right| = 1.} \\ \end{array}$$ Since ‘evaluations’ of such individuals do not depend on a concrete ethical system, we can say that these ‘evaluations’ form an ‘absolute ethics’. However, as soon as we begin to analyze an individual reflecting relationship with another person we depart the realm of ‘absolute ethics’.
The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)

The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) was launched into a geosynchronous orbit on 26 January 1978. It is equipped with a 45-cm mirror and spectrographs operating in the far-ultraviolet (1150–2000 A) and the mid-ultraviolet (1900–3200 A) wavelength regions. In a low-dispersion mode, the spectral resolution is some 6–7 A. In a high-dispersion echelle mode, the resolution is about 0.1 Aat the shortest wavelength and about 0.3 Aat the longest. It is a collaborative program among NASA, ESA and the British SERC. The IUE is operated in real time 16 hours a day from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center near Washing ton, D.C. and 8 hours daily from ESA’s Villafranca groundstation near Madrid, Spain. By the end of 1989, 1870 papers, using IUE observations, have been published in refereed journals. During the same period, over 1700 different astronomers from all over the world used the IUE for their research.
Integration of Planning and Scheduling and Consideration of Uncertainty in Process Operations

Abstract In the process industry, integration of planning and scheduling and addressing uncertainty have been identified as two of the most important factors that affect the efficient implementation of planning and scheduling operations for the production systems. In this paper, we review the existing work towards the integration of planning and scheduling and different methodologies of addressing uncertainty for planning and process scheduling decision making. The major challenges in planning and scheduling toward effective process operations are also presented throughout the paper.
Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the oral soft tissues

Abstract A clinicopathologic study of eleven cases of histologically confirmed embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the oral soft tissues is presented. The patients were principally in the younger age groups, and the tumor most often presented as a painless mass. Such symptoms as pain, dysphonia, dysphagia, trismus, and physical debilitation usually were identified with later stages of the disease. The gross specimens exhibited no characteristic feature by which a diagnosis could be made. Although composed of a variety of cell types and patterns, this tumor has certain histologic features related to cell morphology and staining characteristics which allow a positive diagnosis; however, the presence of striations in tumor cells, although helpful in diagnosis, is not to be considered a sine qua non. Six tumors in this series exhibited cytoplasmic striations. The embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma may be markedly radiosensitive, and radiation therapy can be a most effective adjunct to surgical treatment.
Crystal structure of an isolated V(alpha) domain of the 2C T-cell receptor.

Abstract The T-cell receptor (TCR) is a heterodimeric cell-surface protein consisting of two chains, α and β, each of which is composed of a variable (V) and a constant (C) domain. Crystals of the isolated Vα domain of the murine TCR 2C were grown by serendipity from a solution containing the extracellular domains of the intact TCR 2C and CD3 γϵ-chains. The Vα crystal structure shows how crystal packing can substitute for another Vα domain in a different fashion from that observed in Vα/Vα homodimer and Vα/Vβ heterodimer structures. Significant conformational changes occur in the CDR3 and β3β4 loops that normally form part of the dimer interface. The monomeric Vα domain provides the unique opportunity to study the effect of dimerization on the conformation of the unliganded complementarity-determining regions (CDR) of a TCR. This structure of an individual Vα module has implications for stability and bioengineering of isolated antibody and immunoglobulin domains.
Reducing offset errors in MITE systems by precise floating gate programming

Multiple-Input Translinear Elements (MITEs) are a powerful tool for implementing translinear networks. Large-scale implementations of translinear networks have been plagued by mismatch when implemented in standard CMOS processes. The floating-gate MITE approach allows for adjustments to MITE elements post-fabrication to compensate for process-induced mismatch. In order to demonstrate this approach, a 2D-vector magnitude circuit and a cube root circuit have been synthesized to a reprogrammable architecture on a 0.35µm, commercially available, CMOS process. Sources of mismatch were predicted, identified, and then measured and compensated in silicon.
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Studies of Human TFIID: Conformational Breathing in the Integration of Gene Regulatory Cues

The multisubunit transcription factor TFIID is essential for directing eukaryotic promoter recognition and mediating interactions with activators/cofactors during assembly of the preinitiation complex. Despite its central role in transcription initiation and regulation, structural knowledge of the TFIID complex has so far been largely limited to electron microscopy studies of negatively stained samples. Here, we present a cryo-electron microscopy 3D reconstruction of the large endogenous human TFIID complex. The improved cryopreservation has allowed for a more detailed definition of the structural elements in the complex and for the detection, by an extensive statistical analysis of the data, of a conformational opening and closing of the cavity central to the TFIID architecture. We propose that these density rearrangements in the structure are a likely reflection of the plasticity of the interactions between TFIID and its many partner proteins.
Heat-aggregated noninfectious influenza virus induces a more balanced CD8(+)-T-lymphocyte immunodominance hierarchy than infectious virus.

CD8+-T-cell (TCD8+) responses to infectious viruses are characterized by an immunodominance hierarchy in which the majority of TCD8+ respond to one or a few immunodominant determinants, with a minority of TCD8+ responding to a number of subdominant determinants. It is now well established that exogenous antigens are capable of inducing TCD8+ to such immunodominant determinants, but the diversity of the response and the nature of the immunodominance hierarchy have not been examined. We addressed this issue by characterizing TCD8+ responses to influenza virus preparations rendered inert by incubation for 10 min at 100°C, as first reported by Speidel et al. (Eur. J. Immunol. 27:2391-2399, 1997). Extending these findings, we show that the primary TCD8+ response to boiled virus can be sufficiently robust to be detected ex vivo by intracellular cytokine staining and that the response encompasses many of the peptides recognized by TCD8+ induced by infectious virus. Importantly, the immunodominance hierarchy elicited was leveled, and we were unable to detect TCD8+ that were specific for boiled virus. We used peritoneal exudate cells as antigen-presenting cells in vitro, and a number of observations indicated that boiled virus is processed via a phagocytic route that is likely to be endosomal in nature. These findings suggest that the repertoires of immunogenic peptides generated by endosomes and cytosolic processes overlap to a surprising degree. Furthermore, they demonstrate that the form of antigen administered can influence immunodominance hierarchies and that exogenous-antigen vaccines can induce broad and balanced TCD8+ responses.
GASEOUS PROTEIN CATIONS ARE AMPHOTERIC

Singly- and multiply-protonated ubiquitin molecules are found to react with iodide anions, and certain other anions, by attachment of the anion, in competition with proton transfer to the anion. The resulting adduct ions are relatively weakly bound and dissociate upon collisional activation by loss of the neutral acid derived from the anion. Adduct ions that behave similarly can also be formed via ion/molecule reactions involving the neutral acid. The ion/molecule reaction phenomenology, however, stands in contrast with that expected based on the reaction site(s) being charged. Reaction rates increase inversely with charge state and the total number of neutral molecules that add to the protein cations increases inversely with cation charge. These observations are inconsistent with the formation of proton-bound clusters but are fully consistent with the formation of ion pairs or dipole/dipole bonding involving the neutral acid and neutral basic sites in the protein. The ion/ion reactions can be interpreted...
Resultants and group matrices

Abstract In this paper, we study the resultants of polynomials which are the determinants of polynomial matrices, and we show that the determinant of a group matrix can be expressed in terms of an iterated resultant of a system of polynomials in several variables which are explicitly given in terms of first row entries. We also show how to obtain the block triangulation of block group matrices over a finite field.
Recombination, Rationality, Reductionism and Romantic Reactions:: Culture, Computers, and the Genetic Algorithm

The genetic algorithm (GA) is a computational procedure that 'evolves' solutions to optimization problems by generating populations of possible solutions, and then by treating these solutions metaphorically as individuals that can 'mate' and 'compete' to 'survive' and 'reproduce'. In this paper, I explore how culturally specific notions of evolution, population, reproduction, sex/gender, and kinship inflect the ways GAs are assembled and understood. Combining the results of fieldwork among GA workers with analysis of GA texts, I contend that the picture of 'nature' embedded in GAs is resonant with the values of secularized Judeo-Christian white middle-class US-American and European heterosexual culture. I also maintain that GA formulations are accented by languages inherited from sociobiology. I argue that examining GAs can help us track how dominant meanings of 'nature' are being stabilized and refigured in an age in which exchanges of metaphor between biology and computer science are increasingly common.
Ethnic enclaves and the earnings of self-employed Latinos

In the investigation reported here, I have tested the ethnic enclave hypothesis, focusing on self-employed Cuban and Mexican immigrants. Specifically, I have compared the economic returns for self-employed Cuban immigrants in Florida with those of Mexican immigrants in California and Texas. The analysis shows that self-employed Mexican immigrants who remain within Mexican enclaves earn substantially lower earnings than those in non-enclave environments. In contrast, the earnings of Cuban immigrants self-employed within Cuban enclaves are comparable to those earned by Cubans employed within the general labor market. Overall, my findings are contrary to the ethnic enclave hypothesis, which suggests that there are economic advantages associated with owning firms in ethnic enclaves.
Laparoscopic nephrectomy in crossed fused renal ectopia

Abstract Operative laparoscopy offers the patient a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery. We have recently performed a laparoscopic nephrectomy of the upper moiety of a crossed fused renal ectopia. The procedure lasted approximately six hours, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 3. He was able to resume normal physical activity in one week. This case demonstrates the adbantages of minimally invasive surgery.
Selective Out-Migration from Florida

I test if selective out-migration of unhealthy seniors explains why disability rates are so much lower for Florida, as compared to the national average. This particular area of research is timely given the significant demographic changes relating to aging. Moreover, this study contributes to the body of literature examining migration with respect to disability and widowhood. Using State Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) and Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA), I create national maps showing disability rates for the following age-groups: 50–59, 60–69, and 70+. After creating maps in ARCGIS and conducting univariate and clustering analysis on mobility disability and personal care limitation, I employ multinomial logit (MNL) analysis to test if individuals with disability are more likely to out-migrate from Florida. The regression analyses lend support to the relaxed Litwak and Longino (The Gerontologist, 27(3): 266–272, 1987) second-move hypothesis, which claims individuals with progressively worse health are more likely to undertake another move to be closer to family and friends. I state “relaxed” because the data does not allow one to determine the reason for migration—only that migration occurred during the past year. This research informs policy-makers to recognize that elderly in better health may migrate to places such as Arizona and Florida due to amenity-seeking behavior, but unhealthy elderly are more likely to leave these states due to assistance-seeking behavior. This out-migration can place excess demand on health services for the incoming regions, which requires state and local government to ensure resources are in place. Also noteworthy, my results are less likely to be flawed by erroneous age and sex data in the public use microdata samples (IPUMS) since I stack the 2006 and 2007 American Community Survey (ACS). A recent working studies by Alexander et al. (Inaccurate age and sex data in the Census PUMS files: Evidence and implications. Munich: CESifo, 2010) shows inaccuracies in the IPUMS for the 1 and 5% 2000 Census, the 2003–2006 ACS, the 2005–2007 3-year ACS, and the 2004–2009 current population survey (CPS) files.
Giving Versus Giving In

Altruism is central to organizational and social life, but its motivations are not well understood. We propose a new theoretical distinction that sorts these motivations into two basic types: “giving” indicates prosocial behaviors in which one willingly engages, while “giving in” indicates prosocial behavior in which one reluctantly engages, often in response to social pressure or obligation. Unlike those who give, those who give in prefer to avoid the situation that compels altruism altogether, even if doing so leaves the would-be beneficiary empty-handed. We review the existing literature on altruism in behavioral economics, psychology, and organizational behavior and suggest that the distinction between giving and giving in is not only central from a theoretical standpoint, but also has important methodological implications for researchers trying to study prosocial behavior and practitioners trying to encourage it.
Effect of turbulence and its scales on the pressure field on the surface of a three-dimensional square prism

Mean and rms pressure measurements on all the faces of a three-dimensional square prism exposed to three different boundary layers, incident at an angle of 0°, are presented. While the integral length scales were very different for the three boundary layers, with a three-fold variation, the turbulence intensities at prism height were close for two of the layers and somewhat lower for the third. The measured pressure fields showed reattachment of the side and roof flows. Even though the mean pressure coefficients were somewhat larger in absolute value for the smallest boundary layer, the trends of the pressure distributions were the same for the three approach flows and no indication of a significant effect of integral length scale on the mean and rms pressures was observed.
Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of venlafaxine XR in generalized anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common and chronic disorder with a low rate of spontaneous remission. A complication in treatment selection is the high rates of co-morbid major depressive disorder in this population. A number of treatments exist to treat GAD. The most recent medication to gain an indication for GAD is venlafaxine XR, a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor that is also approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. More than 2,000 patients with GAD have been studied in outpatient trials of venlafaxine XR with demonstrated efficacy, tolerability and safety of this compound. This article reviews these studies, both short term and longer (6 month) continuation trials. The response to venlafaxine XR in this population, combined with good tolerability, makes this agent an appropriate first-line medication for GAD. In general, treatment with antidepressants, though associated with a longer onset of action than benzodiazepines, does not produce physiological dependency, and is useful in a patient population with a high prevalence of mood disorders. Depression and Anxiety, Volume 12, Supplement 1:81–84, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Evolutionary potential, cross‐stress behavior and the genetic basis of acquired stress resistance in Escherichia coli

Bacterial populations have a remarkable capacity to cope with extreme environmental fluctuations in their natural environments. In certain cases, adaptation to one stressful environment provides a fitness advantage when cells are exposed to a second stressor, a phenomenon that has been coined as cross-stress protection. A tantalizing question in bacterial physiology is how the cross-stress behavior emerges during evolutionary adaptation and what the genetic basis of acquired stress resistance is. To address these questions, we evolved Escherichia coli cells over 500 generations in five environments that include four abiotic stressors. Through growth profiling and competition assays, we identified several cases of positive and negative cross-stress behavior that span all strain–stress combinations. Resequencing the genomes of the evolved strains resulted in the identification of several mutations and gene amplifications, whose fitness effect was further assessed by mutation reversal and competition assays. Transcriptional profiling of all strains under a specific stress, NaCl-induced osmotic stress, and integration with resequencing data further elucidated the regulatory responses and genes that are involved in this phenomenon. Our results suggest that cross-stress dependencies are ubiquitous, highly interconnected, and can emerge within short timeframes. The high adaptive potential that we observed argues that bacterial populations occupy a genotypic space that enables a high phenotypic plasticity during adaptation in fluctuating environments.
Diamines and aminoalcohols: neutral solvents for native collagen.

A substantial fraction of interstitial collagens (types I, III, V and VI) can be dissolved from finely divided, connective tissues by homogenization in 0. 5-1 M ethylene diamine and certain other organic amines neutralized by hydrochloric or other acids to pH 7-8. 5-The amount of collagen solubilized from the tendons and other tissues of young animals is similar to that extracted by dilute acetic acid. In ethylene diamine hydrochloride solutions, native type I collagen denatures at 38° and it has a sedimentation coefficient similar to that measured in acidic citrate solutions.From these amine hydrochloride solutions native collagen fibrils can be regenerated simply by tenfold dilution with water or by dialysis. The form of these precipitates is determined by temperature, pH, enzyme pretreatment of the collagen, and the dialysate salt concentrations and composition. Weak gels can be formed with less than 0. 1 mg collagen per ml. Regenerated matrices containing types V and type VI collagens, and with differ...
Miscibility phase diagrams of giant vesicles containing sphingomyelin.

Saturated sphingomyelin (SM) lipids are implicated in lipid rafts in cell plasma membranes. Here we use fluorescence microscopy to observe coexisting liquid domains in vesicles containing SM, an unsaturated phosphatidylcholine lipid (either DOPC or POPC), and cholesterol. We note similar phase behavior in a model membrane mixture without SM ($\mathrm{DOPC}/\mathrm{DPPC}/\mathrm{Chol}$), but find no micron-scale liquid domains in membranes of $\mathrm{POPC}/\mathrm{PSM}/\mathrm{Chol}$. We delineate the onset of solid phases below the miscibility transition temperature, and detail indirect evidence for a three-phase coexistence of one solid and two liquid phases.
Isolation and partial characterization of a hemolytic and toxic protein from the nematocyst venom of the Portuguese man-of-war, Physalia physalis

Nematocysts isolated from the stinging tentacles of the Atlantic Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis) possess a potent venom composed of several proteins. A hemolytic protein lethal to mice has been isolated from this nematocyst venom. This protein, physalitoxin, appears to be responsible for both the venom's hemolytic and lethal activities. The hemolysin has a molecular weight of approx. 240 000, a sedimentation coefficient of 7.8 S, and is rod-like in shape with a calculated axial ratio of about 1 : 10. It appears to be composed of three subunits of unequal size, each of which is glycosylated. Two of these subunits seem to have pKi values near 8.2 and the third near 5.5. Physalitoxin comprises about 28% of the total nematocyst venom protein. It is 10.6% carbohydrate by weight and represents the major glycoprotein of the venom. Physalitoxin is inactivated by concanavalin A and this inactivation can be blocked with alpha-methyl-mannoside. The inactivation by concanavalin A is temperature-dependent about 12 degrees C and the hemolytic activity of untreated venom is temperature-dependent below 12 degrees C. Physalitoxin is the first hemolytic toxin from a cnidarian to be purified directly from isolated nematocysts.
Monozygotic twins discordant for pediatric trigger-locked thumbs.

Pediatric trigger-locked thumb (PTLT) is a condition frequently encountered by hand surgeons. The term pediatric is more accurate than congenital because most cases do not present at birth. It is possible however that some children are born with the condition but it manifests after birth. The etiology, natural course, ideal treatment, and the age for surgical intervention were all debated in the literature. Children with PTLT typically present under the age of four with the interphalangeal (IP) joint of their thumb locked in flexion. The condition however is seldom preceded by catching, snapping, or triggering of the thumb, which may cause dysfunction and pain. A disparity in the size between the flexor tendon and the surrounding retinacular pulley system, most commonly at the level of the first annular (A1) and partly the oblique pulleys, results in difficulty of flexor pollicis longus tendon gliding hence the triggering/locking phenomenon. This abnormality typically presents at a mean age of two with the IP joint locked in flexion with a palpable nodule in the flexor pollicis longus tendon called Notta’s node. One study observed that in 8.5 % of the cases the condition was diagnosed in the first 2 months following birth, in 53.2 % of the cases between 2 months and 2 years, and in the remainder after 2 years of age [1]. There is some debate about the presentation and whether this condition is truly congenital and present at birth, the pathology is present at birth but manifests later in infancy and childhood, or truly acquired and develops after birth. For these reasons, the term pediatric trigger-locked thumb is more encompassing. The incidence of acquired or pediatric trigger thumb in children under 1 year of age is 33 per 10,000 live births. Bilateral involvement is reported between 25 and 50 % [1, 4]. The treatment of PTLT is releasing the stretched A1 and part of the constricting oblique pulley and restoring flexor tendon excursion and thumb IP joint extension. There has been limited number of literature publications on the etiology of PTLT. The few articles available in the literature on this topic suggest that genetic factors are important in its etiology [5–8, 10, 11]. There are three case reports of “congenital trigger thumb” in twins [3, 4, 8] that support the genetic factors in the etiology of the condition. These reports are based on the fact that the condition occurred in “identical” twins but without a proof of the monozygotic nature of the twins with DNA analysis. We report a case of monozygotic twins discordant for the condition: one with bilateral congenital trigger-locked thumbs and the other with no thumb abnormalities.
Advanced supersonic technology and its implications for the future

A brief overview of the NASA Supersonic Cruise Research (SCR) program is presented. The SCR program has identified significant improvements in the areas of aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, noise reduction, takeoff and landing procedures, and advanced configuration concepts. These improvements tend to overcome most of the problems which led to the cancellation of the National SST program. They offer the promise of an advanced SST family of aircraft which are environmentally acceptable, have flexible range-payload capability, and are economically viable. The areas of technology addressed by the SCR program have direct application to advanced military aircraft and to supersonic executive aircraft.
Statistical software testing using economic exposure assessments

A systematic and objective way is presented to test software statistically, using the expected operational economic loss due to failure resulting from faults encountered in different parts of the software. A testing probability distribution is derived that will maximise the selection of test input stimuli that have the highest potential failure consequence.
Taking a Byte of Telephony Costs: UAA Migrates to VoIP

In 2006, the University of Alaska Anchorage UAA upgraded the telephone system at its main campus in Anchorage from a traditional private branch exchange PBX architecture to a Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP system. This case describes the organizational decisions that led to the change; the scope and the process of upgrading; and the current status of the new VoIP system. The actual migration to VoIP was completed less than a year after the start of the project. The transition process went smoothly. User satisfaction with the performance of the VoIP system is very high. Based on extensive interviews with decision makers and the technical personnel involved, this case also describes financial considerations including "creative" ways to stretch a limited budget, outsourcing considerations, training related issues, as well as lessons learned.
Aortic Insufficiency in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome:

A patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hypermobility of the joints, and hyperelasticity and fragility of the skin) associated with aortic regurgitation is reported. The aortic regurgitation appeared to be due to a combination of dilatation of the aortic ring and enlargement of the sinuses of Valsalva. Ehlers- Danlos syndrome is a rare cause of aortic regurgitation which occasionally, as in this patient, may be of clinical importance.
Pelvic Floor Therapies in Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a poorly understood clinical entity associated with urinary symptoms, pelvic floor dysfunction, and multisystem disorders. Treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction is difficult and often frustrating for the patient as well as for the involved physician. The purpose of this review is to update clinicians on the latest research for the treatment of pelvic floor dysfunction in relation to chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
Size and distribution of lacunes defined by computed tomography: Correlation with blood pressure and possible stroke mechanisms.

To study the causes of lacunes (small cerebral infarcts) and the frequency of large brain infarcts in the same patients, the records of all patients admitted to the University of Utah Hospital between January 1983 and June 1986 with the diagnosis of acute cerebral or brainstem infarction were retrospectively reviewed. The neuroradiologist's interpretation of each patient's computed tomography (CT) scan was used to identify a cohort of 69 patients with lacunes. The medical records were examined for data pertaining to clinical events, and the CT scans were inspected to determine the dimensions and anatomic distribution of the infarcts. Patients who had larger infarcts or intracranial hemorrhages, in addition to one or more lacunes, were included. Twenty-seven patients (39%) were normotensive; 29 (42%) were hypertensive, and 13 (19%) had a history of hypertension but were normotensive at the time of the stroke. Ninety-five lacunes were distributed evenly among these three groups. The lacunes were larger in the normotensive patients. Twenty large infarcts were distributed evenly in the three groups. Diagnostic evaluation revealed significant abnormalities. The presence of cardiac and/or arterial disease places patients with lacunes at greater risk for more serious cerebral ischemic events and for recurrent small strokes. These observations are discussed as they relate to the causes and significance of lacunes.
Kinetics of Uranium(VI) Reduction by Hydrogen Sulfide in Anoxic Aqueous Systems

Aqueous U(VI) reduction by hydrogen sulfide was investigated by batch experiments and speciation modeling; product analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was also performed. The molar ratio of U(VI) reduced to sulfide consumed, and the TEM result suggested that the reaction stoichiometry could be best represented by UO22+ + HS- = UO2 + S° + H+. At pH 6.89 and total carbonate concentration ([CO32-]T) of 4.0 mM, the reaction took place according to the following kinetics: −d[U(VI)]/dt = 0.0103[U(VI)][S2-]T0.54 where [U(VI)] is the concentration of hexavalent uranium, and [S2-]T is the total concentration of sulfide. The kinetics of U(VI) reduction was found to be largely controlled by [CO32-]T (examined from 0.0 to 30.0 mM) and pH (examined from 6.37 to 9.06). The reduction was almost completely inhibited with the following [CO32-]T and pH combinations: [(≥15.0 mM, pH 6.89); (≥4.0 mM, pH 8.01); and (≥2.0 mM, pH 9.06) ]. By comparing the experimental results with the calculated speciation of U(...
Frequency and Degree of Change of Peak Transvalvular Pressure Gradient Determined by Two Doppler Echocardiographic Examinations in Newborns and Children With Valvular Congenital Aortic Stenosis

The natural history of congenital aortic stenosis (AS) has been described predominantly using data derived from catheterization studies. Because of the inherent selection bias of many of these studies, this study was conducted to determine the course of valvular AS using data from serial echocardiograms, for which this bias is less pervasive. The medical records of 103 patients (mean age 3.3 ± 3.8 years at time of diagnosis) with congenital AS were examined, and data from the initial and most recent echocardiograms before any intervention on the aortic valve were recorded. The average change in gradient for the entire study population was +1 mm Hg/patient-year. Forty percent (8 of 20) of patients diagnosed in the newborn period (