cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agreement between heart failure patients and providers in assessing New York Heart Association functional class.

Abstract Background Uncertainty persists regarding whether patient assessment of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification should be preferred over provider assessment among patients with heart failure (HF). Objectives To compare patient against provider NYHA assessments, and both to distance walked on a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) among patients with HF. Methods In this prospective study, we enrolled 101 HF patients who self-assessed NYHA classification. Health care providers who were blinded to patient ratings of NYHA also rated NYHA. Patients completed a 6MWT according to a standardized protocol. We used Spearman coefficients (rs) to evaluate the correlations between variables. Results Patient- and provider-determined NYHA class were poorly correlated, but the relationship was statistically significant (rs = 0.40, p p p = 0.03). Providers assigned a worse class to older patients who had comorbidity; patients with dyspnea and longer HF duration assigned themselves a worse class. Conclusion Patients and providers exhibited poor agreement in NYHA assignment.
A technical and economic comparison of natural gas and coal feedstocks for fischer-tropsch synthesis

Publisher Summary This chapter investigates the economics of coal-based and natural gas-based plants for the production of high quality liquid transportation fuels, using advanced Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) synthesis. A coal-based plant consists of all the unit operations necessary for a grass-root facility. Coal is gasified using Shell gasification and the cleaned synthesis gas is fed to slurry-phase F–T reactors. The unconverted synthesis gas and the methane, ethane, and ethylene are sent to an autothermal reformer and recycled to the F–T reactors. Plants that produce an all liquid product require that the F–T tail gas be reformed and recycled back to the F–T reactors. This adds a significant cost and efficiency penalty to the process. Although coal may be the preferred feedstock to F–T plants in the future when petroleum and natural gas costs are high, in the shorter term, these plants use natural gas as feed if the gas cost is low. The natural gas must be converted into synthesis gas before F–T synthesis can occur. Conventional steam reforming of natural gas produces a synthesis gas with much higher hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio than required for F–T stoichiometry.
Lung Inflammation and Adhesion Molecules

Adhesion molecules have been shown to be important in inducing inflammatory responses in experimental animals. The topic has recently been the subject of a fairly extensive review (Harlan and Liu, 1992). Adhesion molecules on endothelial cells and leukocytes are diverse, and can be divided into two groups: those that are constitutively expressed, and those that are inducible after endothelial cell contact with appropriate stimuli. Table I presents some of the adhesion molecules of endothelial cells and neutrophils that are most important in the inflammatory response. In this context, the chief difference between endothelial cells and leukocytes is that adhesion molecules are generally not constitutively expressed on the former, whereas they are on the latter. ICAM-1 and -2 are normally constitutively expressed in small amounts on endothelial cells. When endothelial cells are stimulated with TNFα, IL-1, or endotoxin, gene activation occurs, and ICAM expression is slowly but steadily increased over the next 12 hr. Also triggered is the gene controlling expression of E-selctin (ELAM-1), with maximal expression developing in about 4 hr. P-selectin is an exception to the requirement for protein synthesis; this glycoprotein is stored in the Weibel-Palade granules of endothelial cells (and in the alpha granules of platelets), and can be rapidly translocated (in 5-10 min) to the endothelial cell surface after the addition of histamine or thrombin. The most recently described adhesionpromoting molecule of the endothelial cell is Gly-CAM-1, a heavily glycosylated protein which, unlike the other adhesion molecules, has no transmembranespanning segment and appears to be entirely extracellular, embedded in the glycocalyx of the endothelial cells (Lasky et al., 1992). VCAM-1 is another adhesion-promoting molecule of endothelial cells. This glycoprotein is not normally expressed; it appears on the cell surface approximately 4 hr after stimulation, with expression being retained for the next 12-18 hr. “Counterreceptors” for these adhesion molecules are diverse (Table I). In the case of ICAM-1 and -2, the complementary reactive molecules on leukocytes are the β2 integrins (LFA-1 and Mac-1, see below). E- and P-selectin react with leukocytic lectins, which are Oligosaccharides of the structure sialyl Lewisx and sialyl Lewisa (reviewed by Harlan and Liu, 1992). Gly-CAM-l appears to be the lectin-containing molecule that is reactive with leukocytic L-selectin (see below).
Client-Centered Lawyering-What it Isn't

Several years ago, I happened to sit in on part of a colleague‟s class in family law. The professor showed clips from Kramer vs. Kramer, a movie involving a custody litigation between the divorced mother and father of a young child, whom both of them love. 1 At the outset, the lawyer tells his client, the father, “I‟ll have to play rough,” but he provides no explanation of what that means. 2 Later, after the lawyer conducts a cruel cross-examination of the mother, the client first begins to understand, and says, “Did you have to be so rough on her?” 3 The lawyer‟s only response is, “Do you want the kid or don‟t you?” 4 The lawyer at no time makes any effort to counsel the client about the nature of hard-fought custody litigation, to suggest either an effort at conciliation with the mother or an amicable arrangement for sharing time with the child, or to seek out the client‟s true feelings and desires about possible courses of action. 5
Perceptions of tongue lesions by dental hygiene students and otolaryngologists.

Abstract Background. Consistent perceptions of oral lesions by all professionals who examine the mouth would improve the poor survival rates from oral cancer through earlier diagnosis. Methods. Two techniques from perceptual psychology measured how 14 otolaryngologists and 85 dental hygiene students judged differences among seven tongue lesions. Multidimensional scaling produced a perceptual “map” showing the underlying dimensions in these judgments. Paired comparisons showed rankings of concern. Results. Otolaryngologists rated the lesions on the basis of size and depth; dental hygiene students on the basis of color and size. Otolaryngologists were more consistent than students, both within and between observers. The ranking of lesions from best to worst was different in the two groups. Conclusion. Two groups of health‐care professionals attended to different dimensions in making decisions about oral lesions. Variations of these tests could evaluate or instruct students in diagnostic skills relevant to o...
A Family-Centered Approach in Native Hawaiian Culture:

One strategy for advancing culturally sensitive family practice is to identify family-centered approaches indigenous to the culture. The author describes a family-centered approach in native Hawaii...
Expectations about the source of a speaker's accent affect accent adaptation.

When encountering speakers whose accents differ from the listener's own, listeners initially show a processing cost, but that cost can be attenuated after short term exposure. The extent to which processing foreign accents (L2-accents) and within-language accents (L1-accents) is similar is still an open question. This study considers whether listeners' expectations about the source of a speaker's accent—whether the speaker is purported to be an L1 or an L2 speaker—affect intelligibility. Prior work has indirectly manipulated expectations about a speaker's accent through photographs, but the present study primes listeners with a description of the speaker's accent itself. In experiment 1, native English listeners transcribed Spanish-accented English sentences in noise under three different conditions (speaker's accent: monolingual L1 Latinx English, L1-Spanish/L2-English, no information given). Results indicate that, by the end of the experiment, listeners given some information about the accent outperformed listeners given no information, and listeners told the speaker was L1-accented outperformed listeners told to expect L2-accented speech. Findings are interpreted in terms of listeners' expectations about task difficulty, and a follow-up experiment (experiment 2) found that priming listeners to expect that their ability to understand L2-accented speech can improve does in fact improve intelligibility.
MicroRNA 223 3p Negatively Regulates the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Acute and Chronic Liver Injury.

The granulocyte-specific microRNA-223 (miR-223) has recently emerged as a negative regulator of NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) expression, a central key player in chronic hepatic injuries such as fibrotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as well as in other liver conditions including acute hepatitis. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of the synthetic miR-223 analog miR-223 3p in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/D-GalN-induced endotoxin acute hepatitis (EAH) or fibrotic NASH resultant of long-term feeding with a high-fat, fructose, and cholesterol (FFC) diet. miR-223 3p ameliorated the infiltration of monocytes, neutrophils, and early activated macrophages and downregulated the transcriptional expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines Il6 and Il12 and the chemokines Ccl2, Ccl3, Cxcl1, and Cxcl2 in EAH. In fibrotic NASH, treatment with miR-223 3p led to a remarkable mitigation of fibrosis development and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). miR-223 3p disrupted the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by impairing the synthesis of cleaved interleukin-1β (IL-1β), mature IL-1β, and NLRP3, and the activation of caspase-1 p10 in both EAH and fibrotic NASH. Our data enlightens miR-223 3p as a post-transcriptional approach to treat acute and chronic hepatitis by silencing the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.
Low-Barrier and Canonical Hydrogen Bonds Modulate Activity and Specificity of a Catalytic Triad.

The position, bonding and dynamics of hydrogen atoms in the catalytic centers of proteins are essential for catalysis. The role of short hydrogen bonds in catalysis has remained highly debated and led to establishment of several distinctive geometrical arrangements of hydrogen atoms vis-a-vis the heavier donor and acceptor counterparts, that is, low-barrier, single-well or short canonical hydrogen bonds. Here we demonstrate how the position of a hydrogen atom in the catalytic triad of an aminoglycoside inactivating enzyme leads to a thirty-fold increase in catalytic turnover. A low-barrier hydrogen bond is present in the enzyme active site for the substrates that are turned over the best, whereas a canonical hydrogen bond is found with the least preferred substrate. This is the first comparison of these hydrogen bonds involving an identical catalytic network, while directly demonstrating how active site electrostatics adapt to the electronic nature of substrates to tune catalysis.
Environmental and economic comparison of reusable and disposable blood pressure cuffs in multiple clinical settings

Abstract Objective To assess the environmental and economic impacts of reusable and disposable blood pressure cuffs. Setting Out-patient clinic and ambulatory procedure rooms, and five-day in-patient regular ward and intensive care unit (ICU) health care encounters. Methods Environmental modeling using life cycle assessment was employed to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental impacts, from cuff manufacturing, packaging, transportation, use, cleaning, and landfill or incineration waste management. Cuff, cleaning, and packaging materials were identified and weighed directly. Both per-encounter and per-day low-level disinfection scenarios were performed. Life cycle costs were determined with hospital data, including procurement, labor (time-motion observations), and waste disposal. Results For all use and cleaning scenarios, the reusable cuff was environmentally preferable in terms of GHG emissions and other impact categories, in some cases by a factor of 40. Disposable cuff emissions are dominated by materials manufacturing, while reusable cuff emissions are dominated by production of disinfection wipes. Reusable cuffs are far cheaper than disposables in the out-patient settings. Disposable cuffs are slightly lower cost in the in-patient setting where reusable BP cuffs are shared among patients and therefore require frequent cleaning. However, reusable cuffs are also more economical in the in-patient settings when patients have dedicated personal equipment (i.e., stays with them during their entire health care encounter) whether cleaned daily or at the end of their stay. Conclusion Life cycle assessment and costing highlight environmental and financial trade-offs between manufacturing and cleaning when comparing reusable and disposable BP cuffs.
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders

Somatic symptoms and related disorders (SSRD) share the hallmark feature of the presence of physical symptoms in the absence of identifiable disease, accompanied by associated psychological distress and impairment. As somatic symptoms are common among children and adolescents, a consultation-liaison (CL) psychologist is likely to encounter SSRD in practice. Studies on the etiology of SSRD point to contributions of biological, psychological, and social factors; as such, biopsychosocial diagnosis, assessment, and treatment are most effective. For CL psychologists, collaborative communication with healthcare providers is essential to present a coordinated diagnostic and treatment message. Psychological assessment should balance medical and psychological information while setting the stage for a functional approach to symptom management. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the recommended intervention, with a focus on understanding how maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and actions influence symptoms and biological processes and how changing those patterns can regulate the autonomic nervous system, improve function, and reduce impairment. The core features of CBT for SSRD are psychoeducation, establishing a functional routine, behavioral strategies (e.g., distraction, relaxation), and cognitive strategies (e.g., emotion identification, thought reframing, problem-solving). Evidence-based CBT for SSRD can be modified to fit the treatment setting, from a clinician having one point of contact during a medical clinic visit, to multiple visits during a hospitalization, to seeing patients on an ongoing outpatient basis. Guidelines for adults and schools supporting children with SSRD are important resources to provide during treatment.
The universal acceleration scale from stellar feedback

It has been established for decades that rotation curves deviate from the Newtonian gravity expectation given baryons alone below a characteristic acceleration scale $g_{\dagger}\sim 10^{-8}\,\rm{cm\,s^{-2}}$, a scale promoted to a new fundamental constant in MOND. In recent years, theoretical and observational studies have shown that the star formation efficiency (SFE) of dense gas scales with surface density, SFE $\sim \Sigma/\Sigma_{\rm crit}$ with $\Sigma_{\rm crit} \sim \langle\dot{p}/m_{\ast}\rangle/(\pi\,G)\sim 1000\,\rm{M_{\odot}\,pc^{-2}}$ (where $\langle \dot{p}/m_{\ast}\rangle$ is the momentum flux output by stellar feedback per unit stellar mass in a young stellar population). We argue that the SFE, more generally, should scale with the local gravitational acceleration, i.e. that SFE $\sim g_{\rm tot}g_\mathrm{crit} \equiv (G\,M_{\rm tot}/R^{2}) / \langle\dot{p}/m_{\ast}\rangle$, where $M_{\rm tot}$ is the total gravitating mass and $g_\mathrm{crit}=\langle\dot{p}/m_{\ast}\rangle = \pi\,G\,\Sigma_{\rm crit} \approx 10^{-8}\,\rm{cm\,s^{-2}} \approx g_{\dagger}$. Hence the observed $g_\dagger$ may correspond to the characteristic acceleration scale above which stellar feedback cannot prevent efficient star formation, and baryons will eventually come to dominate. We further show how this may give rise to the observed acceleration scaling $g_{\rm obs}\sim(g_{\rm baryon}\,g_{\dagger})^{1/2}$ (where $g_{\rm baryon}$ is the acceleration due to baryons alone) and flat rotation curves. The derived characteristic acceleration $g_{\dagger}$ can be expressed in terms of fundamental constants (gravitational constant, proton mass, and Thomson cross section): $g_{\dagger}\sim 0.1\,G\,m_{p}/\sigma_{\rm T}$.
A Review of Local Soft Tissue Coverage Options for Oncologic Defects of the Distal Lower Extremity

Abstract The distal third of the lower extremity has historically been a challenging anatomic region to provide durable soft tissue coverage following significant trauma or oncologic resection. This is due to the paucity of locoregional tissue. At times, wound coverage is the rate limiting factor in attempts at limb salvage, and the pendulum has swung from amputation to utilization of free tissue transfer as these techniques have developed over the years. The most recent published novel techniques in reconstruction of this area have instead utilized local tissue options rather than their free flap counterparts. The potential benefits of choosing these alternatives in the appropriate patient selection include less donor site morbidity, less operative time, ability of more healthcare facilities to provide reconstruction if not equipped for free flaps, and preservation of other sites if they are needed for in the setting of disease progression. This provides a review of the most common and reliable locoregional options for the distal leg, ankle, and foot.
Mechanism of Organic Odor Generation from Thermophilically Digested Biosolids

In anticipation to generate more stabilized biosolids, thermophilic anaerobic digestion systems are widely used to destroy greater sludge organics thus making them less odorous. In this study, single-stage thermophilic (at 55 â„ƒ) and mesophilic (at 37 â„ƒ) anaerobic digesters were studied to compare organic removal efficiencies and sulfur-based odor generation from their biosolids. Although the thermophilic system removed about 9% more volatile solids than the mesophilic system, about 55 times more odorous organic sulfur compounds were measured from dewatered thermophilic biosolids. Different methanogenic species were found to be responsible for malodorous dewatered biosolids from the thermophilic anaerobic digester.
Data Collection Practices of Mobile Applications Played by Preschool-Aged Children

Importance Child-directed mobile applications (apps) have been found to collect digital identifiers and transmit them to third-party companies, a potential violation of federal privacy rules. This study seeks to examine the differences in app data collection and sharing practices by evaluating the sociodemographic characteristics of the children who play them. Objective To examine data collection and sharing practices of 451 apps played by young children and to test associations with child sociodemographic characteristics. Design, Setting, and Participants This study used data from the baseline phase of the Preschooler Tablet Study, a prospective cohort study conducted from August 2018 to January 2020. This study used a population-based sample. A convenience sample of the parents of preschool-aged children was recruited from pediatric offices, childcare centers, social media posts, and an online participant registry. Eligibility criteria included (1) parent or guardian of a child aged 3 to 5 years, (2) parent or guardian who lived with the child at least 5 days per week, (3) participants who spoke English, and (4) a child who used an Android (Google LLC) device. All interactions with participants were through email, online surveys, and mobile device sampling. Exposures Sociodemographic characteristics were assessed by parental report. Main Outcomes and Measures This study tested the hypothesis that data transmissions to third-party domains are more common in apps played by children from low-socioeconomic-status homes. Child app usage was assessed via a mobile sampling app for an average of 9 days. Persistent identifier data transmissions to third-party domains were quantified for each app using an instrumented Android environment with monitoring of network traffic; for each child, the counts of total data transmissions were calculated, and the total third-party domains were detected for the apps they played. Results Our sample comprised 124 children who used Android devices (35 tablets, 89 smartphones; 65 girls [52%]; mean [SD] age, 3.85 [0.57] years; 87 non-Hispanic White [71%]). One hundred twenty of participating parents (97%) were women. Of 451 apps tested, 303 (67%) transmitted persistent identifiers to 1 to 33 third-party domains. Child data transmission counts ranged from 0 to 614 (median [interquartile range], 5.0 [1-17.5]) and third-party domain counts from 0 to 399 (4.0 [1-12.5]). In multivariable negative binomial regression models, higher transmission and third-party domain rates per app were positively associated with older age (rate ratio, 1.67 [95% CI, 1.20-2.33];P = .002 and 1.69 [95% CI, 1.26-2.27];P Conclusions and Relevance This study found that apps used by young children had a high frequency of persistent identifier transmissions to third-party companies, suggesting that federal privacy rules are not being enforced. Older children, those with their own devices, or those from lower-education households may be at higher risk of potential privacy violations.
Climate Change and the Criminal Justice System

The past decade has been the warmest decade in history. But while there has been a great deal of attention paid to issues of infrastructure sustainability, less attention has been focused on the impact of climate change on our criminal justice system.This paper identifies how we can anticipate climate change will affect and create new challenges for law enforcement, prisons, prosecutorial and defense agencies, government offices, and communities.This article first examines three ways climate change is challenging our criminal justice system –from altering the types of crimes committed, to detrimentally impacting prisons, jails, and other criminal justice institutions, to challenging traditional doctrines of criminal law such as the necessity and duress defenses and causation. Drawing in part on lessons from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this article makes ten recommendations on how such challenges can be met.
Are Early-Onset Sepsis Evaluations and Empiric Antibiotics Mandatory for All Neonates Admitted with Respiratory Distress?

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the success and safety of an antimicrobial stewardship protocol for neonates admitted with respiratory distress at birth. Study Design A retrospective cohort analysis of all infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with respiratory distress from January 2013 to February 2018 was conducted. In April 2016, an antimicrobial stewardship protocol was implemented, dividing neonates into two groups: maternal indications for delivery (no infectious risk factors for early-onset sepsis [EOS]) and fetal indications (risk factors present) for delivery. Neonates with risk factors for EOS were started on empiric antibiotics, those who lacked risk factors were observed. Paired sample t-test and descriptive statistics were used to compare the pre- and postprotocol implementation. Results There were no missed cases of EOS in our study. Management with empiric antibiotics decreased from 95 to 41% of neonates with respiratory distress after initiation of the protocol. Newborns with a lower mean (±standard errors of the mean [SEM]) gestational age were more likely to receive empiric antibiotics (35.1 ± 0.4 [range: 23–42 weeks] vs. 37.7 ± 0.2 weeks [range: 24–42 weeks]; p Conclusion The antibiotic stewardship protocol safely reduces the administration of empiric antibiotics to symptomatic neonates without missing any cases of sepsis. Key Points
Work System Tasks: Blending Art and Science

Surgical team members must complete tasks, in coordination or in parallel, which contribute to the overall surgical processes. These tasks are actions that occur before, during, and after a surgical procedure. Task analysis allows human factors experts to further divide individual tasks and address the who, what, where, when, how, and why of these steps. Task analysis enables the measurement of workload, enhancement of performance, and identification of potential error modes due to inadequate work design that lead to inefficiencies and workarounds. With the increased complexity of surgical cases and efforts to maximize efficient use of resources, workload optimization through methods engineering (work design, task integration, etc.) within the surgical system can improve patient care, safety, and satisfaction while protecting the health and safety of the surgical team.
How Sleep Impacts Performance in Youth Athletes

Sleep is an important aspect in the recovery and performance in athletes. Recently, there has been increasing interest in exploring the various affects that sleep has on performance in athletes. Youth athletes represent a unique population in that not only do they have demands in training schedules and training load, but they also have demands in academics. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that youth athletes do not get the recommended required amount of sleep and that this has negatively affected performance and well-being. The focus of this article is to review the most recent literature over the past year that investigates the impact of sleep on youth performance.
Small molecular drugs reshape tumor microenvironment to synergize with immunotherapy

Recently, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), especially anti-programmed death 1 (anti-PD-1) and anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) therapy, has become an increasingly appealing therapeutic strategy for cancer patients. However, only a small portion of patients responds to anti-PD treatment. Therefore, treatment strategies are urgently needed to reverse the ICB-resistant tumor microenvironment (TME). It has become clear that the TME has diminished innate sensing that is critical to activate adaptive immunity. In addition, tumor cells upregulate various immunosuppressive factors to diminish the immune response and resist immunotherapy. In this review, we briefly update the current small molecular drugs that could synergize with immunotherapy, especially anti-PD therapy. We will discuss the modes of action by those drugs including inducing innate sensing and limiting immunosuppressive factors in the TME.
Evaluating the role of stereotactic body radiation therapy with respect to androgen receptor signaling inhibitors for metastatic prostate cancer.

121Background: Outcomes of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with respect to androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSI) have not been characterized for metastatic prostate cancer. Our p...
Do renewable portfolio standards increase renewable energy capacity? Evidence from the United States.

Abstract This research evaluates the impacts of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) on renewable electricity capacity using annual data spanning 47 states between 1990 and 2014 in the United States. RPS is a state-level policy that requires electricity suppliers to include a certain fraction of renewable electricity in their total electricity sales over a specified time period. Following nuanced identification strategies, generalized difference-in-difference method is used to transform observational data into a quasiexperimental setting to mitigate against potentially inconsistent estimator or selection bias concerns vis-a-vis the adoption of RPS across states. Generalized least squares with panel corrected standard errors and spatial econometric methods are selected as estimation techniques. The results show that RPS adoption drives more than one third increase in overall renewable electricity capacity. RPS impacts on total electricity capacity remain significantly positive with consistent estimates across modeling scenarios. However, the results reveal that impacts of heterogeneous RPS attributes differ across competing sources of renewable electricity. The impacts are positively significant for solar and wind capacity with the largest impact on wind capacity, while they are insignificant or significantly negative for biomass and geothermal capacity. The significantly positive contribution of renewable energy certificates provision and manifestation of spatial spillover effects indicate the regional marketing possibilities of renewable energy. The results imply that scaling up RPS proliferation across the states and specifying RPS targets by renewable energy sources at least up to the point when renewable energy sector achieves efficiency gains (economies of scales and allocative efficiency) or better alternatives to the RPS become available (e.g., least-cost carbon pricing policy), can play critical roles to exert transformative advances in renewable electricity sector.
Recent Climate Changes Across the Great Plains and Implications for Natural Resource Management Practices

Abstract The Great Plains region plays an important role in providing water and land resources and habitat for wildlife and livestock, crops, energy production, and other critical ecosystem services to support rural livelihoods. The semiarid conditions of the region and tight coupling of livelihood enterprises with ecosystem services creates a situation of increased sensitivity to climate changes and enhanced vulnerability among the rural communities and Native American nations across the region. Recent climate conditions associated with warming trends, and altered atmospheric flows have resulted in rapid onset of drought conditions and other extreme weather events across the region that are changing seasonal patterns of temperature and precipitation and warming trends. Projected climate changes provided in the fourth US National Climate Assessment indicate that potential warming and variability of precipitation will further increase drought and extreme weather events. Recent research and assessment efforts of current and projected climate changes in the Great Plains indicate that rural communities and ecosystems are becoming more vulnerable to changes associated with warming trends, droughts, and increased variability in precipitation. These climate changes are having differential impacts on ecosystem services that are critical to livelihood enterprises. Strategies for how resource managers and the research community can better collaborate and more effectively codesign and coproduce efforts to understand and to respond to these challenges are needed.
Cyclic GMP and photoreceptor function.

A single photon can be detected by a rod photoreceptor cell. The absorption of light by rhodopsin triggers a cascade of reactions that amplifies the photon signal and results in ion channel closure with hyperpolarization of the rod photoreceptor cell. Light-induced conformational changes in rhodopsin facilitate the binding of a guanosine nucleotide-binding protein, transducin, which then undergoes a GTP-GDP exchange reaction and dissociation of the transducin complex. A subunit of transducin then activates a phosphodiesterase complex that hydrolyzes cyclic GMP. In darkness, cyclic GMP binds to cation channels of the photoreceptor plasma membrane, maintaining them in an open configuration. The light-induced reduction in cyclic GMP concentration dissociates the bound cyclic GMP, resulting in channel closure and hyperpolarization. Down-regulation of the cascade involves other proteins that block the interaction of transducin with rhodopsin and another protein that may interfere with transducin recycling. Con...
Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema

Once upon a time, the only technical barrier to theatrical and non-theatrical (home, university and the like) film distribution and exhibition was language (and, of course, the expense involved in ...
Rob Kling [obituary]

Recounts the life and professional achievements of Rob Kling. Rob Kling was born August 1944 and died 15 May 2003. He was one of the foremost authorities in the US on the social aspects of information technology. His more than 85 scholarly articles and book chapters addressed issues from computer reasoning through computer- related public policy issues to the influence of computers on office work and the ideological aspects of computerization. His coedited books included a collection on postsuburban California and another on high technology in local government. At the time of his death, he was working primarily on issues around electronic scholarly publishing and digital libraries.
Peak expiratory flow as a predictor of subsequent disability and death in community-living older persons.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether peak expiratory flow (PEF), when expressed by a validated method using standardized residual (SR) percentile, is associated with subsequent disability and death in older persons. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: New Haven, Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred fifty-four initially nondisabled, community-living persons aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: PEF was assessed at baseline along with chronic conditions and smoking history. The onset of persistent disability in activities of daily living (ADLs), continuous mobility disability, and death were ascertained during monthly interviews over a 5-year period. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 78.4, 63.7% had a smoking history, and 17.4% reported chronic lung disease. The incidence rates per 100 person-months were 1.00 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.90\u20131.12) for ADL disability, 0.80 (95% CI=0.70\u20130.93) for mobility disability, and 0.44 (95% CI=0.38\u20130.51) for death. At a PEF less than 10th SR percentile, identifying nearly one-quarter of the cohort, hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for multiple confounders, including age, smoking, and chronic lung disease, demonstrated a greater risk of ADL disability (HR=1.79, 95% CI=1.23\u20132.62), mobility disability (HR=1.89, 95% CI=1.15\u20133.10), and death (HR=2.31, 95% CI=1.29\u20134.12). CONCLUSION: In an elderly cohort, it was found that low PEF, when expressed as an SR percentile, is independently associated with subsequent disability and death. These results support the use of PEF as a potentially valuable risk assessment tool in community-living older persons.
A deflagration analysis of porous energetic materials with two-phase flow and a multiphase sequential reaction mechanism

A theoretical analysis for the unconfined deflagration of a porous energetic material is developed for a two-step global reaction mechanism that consists of the condensed-phase combustion of the reactive material to produce gas-phase intermediates, followed by a gas-phase reaction that produces final gas-phase products. An asymptotic approach is employed, leading to explicit formulas for the deflagration velocity in specific parameter regimes. The results clearly indicate the influences of two-phase flow and the multiphase, multi-step chemistry on the burning rate, and serve to further characterize the combustion behavior of a significant class of degraded nitramine-type propellants for which the present analysis is applicable.
A First Stage Organization Life Cycle Study of Six Emerging Nonprofit Organizations in Los Angeles

(1998). A First Stage Organization Life Cycle Study of Six Emerging Nonprofit Organizations in Los Angeles. Administration in Social Work: Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 35-52.
Isolated small bowel angio-oedema due to ACE inhibitor therapy

A 43-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting for 1 week. She had a history of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. Her home medications included omeprazole and simvastatin, and, starting 4 weeks prior, lisinopril. On presentation, vital signs were stable. The patient did not have rash, urticaria or facial swelling, but was found to have a diffusely tender abdomen with hypoactive bowel sounds. Laboratory evaluation revealed normal white cell count, comprehensive metabolic panel, amylase and lipase. CT scan of the abdomen showed circumferential wall thickening of the small bowel, inflammation, oedema of surrounding mesentery and mild ascites (figures 1 and 2). The patient was admitted, and treated with intravenous hydration and empiric antibiotics for presumed colitis. …
Evidence for allosteric regulation of succinyl-CoA synthetase.

Abstract We have previously reported that distinctly different concentrations of GDP stimulate the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of p36, the alpha-subunit of succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) in Dictyostelium discoideum. In this present study, we have investigated the mechanism underlying these dual effects of GDP. Dephosphorylation of p36 is induced by relatively high levels of GDP and is coincident with the formation of GTP. This indicates that, at high concentrations, GDP serves as a substrate of SCS. However, 100-fold lower concentrations of GDP, which do not bind to the catalytic site to induce SCS dephosphorylation, stimulate p36 phosphorylation. This stimulation is not diminished by dilution of the sample, and is retained during purification of the protein. Gel-filtration analyses indicate that SCS in our system behaves as a non-interacting alpha beta dimer, the hydrodynamic behaviour of which is not altered by the presence of added GDP. The data indicate that altered protein-protein interactions do not account for the stimulation of p36 phosphorylation by low GDP concentrations. We propose that GDP functions as an allosteric regulator of SCS, and experiments using guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (GDP[S]) are shown to distinguish further the allosteric and catalytic binding sites.
Shadow‐Experiences and the Phenomenal Structure of Colors

It is a common assumption among philosophers of perception that phenomenal colors are exhaustively characterized by the three phenomenal dimensions of the color solid: hue, saturation and lightness. The hue of a color is its redness, blueness or yellowness, etc. The saturation of a color refers to the strength of its hue in relation to gray. The lightness of a color determines its relation to black and white. In this paper, I argue that the phenomenology of shadows forces us to consider illumination as an additional dimension of phenomenal colors. For this purpose, I will first introduce two different interpretations of shadow-experiences, which Chalmers has called the simple and the complex interpretations, and show that they both fail to account for important phenomenal facts about shadow-experiences. I will then introduce my own alternative interpretation based on the idea that illumination is a dimension of phenomenal colors and explain how it can account for these facts.
Response of certain diencephalic, pituitary and plasma enzymes to light in Gallus domesticus.

Abstract 1. 1. Twenty birds ( Gallus domesticus ) were sacrificed at 168 days of age. 2. 2. One-half had been in darkness for 56 days, the other half in 14 hr light, 10 hr darkness. 3. 3. The activity of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphates, and cholinesterase was measured in the diencephalon, pituitary and plasma. 4. 4. Exposure to light increased enzyme activity except in hypothalamic alkaline phosphatase and pituitary cholinesterase where the activity decreased.
Co-inoculation of aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus to study fungal invasion, colonization, and competition in maize kernels

A currently utilized pre-harvest biocontrol method involves field inoculations with non-aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus strains, a tactic shown to strategically suppress native aflatoxin-producing strains and effectively decrease aflatoxin contamination in corn. The present in situ study focuses on tracking the invasion and colonization of an aflatoxigenic A. flavus strain (AF70), labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP), in the presence of a non-aflatoxigenic A. flavus biocontrol strain (AF36), to better understand the competitive interaction between these two strains in seed tissue of corn (Zea mays). Corn kernels that had been co-inoculated with GFP-labeled AF70 and wild-type AF36 were cross-sectioned and observed under UV and blue light to determine the outcome of competition between these strains. After imaging, all kernels were analyzed for aflatoxin levels. There appeared to be a population difference between the co-inoculated AF70-GFP+AF36 and the individual AF70-GFP tests, both visually and with pixel count analysis. The GFP allowed us to observe that AF70-GFP inside the kernels was suppressed up to 82% when co-inoculated with AF36 indicating that AF36 inhibited progression of AF70-GFP. This was in agreement with images taken of whole kernels where AF36 exhibited a more robust external growth compared to AF70-GFP. The suppressed growth of AF70-GFP was reflected in a corresponding (upto 73%) suppression in aflatoxin levels. Our results indicate that the decrease in aflatoxin production correlated with population depression of the aflatoxigenic fungus by the biocontrol strain supporting the theory of competitive exclusion through robust propagation and fast colonization by the non-aflatoxigenic fungus.
A Stochastic Model for PLC Systems

The designers of PLC (power line carrier) systems for distributiQn networks must contend with two sources of uncertainty. First, certain topological parameters, such as transformer locations, cannot be determined accurately. Second, certain other network parameters, such as loads, equipment characteristics and circuit configurations, vary with time. A previous paper [2] has shown that signal attenuations and error rates of PLC systems are very sensitive to these uncertainties. Therefore, it is critical that they be taken into account in the design process. We develop stochastic models to aid in doing this. Specifically, the models predict the statistics of signal attenuations and error rates in arbitrary PLC systems. This is done in two stages. First, a quadratic approximation to the network's propagation characteristics is developed. Second, this approximation and Monte Carlo sampling are used to obtain the requisite statistics.
Optimal two-stage designs for phase ii clinical trials with differentiation of complete and partial responses

In the usual design and analysis of a phase II trial, there is no differentiation between complete response and partial response. Since complete response is considered more desirable this paper proposes a weighted score method which extends Simon's (1989) two-stage design to the situation where the complete and partial responses are differentiated. The weight assigned to the complete response is suggested by examining the likelihood ratio (LR) statistic for testing a simple hypothesis of a trinomial distribution. Both optimal and minimax designs are tabulated for a wide range of design parameters. The weighted score approach is shown to give more efficient designs, especially when the response probability is moderate to large.
The Relationship of Cause of Death to Attitudes Toward Funerals and Bereavement Adjustment

Four hundred and thirty-eight adults aged eighteen to eighty-eight (M age = 35) who had lost a close friend or family member within the last two years completed questionnaires to ascertain the relationship of cause of death to attitudes toward the funeral and bereavement adjustment. While deaths that were expected were associated with more adaptive bereavement adjustment, cause of death was independent of participation in prefuneral, funeral, and postfuneral rituals, as well as attitudes toward the funeral. Expected deaths of persons to whom bereaved persons felt emotionally close were linked to more adaptive bereavement adjustment, greater positive meaning attributed to the funeral, and somewhat greater postfuneral participation. Such effects were minimized when data for deceased persons to whom the bereaved felt less close were examined. When specific causes of death were examined, those losing a loved one to either murder/suicide or accident fared worse regarding bereavement adjustment, and had less fu...
Coherent Lienard-Wiechert fields produced by free electron lasers

Results are presented here of a three-dimensional numerical analysis of the radiation fields produced in a free electron laser. The method used here to obtain the spatial and temporal behavior of the radiated fields is based on the coherent superposition of the exact Lienard-Wiechert fields produced by each electron in the beam. Interference effects are responsible for the narrow angular radiation patterns obtained and for the high degree of monochromaticity of the radiated field.
Cationic α-cyclodextrin:poly(ethylene glycol) polyrotaxanes for siRNA delivery.

RNA interference has broad therapeutic potential due to its high specificity and ability to potentially evade drug resistance. Three cationic α-cyclodextrin:poly(ethylene glycol) polyrotaxanes derived from polymer axles of different sizes (MW 2,000, 3,400, and 10,000) have been synthesized for delivering siRNA. These polyrotaxanes are able to condense siRNA into positively charged particles that are 102-fold lower than the commercial standard bPEI and gene silencing efficiencies that are comparable to those of both Lipofectamine 2000 and bPEI. Our findings suggest that the cationic polyrotaxanes display a size–activity relationship, wherein the higher molecular weight polyrotaxanes (PEG3,400 and 10,000) are able to condense and deliver siRNA better than the lower molecular weight material (PEG2,000).
Anticoagulation for cardiopulmonary bypass of a patient with “heparin allergy”

Elective aortic valve replacement was planned for a 78-yearold. 67-kg woman who had presented with a 2-month history of progressive angina and dyspnea on exertion. She had a myocardial infarction in 1988. Cardiac catheterization and an echocardiogram showed critical aortic stenosis (area, 0.6 cm2: mean gradient, 52 mmHg; peak gradient. 88 mmHg) and mild three-vessel coronary artery disease (30% proximal left anterior descending, 30% left circumflex. 50% first obtuse marginal, and 30% right coronary artery). She also had polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis, macular degeneration, and asthma. Her medications were prednisone. 20 mg daily, beclomethasone inhaler and nasal spray, isosorbide dinitrate. 20 mg four times daily, temazepam. 0.5 mg hourly during sleep, and sublingual nitroglycerin as needed. Shortly after commencing heparin by infusion, at the time of her myocardial infarction in 1988. a generalized erythematous rash was noted. No hypotension or bronchospasm occurred. The rash resolved shortly after discontinuing the heparin and administering diphenhydramine. 25 mg intravenously (IV/. Although this was not conclusive proof of heparin allergy, it was decided to treat her as if she were heparin allergic. Before induction, the patient received midazolam (2 rag), fentanyl (50 ~g), diphenhydramine (50 rag), hydrocortisone (100 rag), and famotidine (20 mg), all intravenously. A right radial arterial catheter (20 gauge) and a right internal jugular non-heparin-bonded pulmonary artery catheter (Baxter Healthcare Corporation. Irvine, CA) were inserted. The flush solution used for both catheters was normal saline. Anesthesia was induced with sufentanil (2.5 ~ug/kg). Pancuronium (0.1 mg/kg) and hydrocortisone (300 mg) were administered thereafter. Anesthesia was maintained with sufentanil a further 2.5 gg/kg) and isoflurane (< 1% inspired concentration). A test dose (1 mL: 10 mg/mL) of preservative-free heparin (Marsam Pharmacuticals. Cherry Hill. NJ) was administered, followed 2 minutes later by an additional 290 rag. Heart rate. mean arterial pressure. systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary vascular resistance.