cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reexamining the impact of family planning programs on us fertility: Evidence from the war on poverty and the early years of title X

Almost 50 years after domestic US family planning programs began, their effects on childbearing remain controversial. Using the county-level roll-out of these programs from 1964 to 1973, this paper reevaluates their shorter and longer term effects on US fertility rates. I find that the introduction of family planning is associated with significant and persistent reductions in fertility driven both by falling completed childbearing and childbearing delay. Although federally funded family planning accounted for a small portion of the post-baby boom US fertility decline, my estimates imply that they reduced childbearing among poor women by 19 to 30 percent. (JEL I38, J12, J13, J18)
Decoding the genome: a modified view.

Transfer RNA’s role in decoding the genome is critical to the accuracy and efficiency of protein synthesis. Though modified nucleosides were identified in RNA 50 years ago, only recently has their importance to tRNA’s ability to decode cognate and wobble codons become apparent. RNA modifications are ubiquitous. To date, some 100 different posttranslational modifications have been identified. Modifications of tRNA are the most extensively investigated; however, many other RNAs have modified nucleosides. The modifications that occur at the first, or wobble position, of tRNA’s anticodon and those 3¢-adjacent to the anticodon are of particular interest. The tRNAs most affected by individual and combinations of modifications respond to codons in mixed codon boxes where distinction of the third codon base is important for discriminating between the correct cognate or wobble codons and the incorrect near-cognate codons (e.g. AAA/G for lysine versus AAU/C asparagine). In contrast, other modifications expand wobble codon recognition, such as U·U base pairing, for tRNAs that respond to multiple codons of a 4-fold degenerate codon box (e.g. GUU/A/C/G for valine). Whether restricting codon recognition, expanding wobble, enabling translocation, or maintaining the messenger RNA, reading frame modifications appear to reduce anticodon loop dynamics to that accepted by the ribosome. Therefore, we suggest that anticodon stem and loop domain nucleoside modifications allow a limited number of tRNAs to accurately and efficiently decode the 61 amino acid codons by selectively restricting some anticodon‐codon interactions and expanding others.
Interspecific Comparison of Pupation Site Preference in Swallowtail Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae): Implications for Evolution of Plasticity in Pupal Color

Abstract Variation in pupation site preference is hypothesized to drive the evolution of environmentally cued pupal color dimorphism in swallowtail butterflies. Support for this hypothesis comes from comparisons of natural pupation sites of species monomorphic and dimorphic for pupal color. Here, we show that interspecific differences in pupation site preferences in nature are to a large extent mimicked in a controlled common garden experiment, suggesting that these differences are genetic. We gave larvae of three swallowtail species a choice of yellow and blue surfaces for pupation. Given the absorption spectra of green vegetation and the spectral sensitivities of the larval eyes, yellow and blue surfaces should be strong indicators of green and brown pupation sites, respectively. Papilio glaucus L., which produces only brown pupae and pupates near the ground in nature, chose to pupate near the bottom of the blue surfaces. In contrast, Battus philenor (L.) and Eurytides marcellus (Cramer), which produce ...
Polynomials for infinite-domain spectral elements

In this note, it is found that Laguerre-type elements may be used in conjunction with Legendre-type elements to resolve more accurately regions of outflow and infinite boundaries
Identifying Traffic Safety Practices and Needs of Local Transportation and Law Enforcement Agencies

As part of the effort to implement the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), state departments of transportation are looking to reach out to local and law enforcement agencies. This paper presents a study by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to identify the existing safety practices and needs of local transportation agencies and law enforcement offices in Florida. Two comprehensive online surveys targeting local transportation agencies and law enforcement agencies are developed. The survey for local transportation agencies includes 39 questions on topics including standardization of crash analysis methods, training needs, and working with FDOT. For law enforcement agencies, the survey includes 25 questions covering topics on enforcement locations, traffic violations and safety campaigns, use of crash reports, and working with transportation agencies. RESULTS from both surveys and lessons learned are discussed. Language: en
“Be/coming” White and the Myth of White Ignorance: Identity Projects in White Communities

Communication studies of White enculturation practices are almost nonexistent despite the centrality of discursive fields in building Whiteness as an embodied way of life. The process of becoming White is investigated via exploration of racial enculturation practices. Data are 124 racial epiphany stories of Whites responding to the question: “When was the first time you became aware that you had a race and what that meant?” Two themes emerged: Performances of Whiteness by Family/Friends and Public Performances of White Privilege.
Proton Inventory and Dynamics in the Nia-S to Nia-C Transition of a [NiFe] Hydrogenase

Hydrogenases (H2ases) represent one of the most striking examples of biological proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) chemistry, functioning in facile proton reduction and H2 oxidation involving long-range proton and electron transport. Spectroscopic and electrochemical studies of the [NiFe] H2ases have identified several catalytic intermediates, but the details of their interconversion are still a matter of debate. Here we use steady state and time-resolved infrared spectroscopy, sensitive to the CO ligand of the active site iron, as a probe of the proton inventory as well as electron and proton transfer dynamics in the soluble hydrogenase I from Pyrococcus furiosus. Subtle shifts in infrared signatures associated with the Nia-C and Nia-S states as a function of pH revealed an acid–base equilibrium associated with an ionizable amino acid near the active site. Protonation of this residue was found to correlate with the photoproduct distribution that results from hydride photolysis of the Nia-C state, in...
COMPARISON OF 5-YEAR CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN ASYMPTOMATIC VERSUS SYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS WITH SEVERE AORTIC STENOSIS UNDERGOING AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT

Current guidelines generally recommend the strategy of watchful waiting for aortic valve replacement (AVR) until symptoms emerge in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). However, there is no previous large-scale study evaluating the impact of symptomatic status on the long-term
The Lawton instrumental activities of daily living scale.

By detecting early functional decline, the scale can help nurses with discharge planning.OverviewAcute illness or a worsening chronic condition can hasten functional decline in older adults. During hospitalization, reduced mobility and other factors may rapidly decrease an older patient's ability to
Starting at the beginning, ending at the end.

In this issue of the Journal , we present the final article in our yearlong series on education and training in pathology and laboratory medicine. This article, by Hsieh and Nolan,1 is based on the results of a survey of pathology residents designed to assess the confidence, knowledge, and skills of residents at the beginning of residency training. Understanding where residents begin in terms of knowledge and skills is a logical and important starting point for designing curricula, adjusting the content of rotations, and for measuring resident progress. Assessing confidence—and developing ways to increase it during training—is more elusive due to the challenges of defining and measuring it, but it still is something that should be done. The question, then, is how does one assess these three different issues in a meaningful and reproducible way? …
Mitosis in the protostelidPlanoprotostelium aurantium

Mitosis in the protostelidPlanoprotostelium aurantium Olive andStoianovich is characterized by an open, centric spindle. The nuclear envelope breaks down prior to metaphase, begins to reform during late anaphase, and is complete by telophase. Centrioles are present at the poles throughout mitosis and are devoid of rootlet microtubules from metaphase to late anaphase. Chromosomes are small and numerous and are attached to single kinetochore microtubules during metaphase and early anaphase. Chromosome separation takes place by a presumed shortening of the chromosome to pole spindle followed by a lengthening of the interzonal spindle. Mitosis inP. aurantium is similar to that of certain other protostelid amoebae and to myxomycete amoebae, but it is considerably different from that of dictyostelid amoebae. The phylogenetic significance of this is discussed.
Lessons from the Lower Energy Safety Study (LESS): Is One Ventricular Fibrillation Induction Adequate for ICD Implant?

As part of the routine implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) insertion, termination of induced ventricular fibrillation is performed [1]. The primary function of such defibrillation threshold testing (DFT) is to determine an adequate safety margin for defibrillation. This is determined by serial DFT evaluations showing efficacy at energies at least 7–10 joules below the maximum available from the implanted device. Others use a two-fold safety margin as their implant criteria. If an adequate DFT safety margin is not achieved, measures are taken to optimize it including repositioning of the lead, reversing polarity or phase of the defibrillation pulse, adding a higher output generator or an additional lead [1–3].
Polypoid adenosquamous carcinoma of the esophagus with prominent spindle cells : report of a case with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies

We report a case of spindle-cell adenosquamous carcinoma of the esophagus. This represents the third case in the worldwide literature in which an esophageal polypoid tumor contains adenosquamous carcinoma rather than the usual squamous cell carcinoma in addition to a prominent spindle-cell element. The spindle-cell component displayed positive immunoreaction for both keratin and vimentin, as expression of bidirectional differentiation within a single neoplasm.
In the Belly of the Beast: Irony, Opacity, Politics

Focusing on projects that seek to make political interventions and bring new communities into being, this chapter examines the importance of literary genre or form, paying particular attention to the concept of opacity. Analyzing the 2009 Manifeste pour les “produits” de haute necessite and Simone Schwarz-Bart’s 1979 folktale-inspired novel, Ti Jean L’horizon, alongside the theoretical interventions of Edouard Glissant and Patrick Chamoiseau shows that hunger represents for these authors at once a material problem to eradicate and a poetic disposition to cultivate. Irony becomes a means for envisioning utopia and transforming the grounds on which new communities can be built.
Introduction to Interfacial Aspects of Multicomponent Polymer Materials

This chapter introduces the interfacial aspects of multicomponent polymer materials, exploring the instruments used, the thickness of the interphases formed, and some of the more interesting results. Five kinds of surfaces and interfaces found in these materials are defined. The properties of silane coupling agents are explored. As an example of the state of the art, recent patents and literature in the field of latex blends are summarized.
Advances in technology and high power performance of the ECH system on DIII-D

Abstract The gyrotron complex on DIII-D has been updated and consists of six gyrotrons installed and routinely operating reliably for injection of up to 3.6 MW into the plasma. The eight sets of real time steerable mirrors that are installed on DIII-D inject the rf power from the tokamak low field side. The transmission line was upgraded with new rf power monitors at the last miter bend before the tokamak, which can measure wave polarization, mode content, and rf power reflected from the plasma. A new design depressed collector gyrotron in the 1.5 MW class, operating at 117.5 GHz, is expected to be installed in 2017. Plans call for an expansion of the ECH system to ten gyrotrons.
Trigeminal Microvascular Decompression

Trigeminal neuralgia is unilateral recurrent episodes of sharp pain. Failing medical treatments require vascular decompression. Complications of the surgery include local ischemia and damage or irritation of the cranial nerve. Neurophysiological intraoperative monitoring (IOM) can be used to identify functional changes that can result in minimizing such complications. Changes of IOM signals can alert the surgeon to reverse course in order to preserve function. IOM changes can be of technical, physiological, pharmacological, positional, or surgical origin. Proper and timely management of such changes may prevent postoperative neurological deficits.
ChIMES: A Force Matched Potential with Explicit Three-body Interactions for Molten Carbon

We present a new force field and development scheme for atomistic simulations of materials under extreme conditions. These models, which explicitly include two- and three-body interactions, are generated by fitting linear combinations of Chebyshev polynomials through force matching to trajectories from Kohn–Sham density functional theory (DFT). We apply our method to liquid carbon near the diamond/graphite/liquid triple point and at higher densities and temperatures, where metallization and many-body effects may be substantial. We show that explicit inclusion of three-body interaction terms allows our model to yield improved descriptions of both dynamic and structural properties over previous empirical potential efforts, while exhibiting transferability to nearby state points. The simplicity of our functional form and subsequent efficiency of parameter determination allow for extension of DFT to experimental time and length scales while retaining most of its accuracy.
The Relationship Between Attachment and Addiction

This chapter will initially postulate a potential relationship between addiction and attachment style. The chapter will then present attachment theory and review attachment styles. The implications of treating individuals with addiction from an attachment perspective will be explored. Clinical examples from practice will be utilized to illuminate theory.
Designing Ethical Personal Agents

The authors consider the problem of engineering ethical personal agents. Such an agent would understand the applicable social norms and its users preferences among values. It would act or recommend actions that promote preferred values, especially, in scenarios where the norms conflict.
Spin relaxation and diffusion in disordered organic solids

Organic spintronics has been an active research field since the demonstration of large magnetoresistance in a thick organic spin valve, in which carrier spins are injected into the organic film sandwiched between two ferromagnetic electrodes. In such spin-injection devices, spin relaxation time and spin diffusion length are key properties that control spin-dependent transport and dictate the device design. Here, we compare spin relaxation and diffusion behaviors in organic solids due to spin-dependent interactions including spin-orbit coupling (SOC), hyperfine interaction (HFI), and exchange. It is found that for SOC-induced spin relaxation, the spin diffusion length is essentially determined by the spin admixture parameter and insensitive to magnetic field and carrier hopping rate, whereas for HFI-induced spin relaxation, it increases rapidly with both the magnetic field and hopping rate. In devices with high-density carriers, where exchange-induced spin motion dominates over carrier hopping, the spin diffusion length is limited by SOC.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Design of a Stimulator and a Focused Coil for the Application of Small Animals

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive, safe, effective, and food and drug administration approved treatment for major depressive disorder. TMS relies on time-varying magnetic fields to induce an electric field in the brain, resulting in depolarization or hyperpolarization of the neurons. Recently, there has been extensive research to improve the magnetic coil design, effectiveness of TMS treatment, and improvement in the computer modeling of human brains, yet little development is reported on the TMS pulse generators and coil design for small animals. TMS pulse generators, or stimulators, are the circuits which provides pulse current to drive the inductive coils (TMS coils), used to generate time-varying magnetic fields. Commercial TMS stimulators are expensive and have limitations of using standard and non-customizable coils. These stimulators do not support small inductive loads, which require high-current capabilities. Furthermore, the commercial animal coil stimulates the entire body of a mouse, as they are designed for large animals. In this paper, the authors present the design of a small sized TMS stimulator and a focused coil for the application on small animals such as mice. The proposed TMS stimulator will have the potential of handling small inductive loads enabling stimulation of specific regions within the mouse brain.
DEVELOPMENT OF AUTONOMIC RECEPTORS IN THE FETAL MOUSE HEART

We investigated the development of the β-adrenergic and cholinergic muscarinic receptors in homogenates of fetal mouse hearts (FMH) using the ligands 3H-dihydroalprenolol (DHA) and 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) and correlated changes in receptor density with alterations in the responsiveness of the FMH in organ culture to stimulation by (-)-isoproterenol or acetylcholine. In this paper, we present evidence that stereospecific β-adrenergic receptors and muscarinic cholinergic receptors can be identified and characterized in the developing FMH; these populations of receptors increase in density during the third trimester with no change in affinity and can be correlated with physiological responsiveness. Significant postnatal increases in receptor density can be demonstrated for both receptors.
Introduction to section on perception and action. Themes in perception and action.

Over the past few decades, several research communities have (more or less independently) converged onto the idea that many interesting and important issues can be addressed by studying the connection between perception and action. Although much has been learned about vision, hearing, touch, and motor control by studying these systems in isolation, investigations of the rich interplay between perception and action have led to a new set of research questions and a fresh perspective on old problems. The six chapters that follow illustrate why the study of perception and action is bound to play an important role in making progress in motor control. The primary goal of this introductory chapter is to provide readers with some broader context to better appreciate the six chapters that follow. In the next section, four central themes in the study of perception and action will be reviewed: (1) the coupling of perception and action, (2) the role of internal models, prediction, and planning, (3) the two visual systems hypothesis, and (4) neural mechanisms for perception and action. Along the way, previews of the six chapters in this section of the book will be provided. Some of the goals of research on perception and action, as well as some of the theoretical and methodological approaches will be mentioned. But details will be kept to a minimum, as the main purpose of this chapter is to provide a thematic overview.
Lumbar Spine Stabilization

Lumbar spine instability is a common consequence of age-related spinal degeneration, congenital spinal malformations, and previous lumbar surgery, among other causes. Pain is the most common indication for surgical stabilization, but neurological symptoms such as leg weakness and urinary disfunction are frequent manifestations of lumbar instability that can reduce a patient's quality of life. The field of surgical stabilization of the lumbar spine has evolved in terms of its anatomic approaches, instrumentation, techniques for arthrodesis, and intraoperative evaluation. These advances have led to better patient outcomes. Selecting appropriate patients and surgical treatments as well as appropriately managing these patients before and after surgery is paramount to success.
Patient navigation core metrics before and after implementation of a nurse navigation program at CHI St. Francis Cancer Treatment Center: A community based cancer program.

e18040Background: Patient navigation is an intervention to improve cancer outcomes by facilitating timely access to cancer care. Few comparative data exist about the effects of nurse navigation in ...
SUBJECTIVE AGE BIAS AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROTECTIVE FACTOR IN THE AGING PROCESS

Subjective age bias (the difference between chronological age and felt age) has been explained as a protective factor that allows aging individuals to psychologically distance themselves from “older adults” as a group, thereby also distancing themselves from negative age-related identity threats like stereotyping and discrimination that can decrease current life satisfaction. To test this model, the current study aims to examine the moderating role of experiences of discrimination in the relationship between chronological age and subjective age bias. This study also examined self-esteem as an explanatory factor by which adopting a more exaggerated subjective age bias is associated with greater life satisfaction. The aims were addressed using a nationwide sample of older adults (N=3,294, Mean age = 64) from the third wave of the National Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS III). Moderation analyses confirmed that advancing chronological age is associated with a greater subjective age bias, and that this pattern is exaggerated for participants who experience higher levels of discrimination. Mediation analysis supported the hypothesis that greater subjective age bias in this sample was associated with higher life satisfaction, and that this relationship was partially explained by higher levels of self-esteem. These results suggest that increasing subjective age bias with age may operate to protect psychological well-being in the face of discrimination, a benefit partially explained by greater self-esteem. Future research should investigate the modifiability of subjective age in order to increase life satisfaction and other factors related to psychological well-being as people age.
Discrete Dynamical Systems Described by Neutral Equations

This paper is concerned with discrete dynamical systems described by neutral difference equations of the form $$\Delta f(n,{x_n}) = g(n,{x_n}),{x_n} = x(n) $$ (1.1) where Δ stands for the first order difference, i.e., $$\Delta u\ln = {{u}_{{n + 1}}} - {{u}_{n}}$$ (1.2) with n∈ℤor n∈ ℤ+.
Association Analysis of Baking and Milling Quality Traits in an Elite Soft Red Winter Wheat Population

USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants [2011-68002-30029, 2017-67007-25939]; Virginia Tech; The Ohio State UniversityOhio State University; USDAARS Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory; Hatch Grant [IND010810]
Time to Onset of Paresthesia Among Community Members Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster

We examined whether time to onset of paresthesia was associated with indicators of severity of World Trade Center (WTC) exposure. We analyzed data from 3411 patients from the Bellevue Hospital-WTC Environmental Health Center. Paresthesia was defined as present if the symptom occurred in the lower extremities with frequency "often" or "almost continuous." We plotted hazard functions and used the log-rank test to compare time to onset of paresthesia between different exposure groups. We also used Cox regression analysis to examine risk factors for time-to-paresthesia after 9/11/2001 and calculate hazard ratios adjusted for potential confounders. We found significantly elevated hazard ratios for paresthesia for (a) working in a job that required cleaning of WTC dust in the workplace; and (b) being heavily exposed to WTC dust on September 11, 2001, after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and body mass index. These observational data are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to WTC dust or some other aspect of cleaning WTC dust in the workplace, is associated with neuropathy and paresthesia. Further neurological evaluations of this and other WTC-exposed populations is warranted.
On compactness of the ∂̄-Neumann operator on Hartogs domains

ABSTRACTWe show that Property (P) of ∂Ω, compactness of the ∂¯-Neumann operators N1, and compactness of Hankel operator on a smooth bounded pseudoconvex complete Hartogs domain Ω={(z,w1,w2,…,wn)∈Cn...
The Juvenile Discount

Despite the broad principles of Miller and Graham, the Court has not provided a framework for the accurate and proportionate sentencing of juveniles that accounts for their diminished culpability. The United States’ juvenile overpunishment problem stems from assigning juvenile sentences that are both overly-severe and overly-imposed. This crisis extends far beyond juvenile life-without-parole sentences and infects sentencing practices for all offense levels. This Article offers a statutory solution to the systemic overpunishment of children, providing the framework for appropriate recalibration of penalties by imposing a standardized deduction on juvenile sentences. Specifically, this Article proposes a statute implementing youth as a quantifiable mitigation factor and modifying sentences for juveniles by a 25% downward departure from the adult sentence for the same crime. Part I of this Article explains the constitutional principles governing the imposition of JLWOP and how these principles should apply expansively. Part II offers a framework for sentencing juvenile offenders with a 25% discount from the appropriate adult sentence and explains how the juvenile discount will apply in various systems. Finally, Part III argues that this standardized approach to sentencing juveniles solves problems associated with mandatory minimums, virtual life sentences, elimination of parole boards, and the systemic overpunishment of children tried as adults. Part III also demonstrates how the juvenile discount — by treating juveniles as constitutionally different than adults — embodies proportional sentencing, satisfies the purposes of punishment, alleviates social and political problems, and operates as a specific framework under the guiding principles of Graham and Miller.
Photorealistic imaging of left atrial appendage occlusion/exclusion

Recent improvements in 3D TEE post processing rendering techniques referred to as TrueVue (Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA, USA). It allows for novel photorealistic imaging of cardiac structures including left atrial appendage (LAA) and its closure devices. Here we present TrueVue images of the LAA prior to and after LAA exclusion/occlusion using various percutaneous and surgical techniques. TrueVue may improve delineation of LAA anatomy prior to occlusion as well as visualization of occluder device position within the LAA.
Effect of Family Structure on Parental Involvement: Perspectives of Principals and Traditional, Dual-Income, and Single Parents.

This study examined children's school needs, the school's response to those needs, and present and desirable forms of parental involvement from the perspectives of traditional, dual-income, and sin...
Contrasting adaptations to synaptic physiology of prefrontal cortex interneuron subtypes in a mouse model of binge drinking

Abstract Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects all sexes, however women who develop AUD may be particularly susceptible to cravings and other components of the disease. While many brain regions are involved in AUD etiology, proper function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is particularly important for top-down craving management and the moderation of drinking behaviors. Essential regulation of PFC output is provided by local inhibitory interneurons, yet the effects of chronic drinking on interneuron physiology remain poorly understood, particularly in female individuals. To address this gap, we generated fluorescent reporter transgenic mice to label the two major classes of interneuron in deep layer prelimbic PFC, based on expression of parvalbumin (PV-IN) or somatostatin (SST-IN). We then interrogated PV-IN and SST-IN membrane and synaptic physiology in a rodent model of binge drinking. Beginning in late adolescence, mice received 3-4 weeks of intermittent access (IA) ethanol. One day after the last drinking session, adaptations to PV-IN and SST-IN intrinsic physiology were observed in male mice but not in female mice. Furthermore, IA ethanol precipitated diametrically opposing changes to PV-IN synaptic physiology based on sex. IA ethanol decreased excitatory synaptic strength onto PV-INs from female mice and potentiated excitatory transmission onto PV-INs male mice. In contrast, decreased synaptic strength onto SST-INs was observed following IA ethanol in all groups of mice. Together, these findings illustrate novel sex differences in drinking-related PFC pathophysiology. Discovering means to restore PV-IN and SST-IN dysfunction following extended drinking provides opportunities for developing new treatments for all AUD patients.
Chapter 1 – Accessory Glands

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses accessory glands of both female and male insects. Accessory glands of reproductive systems produce secretions that aid in sperm maintenance, transport, and fertilization. In addition, accessory glands in females provide protective coatings for eggs. The interplay between male and female secretions from accessory glands is a key element in the design of diverse mating systems. Accessory gland secretions can have digestive functions important in sperm management. Sperm management by females involves a wide range of processes, including liberation of sperm from a spermatophore, digestion of male secretions and sperm, transport of sperm to and from the spermatheca, maintenance of stored sperm, and fertilization. Further, the effects of male accessory gland secretions on the female are best known for the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, in which the functions of several gene products have been explored at the molecular level. Since insects have a diversity of mating systems, the specific functions of accessory gland secretions are likely to reflect this variation.
Plutonium: How Nuclear Power’s Dream Fuel Became a Nightmare: by Frank von Hippel, Masafumi Takubo and Jungmin Kang, Singapore, Springer Nature, 2019, 177 pp., 29,11 € (hardcover), 21,39 € (eBook).

Nuclear energy has enjoyed a renaissance of a sort, at least in the public eye, over the last two decades. Energy security, increasing electricity demand, and climate change top the list of reasons...
Delayed diagnosis of annular pancreas in 11-year-old girl with DiGeorge syndrome

Abstract DiGeorge Syndrome is a collection of symptoms stemming from a heterozygous microdeletion on chromosome 22. An eleven-year-old girl with DiGeorge syndrome presented to our Pediatric Surgery with a history of episodes of vomiting since birth, and a recent hospitalization for aspiration pneumonia. Upper GI series demonstrated a large, distended stomach and duodenum with delayed passage of contrast into distal bowel. The patient had recurrent non-bilious emesis, throughout infancy and childhood. Over time, she adjusted her diet to primarily eat sauces and other soft foods, avoiding meat entirely. While being evaluated for recent aspiration pneumonia following emesis, a dilated duodenum and stomach was found on upper GI series, and she was referred to Pediatric Surgery. Originally suspecting a fenestrated duodenal web, it was discovered during surgery that the obstruction was caused by an annular pancreas. The obstruction was treated by a duodeno-duodenostomy using diamond anastomosis. By two-week follow-up, the patient advanced to a mechanical soft diet and tolerated full liquids well. Most annular pancreas patients present with complete obstruction in infancy. This patient presented with moderate symptoms in early adolescence. DiGeorge syndrome is loosely associated with various GI malformations, but annular pancreas has not been reported elsewhere in medical literature.
Evaluation of dexmedetomidine withdrawal in critically ill adults.

Abstract Background Dexmedetomidine (DEX) withdrawal syndrome has been reported in the pediatric population, but literature describing DEX withdrawal in critically ill adults is limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of DEX withdrawal in adult patients and to identify factors associated with DEX withdrawal syndrome. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed in the adult intensive care units of two tertiary medical centers. Eligible patients were at least 18 years of age and received DEX for 24 h or more. Patients were excluded if they presented with a primary neurologic diagnosis, had a history of substance abuse, or received any other α2-agonists 24 h before discontinuation of DEX. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients who developed withdrawal as defined by the presence of two or more symptoms (tachycardia, hypertension, vomiting, agitation) within the 24 h following DEX discontinuation. Results Of the 165 patients included, 50 patients experienced withdrawal (30.3%), lasting a median of two days. The incidence of withdrawal was higher in surgical (40%) compared to medical (28%) or cardiac (32%) patients (p = 0.004). Median duration of infusion was 52.5 h (interquartile range [IQR], 37.8 to 102.8) in the withdrawal group and 52 h (IQR, 41 to 87) in the non-withdrawal group (p = 0.887). Median DEX dose was 0.56 μg/kg/h (IQR, 0.39 to 0.83) in the withdrawal group and 0.48 μg/kg/h (0.36 to 0.65) in the non-withdrawal group (p = 0.12). Weaning did not reduce the incidence of withdrawal as compared to abrupt discontinuation (p = 0.68). The withdrawal group was more likely to have concomitantly discontinued opioids (54% vs 12.2%) and benzodiazepines (36% vs 0%) at the time of DEX discontinuation compared to the non-withdrawal group (p = 0.004). Conclusion Development of DEX-associated withdrawal occurred in approximately 30% of adult patients, comparable to rates reported in pediatric literature. There appeared to be no correlation between dose, exposure, and weaning in the occurrence of withdrawal, but concomitant discontinuation of opioids or benzodiazepines as well as ICU admission type could highlight cases requiring closer monitoring.
A computational approach to tracking age-based task frequency distributions of Apis mellifera worker cohorts

We present a model for tracking future task frequency distributions of individual adult worker honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) cohorts in a colony based on the composition of immatures at a specific ...
‘China’s Emergence as a Power in the Mediterranean: Port Diplomacy and Active Engagement’

In the decade between 2009 and 2019, China emerged as an economic power with geostrategic dimensions in the Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe, a region contested by great powers for many centur...
Uterine Isthmus Agenesis with Inverted Uterine Body and Malrotated Kidney.

ABSTRACT A 21-year-old with a history of cyclic abdominal pain beginning at age 13 years and a previous diagnosis of a complex mullerian anomaly presented with abdominal pain and a finding of a right distended hemiuterus, left hematosalpinx, and cervix separate from the uterine body. After laparoscopic decompression for symptomatic relief at that time, she presented to our center for definitive management. After a diagnostic vaginoscopy and laparoscopy confirmed the diagnosis of uterine isthmus agenesis, an abdominal approach to uterocervical anastomosis was planned and undertaken. At the postsurgical clinical follow-up, the patient reported normal menses and resolution of pain, and imaging confirmed maintenance of anastomotic patency. The diagnosis and classification system of mullerian anomalies are complex, and few reports detail the management of rare mullerian anomalies. In this case report, the successful anastomosis of the uterus and the cervix is reviewed as an approach that can restore normal menses successfully and safely and potentially allow for future fertility in patients with uterine isthmus agenesis.
Pharmacoeconomic Considerations for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in the Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

The introduction and use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) drugs have markedly improved the overall survival and quality of life for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). There are currently five branded TKIs approved in the United States (US) and European Union (EU) for CML treatment, and one generic option (Gleevec’s generic, imatinib). Imatinib, a first-generation TKI, was the first treatment approved for CML by the European Medicines Agency and the Food and Drug Administration in 2001. Second-generation TKIs dasatinib, nilotinib, and bosutinib have since been approved in the US and EU for both patients who are resistant or intolerant to prior therapy (in 2006 and 2007) as well as those with newly diagnosed disease. Ponatinib is a highly active but more toxic third-generation TKI approved in 2012 as a last option or for patients with T315I-mutated CML patients. Internationally, many countries have added CML TKIs to their national formularies; however, despite their clinical benefits for patients, affordability of TKIs remains a significant concern in the US.
Leveling Health Hierarchies: Finding My Way as A Chronically Ill Academic.

Reflecting on 30 years of living with Crohn’s Disease, I engage Managed Meaning of Embodied Experience (MMEE) theory, considering whether and how it can help me articulate new possibilities for wor...
David Oliver: Lessons for NHS staff from the Grenfell inquiry

I recently saw a play entitled Value Engineering: Scenes from the Grenfell Inquiry .12 The theatre was within sight of the Grenfell Tower, a 24 storey, 1970s residential tower block in west London, where 72 people lost their lives in 2017 in a completely avoidable blaze that destroyed the building.3 The dramatisation relied entirely on dialogue taken verbatim from transcripts of the public inquiry that followed. Key to the whole tragedy was the use of highly combustible cladding material of a kind that had already led to fatal fires in other tower blocks in London and overseas. The risk was compounded by a small gap left between the cladding and the building, leading to a “flue effect.” We heard from a …
Molecular Aspects of Genetic Recombination

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews that recombination is synonymous with genetic analysis. It has been implicated in ensuring the accuracy of chromosome segregation during meiosis, as a device to circularize bacteriophage chromosomes as a prelude to their replication, in the initiation of the state of molecular parasitism for temperate phages that intercalate their DNA molecules into those of the host, and as a mechanism for the generation of genetic variability, the raw material for natural selection. It discusses that the basic mechanisms of recombination are as evolutionarily conservative as recombination is ubiquitous in nature and thus one can validly inquire into these mechanisms by considering their manifestations wherever and in whatever form they are revealed. The chapter also reviews that there could be two kinds of molecular interaction leading to recombination. One, a minimal interaction, wherein a single-stranded fragment derived from a donor molecule is intercalated into the continuity of a recipient DNA molecule. The exemplar for this interaction is seen in bacterial transformation. The other interaction, the maximal interaction, is one in which the interaction is consummated with the formation of one or two recombinant molecules of joint parentage. This kind of interaction is represented by the nonreciprocal crossing-over that occurs in phage crosses and by classical reciprocal crossing-over as seen in the eucaryotes.
Fibrinolysin and Related Plasma Esterases in Patients with Cirrhosis

Summary "Plasmin" and plasminogen of the plasma were decreased in patients with cirrhosis as determined by measuring their esterase activity on the substrate α-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester before and after streptokinase activation. This test may prove to be of value as an indicator of variations in liver function.
A Heat Pipe Controlled-Temperature Combustor for Low Nitric Oxide Emissions

The use of a heat pipe to control nitric oxide formation in the post-flame gases of a continuous-flow combustor was investigated for steady-state conditions. Analytical modeling of such a device predicted that emission levels of nitric oxide formed in the post-flame gases would be several orders of magnitude lower than those associated with an uncontrolled case. The general compatibility of a heat pipe with such a high-temperature environment was demonstrated by exposing a sodium heat pipe to a propane-air flame for 1000 hours with no measurable degradation in performance. The quantity of nitric oxide formed in the flame front may be substantial in some combustors and is not amenable to reduction by the heat pipe concept of this study. Transient operation is another potential problem area for vehicular applications of the study combustor.
Ion transport by heart mitochondria. VII. Activation of the energy-linked accumulation of Mg++ by Zn++ and other cations.

Abstract The effect of a number of heavy metal ions on the energy-linked accumulation of Mg++ by isolated heart mitochondria has been studied with the use of ascorbate and tetramethylphenylenediamine as the energy source. With this substrate Mg++ uptake is activated strongly by Zn++ and Cd++, and to a lesser degree by Cu++, Hg++, and Ag+. In contrast to this activation of Mg++ accumulation, these reagents depress oxidative phosphorylation and the energy-linked accumulation of Ca++. The cation-dependent increase in Mg++ accumulation requires phosphate or arsenate and is inhibited by inhibitors of respiration and uncouplers of phosphorylation. It is strongly inhibited by adenosine diphosphate and by sulfhydryl group reagents, but is insensitive to oligomycin. It is also depressed by Na+ and K+. The increased ion uptake in the presence of Zn++ is accompanied by increased respiration. This observation is consistent with a greater demand for free energy to support the increased ion accumulation. Zn++ has little effect on the loss of accumulated ions to the suspending medium, and appears to act by stimulating the rate of uptake of Mg++. A large portion of the available Zn++ is taken up by the mitochondria in a reaction which does not require the expenditure of free energy. Mitochondria which are tightly coupled accumulate Mg++ rather slowly compared to preparations which show poorer respiratory control. Mg++ accumulation in tightly coupled mitochondria is activated to a greater degree by Zn++ and Cd++ than is the corresponding reaction in more loosely coupled preparations. It is suggested that specific membrane lesions which favor the energy-linked uptake of Mg++ can be induced by the addition of Zn++ or Cd++, and perhaps by other procedures. The relationship of the Zn++-dependent uptake of Mg++ to other induced ion transport systems of the mitochondrion is discussed.
Genetic parameters for growth traits for a composite terminal sire breed of sheep.

Records of 9,055 lambs from a composite population originating from crossing Columbia rams to Hampshire x Suffolk ewes at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center were used to estimate genetic parameters among growth traits. Traits analyzed were weights at birth (BWT), weaning (7 wk, WWT), 19 mo (W19), and 31 mo (W31) and postweaning ADG from 9 to 18 or 19 wk of age. The ADG was also divided into daily gain of males (DGM) and daily gain of females (DGF). These two traits were analyzed with W19 and with W31 in three-trait analyses. (Co)variance components were estimated with REML for an animal model that included fixed effects of sex, age of dam, type of birth or rearing, and contemporary group. Random effects were direct and maternal genetic of animal and dam with genetic covariance, maternal permanent environmental, and random residual. Estimates of direct heritability were .09, .09, .35, .44, .19, .16, and .23 for BWT, WWT, W19, W31, ADG, DGM, and DGF, respectively. Estimates of maternal permanent environmental variance as a proportion of phenotypic variance were .09, .12, .03, .03, .03, .06, and .02, respectively. Estimates of maternal heritability were .17 and .09 for BWT and WWT and .01 to .03 for other traits. Estimates of genetic correlations were large among W19, W31, and ADG (.69 to .97), small between BWT and W31 or ADG, and moderate for other pairs of traits (.32 to .45). The estimate of genetic correlation between DGM and DGF was .94, and the correlation between maternal permanent environmental effects for these traits was .56. For the three-trait analyses, the genetic correlations of DGM and DGF with W19 were .69 and .82 and with W31 were .67 and .67, respectively. Results show that models for genetic evaluation for BWT and WWT should include maternal genetic effects. Estimates of genetic correlations show that selection for ADG in either sex can be from records of either sex (DGM or DGF) and that selection for daily gain will result in increases in mature weight but that BWT is not correlated with weight at 31 mo.
Chemical Characterization of d-Lactate Dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli B

Abstract The d-lactate dehydrogenase (d-lactate:diphosphopyridine nucleotide oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.28) from Escherichia coli B has been purified to homogeneity. This enzyme, mol wt 115,000, is very sensitive to autoxidation. The amino acid composition has been determined. All 12 of the cysteinyl residues of the enzyme are in the reduced state. Reaction of these cysteinyl residues with arsenite, thiol reagents, or alkylating agents leads to inhibition or inactivation of the enzyme. Pyruvate or diphosphopyridine nucleotide protects the enzyme against alkylation by iodoacetamide. However, the addition of reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide causes a significant increase in the rate of alkylation by iodoacetamide, suggesting that the binding of the reduced coenzyme to this lactate dehydrogenase causes a conformational change in the protein.
Consolidating Judgment Liens

Winning a money judgment is often just the beginning of the lawyer's job in helping the client. The law places the burden on the judgment creditor to find and obtain sufficient assets to satisfy the judgment. There is no penalty (other than accruing interest) for a debtor's failure to pay a judgment creditor. For example, debtors do not have to fear jail in the vast majority of cases. But in attempting to satisfy judgments a lawyer in Maryland, as in other states, faces a thicket of statutes, court rules and case law that have grown up over the last two centuries.Unless our goal is to protect debtors by preserving obstacles in the creditor's path or to give law professors something to consume many classroom hours, the time has come to streamline and rationalize the system of judicial liens.