cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seven-Year Impact of Cover Crops on Soil Health When Corn Residue Is Removed

Removing plant residue from soil has been shown to have an adverse effect on soil health; however, the addition of cover crops may help mitigate these impacts. This study was conducted to assess the effect of incorporating cover crops on soil health with varying removal rates of corn (Zea mays L.) residues. Corn was grown in rotation with soybean (Glycine max) in a randomized, split-block design with three different corn residue removal levels (37, 55, and 98% of total above-ground C) as whole plot treatments and the presence or absence of cover crops as the split plot treatment. Soil samples were collected from both crop phases following 7 years of cover crop treatment and subjected to a suite of soil health measurements. In the soybean phase immediately following corn residue removal, there were significant (P = 0.025) increases in the erodible fraction (EF) of soil aggregates and reductions in the stable, larger aggregate fractions. Cover crops mitigated these changes in aggregate distributions in the highest residue removal treatment. Residue removal resulted in a significant decrease in fPOM (P = 0.03) while the addition of cover crops increased fPOM levels during the soybean phase (P = 0.002). Residue removal significantly (P = 0.017) decreased soil microbial enzyme activities while cover crops restored activities in the highest residue removal treatment (P = 0.037). We also found higher fungal:bacterial ratios with cover cropping compared to no cover crops. We conclude that cover cropping continued over multiple years can partially mitigate negative effects of crop residue removal on soil health thus limiting soil erosion and maintaining nutrient cycling activities in the vulnerable period following residue removal.
Programmed DNA Elimination: Keeping Germline Genes in Their Place.

Summary Each of our cells contains a full set of instructions needed to make an entire human: the genome. But a few special species buck this trend. A new study now identifies the first germline-specific gene in zebra finch, one of a small number of vertebrates that are known to undergo developmentally programmed DNA elimination.
Multi-year study of Ganoderma aerobiology

Ganoderma basidiospores are dominant members ofthe airspora in many regions of the world and areconsidered important airborne allergens. Theaerobiology of Ganoderma spores in the Tulsa,Oklahoma area was examined using Burkard VolumetricSpore Traps from 1987–1996. Ganodermaspores were present in the atmosphere on more than95% of the days from June through October with peakconcentrations generally occurring from late August tomid-October. The data showed marked interannualvariation, with seasonal totals in 1994 and 1995significantly higher than other years. Stepwisebackward multiple regression showed that cumulativeseason total was significantly related to Junetemperature and May through August precipitation(R2 = 0.97, p < 0.01).
Institutional Economics as an Ideological Movement

In the 1920s, when it was in its ascendancy as a movement that seriously challenged the hegemony of neo-classical economics, institutional eco-nomics could boast of having some of the most distinguished economists in America in its ranks. Thorstein Vehlen was the most famous, if not the most respectable, member of the group. His students and disciples held posts at some of the country’s most distinguished universities: men like Wesley C. Mitchell, J. M. Clark, Walton Hamilton, and Morris Copeland. All of these were highly acclaimed economists whose publications appeared frequently in the leading professional journals. Indeed, in 1928, when Paul Homan published his well-known book summarizing the main positions of contemporary economists, he included five major figures to represent the leading viewpoints of the time. Two of them (Veblen and Mitchell) were American institutionalists, and one (J. A. Hobson) was an English cousin of institutionalism. Only J. B. Clark and Alfred Marshall could be counted among the representatives of orthodoxy and by 1928 they had already passed from the scene, (Homan, 1928).
The Drosophila neuralized gene encodes a C3HC4 zinc finger.

Abstract The neurogenic genes of Drosophila are required for cell-cell communication that determines the choice between neuronal and epidermal cell fate. Here we report the molecular characterization of the neurogenic gene neuralized (neu) and show that it encodes a protein containing a C3HC4 zinc finger DNA-binding motif. This motif has been previously characterized in a variety of regulatory proteins, including transcription factors, locus-specific Drosophila chromosomal proteins, and oncoproteins. These results suggest a nuclear function for neu in the cell-cell signalling process responsible for inhibiting neuronal determination.
Abstract LB-302: Oncolytic poliovirus-mediated inflammation and immunity in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Disease prognosis, local recurrence rates and response to therapy are all related to receptor status of the individual cancer. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC; ER-, PR-, and HER2-negative) is a subset of breast cancer with poor prognosis and high rate of local recurrence and metastasis with limited therapeutic options. The oncolytic poliovirus, PVSRIPO, is a recombinant polio:rhinovirus chimera that has been engineered to eliminate neuropathogenicity and has demonstrated promising responses in patients with recurrent glioblastoma. PVSRIPO is oncolytic in tumor cells and enters cells via its receptor CD155, which is overexpressed in solid malignancies, including TNBC. Treatment of primary TNBC tissue with PVSRIPO induces IFN-I and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In a murine immunotherapy model, intratumoral injection of PVSRIPO induces IFN-I, IL12 and IFN-γ and rapid recruitment of neutrophils into the tumor followed by infiltration of DCs, T cells and B cells. Treatment of orthotopic breast tumors with PVSRIPO results in delayed tumor growth and increased survival in an immunocompetent murine immunotherapy model. We have designed a pilot study to examine the effects of intratumoral injection of PVSRIPO into six women with TNBC with at least 1 cm of residual tumor after chemotherapy. The primary exploratory objective is to describe the changes in the amount of tumor infiltrating immune cells in tumor tissue pre- and post-injection of PVSRIPO. We will also collect blood at different time points during PVSRIPO treatment to evaluate inflammatory and immune signatures. We hypothesize that intratumoral administration of PVSRIPO will cause inflammation thus stimulating innate and adaptive immune activation. This study is funded by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program award W81XWH-16-1-0354 (PI, Smita Nair). Citation Format: Karenia Landa, Eda Holl, Michael Brown, James Herndon, Lars Grimm, Jeremy Force, Darell Bigner, Shelley Hwang, Matthias Gromeier, Smita Nair. Oncolytic poliovirus-mediated inflammation and immunity in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-302.
Morphometric Analysis of Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Height: An Imaging Study

Background Little published data exist regarding normal values of disc height. Current literature relies on plain radiographs making accurate measurements of individual lumbar disc height difficult. Objective We seek to establish normal values for lumbar intervertebral discs in different age groups using computed tomography scans in healthy individuals. Methods Two hundred forty anonymized abdominal computed tomography scans (131 women) were prospectively collected once institutional review board approval was obtained. Individuals with spinal pathologies were excluded. Disc height measurements were obtained at the anterior edge, center, and posterior edge of each vertebra in the midsagittal plane, averaged, and compared against age and sex. Results Average age was 45 (14–83) years for women and 48 (14–89) years for men. Average lumbar disc height was 5.6 ± 1.1 mm for men and 4.8 ± 0.8 mm for women at T12/L1, 6.9 ± 1.3 mm for men and 5.8 ± 0.9 mm for women at L1/2, 8.1 ± 1.4 mm for men and 6.9 ± 1.1 mm for women at L2/3, 8.7 ± 1.5 mm for men and 7.6 ± 1.2 mm for women at L3/4, 9.2 ± 1.6 mm for men and 8.5 ± 1.6 mm for women at L4/5, and 8.8 ± 1.6 mm for men and 8.6 ± 1.8 mm for women at L5/S1. Disc height was significantly smaller for women than men (P Conclusions Variation in disc height is determined much more by sex than age. The maximum height of the interbody space in the adult lumbar spine was at the L4/5 level (8.9 ± 1.7 mm [men], 8.6 ± 1.8 mm [women]). Based on our findings, >10 mm cage height will result in supraphysiologic interbody space restoration and potentially predispose to complications.
Understanding Post-Adoptive Behaviors in IS Use: A Longitudinal Analysis of System Use Problems in the Business Intelligence Context

For an organization to gain maximum benefits from a new information system (IS), individual users in the organization must use it effectively and extensively. To do so, users need to overcome many problems associated with their system use in order to integrate the new information system into their work routines. Much remains to be learned about the types of problems that users encounter in using the new system, in particular, the root causes of system use problems and how they relate to and co-evolve with the problems over time. In this study, we seek to develop a comprehensive and dynamic view of system use problems in organizations. Using a combined method of revealed causal mapping (RCM) and in-depth network analysis, we analyze nine-month archival data on user-reported problems with new business intelligence (BI) application in a large organization. Our data analysis revealed seven emergent constructs of system use problems and causes, including reporting, data, workflow, role authorization, users’ lack of knowledge, system error, and user-system interaction. The seven constructs were found to interact differentially across two usage phases (initial versus continued) and between two types of users (regular versus power user). This study contributes to advancing our theoretical understanding of post-adoptive IS use by focusing on its problematic aspect. This study also suggests useful methods for organizations to effectively monitor users’ system use problems over time and thus guides organizations to effectively target mechanisms to promote the use of new technologies.
Reassessing the Paleoindian Witt Archaeological Locality, Tulare Lake, San Joaquin Valley, California

ABSTRACTIn the late 1960s, a portion of a private artifact collection obtained from the “Witt site,” located along the southwestern shoreline of Tulare Lake in California, was described. Included w...
Synthesis, Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Water-Soluble Mixed-Ligand Diruthenium Complexes Containing Anilinopyridinate Bridging Ligands.

A series of water-soluble Ru25+ complexes of the type Ru2(O2CCH3)3(L)Cl where L = 2,3,4,5,6-F5ap, 2,4,6-F3ap, 2-Fap, ap, 2-Meap, 2,6-Me2ap, or 2,4,6-Me3ap, where ap is the anilinopyridinate anion, have been characterized as to their structural and physicochemical properties in H2O and DMSO. Five of the newly synthesized complexes were structurally characterized, and the Ru–Cl bond lengths range from 2.477 to 2.544 A while the Ru–Ru bond lengths range from 2.2838 to 2.2935 A. The UV–vis spectra of each compound are characterized by three absorption bands in both H2O and DMSO, the intensity and position of which vary with both the type of bridging ligand and the solvent. The seven examined Ru25+ complexes exist as 1:1 electrolytes in water, and each undergoes a reversible one-electron reduction assigned to Ru25+/Ru24+ in both investigated solvents. A second irreversible reduction attributed to Ru24+/Ru23+ is also observed for each compound at more negative potentials in DMSO. A linear free energy relationsh...
Occupational-Induced Secondary Traumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Respiratory Therapists

BACKGROUND: Secondary traumatic stress (STS) may occur in the caretakers of individuals who have experienced traumatic events or are suffering and, when severe, may be associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a diagnostic level due to STS. For respiratory therapists (RTs), the incidence of STS and PTSD at a diagnostic level due to STS has not been examined. We assessed the prevalence of self-reported STS and PTSD at a diagnostic level due to STS in licensed RTs. METHODS: Licensed RTs who were members of the American Association for Respiratory Care completed the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) based on feelings experienced over the preceding 30 days and 12 months. Results were evaluated on the basis of primary patient population (neonatal/pediatric vs adult), years of experience, and usual work location (ambulatory care, acute care, or ICU) using the McNemar chi-square analysis and the Fisher exact test. RESULTS: 201 licensed and practicing RTs completed the survey. 92% of the respondents worked ≥ 30 h/week, 75% worked in ICUs, 67% worked primarily with adults, and 89% had been in practice ≥ 6 years. PTSD at a diagnostic level due to STS was common in all respondents, occurring in 36% based on experiences from the prior 30 days and in 32% based on experiences from the prior 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: No difference in PTSD at a diagnostic level due to STS was noted between RTs caring for neonatal/pediatric versus adult patients or between RTs based on years of work experience or based on work environment. STS and PTSD at a diagnostic level due to STS was common in RTs.
Litter accumulation in emergent marshes: investigating the effects of litter on wetland invertebrates and the processes controlling litter distribution and accumulation

Abundant emergent plant litter produced in the interior of dense emergent stands may directly or indirectly influence invertebrate communities. Low litter may provide beneficial structure and refuge while high litter may shade out vegetation and algae and decrease oxygen concentrations. Within an emergent stand, a transect study from the edge to interior and an interior litter manipulation study were performed to investigate the impact of increasing litter on the invertebrate community. Under lower litter conditions in the interior, total invertebrate abundance was similar to the edge but the emergent interior was dominated by hypoxic-tolerant nektonic species. Under high litter conditions in the interior, invertebrate abundance decreased and the invertebrate community was different from lower litter levels, supporting semi-aquatic species and very hypoxic-tolerant taxa. Anoxia was present at high litter treatments, while moderate and low litter treatments showed prolonged hypoxia. Lemnid densities were much lower in the high litter treatment. Lower invertebrate abundance may be related to losses in lemnids that were displaced by high litter. When considering litter and spatial position, a gradient of three habitats emerge that differ in their invertebrate community, 1) the interior with high litter, anoxia, and few lemnids, 2) the interior with low litter, hypoxia, and abundant lemnids and 3) the edge with low litter, higher dissolved oxygen, and high submersed or lemnid vegetation. INTRODUCTION Invertebrate community composition can be influenced by numerous factors in wetland systems including predation (Hanson and Butler 1994, Hanson and Riggs 1995, Zimmer et al. 2001), vegetation (Voigts 1976; Brown et al. 1988, Olson et al. 1995, Murkin
Nondestructive Characterization and Bond Strength of Solid-Solid Bonds

With increasing demand in industry to produce solid-solid bonds, the need for their quantitative characterization, particularly with respect to their strength, becomes more urgent. In the present paper, restricted to diffusion bonds in metallic systems, we define strength as the ultimate engineering stress achieved in a uniaxial tensile test at slow strain rate. It is assumed that the reduction of strength is basically determined by a lack of metallic bonding over a fraction of the total area to be bonded, with metallically bonded areas being separated by crack-shaped voids. In the present paper, these voids are considered to contain a vacuum or, at most, a low pressure gas. In principle, they could be filled with some form of a solid contaminant (oxide, e.g.) which increases the complexity of the analysis[1]. Furthermore, the present paper concentrates on a situation where self-diffusion, necessary to achieve bonding, is the only metallurgical effect considered. Any phase transformations, precipitate reactions and grain growth during the bonding process are ignored. In addition, the materials on either side of the bond are identical.
Bulking of Activated Sludge

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the concept of bulking of activated sludge. Bulking sludge is a sludge, which settles slowly and compacts poorly, leaving a small amount of clear supernatant. The sludge particles of a bulking sludge appear to be similar to normal sludge except that the filaments extending from the clumps are much more numerous and much longer. In certain instances, the sludge may be composed almost entirely of filaments with very few bacterial flocs present. A normal activated sludge with good settling characteristics can be produced in an activated sludge process treating domestic sewage, if the proper operating conditions are maintained. However, many plants treating a waste, which is mostly domestic sewage have problems with filamentous bulking and have had to experiment with various operating conditions. The condition of filamentous bulking is a function of the ratio of filamentous organisms to floc-forming organisms in the sludge. Moreover, many of the filamentous bulking organisms can grow as either single cells or filaments and sometimes form floc particles in pure culture; thus, they may make up a sizable proportion of the population of normal activated sludge.
Conversations, Not Categories: The Intersection of Biracial and Bisexual Identities

Abstract This article explores issues of identity and community for women who are biracial and bisexual. The complexities of emerging and intersecting identities are illustrated through personal narrative. The author proposes a biracial/bisexual paradigm for psychology and provides recommendations for counseling, professional change, and social transformation.
Reinforcement learning-based control of residential energy storage systems for electric bill minimization

Incorporating residential-level photovoltaic energy generation and energy storage systems have proved useful in utilizing renewable power and reducing electric bills for the residential energy consumer. This is particular true under dynamic energy prices, where consumers can use PV-based generation and controllable storage modules for peak shaving on their power demand profile from the grid. In general, accurate PV power generation and load power consumption predictions and accurate system modeling are required for the storage control algorithm in most previous works. In this work, the reinforcement learning technique is adopted for deriving the optimal control policy for the residential energy storage module, which does not depend on accurate predictions of future PV power generation and/or load power consumption results and only requires partial knowledge of system modeling. In order to achieve higher convergence rate and higher performance in non-Markovian environment, we employ the TD(Λ)-learning algorithm to derive the optimal energy storage system control policy, and carefully define the state and action spaces, and reward function in the TD(Λ)-learning algorithm such that the objective of the reinforcement learning algorithm coincides with our goal of electric bill minimization for the residential consumer. Simulation results over real-world PV power generation and load power consumption profiles demonstrate that the proposed reinforcement learning-based storage control algorithm can achieve up to 59.8% improvement in energy cost reduction.
Efficient white laser illuminators for plastic optical fibers

Multiwavelength lasers are used to compensate for color distortion in transmission of light through plastic optical fibers. Efficient methods to eliminate the speckle effect and to generate multicolor laser light are described.
Inhaled matters of the heart

Inhalations of atmospheric pollutants, especially particulate matters, are known to cause severe cardiac effects and to exacerbate preexisting heart disease. Heart failure is an important sequellae of gaseous inhalation such as that of carbon monoxide. Similarly, other gases such as sulphur dioxide are known to cause detrimental cardiovascular events. However, mechanisms of these cardiac toxicities are so far unknown. Increased susceptibility of the heart to oxidative stress may play a role. Low levels of antioxidants in the heart as compared to other organs and high levels of reactive oxygen species produced due to the high energetic demand and metabolic rate in cardiac muscle are important in rendering this susceptibility. Acute inhalation of high concentrations of halogen gases is often fatal. Severe respiratory injury and distress occurs upon inhalation of halogens gases, such as chlorine and bromine; however, studies on their cardiac effects are scant. We have demonstrated that inhalation of high concentrations of halogen gases cause significant cardiac injury, dysfunction, and failure that can be critical in causing mortalities following exposures. Our studies also demonstrated that cardiac dysfunction occurs as a result of a direct insult independent of coexisting hypoxia, since it is not fully reversed by oxygen supplementation. Therefore, studies on offsite organ effects of inhaled toxic gases can impact development of treatment strategies upon accidental or deliberate exposures to these agents. Here we summarize the knowledge of cardiovascular effects of common inhaled toxic gases with the intent to highlight the importance of consideration of cardiac symptoms while treating the victims.
Gene Networks in Plant Biology: Approaches in Reconstruction and Analysis

Even though vast amounts of genome-wide gene expression data have become available in plants, it remains a challenge to effectively mine this information for the discovery of genes and gene networks, for instance those that control agronomically important traits. These networks reflect potential interactions among genes and, therefore, can lead to a systematic understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying targeted biological processes. We discuss methods to analyze gene networks using gene expression data, specifically focusing on four common statistical approaches used to reconstruct networks: correlation, feature selection in supervised learning, probabilistic graphical model, and meta-prediction. In addition, we discuss the effective use of these methods for acquiring an in-depth understanding of biological systems in plants.
Urinary Cystathionine, Catecholamine, and Metabolites in Patients with Neuroblastoma

Urinary excretions of cystathionine, catecholamines, and vanillymandelic acid were compared in 27 patients with neuroblastoma and in nine other patients with non-neurogenic tumors. Eleven of the 27 patients were without clinical evidence of active neuroblastoma at the time of the study and excreted no or relatively small amounts of urinary cystathionine. Thirteen of the remaining 16 patients with progressive neuroblastoma had elevated cystathionine values. Elevated values were also detected in three of nine patients with other tumors. There was no correlation between the excretion of cystathionine and either catecholamines or vanillymandelic acid. The assay of cystathionine in addition to catecholamines and vanillymandelic acid is recommended for the complete biochemical evaluation of patients with neuroblastoma.
Serum Leptin Levels in Obese Males During Over- and Underfeeding

Leptin levels in lean adults vary in response to short-term alterations in energy balance. We tested whether leptin responded to short-term changes in energy balance in obese males in a similar manner to lean individuals. We enrolled eight obese, healthy males in a 12-day study composed of four consecutive dietary treatment periods of 3 days each: baseline eucaloric feeding followed by randomized crossover periods of overfeeding (130% of total energy expenditure (TEE)) or underfeeding (70% of TEE), separated by a eucaloric (100% of TEE) washout period. We measured TEE with doubly labeled water prior to baseline. Leptin levels were measured throughout the third day of each treatment and 24-h weighted averaged were calculated. Subjects' ad libitum intake during a breakfast buffet following each treatment period was recorded. During underfeeding, leptin levels decreased by 21 +/- 6% (P < 0.01) from the previous eucaloric period. During overfeeding, leptin levels increased by 25 +/- 11% (P < 0.01) when subjects were underfed first, but did not increase (5 +/- 8%, nonsignificant (n.s.)) when subjects were overfed first. Changes in ad libitum intake from baseline were calculated for each subject after over-, under-, and eucaloric feeding and did not to correlate with the changes in mesor leptin levels from baseline (R(2) = 0.006, n.s). Leptin levels in obese males were acutely responsive to negative energy balance, but not to positive energy balance unless subjects were previously underfed. Consequently, leptin levels in obese males do not respond to changes in energy intake in a manner that would protect against weight gain.
Radar target identification using various nearest neighbor techniques

Radar target identification using decision-theoretic distance based methods have long been used for classifying unknown non-cooperative radar targets using their Radar Cross Section (RCS). This study revisits this subject using the recently developed Large Margin Nearest Neighbor (LMNN) technique in addition to other traditional nearest neighbor methods. Radar target recognition has been defined by two performance limiting issues namely 1) azimuth ambiguity (and/or erroneous estimation of target azimuth) and 2) presence of extraneous scatterers along the target. This study examines these different scenarios and highlights any of the benefits that LMNN may add to the radar target classification problem.
Cationic organoaluminum compounds as intramolecular hydroamination catalysts

Abstract Cationic dialkylaluminum and m -terphenylalkylaluminum compounds catalyze the intramolecular hydroamination of primary and secondary aminopentenes. The reaction rates are strongly dependent on the substrate and the catalyst substituents. The bulky species [Dipp∗AlEt][CHB 11 H 5 I 6 ] (Dipp∗ = 2,6-Dipp 2 C 6 H 3 –, Dipp = 2,6- i Pr 2 C 6 H 3 –), 4 , was the most active catalyst. Although the neutral species DcpAlEt 2 (Dcp = 2,6-(2,6-Cl 2 C 6 H 3 ) 2 C 6 H 3 –), 7 , and Dipp∗AlEt 2 , 8 , showed some catalytic activity, they were more than 25 times less reactive than their cationic counterparts [DcpAlEt][CHB 11 H 5 Cl 6 ], 3 , and 4 . The cyclization of secondary benzylaminopentenes with [Et 2 Al][CHB 11 H 5 I 6 ], 1 , was strongly dependent on the substitution of the C-2 olefinic carbon.
Transverse thermal magnetoresistance of potassium

We report the results of extensive thermal magnetoresistance measurements on single-crystal and polycrystalline specimens of potassium having residual resistance ratios (RRR) ranging from 1100 to 5300. Measurements were made between 2 and 9 K for magnetic fields up to 1.8 T. The observed thermal magnetoresistance cannot be understood on the basis of either semiclassical theories or from the electrical magnetoresistance and the Wiedemann-Franz law. We do, however, observe a number of interesting relationships between the thermal and electrical magnetoresistances, many of which are not immediately obvious when comparing direct experimental observations. The thermal magnetoresistance W(T, H) is given reasonably well by W(T, H)T = W(T, 0)T + AH + BH 2, where both A and B are temperature-dependent coefficients. Our results show that A = A 0 + A 1 T 3, while B(T) cannot be expressed as any simple power law. A0 is quite dependent upon the RRR, while a 1 is independent of the RRR. We find two very interesting relationships between corresponding coefficients in the electrical and thermal magneto-resistance: (i) the Wiedmann-Franz law relates A 0 to the Kohler slope of the electrical magnetoresistance and (ii) the temperature-dependent portions of the electrical and thermal Kohler slopes are both proportional to the electron-phonon scattering contribution to the corresponding zero-field resistance. The latter provides evidence that inelastic scattering is very important in determining the temperature-dependent linear magnetoresistances. Part, but by no means all, of the quadratic thermal resistance is accounted for by lattice thermal conduction. We have not been successful in generating another mechanism that gives a quadratic field dependence. After subtracting the lattice contribution, the Lorenz ratio is still strongly field dependent, decreasing with increasing field. Based on these observations and additional arguments, our general conclusion is that at least a portion of the anomalous electrical and thermal magneto-resistances is due to intrinsic causes and not inhomogeneities or other macroscopic defects.
Hypnosis as a therapeutic tool in pediatrics.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are achieving considerable increase in popularity and recognition in both adult and pediatric populations. A national survey conducted in 2004 indicated that relaxation techniques, guided imagery and hypnosis, are among the most popular mind-body therapies in adults.1 In 1997, 43% of Americans spent $27 billion out of pocket on 1 or more alternative therapies.2 The frequency of using CAM for children is increasing as well, and a 2001 survey indicated that 20% to 30% of pediatric patients used 1 or more CAM therapies. These rates are much higher (30%–70%) among children with chronic and recurrent conditions such as cancer, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headache, and cystic fibrosis.3 With the increased popularity of CAM in children, pediatricians are confronted with parental demands and questions related to the integration of CAM in patient management. As such, pediatricians should be aware of all available CAM modalities including hypnosis. Hypnosis is one of the very first ancient CAM interventions and is defined as “a natural state of focused concentration coupled with a … Address correspondence to Zeev N. Kain, MD, FAAP, Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510. E-mail: zeev.kain{at}yale.edu
Direct bonding of orthodontic brackets to porcelain veneer laminates

The forces required to debond orthodontic attachments from porcelain veneer laminates were studied in vitro. Brackets were bonded to 160 veneered bovine incisor teeth before the determination of the debond force. The independent variables studied were resin type, priming agent, porcelain surface preparation, and debonding time. The average debond forces were compared with those obtained by debonding brackets bonded to natural teeth by means of the acid-etch technique. The bond between the resin and the porcelain surface was found to be satisfactory for direct bonding of orthodontic attachments. Roughening the porcelain surface and using a silane primer required an average debond force comparable to that of the acid-etched enamel bond at 24 hours. However, it increased the risk for porcelain fracture during debonding. Roughened surfaces and surfaces with micro-fractures could be satisfactorily finished and polished with either a series of graded Ceramiste points or a diamond-impregnated polishing wheel followed by a diamond polishing paste.
Intergenic subset organization within a set of geographically-defined viral sequences from the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic

We report a bioinformatic analysis of the datasets of sequences of all ten genes from the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic in the state of Wisconsin. The gene with the greatest summed information entropy was found to be the hemagglutinin (HA) gene. Based upon the viral ID identifier of the HA gene sequence, the sequences of all of the genes were sorted into two subsets, depending upon whether the nucleotide occupying the position of maximum entropy, position 658 of the HA sequence, was either A or U. It was found that the information entropy (H) distributions of subsets differed significantly from each other, from H distributions of randomly generated subsets and from the H distributions of the complete datasets of each gene. Mutual information (MI) values facilitated identification of nine nucleotide positions, distributed over seven of the influenza genes, at which the nucleotide subsets were disjoint, or almost disjoint. Nucleotide frequencies at these nine positions were used to compute mutual information values that subsequently served as weighting factors for edges in a graph net-work. Seven of the nucleotide positions in the graph network are sites of synonymous mutations. Three of these sites of synonymous mutation are within a single gene, the M1 gene, which occupied the position of greatest graph centrality. It is proposed that these bioinformatic and network graph results may reflect alterations in M1-mediated viral packaging and exteriorization, known to be susceptible to synonymous mutations.
Postanesthetic nausea and vomiting.

Abstract The subject of postoperative nausea and vomiting is discussed. Its probable cause is searched for and past investigations into the subject are reviewed. Pyridoxine and Dramamine are studied in a series of 432 cases of general anesthesia as possible aids to the control of this postoperative complication. It is concluded that, though all physical and metabolic factors are extremely important in the control of postoperative nausea and vomiting, they are reasonably controllable by the surgeon or the anesthetist. The one remaining factor that exerts the most influence on the postoperative course is the individual psyche of the patient.
A theoretical study of hydration of 4-thiouracil in the electronic singlet excited state

Abstract A comprehensive theoretical investigation was performed to study the interaction of water molecules with 4-thiouracil (4TU) in the ground and electronic lowest singlet nπ* excited state. The studied system included the isolated 4TU and the hydrated complexes of 4TU with one, two and three water molecules. The interacting water molecules were placed in between different hydrogen bond donating and accepting sites of 4TU. The ground state geometries were optimized at the HF level using the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The electronic excited state geometries of 4TU and different hydrated complexes were optimized at the CI-singles (CIS) level using the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The harmonic vibrational frequency calculations were performed to ascertained stationary points at the respective potential energy surfaces; all geometries were found minima. The lowest singlet nπ* transition of 4TU was assigned to the excitation of the lone-pair electron of the thiocarbonyl group to π*-antibonding orbitals of the molecule. It was found that the nπ* state provides a repulsive potential for water binding in the excited state. Therefore, the structures of the hydrated complexes, where water molecule was bonded at the thiocarbonyl group, were remarkably modified in the electronic singlet nπ* excited state as compared to the corresponding structure in the ground state. Further, in going from the ground state to the excited state significant changes in the features of molecular electrostatic potentials are also revealed.
Parenting stress among caregivers of children with congenital cataracts.

Abstract Objective To examine parenting stress among caregivers of young children with congenital cataracts and to assess whether diagnostic and/or treatment differences are associated with differences in perceived parenting stress. Methods Parents of 41 preschool-age children with congenital cataracts (13 with bilateral cataracts [BCCs] and 28 with unilateral cataracts [UCCs], of whom 14 were aphakic and 14 were pseudophakic) completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) and/or a disease-specific parental stress measure, ie, the Ocular Treatment Index (OTI). Results The 28-item OTI had excellent internal consistency (α = 0.94) and supported three of four a priori validity hypotheses. Parents of children with congenital cataracts reported normal parenting stress levels on the PSI. Parents of children with UCCs tended to report higher levels of stress, but not significantly so, than did parents of children with BCCs. Among parents of children with UCCs, those whose children were aphakic reported higher levels of stress on the OTI and all of the PSI subscales than did parents of pseudophakic children. These differences were statistically significant for two subscales (Adaptability [P = .03] and Mood [P = .01]). Conclusions Although parents of children with congenital cataracts generally did not report increased parenting stress levels, clinicians should be aware that parenting stress can adversely impact patients’ families. We did observe higher stress levels in parents with children who had UCCs and did not receive an intraocular lens—particularly stress related to their child’s reaction to sensory stimulation and mood—compared with parents of pseudophakic children. Thus, clinicians may want to consider parenting stress levels when choosing a treatment for children with UCCs, especially because such stress has been associated with poor treatment compliance for children with other chronic conditions.
Binding of monovalent cations to phosphatidylserine and modulation of Ca2+- and Mg2+-induced vesicle fusion

The effect of several monovalent cations on the Ca2+-induced aggregation and fusion of sonicated phosphatidylserine (PS) vesicles is studied by monitoring the mixing of internal compartments of the fusing vesicles using the Tb/dipicolinic acid assay. The dissociation of the fluorescent Tb-dipicolinate complex which accompanies Ca2+-induced vesicle fusion is determined directly and is due to leakage of contents and entry of medium into vesicles. PS vesicles do not fuse when the medium contains only monovalent cations (at pH 7.4), regardless of the cation concentration or whether there is aggregation of the vesicles. A mass-action kinetic analysis of the data provides estimates for the rate of aggregation, C11, and for the rate of fusion per se, f11. Values of f11 increase dramatically with reduction in monovalent cation concentration and are primarily determined by binding ratios of Ca2+ or Mg2+ per PS. With 300 mM of monovalent cations, the fusion per se is essentially rate-limiting to the overall fusion process and values of f11 are significantly larger with the monovalent cations which bind the least, i.e., according to the sequence tetramethylammonium greater than K+ greater than Na+ greater than Li+. With monovalent cations in concentrations of 100 mM or less, the aggregation is rate-limiting to the fusion and the overall initial fusion rates are determined by an interplay between aggregation and fusion rates. Under conditions of fast aggregation, the Ca2+-induced fusion of small PS vesicles can occur within milliseconds or less.
Intraaortic balloon counterpulsation did not reduce mortality in acute MI with cardiogenic shock

Source Citation Thiele H, Zeymer U, Neumann FJ, et al. Intraaortic balloon support for myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock. N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1287-96. 22920912
Two hot spot mutant p53 mouse models display differential gain of function in tumorigenesis

Mutant p53 proteins not only lose their tumor-suppressor function but some acquire oncogenic gain of function (GOF). The published mutp53 knock-in (KI) alleles (R172H, R270H, R248W) manifest GOF by broader tumor spectrum and more metastasis compared with the p53-null allele, but do not shorten survival. However, whether GOF also occurs with other mutations and whether they are all biologically equal is unknown. To answer this, we created novel humanized mutp53 KI mice harboring the hot spot alleles R248Q and G245S. Intriguingly, their impact was very different. Compared with p53-null mice, R248Q/− mice had accelerated onset of all tumor types and shorter survival, thus unprecedented strong GOF. In contrast, G245S/− mice were similar to null mice in tumor latency and survival. This was associated with a twofold higher T-lymphoma proliferation in R248Q/− mice compared with G245S/− and null mice. Moreover, R248Q/− hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells were expanded relative to G245S/− and null mice, the first indication that GOF also acts by perturbing pretumorous progenitor pools. Importantly, these models closely mirror Li–Fraumeni patients who show higher tumor numbers, accelerated onset and shorter tumor-free survival by 10.5 years when harboring codon R248Q mutations as compared with Li–Fraumeni patients with codon G245S mutations or p53 deletions/loss. Conversely, both KI alleles caused a modest broadening of tumor spectrum with enhanced Akt signaling compared with null mice. These models are the first in vivo proof for differential oncogenic strength among p53 GOF alleles, with genotype–phenotype correlations borne out in humans.
Biophysical Characterization of Normal T-Lymphocytes and Sézary Cells

Blood lymphocytes from 18 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (Sezary syndrome and mycosis fungoides) were characterized using multiparameter laser flow microfluorimetry (FMF) and automated image analysis (ALA) and the results correlated with routine blood smears, cytogenetic studies and observations made on PHA-stimulated normal T-lymphocytes in vitro . Specimens from all 9 patients with Sezary syndrome and 5 of 9 patients with mycosis fungoides contained one or more discrete subpopulations of neoplastic (Sezary) lymphocytes that were detected by FMF. Studies with AlA demonstrated that neoplastic T-lymphocytes are distinguished from normal quiescent (GO) lymphocytes not only by alterations in DNA content (aneuploidy) but also by chromatin structuring (increased chromatin dispersion), which may be a more sensitive index of neoplastic transformation than ploidy levels. In several patients, small and large Sezary cells were present with DNA-chromatin properties quite similar to normal cycling G1 and G2 lymphocytes respectively, but their presence was not explained by an increase in proliferative activity in the blood. These findings indicate that Sezary syndrome consists of a heterogeneous group of related disorders differing in terms of the Sezary cell population. The response to treatment and prognosis may differ accordingly.
Hough transform implementation using an analog associative network

Tracking single pixel targets in real time is a difficult task. In a previous paper the authors described a filter that detects possible trajectories in high-noise images. A trajectory image is generated and then used by a Hough transform network to detect lines as well as their end point (the target location at the last frame of the sequence used to generate the image). The Hough transform requires too much processing time when implemented in conventional computers. In this paper, a completely different architecture implementable in analog VLSI form which performs the operation in an extremely short time is proposed. The network uses intrinsic properties of the transform in order to map points in the image plane to corresponding points in the parameter plane. Simple summers are used to `connect'' all possible image lines to cells in parameter plane. A peak detecting neural net is then used to detect high count cells in the parameter plane. The technique, developed for straight lines, can easily be extended to second order curves at the cost of increased network complexity. The network has been simulated with simulated target trajectories superimposed on real background images (clouds, etc).© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Northern Irish Peace Process: From Top to Bottom

Like the conflict in Northern Ireland, the peace process has the distinction of being one of the longest-running processes both in the time required to reach an agreement and in the time required for implementation of that agreement. This article analyzes the peace process from the perspectives of elite negotiations to community relations and in between in order to determine how each of these peace processes within the overall peace process contributed its longevity and overall success. The distinction that peace is made from the top-down is contrasted with the notion that it cannot succeed without social preparation through bottom-up, or middle-out initiatives; concluding with analysis of frameworks that attempt to capture the entirety of the peace process and what its success means for the study of the Northern Irish peace process and peace processes in general.
Computational materials science: Substitution with vision

A method has been developed for predicting the stability and elasticity of certain alloys for millions of atomic configurations of the materials. This approach should help to identify materials with optimized properties. See Letter p.740 This study asks a fundamental question: is the most thermodynamically stable atomic configuration of a material the hardest, stiffest or strongest form of that material? Or could some metastable configurations improve on that performance? Focusing on stiffness, the authors perform first-principles calculations on a huge configuration space of four different binary-alloy systems. They find that, at least in the systems they research, stiffness and heat of formation are negatively and linearly correlated. That is, the more stable a system is, the harder the material will be. The methods used here should, in principle, be applicable to the investigation of other relationships between stability and mechanical properties.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use in patients with traumatic brain injury

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used for patients with severe, potentially reversible, respiratory failure unresponsive to conventional management. It is relatively contraindicated in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to bleeding complications and use of anticoagulation. We report two cases of TBI patients treated with ECMO.