cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal Associations of Self-reported Vision Impairment With Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Older Adults in the United States.

Importance Vision impairment (VI) and mental health conditions are highly prevalent among older adults and are major causes of morbidity and health care expenditures. However, there are few nationally representative data from the United States on the longitudinal association between VI and depressive symptoms, and no such data on anxiety symptoms. Objective To evaluate the longitudinal association and directionality of the association between self-reported VI and clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety in older US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants The National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative US survey administered annually from 2011 to 2016 to a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older. A total of 7584 participants with complete data on self-reported VI status at baseline were included. Data analysis was performed from February to October 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the longitudinal associations between self-reported VI and depression and anxiety symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographics and medical comorbidities and accounting for the complex survey design. Results There were 7584 participants included in this study. At baseline, the survey-weighted proportion of participants who were women was 56.6%; 53.0% were aged 65 to 74 years, and 8.9% (95% CI, 8.1%-9.8%) had self-reported VI. Symptoms of depression were significantly more common in participants with self-reported VI than those without self-reported VI (31.2%; 95% CI, 27.0%-35.6% vs 12.9%; 95% CI, 11.9%-14.0%;P Conclusions and Relevance Older US adults with self-reported VI were more likely to report symptoms of depression in the future, while those who had symptoms of either depression or anxiety were more likely to report VI in the future. This investigation suggests that there is a significant bidirectional and longitudinal association between self-reported VI and mental health symptoms. Furthermore, the study suggests the need for effective strategies to screen for and address depression and anxiety among older US adults with VI.
Power and Trade Agreements between Developed and Developing Countries

In this paper, while reviewing, investigating, and comparing the works of Wade (1992); Ozden (2003); and Bist and Read (2018), I argue that despite the collaborative efforts and policies from the world organizations and developed countries, the developing countries still face significant difficulties due to their economic status while conducting transnational trade and business with developed countries and often fail to attain mutually beneficial terms and agreements. I also reviewed several other reports that outline a similar trend and pattern between bi and multilateral business agreements where less developed countries systematically failed to attain equal space in the negotiation table. Wade (2018) argues that developed countries and world organizations collectively need to address this issue and develop a sustainable framework that ensures equal and equity-based participation from less developing countries, and this will ensure collective and sustainable global socioeconomic growth.
Pervasive Foreshock Activity Across Southern California

Foreshocks have been documented as preceding less than half of all mainshock earthquakes. These observations are difficult to reconcile with laboratory earthquake experiments and theoretical models of earthquake nucleation, which both suggest that foreshock activity should be nearly ubiquitous. Here we use a state-of-the-art, high-resolution earthquake catalog to study foreshock sequences of magnitude M4 and greater mainshocks in southern California from 2008-2017. This highly complete catalog provides a new opportunity to examine smaller magnitude precursory seismicity. Seventy-two percent of mainshocks within this catalog are preceded by foreshock activity that is significantly elevated compared to the local background seismicity rate. Foreshock sequences vary in duration from several days to weeks, with a median of 16.6 days. The results suggest that foreshock occurrence in nature is more prevalent than previously thought, and that our understanding of earthquake nucleation may improve in tandem with advances in our ability to detect small earthquakes.
Abstract #5207: Label-free biosensor technology for monitoring oncogenic signaling pathways

Cancer development and progression have been correlated with dysregulated intracellular signaling pathways that control cell proliferation, immortalization, apoptosis, invasion, and angiogenesis. Thus, innovative technologies are invaluable tools for effectively dissecting oncogenic signaling pathways and their targeting for drug discovery. In order to enhance detection sensitivity and selectivity, conventional methods often require artificially manipulated cell lines, for instance, with an introduced reporter. Here we report the application of a label-free biosensor technology for the detection of signaling pathways under physiological conditions. For this purpose, the Epic label-free biosensor utilizing the resonant waveguide grating technology was employed for monitoring growth factor induced signaling pathways that are often altered in tumors. Using the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway as a model system, we have characterized the EGF-induced cellular dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) signals in various head and neck (HN 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 5207.
'As Judged By Themselves': Transformative Experiences and Endogenous Preferences

One way to evaluate various interventions in people’s lives is to ask whether they make choosers better off, “as judged by themselves.” This criterion can be understood to borrow from the liberal political tradition insofar as it makes the judgments of choosers authoritative. Giving ultimate authority to choosers might be taken to respect their autonomy and also promote their welfare (insofar as people are uniquely situated to know whether choices make them better off). But for certain decisions, the “as judged by themselves” criterion is indeterminate. In such cases, what people care about shifts, depending on their choice. Some choices change people’s preferences and values, and in this sense, change their identity. In these situations, sometimes involving transformative experiences, the criterion does not offer a unique solution. It is possible that welfarist criteria will resolve the indeterminacy, despite serious questions about incommensurability. Considerations of autonomy are also relevant to choice-influencing interventions that promote transformative experiences.
NF1 glioblastoma clonal profiling reveals KMT2B mutations as potential somatic oncogenic events

Although glioblastoma (GBM) is a common malignant brain tumor in older adults in the general population, the incidence of GBM is increased in the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome, where it tends to arise decades earlier relative to its sporadic counterparts.1 In contrast to nonsyndromic GBM, NF1-GBM is presumed to arise in the setting of biallelic NF1 inactivation (germline variant and a subsequent somatic mutation).2 Because GBM is rare in patients with NF1, the limited number of cases reported has precluded an analysis of tumor ontogeny and evolution. Herein, we leveraged a unique opportunity in which multiple brain samples were obtained at autopsy from a young adult male with a clinical diagnosis of generalized NF1 (established at age 3 years) who died of GBM. When this 27-year-old man initially presented with behavioral changes, neuroimaging revealed a bithalamic tumor (figure 1A), which was pathologically classified as a grade IV astrocytoma (GBM) by stereotactic biopsy. He was treated with cranial radiation and chemotherapy, but exhibited progressive tumor growth and died 39 months after initial diagnosis. At autopsy under an approved IRB protocol, a representative non-neoplastic sample from an unaffected brain region and 5 distinct neoplastic lesions, including thalamus (4 independent samples), anterior commissure (2 independent samples), septum pellucidum (2 independent samples), amygdala (2 independent samples), and cerebellum (1 sample), were obtained.
Endovascular Treatment of Aortohepatic Conduit Stenosis Following Liver Transplant.

Abstract Background Aortohepatic conduits (AHCs) are valuable alternatives when conventional hepatic artery anastomoses are not possible. However, AHCs have earlier and higher occlusion rates and reduced graft and patient survival. While endovascular therapy is safe and effective for conventional anastomotic stenoses, data on AHC stenoses are limited. This study reviewed outcomes for endovascular management of AHC stenosis at a single liver transplant center. Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database was performed on the endovascular management of AHC stenosis between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2016. Medical records, laboratory data, and imaging were analyzed for technical and hemodynamic success, primary and assisted primary patency, and patient and graft survival. Results Seven patients underwent angioplasty a median of 142 days after transplant, and 2 required reintervention. The primary patency rate was 67% at 6 months and 22% at 1 year. The assisted primary patency rate was 83% at 6 months and 42% at 1, 3, and 5 years. Patient and graft survival were 86% at 6 months and 71%, 57%, and 38% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. Four conduits were patent at last follow-up. There were no major adverse events after angioplasty. One reintervention was complicated by acute AHC thrombosis after stenting, causing biliary necrosis, sepsis, and death. There was no 30-day mortality, retransplant, or surgical revascularization because of endovascular intervention. Conclusions Endovascular treatment of AHC stenosis appears to be safe with a high technical success rate but lower long-term patency than standard hepatic arterial anastomoses.
Immunoglobulin D Myeloma and Amyloidosis: Immunochemical and Structural Studies of Bence Jones and Amyloid Fibrillar Proteins

Urinary Bence Jones protein and amyloid fibril protein isolated from the subcutaneous tissue of a patient with IgD myeloma and associated amyloidosis were subjected to physicochemical and immunochemical identification. Peptide maps and amino-terminal tetrapeptide composition obtained from the two proteins were comparable. Immunochemical cross-reactivity between the two proteins, with other lambda-type amyloid and Bence Jones proteins, and with a serum component was demonstrated. The results suggest that the source of the amyloid fibril protein is an intact circulating light polypeptide chain as well as smaller amino-terminal fragments.
Closure operations on MV-algebras

Abstract Closure operations on posets have been investigated and applied extensively to lattices of congruences of various algebraic structures. In this paper, we initiate the study of closure operations on MV-algebras and star operations on MV-modules. The connections between closure (star) operations studied here and those of semirings as well as those of lattice-ordered rings are also investigated. We provide several examples of these closure operations and star operations and also study some of their main properties.
New Species and Records of Moths from African Caves (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)

Four species in four separate genera of Tineidae (Lepidoptera) are described from bat caves located in Kenya and South Africa. These include Tinea suswaensis, new species (Kenya), Phereoeca coprophaga, new species (South Africa), Monopis truncata, new species (South Africa), and Setomorpha rutella Zeller (South Africa). All species were collected on or near bat guano deposits in either the twilight or dark zones of the caves. Occasionally the moths were found resting on the walls of the cave near the guano deposits. Descriptions for each species, including the larval stage if known, are provided.
Knowledge, Skills, and Self-reflection: Linking Trauma Training Content to Trauma-Informed Attitudes and Stress in Preschool Teachers and Staff

Increasingly, preschools are integrating trauma-informed interventions, which often include components of training, to improve practices and promote the well-being of children who have experienced trauma. Similar interventions have been linked to positive outcomes for older children; however, there is limited research that examines whether or how training on trauma specifically contributes to child and staff well-being within early childhood settings such as preschools. The current study examines the relationship between trauma-informed training content, trauma-informed attitudes, and stress in a sample of 111 preschool staff (49% lead teachers, 20% assistant teachers, and 27% other staff such as administrators and classroom aides). This study examined the unique influence of training related to trauma-informed skills (e.g., screening for trauma, responding to challenging trauma-related behaviors) and trauma-informed self-reflection (e.g., the impact of a child’s trauma on staff) on trauma-related attitudes and stress (including general stress and child-related stress) in a sample of teachers and staff with prior training on trauma-informed knowledge (e.g., definitions of trauma). Compared to those with only knowledge training, teachers and staff with self-reflection (β = .22, SE = .09, p = .014) and self + skills training (β = .50, SE = .13, p < .001) had stronger trauma-informed attitudes than those with only knowledge training. Direct pathways from training content and trauma-informed attitudes to general stress were not significant. Pathway from trauma-informed attitudes to child-related stress (β = − .51, SE = .12, p ≤ .001) and the indirect pathway from self-reflection training (β = − .11, p = .015) self + skill training (β = − .25, p < .001) to child-related stress through trauma-informed attitudes were significant. The findings of this study suggest that all trauma-informed training is not equal; training that focuses on self-reflection, such as the role of vicarious trauma, may be particularly important as part of a trauma-informed school approach. Trauma-informed attitudes are also an important mechanism through which trauma-informed interventions may influence staff well-being in preschool settings.
The importance of the margin of resection and external radiation in non-lipomatous retroperitoneal sarcoma

Abstract Background Prior studies evaluating the impact of adjuvant or neoadjuvant radiation on clinical outcomes of patients with non-lipomatous retroperitoneal sarcoma have been underpowered. Methods We queried the National Cancer Database to identify patients undergoing surgical resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma with non-lipomatous histology from 2004 to 2016. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards modelling with patients stratified by tumor size were used to identify factors associated with overall survival. Results 3,394 patients met inclusion criteria. 592 had small ( 10 cm) tumors. Use of either neoadjuvant or adjuvant radiotherapy was associated with improved survival for patients with intermediate (neoadjuvant HR 0.67, CI [0.46, 0.98]; adjuvant HR 0.61, CI [0.50, 0.76]) and large (neoadjuvant HR 0.50, CI [0.37, 0.68]; adjuvant HR 0.56, CI [0.47, 0.69]) tumors, while adjuvant radiation therapy was associated with a survival benefit for small-sized tumors (HR 0.67, CI [0.46, 0.99]). Conclusions Radiation therapy is associated with an overall survival benefit in patients presenting undergoing resection of non-lipomatous retroperitoneal sarcoma.
The Effect of Test Distance on Visual Contrast Sensitivity Measured Using the Pelli-Robson Chart.

Purpose The Pelli-Robson (PR) chart is widely used to measure clinical contrast sensitivity (CS). It is generally believed that PR testing distance is not critical. Here, we examine whether a closer test distance than the usual 1 meter might be better for patients with low vision. Methods PR CS was measured on two groups: low-vision students ( 65 years old). Student PR was measured at 1 meter and at a closer distance d = visual acuity in log10cy/deg (d = 1.5-logMAR). Elder PR was measured at 1 and 3 meters. Grating CS was also measured using the Ohio Contrast Cards (OCCs). Results Average CS was 0.398 log10 units (over one line on the PR chart) higher at the closer distance than at 1 meter for the students, but there was no effect of 1 vs. 3 meters test distance for the elders. The equivalent spatial frequencies of the PR letters at 1 meter were near the acuity limits of students with low vision, but were near the peak of the elders' CS functions. Especially for students with low vision, PR CS was below OCC CS, even when PR was tested at a closer distance. Conclusions PR CS should be measured at a distance in meters that is equal to the patient's letter acuity in cy/deg, or 1.5-logMAR. Translational relevance Contrast sensitivity is highly associated with quality of life, and it is important to measure it accurately. Using a closer distance, or measuring grating CS, can reveal visual abilities missed when patients with low vision are tested using PR at 1 meter.
The role of emergency department computed tomography in early acute pancreatitis.

Abstract Introduction Computed tomography (CT) is often ordered for patients in whom the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (AP) has already been established via elevated lipase levels and typical abdominal pain. We investigated whether early CT imaging performed in the ED altered the diagnosis or management. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on patients presenting to a large, academic ED between the years 2013–2015 with AP who received CT imaging. Relevant history, laboratory, imaging data, and hospital course were abstracted from the medical record and analyzed by three independent reviewers, with 100% agreement among reviewers on 30 randomly selected cases. The primary outcome was whether the CT led to a change in diagnosis or management above and beyond the ultrasound. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine association between predictor variables and outcomes. Results The electronic health record query yielded 458 patients. Of those, 174 met the American College of Gastroenterology criteria for AP and were included in the study. 145 patients (83%) had abdominal CT during their hospital course, 125 (86%) of which were performed in the ED. Of these 145 patients, 57 (39%) had imaging evidence of AP. 107 patients had abdominal ultrasound (US) during their hospital course. Of 84 patients who had both CT and US, 31 (37%) patients were diagnosed with gallstones by US versus 19 (23%) by CT. Biliary dilation/obstruction was diagnosed by US in 5 (6%) patients versus 4 (5%) by CT. CT led to the correct diagnosis or change in management in 21 (14.5%) patients. Conclusion Early CT may alter the diagnosis or management in up to 15% of patients presenting to the ED with AP, especially older patients with prior episodes of pancreatitis and biliary interventions, however abdominal US may be a more sensitive screening study for biliary etiologies and thereby better direct further management.
Computers, Language Arts and Change: Southern Illinois University’s Teacher Renewal Institute

The Renewal Institute for Practicing Educators at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is a state funded staff development project for teachers in small, rural school districts. One of the In...
Effect of hyperketonemia on circadian patterns of blood metabolites and milk predicted constituents in dairy cows

Estimates of milk and blood constituents by Fourier-transform mid-infrared (FTIR) analysis of milk offer a promising tool to monitor energy deficit in dairy cows. We sought to explore: 1) diurnal changes in plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and FTIR estimates of milk BHB and milk predicted blood NEFA (pbNEFA); 2) correlation between plasma BHB and NEFA; and 3) effect of hyperketonemia (HYK) on circadian patterns of plasma and milk metabolites.
Integrative Genome Modeling Platform reveals essentiality of rare contact events in 3D genome organizations

Abstract A multitude of sequencing-based and microscopy technologies provide the means to unravel the relationship between the three-dimensional (3D) organization of genomes and key regulatory processes of genome function. However, it remains a major challenge to systematically integrate all available data sources to characterize the nuclear organization of genomes across different spatial scales. Here, we develop a multi-modal data integration approach to produce genome structures that are highly predictive for nuclear locations of genes and nuclear bodies, local chromatin compaction, and spatial segregation of functionally related chromatin. By performing a quantitative assessment of the predictive power of genome structures generated from different data combinations, we demonstrate that multimodal data integration can compensate for systematic errors and missing values in some of the data and thus, greatly increases accuracy and coverage of genome structure models. We also show that alternative combinations of different orthogonal data sources can converge to models with similar predictive power. Moreover, our study reveals the key contributions of low-frequency inter-chromosomal contacts (e.g., “rare” contact events) to accurately predicting the global nuclear architecture, including the positioning of genes and chromosomes. Overall, our results highlight the benefits of multi-modal data integration for genome structure analysis, available through the Integrative Genome structure Modeling (IGM) software package that we introduce here.
Operationally defining cognitive reserve genes.

Abstract Variability in cognitive decline is related to the environment, lifestyle factors, and individual differences in biological aging, including cognitive reserve, plastic properties of the brain, which account for better-than-expected cognition for a given level of brain aging or pathology. Cognitive reserve has not been thoroughly investigated in aged rodents. To address this gap, cognitive reserve was examined using Gene Expression Omnibus data for the CA1 region of the hippocampus of young and aged behaviorally characterized male rats. Statistical filtering identified brain aging and potential cognitive reserve genes, and multiple regression was employed to confirm cognitive reserve genes as genes that predicted better-than-expected cognition for a given level of brain aging. In general, cognitive reserve genes, in which increased expression was associated with better cognition, were not different with age or directly correlated with measures of cognition and appear to act as negative regulators of aging processes, including neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. The results suggest that, for some animals, resilience mechanisms are activated to counteract aging stressors that impair cognition. In contrast, cognitive reserve genes, in which decreased expression was associated with better cognition, were linked to nervous system development and cation transport, suggesting adaptive changes in the circuit to preserve cognition.
“A Sharp White Background”: Enslavement and Privilege at Eighteenth-Century Harvard College

Materialities of faith and gentility drew enslaved Africans and African Americans into the production of white male privilege at one of its most iconic incubators, colonial Harvard College. During the long 18th century, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, institution was an intercultural, interracial, intergenerational space of becoming. Archaeological finds and documentary archives clarify how gentility was moralized in this religiously orthodox community, emerging as a tool of racialization and masculine gendering, as well as of status. This article focuses on experiences of the hybrid institutional/domestic spaces of Wadsworth House (the dwelling of university presidents and their households) and student chambers. In these intimate contexts, intersectionality and the concept of “homeplace” strengthen perceptions of African subjectivities within an overwhelmingly English archive. This study is salient to America’s long history of respectability politics and the gendering and racializing of privilege. It produces a counter-narrative/archaeology by studying materialities of early modern white male privilege through black feminist theories.
Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery: Past, Present, and Future

This chapter assesses the technical feasibility of microbial enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and improved oil production (IOP) processes by analyzing laboratory and field data to determine if microbial products or processes meet appropriate engineering design criteria. Although microbial products and activities are discussed independently, it is likely that microbial processes act synergistically to effect oil recovery. Microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) processes can be grouped into four main categories, depending on the type of production problem and whether the process is localized to the well bore or is reservoir wide. They are well bore cleanup processes, well stimulation technologies, microbially enhanced waterflooding processes, fermentative microbially enhanced waterflooding processes, permeability profile modification or selective plugging, biosurfactant-enhanced waterflooding. Most of the microbial field trials can be classified as well bore cleanout or well stimulations where the purpose of the treatment is to increase the production of oil from an individual well. A number of factors are critical in the assessment of microbial treatments, including reaction rate kinetics, adsorption losses, flow rates, nutrient concentrations, source of nutrients, and finally whether the microbes are exogenous or indigenous. The risk for implementing MEOR is low in marginal fields, since the fields are close to the end of their economic life. The data needed to assess performance, e.g., oil production rates and operating costs, are relatively easy to obtain.
Modified Oil Soybean Test—North

The purpose of this test was to evaluate the experimental modified oil soybean lines adapted to northern Iowa. The 2009 Modified Oil Soybean Test included 1% linolenic and low saturates, and for comparison of agronomic traits, commercially grown varieties released by Iowa State University. Oil from 1% linolenic and low saturates soybean varieties grown in Iowa is used in the frying oil market. This oil is healthier for the consumer.
Using provenance to aid in personal file search

As the scope of personal data grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to find what we need when we need it. Desktop search tools provide a potential answer, but most existing tools are incomplete solutions: they index content, but fail to capture dynamic relationships from the user's context. One emerging solution to this is context-enhanced search, a technique that reorders and extends the results of content-only search using contextual information. Within this framework, we propose using strict causality, rather than temporal locality, the current state of the art, to direct contextual searches. Causality more accurately identifies data flow between files, reducing the false-positives created by context-switching and background noise. Further, unlike previous work, we conduct an online user study with a fully-functioning implementation to evaluate user-perceived search quality directly. Search results generated by our causality mechanism are rated a statistically-significant 17% higher on average over all queries than by using content-only search or context-enhanced search with temporal locality.
Flow Breakdown at Freeway Bottlenecks: Evidence from Automated Flow Analysis

An automated analysis of cumulative flow and speed curves was used to investigate issues related to flow breakdown at freeway bottlenecks, including (a) the relationship between prebreakdown flow rates and the amount of time they can be sustained, (b) flow trends in the period immediately before breakdown, and (c) the probability that flow decreases at breakdown. The automated analysis allowed consistent application of explicit rules to identify bottleneck activation and deactivation, periods of nearly constant flow, and so on. Data analyzed did not provide evidence of a strong relationship between the flow rate and the amount of time that nearly constant prebreakdown flow can be sustained, although a weak relationship may be present. Periods of nearly constant flow occurred before initial flow breakdown about half the time; the average duration of these periods was roughly 30 min. Periods of both increasing and decreasing flow were also observed. Flow decreased at breakdown roughly two-thirds of the time. The lack of a strong relationship between the flow rate and time to breakdown suggests that ramp metering is unlikely to be effective in prolonging high-volume prebreakdown flow. Metering is more likely to be effective if it is used to eliminate or control very specific causes of flow breakdown, such as arrival of dense platoons of ramp vehicles at the merge point or high concentrations of traffic in the right lane immediately downstream from a ramp.
O.S.U. Teacher Behavior Rating Scale.

(1975). O.S.U. Teacher Behavior Rating Scale. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 45-45.
On Cheating and Education: The Mistaken Identity of the Easily Discernible

“Here’s to All the Cheaters” is a timely and novel discussion of a topic, plagiarism, with which, as academics, we are all too familiar. However, authors Charles Bingham and Alma Krilic have presented us with several putative educational paradoxes that challenge our philosophical assumptions about plagiarism and its relation to education. Their arguments regarding plagiarism do not concern ethical principles or legal norms or procedural standards. Rather, they confront us with metaphysical problems of a fundamental kind that I plan to analyze and to criticize. To begin, I discuss a recent case that illustrates the timeliness of this discussion.
The pallid gene encodes a novel, syntaxin 13-interacting protein involved in platelet storage pool deficiency.

The pallid gene encodes a novel, syntaxin 13-interacting protein involved in platelet storage pool deficiency
Hallucinogen-Related Disorders

Psychosis is a disturbance in the perception of reality, evidenced by hallucinations (false sensory perceptions), delusions (false beliefs that are not shared with any other people), or disorganized thoughts. Psychotic states brought on by hallucinogen use are often referred to as “trips” by recreational users, and they may be accompanied by agitation, aggression, and other forms of behavioral impairment. Trips generally involve existential experiences, distortions in perception, and synesthesias (blending of the senses). Keywords: hallucinogen; psychosis; LSD; mescaline; peyote; ecstasy; ketamine; PCP; inhalant
The structure and function of the 33 kDa extrinsic protein of Photosystem II: A critical assessment

In this review the structure and function of the 33 kDa protein of Photosystem II is examined. Significant controversies exist concerning the solution secondary structure of the protein, the location of its binding site(s) within Photosystem II, the amino acid residues of the 33 kDa protein required for binding and its stoichiometry within the photosystem. The studies which examine these topics are considered from a critical perspective. A hypothetical model of the folding of the 33 kDa extrinsic protein which is supported by site-specific labeling studies and site-directed mutagenesis experiments is presented. Additionally, the function of the protein within the photosystem is unclear. We present a hypothesis that the 33 kDa protein is involved in maintaining the chloride associated with photosynthetic oxygen evolution in close proximity to the oxygen-evolving site.
Reference dose (RfD): Description and use in health risk assessments☆

For many years the concept of the "acceptable daily intake" has served the toxicological and regulatory fields quite well. However, as approaches to assessing the health significance of exposures to noncarcinogenic substances receive greater scrutiny, some difficulties with this traditional approach have become more apparent. Consequently, the concept of the "reference dose" is introduced in order to avoid use of prejudicial terms (e.g., "safety" and "acceptable"), to promote greater consistency in the assessment of noncarcinogenic chemicals, and to maintain the functional separation between risk assessment and risk management.
Hyperthyroidism during pregnancy

Abstract Obstetrics services which have had experience with both the medical and surgical treatment of the hyperthyroid pregnant woman should be in the best position to evaluate the success of each form of management. The experience in managing this problem during the last 12 years at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has been reviewed. Nineteen women with 20 pregnancies satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the study. Women managed with antithyroid therapy had a successful pregnancy outcome 70 per cent of the time. Twenty-eight per cent of the surgically treated patients had a successful pregnancy outcome and were free of surgical complications. We believe these results show a clear advantage for the nonsurgical management of the pregnant woman with hyperthyroidism.
Meniscal repair with the MaxFire device: a cadaveric study.

Objective: To use a cadaver model to evaluate an all-inside meniscal repair device (MaxFire). Methods: Six fresh-frozen cadaveric knees (ages 30–84 years) without evidence of prior surgery were used for this study. The knees were rigidly mounted and arthroscopy performed using standard anteromedial and anterolateral portals. Four MaxFire devices were placed into the medial and lateral meniscus according to the technique provided by the manufacturer. The devices were placed in a vertical or horizontal mattress fashion systematically from posterior to anterior. Implants were placed from either the ipsilateral- or contralateral-portal at the discretion of each surgeon. Placement into the medial meniscus was performed with the knee in approximately 10° of flexion and into the lateral meniscus in 45° of flexion. Results: In all, 54 MaxFire devices were placed. Twenty-six devices were used medially, and 28 laterally. Forty-five (83%) were placed successfully. Of those, 3 (7%) were placed in a “top hat” fashion. The nine failures (17%) were related to final device tensioning. Three of the sutures broke, one suture would not reduce, and three implants pulled out of the meniscus. The devices were successfully removed arthroscopically with a grasper or oscillating shaver. Pulling of implants out of menisci occurred in degenerative knees with degenerative meniscal tissue and did not occur with healthy appearing menisci. Conclusion: The MaxFire device is easy to use, has a low risk of complications, and can be inserted expeditiously by arthroscopy.
Shaming and Blaming: Using Events Data to Assess the Impact of Human Rights INGOs†

Do the “shaming” activities of HROs (human rights international non-governmental organizations) have a direct influence on state behavior? We argue, consistent with existing scholarship, that states targeted or “shamed” by these organizations do improve their human rights practices. However, mere shaming is not enough. Improvements in human rights practices result from the interaction of shaming by HROs with (i) a domestic presence of HROs within the targeted state and/or (ii) pressure by third-party states, individuals, and organizations. Using a new data set of the shaming events of more than 400 HROs toward governments, we test these propositions quantitatively and find widespread support for the arguments. This research provides the first global quantitative evidence of the conditional importance of HRO shaming in transnational advocacy efforts.
Social Isolation Among Latino Workers in Rural North Carolina: Exposure and Health Implications

Immigrant Latinos frequently experience social isolation in their receiving communities. This paper investigates the prevalence of social isolation among immigrant workers in a new settlement area and delineates the association between social isolation and physical and mental health outcomes. Interviews were conducted in Spanish with immigrant Latino manual workers (N = 743) in western North Carolina. The CES-D and the SF-12 questionnaires assessed health outcomes. A social isolation scale was used to assess degree of social isolation. Nearly 1 in 5 workers (19.5 %) reported the highest level of social isolation. Social isolation was associated with higher depressive symptoms and poorer physical and mental health, related to quality of life. Social isolation is a common experience among immigrant Latinos that may have negative implications for physical and mental health. Community outreach efforts to minimize experiences of isolation may be useful in protecting immigrant physical and mental health.
Proxy Data and Income Estimates: Reply to Pammer

Michael Pammer lodges three main criticisms of the proxy approach I used to estimate income levels in pre-World War I central and eastern Europe. I am grateful for two of the criticisms because accounting for them improves the underlying regression model and leads to revised estimates of income levels and growth rates in the region that are more reliable and more plausible than the original estimates. The new estimates do not, however, fundamentally change my earlier conclusions. The third criticism is more problematic. Pammer argues that the proxy approach does not offer a viable alternative to the more standard national-income approach for estimating incomes. His argument makes sense in an ideal world, but it completely ignores the realities of doing economic history in this highly complicated region of Europe.'
Mechanism of the wacker process. Stereochemistry of the hydroxypalladation

Abstract The stereochemistry of hydroxypalladation, the first step in the Wacker oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde, was determined using cis-1,2-dideuterio ethylene by intercepting the intermediate β-hydroxyethylpalladium complex with carbon monoxide. The formation of trans-2,3-dideuterio-β-propiolactone from cis-1,2-dideuterioethylene under the Wacker reaction conditions demonstrated that the hydroxypalladation step proceeded stereo-specifically trans. The reaction of propene under the same conditions resulted in the formation of 4-methyl-oxetanone and acetone, demonstrating that the Wacker oxidation and carbonyl insertion were competitive. Other olefins such as butene, and pentene afforded only the ketone oxidation products.
Darwin's two competing phylogenetic trees: marsupials as ancestors or sister taxa?

Studies of the origin and diversification of major groups of plants and animals are contentious topics in current evolutionary biology. This includes the study of the timing and relationships of the two major clades of extant mammals – marsupials and placentals. Molecular studies concerned with marsupial and placental origin and diversification can be at odds with the fossil record. Such studies are, however, not a recent phenomenon. Over 150 years ago Charles Darwin weighed two alternative views on the origin of marsupials and placentals. Less than a year after the publication of On the origin of species, Darwin outlined these in a letter to Charles Lyell dated 23 September 1860. The letter concluded with two competing phylogenetic diagrams. One showed marsupials as ancestral to both living marsupials and placentals, whereas the other showed a non-marsupial, non-placental as being ancestral to both living marsupials and placentals. These two diagrams are published here for the first time. These are the o...
Involutions in lens spaces

Abstract Lens spaces arise from free periodic maps on odd-dimensional spheres. They admit free involutions. We show that if the period of the map is odd, the mod two invariants of such involutions are very much like those of the antipodal map on the sphere, both for single lens spaces and for bundles of lens spaces. In particular, Borsuk–Ulam type results over a base space can be obtained for such lens spaces, just as for the spheres. On the other hand, the lens spaces arising from periodic maps of even periods behave differently. For instance, there exists an equivariant map from the three-dimensional real projective space to the 2-sphere.
The influence of treatment attendance on subsequent aggression among severely mentally ill substance abusers.

Abstract The interrelationships between severe mental illness, substance use, and aggression are of longstanding importance with implications for community treatment programs, treatment research and public policy. Through the analysis of longitudinal data collected from 278 patients over a 6-month period following admission to an outpatient dual diagnosis treatment program, this study examined the association between dual diagnosis treatment attendance and subsequent aggression among individuals diagnosed with both a severe mental illness and a substance use disorder. We also tested substance use and psychiatric symptoms as mediators of this treatment–aggression relationship. The results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that dual diagnosis treatment was associated with lower levels of subsequent aggression. Mediational analyses indicated that greater treatment involvement was associated with reduced substance use, which was associated with lower levels of aggression; thus, substance use was found to mediate the relationship between dual diagnosis treatment and aggression. Surprisingly, severity of psychiatric symptoms did not predict later aggression. These findings suggest that targeting substance use reduction in treatment may have the additional benefit of reducing the risk of later aggression among dual diagnosis patients.
Increased need for medical interventions in infants with velocardiofacial (deletion 22q11) syndrome

Ten of 12 patients diagnosed with deletion 22q11.2 in infancy required a total of 26 hospitalizations during their first year of life. After heart disease, feeding and respiratory problems were the most frequent reasons for intervention.
Dick Murphy: three decades as the touchstone of smooth muscle physiology. Focus on "Cooperative attachment of cross bridges predicts regulation of smooth muscle force by myosin phosphorylation".

it is appropriate that the paper corresponding to the retirement of Richard A. Murphy as a physiology professor should again raise our level of understanding of smooth muscle contractile regulation. As one of the dominant figures in smooth muscle physiology for the past 30 years, Dick Murphy has led
374. Hepatitis Delta Virus-Mediated Amplification of Therapeutic RNAi

With RNAi-based therapeutics directed against genetic diseases or viral infections, sustained activity is typically desirable. siRNAs made of double-stranded RNAs do not persist and require frequent re-administration. Although gene transfer of vectors that express small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) from host RNA polymerase II and III-promoters promotes comparatively prolonged knockdown, RNAi activity is commonly limited by epigenetic silencing of shRNA transcription and, in the case of episomal vectors, vector loss due to cell division.
Refractive index and density changes in a phase-separated borosilicate glass

Abstract The refractive index and density of a soda-borosilicate glass are measured at successive stages of phase separation. Two effects are observed which consist of a structural rearrangement of the homogeneous glass reflecting changes in the heat-treatment temperature, followed by a volume increase as phase separation progresses. The structural rearrangement is analyzed by a volume relaxation model originated by O.S. Narayanaswamy, and the observed increase in volume resulting from the phase separation is discussed.
Coronary arteriovenous fistula presenting as congestive heart failure

Coronary arteriovenous fistulae are rare, but can be of hemodynamic significance. We report a circumflex-coronary sinus fistula in an elderly man which was associated with a loud continuous murmur and congestive heart failure. Noninvasive evaluation, including transesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, suggested the diagnosis. Angiographic diagnosis of concomitant atherosclerotic coronary disease may be difficult, and can require postoperative study.
Laser Optical Sensor, a Label-Free On-Plate Salmonella enterica Colony Detection Tool

ABSTRACT We investigated the application capabilities of a laser optical sensor, BARDOT (bacterial rapid detection using optical scatter technology) to generate differentiating scatter patterns for the 20 most frequently reported serovars of Salmonella enterica. Initially, the study tested the classification ability of BARDOT by using six Salmonella serovars grown on brain heart infusion, brilliant green, xylose lysine deoxycholate, and xylose lysine tergitol 4 (XLT4) agar plates. Highly accurate discrimination (95.9%) was obtained by using scatter signatures collected from colonies grown on XLT4. Further verification used a total of 36 serovars (the top 20 plus 16) comprising 123 strains with classification precision levels of 88 to 100%. The similarities between the optical phenotypes of strains analyzed by BARDOT were in general agreement with the genotypes analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). BARDOT was evaluated for the real-time detection and identification of Salmonella colonies grown from inoculated (1.2 × 10 2 CFU/30 g) peanut butter, chicken breast, and spinach or from naturally contaminated meat. After a sequential enrichment in buffered peptone water and modified Rappaport Vassiliadis broth for 4 h each, followed by growth on XLT4 (~16 h), BARDOT detected S . Typhimurium with 84% accuracy in 24 h, returning results comparable to those of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service method, which requires ~72 h. BARDOT also detected Salmonella (90 to 100% accuracy) in the presence of background microbiota from naturally contaminated meat, verified by 16S rRNA sequencing and PFGE. Prolonged residence (28 days) of Salmonella in peanut butter did not affect the bacterial ability to form colonies with consistent optical phenotypes. This study shows BARDOT’s potential for nondestructive and high-throughput detection of Salmonella in food samples. IMPORTANCE High-throughput screening of food products for pathogens would have a significant impact on the reduction of food-borne hazards. A laser optical sensor was developed to screen pathogen colonies on an agar plate instantly without damaging the colonies; this method aids in early pathogen detection by the classical microbiological culture-based method. Here we demonstrate that this sensor was able to detect the 36 Salmonella serovars tested, including the top 20 serovars, and to identify isolates of the top 8 Salmonella serovars. Furthermore, it can detect Salmonella in food samples in the presence of background microbiota in 24 h, whereas the standard USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service method requires about 72 h.