cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular evolution of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of a superfamily of bacterial receptors involved in taxis.

Abstract Twenty-nine proteins from 16 different species of prokaryotes revealed an extensive sequence homology with the cytoplasmic domain of the Escherichia coli aspartate receptor. The high percentage of identity indicated that they constitute a superfamily of proteins. A consensus secondary structure consisting mostly of α-helices was predicted. The occurrence of a seven-residue repeat ( a-b-c-d-e-f-g ), in which both the a and d residues were hydrophobic with few exceptions, provided additional evidence for a conserved α-helical conformation. Sequence alignments, together with the predicted secondary structure, led to identification of the boundaries for the functional units constituting the cytoplasmic domain. Putative methylation sites were assigned for all the members of this superfamily. These proteins could be grouped into three classes based on the presence of 14-residue insertion/deletion regions found within both the signalling and the methylation functional units of the cytoplasmic domain. The gene coding for the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of these proteins apparently evolved through gene duplication from a common ancestor in which the four original 14-residue insertion/deletion regions were deleted two by two during evolution.
Fads and fashions: the price women pay

Abstract Over the past 100 years, women’s fashions have undergone great change but rarely have been practical or logical, whether they consist of the tight corset, platform shoes, or the deep golden tan. The principle behind fashions is that the current “look” makes a statement of what society wants a woman to be and establishes the social hierarchy. Each of the fashion trends serves a cultural purpose, but also may have a price for the women who try to achieve the fashionable look. Health care providers for women need to be aware of fashion trends and adjust health screening and counseling appropriately.
Experiences, Functioning and Needs of Low-Income African American Mothers of Children With Asthma

The purpose of this proposed study was to explore experiences, needs and functioning of low-income, African American caregivers of children with asthma in order to better understand symptom management. Method A qualitative, descriptive design was used. A purposive sampling technique was used to screen 32 caregivers of children with asthma, and 15 caregivers agreed to participate. Results Three main themes were identified: managing the symptoms; cultural beliefs and values; and culturally competent health care provider. Conclusion For the caregivers culture disparity is not just about access to health services but instead the healthcare providers' understanding of the complexity of symptoms management.
Rapid emergence of a ceftazidime-resistant Burkholderia multivorans strain in a Cystic Fibrosis patient

Abstract Background Burkholderia multivorans poses a serious health threat to Cystic Fibrosis patients due to innate resistance to multiple antibiotics and acquisition of resistance to a range of antibiotics due to the frequent use of antibiotics to treat chronic infections. Monitoring antibiotic susceptibility is crucial to managing patient care. We identified the rapid emergence of a ceftazidime-resistant strain in a single patient within four days during a hospitalization for treatment of an exacerbation. Methods B. multivorans was isolated from expectorated sputum samples using Burkholderia cepacia selective agar. A macrodilution assay was performed on all isolates to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of ceftazidime. Approximately 4000 colonies were scored to identify the percent of ceftazidime-resistant colonies. Extracted DNA was used to determine the total bacterial counts and abundance of B. multivorans using quantitative PCR. Results An increase from no detectable B. multivorans ceftazidime-resistant colonies to over 75% of all colonies tested occurred within a four-day period. The resistant population remained dominant in 6 of the 8 samples in the following 17months of the study. qPCR revealed an association between change in the percent of resistant colonies and abundance of B. multivorans , but not of total bacteria. No association was found between the acquisition of resistance to ceftazidime and other antibiotics commonly used to treat B. multivorans infections. Conclusions The rapid emergence of a ceftazidime-resistant by B. multivorans strain occurred during a hospitalization while under selective pressure of antibiotics. The resistant strain maintained dominance in the B. multivorans population which resulted in an overall decline in a patient health and treatment efficacy.
Psoriatic Arthritis: Pharmacotherapy Update

Psoriatic arthritis is a systemic disorder that causes chronic pain, altered physical appearance, and loss of function. The clinical features are diverse, but the core manifestations are psoriasis, peripheral arthritis, axial disease, enthesitis, and dactylitis. Our understanding about the psoriatic arthritis disease state, assessment, and treatment has advanced thanks to significant collaborative efforts by rheumatologists and dermatologists in the development of classification criteria, outcome measures to assess the various clinical domains, and treatment trials with agents also used for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. In particular, biologic agents, especially anti-tumor necrosis factor agents, have demonstrated significant efficacy and reasonable safety in all clinical domains of the disease, resulting in amelioration of clinical symptoms, inhibition of structural damage, and improvement in function and quality of life.
The Mirrlees Review

Abstract The Mirrlees Review is an ambitious and comprehensive analysis of the British tax system with detailed recommendations for reform. This review essay focuses on those issues that are also l...
Decomposition of 1-(2-thienyl)alkylalkanones under electron-impact†

The major fragmentation paths of the 1-(2-thienyl)alkylalkanones ionized by electron impact are delineated by means of isotopically labeled molecules, metastable ion peaks and low ionization voltage data. A prominent process is cleavage of the bond beta to the carbonyl group with the concurrent rearrangement of a hydrogen atom. Another important process is cleavage alpha to the carbonyl group to produce the thienoylium ion analogous to the benzoylium ion. As expected, the data show that increasing the chain length by two methylene groups increases the total ion current. The bulk of this increase is found in the increased ion current of the rearrangement ion with the remainder being associated with alkyl fragments and oxygenated ion species.
Risk stratification for patients undergoing nonurgent percutaneous coronary intervention using N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide: A Clopidogrel for the Reduction of Events During Observation (CREDO) substudy

Background The utility of N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) measurement as a prognostic marker during nonurgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been suggested in several studies. The comparative prognostic values between NT-proBNP levels and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the nonurgent PCI setting are unclear. Methods CREDO was a double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial comparing 2 clopidogrel regimens before and after nonurgent PCI. Baseline NT-proBNP levels and LVEF were measured in 1468 subjects using the Roche Elecsys proBNP assay (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN), and the 1-year combined end point of death/myocardial infarction (MI)/stroke was analyzed according to NT-proBNP quartiles in impaired and preserved LVEF. Results In this patient cohort (mean age 61.6 ± 10 years, 22% with LVEF P P = .006). Despite its robust prognostic value, baseline NT-proBNP levels did not identify patients with enhanced benefit from pre-procedural and prolonged clopidogrel therapy. Conclusions In patients undergoing a nonurgent PCI, NT-proBNP levels may provide important prognostic value for death and MI, even in patients with preserved cardiac function, However, NT-proBNP levels were unable to identify patients with enhanced benefit from pre-procedural and prolonged clopidogrel therapy.
Marriage Is Associated With Choice of Mastectomy in Patients Eligible for Breast Conservation Therapy

conserving surgery. The status of surgical margin is evidently influence local control on breast conserving therapy consisted with partial mastectomy and postoperative radiation therapy. Especially re-excision is strongly recommended in case of positive surgical margin (0 mm). However, some of patients in this setting denied re-excisions. To investigate the local control rate of the patients with positive surgical margin who did not receive re-excision followed by postoperative radiation therapy. Materials/Methods: Between March 2005 to December 2011, 129 women with few pathological positive margin of breast cancer were treated with in-house protocol of postoperative radiation therapy (whole breast 50 Gy + boost 16 Gy in 33 fractionation over 6.6 weeks) without re-excision. The retrospective analyze with medial chart review was carried out to identify the ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rate (IBTR), disease free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). The median follow-up time was 36 months (range, 9-89 months). Results: The median age was 52 years (range, 29-75 years). The clinical stage distribution is following DCIS 29 cases, stage IA 71, IIA 26, IIB 2, IIA 1, and 1 unknown. The pathological characteristics of positive margin were classified to intra-ductal component in 111 cases and invasion in 17 and others 2. The location of positive margin was pathologically diagnosed to lateral in 99 cases, close to skin in 24 and deep site 15. The 3-year IBTR was 2%, DFS was 98%, and OS was 100%, respectively. Two patients experienced local recurrence: biopsy route 1 and central part of scar. This report limitation is short follow-up time and small number of patients. Conclusions: In this report, the patients who had few pathological positive margins, 66 Gy of postoperative beast radiation therapy potentially provide excellent local control rate. Author Disclosure: M. Yoshida: None. O. Masahiko: None. I. Takuji: None.
The environmental costs of mountaintop mining valley fill operations for aquatic ecosystems of the Central Appalachians.

SouthernAppalachianforestsarerecognizedasabiodiversityhotspotofglobalsignificance,particularlyforendemic aquatic salamanders and mussels. The dominant driver of land-cover and land-use change in this region is surface mining, with an ever-increasing proportion occurring as mountaintop mining with valley fill operations (MTVF). In MTVF, seams of coal are exposed using explosives, and the resulting noncoal overburden is pushed into adjacent valleys to facilitate coal extraction. To date, MTVF throughout the Appalachians have converted 1.1 million hectares offoresttosurfaceminesandburiedmorethan2,000kmofstreamchannelbeneathminingoverburden.Theimpacts of these lost forests and buried streams are propagated throughout the river networks of the region as the resulting sediment and chemical pollutants are transmitted downstream. There is, to date, no evidence to suggest that the extensive chemical and hydrologic alterations of streams by MTVF can be offset or reversed by currently required reclamation and mitigation practices.
Sample Heating Apparatus for Raman Spectroscopy

Laser Raman spectroscopy has many useful applications in the study of biological macromolecules including proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. In addition to regular and resonance Raman important information concerning the molecule's conformation, stability, and side chain environments can be revealed by studying the heat perturbation and denaturation of proteins and peptides. It is therefore necessary to devise an apparatus which can heat a sample to a precise temperature and maintain that temperature while a spectrum is recorded. In this note we describe an apparatus for thermostating samples contained in capillary tubes. The heating block was designed for use with a Spex Ramalog 5 spectrometer but could be adapted to any other type of spectrometer.
On the Convergence of the Em Algorithm

The EM algorithm is a popular iterative method for finding the maximum likelihood estimate when the likelihood function is either non-analytical or its functional form is too difficult to maximize directly. In this paper we analyze the convergence properties of the EM algorithm. By representing the E step in a Taylor series with remainder we obtain a derivation of region of convergence and asymptotic convergence rates for a specified complete data space. These results can help one tailor the choice of complete data space so as to achieve an optimal tradeoff between ease of implementation and rapid convergence of the EM algorithm.
Slicing java programs that throw and catch exceptions

Exceptions are the preferred method for error handling in object-oriented languages like Java. Current program-slicing algorithms do not correctly deal with exception-handling constructs, because they do not account for the additional control and data dependences introduced by exceptions. This paper extends previous work on program slicing using the system dependence graph (SDG) to support slicing programs with exceptions.
On-chip coherent combining of angled-grating diode lasers toward bar-scale single-mode lasers

Single mode operation of broad-area diode lasers, which is the key to obtain high power, high brightness sources, is difficult due to highly nonlinear materials and strong coupling between gain and index. Conventional broad-area lasers usually operate with multiple modes and have poor beam quality. Laser bars usually consist of incoherently combined broad-area single emitters placed side by side. In this article, we have demonstrated a novel integrated laser architecture in which Bragg diffraction is used to realize simultaneous modal control and coherent combining of broad-area diode lasers. Our experimental results show that two 100μm wide, 1.3mm long InP broad-area lasers provide near-diffraction-limited output beam and are coherently combined at the same time without any external optical components. Furthermore, our design can be expanded to a coherently combined broad-area laser array that turns a laser bar into a coherent single mode laser with diffraction-limited beam quality.
Genetic and genomic approaches to the detection of heart transplant rejection

Since Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant in 1967, over 100,000 heart transplants have been performed worldwide. As was true then, rejection remains the major threat to the function and survival of the allograft. The development of the endomyocardial biopsy as a means to monitor for rejection has allowed heart transplantation to thrive as a therapy for patients with end-stage heart disease. The need for a noninvasive method of rejection surveillance led to the development of the first genetic test for allograft rejection, the AlloMap®. In this article, after presenting the pathological and clinical features of cardiac allograft rejection, the authors discuss the development and application of gene-expression testing for the detection of cardiac allograft rejection. We then explore emerging ‘omic’ approaches that will be the rejection detection methods of the future.
Exploring Gen Y Responses to an Apparel Brand’s Use of Cause-Related Marketing Does Message Matter When It Comes to Support for the Breast Cancer Cause?

This study explored Gen Y’s responses to cause-related marketing (CRM) in apparel advertising. Data were collected from 349 Gen Y consumers to examine the influence of CRM on attitudes and purchase...
Comparison of trapping and camera survey methods for determining presence of allegheny woodrats

Declines in Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) distribution and numbers have been documented in the northern and western portions of the range for >30 years. Population trends in other parts of the range are uncertain, largely due to a lack of, or inconsistent, survey effort. We examined the efficacy of the trapping protocol currently used by many state and federal agencies for determining presence or absence of Allegheny woodrats at 17 study sites in western Virginia, USA. We compared trapping results with a remote camera methodology to determine whether remote cameras provide an effective alternative to trapping. We found that detection probabilities were high after 2 survey nights for both the trapping (0.86 ± 0.06) and camera (0.97 ± 0.03) methodologies. Percent of sites with documented woodrat presence after 2 nights was 88% and 94% for traps and cameras, respectively. We conclude that both methods are adequate for determining presence or absence of Allegheny woodrats and that each method has distinct advantages depending on the objectives. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
The Difference that Diaspora Makes: Thinking through the Anthropology of Immigrant Education in the United States

In this article, I examine the possibility of a productive dialogue between diaspora studies and the anthropology of immigrant education in the United States. Arguing that their respective views on the nation-state is a key source for their different orientations toward migrant social and cultural worlds, I nevertheless argue that an engagement between these two fields of study will yield more critical understandings of nationalism, the category of the “immigrant,” and multiculturalism within both these areas of scholarship.
Age Differences in the Frontal Lateralization of Verbal and Spatial Working Memory Revealed by PET

Age-related decline in working memory figures prominently in theories of cognitive aging. However, the effects of aging on the neural substrate of working memory are largely unknown. Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to investigate verbal and spatial short-term storage (3 sec) in older and younger adults. Previous investigations with younger subjects performing these same tasks have revealed asymmetries in the lateral organization of verbal and spatial working memory. Using volume of interest (VOI) analyses that specifically compared activation at sites identified with working memory to their homologous twin in the opposite hemisphere, we show pronounced age differences in this organization, particularly in the frontal lobes: In younger adults, activation is predominantly left lateralized for verbal working memory, and right lateralized for spatial working memory, whereas older adults show a global pattern of anterior bilateral activation for both types of memory. Analyses of frontal subregions indicate that several underlying patterns contribute to global bilaterality in older adults: most notably, bilateral activation in areas associated with rehearsal, and paradoxical laterality in dorsolateral prefrontal sites (DLPFC; greater left activation for spatial and greater right activation for verbal). We consider several mechanisms that could account for these age differences including the possibility that bilateral activation reflects recruitment to compensate for neural decline.
Temperature Dependence of Fusion Kinetics and Fusion Pores in Ca2+-triggered Exocytosis from PC12 Cells

The temperature dependence of Ca2+-triggered exocytosis was studied using carbon fiber amperometry to record the release of norepinephrine from PC12 cells. Single-vesicle fusion events were examined at temperatures varying from 12 to 28°C, and with release elicited by depolarization. Measurements were made of the initial and maximum frequencies of exocytotic events, of fusion pore lifetime, flux through the open fusion pore, kiss-and-run versus full-fusion probability, and parameters associated with the shapes of amperometric spikes. The fusion pore open-state flux, and all parameters associated with spike shape, including area, rise time, and decay time, had weak temperature dependences and activation energies in the range expected for bulk diffusion in an aqueous solution. Kiss-and-run events also varied with temperature, with lower temperatures increasing the relative probability of kiss-and-run events by ∼50%. By contrast, kinetic parameters relating to the frequency of exocytotic events and fusion pore transitions depended much more strongly on temperature, suggesting that these processes entail structural rearrangements of proteins or lipids or both. The weak temperature dependence of spike shape suggests that after the fusion pore has started to expand, structural transitions of membrane components are no longer kinetically limiting. This indicates that the content of a vesicle is expelled completely after fusion pore expansion.
A Novel Use of Human Acellular Dermis for Conduit Salvage After Esophagectomy

Postesophagectomy anastomotic leaks cause significant morbidity and mortality. Esophageal diversion is often required when extensive tissue loss precludes primary repair. We describe a technique in which human acellular dermis (AlloDerm) is used to repair the conduit, and report a series of 3 patients with significant anastomotic dehiscence whose conduits were salvaged using this technique.
Metabolism of T4 Bacteriophage Ghost-Infected Cells II. Do Ghosts Cause a Generalized Permeability Change?

Ghosts appear to alter the barrier function of the cell membrane, allowing the release of phosphorylated sugars which normally cannot pass through the cell membrane, whereas phage do not. No increased influx of normally impermeable compounds is observed in the presence of ghosts, indicating that the loss of membrane function after ghost infection cannot be attributed to a generalized breakdown of the permeability barrier.
Sublethal responses of largemouth bass to parasites and organochlorines

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (RMA) experience chronic organochlorine exposures and parasitism by nematodes (Contracaecum spiculigerum) and digenean flukes (Posthodiplostomum minimum centrarchi). We investigated the influences of nematode intensity, fluke intensity, and whole-body organochlorine concentrations on growth of juvenile RMA bass. Lifetime growth, or age-specific lengths, of bass in three RMA lakes were within the range observed for bass in five reference lakes. However, interlake comparisons can be confounded by differing environmental conditions. Therefore, we conducted mesocosm and laboratory studies to compare growth, consumption, and feeding behavior between RMA bass and bass that had little contaminant or parasite exposure. Mean growth rates of RMA bass were 45% lower compared with hatchery bass in experimental ponds. However, regression analysis revealed that parasite and organochlorine burdens were not negatively associated with either short-term growth or age-specific lengths of RMA bass. Hatchery bass growth was likely higher due to their experience with culture pond conditions. In feeding trials, RMA bass exhibited similar food conversion efficiency and consumption rates and significantly elevated feeding activity compared with hatchery bass. This research demonstrates that current parasite and organochlorine loads had benign influences on growth of juvenile RMA bass.
Finite element analysis of electrical impedance myography in the rat hind limb

Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a form of muscle assessment based on the surface application of electrical current and measurement of the resulting voltages over a muscle group of interest. In order to better understand the effect of pathological change in muscle, EIM has recently been applied to the rat. In this study, a finite element model of EIM is presented for the rat hind limb which incorporates the detailed anatomy of the leg based on computerized tomographic imaging and conductivity and permittivity values obtained from the rat gastrocnemius muscle. In addition, the angular anisotropy of the biceps femoris muscle has been included. The model successfully predicts the recorded surface impedances measured with EIM.
Characterization of Microsatellite Loci and Repeat Density in the Gooseneck Barnacle, Pollicipes elegans, Using Next Generation Sequencing

Pollicipes elegans is a commercially important and biogeographically significant rocky-shore gooseneck barnacle found along the eastern Pacific coasts of Peru, El Salvador, and Mexico. Little is known about its reproductive biology, and no genetic resources exist despite its growing importance as a fisheries species in the region. Next generation sequencing methods can provide rapid and cost-effective development of molecular markers such as microsatellites, which can be applied to studies of paternity, parentage, and population structure in this understudied species. Here, we used Roche 454 pyrosequencing to develop microsatellite markers in P. elegans and made genomic comparisons of repeat density and repeat class frequency with other arthropods and more distantly related taxa. We identified 13 809 repeats of 1-6 bp, or a density of 9744 bp of repeat per megabase queried, which was intermediate in the range of taxonomic groups compared. Comparison of repeat class frequency distributions revealed that P. elegans was most similar to Drosophila melanogaster rather than the more closely related crustacean Daphnia pulex. We successfully isolated 15 polymorphic markers with an average of 9.4 alleles per locus and average observed and expected heterozygosities of 0.501 and 0.597, respectively. Four loci were found to be out of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, likely due to the presence of null alleles. A preliminary population genetic analysis revealed low but significant differentiation between a Peruvian (n = 47) and Mexican (n = 48) population (F(ST) = 0.039) and markedly reduced genetic diversity in Peru. These markers should facilitate future studies of paternity, parentage, and population structure in this species.
CASSCF Investigation of Electronic Excited States of 2-Aminopurine

2-Aminopurine is a highly fluorescent analogue of adenine that can be incorporated synthetically into DNA with little perturbation of the native double-helical structure. The sensitive dependence of the quantum yield of this fluorophore on nucleic acid conformation has made it an invaluable probe of DNA structure, dynamics, and interactions. To assist in the development of models for the molecular interpretation of fluorescence measurements, the electronic structure of 2-amino-9-methylpurine has been calculated in the ground state and the lowest singlet ππ* and nπ* excited states. These computations employed the complete active space multiconfigurational self-consistent field method (CASSCF), supplemented by multiconfigurational quasi-degenerate perturbation theory (MCQDPT). The predicted energies for ππ* excitation and emission and nπ* excitation are in good agreement with previous experimental values. The permanent molecular dipoles of the ground and ππ* excited states are similar in magnitude and direc...
Nitrogen and air Paschen curves for dielectric barrier discharges in μm-sized voids

The piezoelectric activity of ferro- or piezoelectrets (i e., charged polymer foams) is due to space charge deposited on dielectric surfaces of interior micrometer-sized voids. Typically, the space charge is created by applying large electric fields to the voids which induces dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) resulting in charge separation within the gas. This charging process, which is a strong function of the gas pressure and void height, can be studied by monitoring light emission whose occurrence corresponds to the onset of DBDs. To investigate the breakdown behavior, single cell voids with defined heights were constructed by placing polypropylene (PP) spacers with varying thickness between 25 µm PP dielectric barriers. These were placed between glass slides with semi-transparent indium tin oxide electrodes. A high voltage charging profile was then applied while emission of light was monitored either with an electron-multiplying CCD camera (imaging mode) or a photomultiplier (non-imaging mode). Two separate methods of monitoring light emissions resulted in similar breakdown fields Ec for nitrogen and air in small voids. The breakdown fields are in good agreement with the standard Paschen curves, with small deviations for void heights less than 25 µm.
The role of external fixation and emergency fracture management in bovine orthopedics.

Abstract First aid for limb fractures in cattle is discussed. This includes a discussion of which fractures in cattle are suitable for external fixation and which methods of external fixation are useful to the bovine practitioner.
Food Supply and Nest Timing of Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds in the Rocky Mountains

ORIANS, G. H. 1973. The Red-winged Blackbird in tropical marshes. Condor 75:28-42. PAYNE, R. B. 1969. Breeding seasons and reproductive physiology of Tricolored Blackbirds and Redwinged Blackbirds. Univ. California Publ. Zool. 90:1-137. PRICE, F. E., AND C. E. BociK. 1973. Polygyny in the Dipper. Condor 75:457-459. ROBERTSON, R. J. 1972. Optimal niche space of the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). I. Nesting success in marsh and upland habitat. Can. J. Zool. 50:247-263. ROBERTSON, R. J. 1973. Optimal niche space of the red-winged blackbird: spatial and temporal patterns of nesting activity and success. Ecology 54:1085-1093.
Reaching Acceptance: Problematic Integration in Health-Care Decisions at the Latter End of the Lifespan

Health-care decisions at the latter end of the lifespan are meaningful communicative experiences that can have important consequences for the health and well being of older adults. Using problematic integration theory as a guiding framework, I examined patterns of communication involved with the personal health-care decisions of older adults. I conducted interviews with sixty-two older adults in the process of considering a major health-care decision. Thematic analysis revealed that as older adults attempted to integrate and make sense of incongruent information related to their health-care decisions, interactions with physicians, adult children, spouses, and friends were influential. Additionally, overcoming avoidance, managing uncertainty, and reaching acceptance emerged in the health-care decision experiences of older adults in ways meaningful for problematic integration.
Implications of the Financial Crisis for Long Run Retirement Security

Managing retirement risk has become extraordinarily difficult in this era of financial turmoil, global inter-linkages, and global population aging. It is particularly fraught since consumers must now engage in long-term contracts with themselves, employers, financial institutions, and governments, regarding the future of retirement financing. Moreover, these agreements will need to remain in force extraordinarily long, for fifty or even one hundred years into the future. This note reviews what institutions and instruments that have a successful track record in retirement risk management over such a long time horizon.
Evaluation on Hygienic Engineering Reconstructive Effect of Welding Workshop in A Machinery Manufacturing Enterprises

[Objective]To evaluate the hygienic engineering reconstructive effect of welding workshop in a machinery manufacturing enterprises.[Methods] Occupational hazards were detected before and after the hygienic engineering reconstruction,the results were comparatively Analyzed.[Results]The differences of welding fume,ozone,manganese and inorganic compounds before and after the reconstruction were statistical significance.[Conclusion]The hygienic engineering reconstructive effect is well.
Metastatic Seminoma with Regression of Testicular Primary: Ultrasonographic Detection

AbstractWe report a case of seminoma of the testis metastatic to the retroperitoneum. Biopsy of the retroperitoneal mass revealed anaplastic seminoma. No testicular mass could be palpated. Testicular ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic 3 × 2cm. area in the left testis suggestive of a primary testicular tumor, most likely a seminoma. Histological evaluation of the resected testis revealed fibrous tissue but no definable tumor.
Peroxidatic oxidation of tyrosine to melanin in supernatant of crude mouse melanoma homogenates.

Peroxide-dependent enzymic oxidation of tyrosine to dopachrome and melanin was demonstrated in cell-free melanoma homogenates. Histochemical methods for distinguishing peroxidase activity from aerobic dopa (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) oxidase activity are not reliable with cell-free preparations. Therefore the presence of peroxidase activity in such preparations precludes assay of cresolase activity of mammalian ;tyrosinase'.
Ophthalmic complications of water sports.

A variety of ocular pathologic entities have been associated with water sports. This article describes many of them, including optical problems and refractive errors, pressure-related problems, trauma, infection, irritations, toxins, and exposure to sun and wind.
De novo characterization of genes that contribute to high-level ciprofloxacin resistance in Escherichia coli

Sensitization of resistant bacteria to existing antibiotics depends on the identification of candidate targets whose activities contribute to resistance. Using a transposon insertion library in an Escherichia coli mutant that was 2,000 times less susceptible to ciprofloxacin than its parent and the relative fitness scores, we identified 19 genes that contributed to the acquired ciprofloxacin resistance and mapped the shortest genetic path that increased the antibiotic susceptibility of the resistant bacteria back to a near wild-type level.
Miniature Spatial Heterodyne Raman Spectrometer with a Cell Phone Camera Detector

A spatial heterodyne Raman spectrometer (SHRS) with millimeter-sized optics has been coupled with a standard cell phone camera as a detector for Raman measurements. The SHRS is a dispersive-based i...
A Protecting Group-Free Synthesis of (−)-Hortonones A-C from the Inhoffen-Lythgoe Diol

A synthesis of hortonones A–C has been accomplished from vitamin D2via the Inhoffen–Lythgoe diol without the use of protective groups. Key steps in the syntheses include a TMS-diazomethane mediated regioselective homologation of the cyclohexanone ring to a cycloheptanone moiety and a sodium naphthalenide-mediated allylic alcohol transposition. It has been found that the absolute configuration of the natural hortonones is opposite that of the synthetic material prepared from vitamin D2.
Medical Foster Homes: Can the Adult Foster Care Model Substitute for Nursing Home Care?

Objective To compare characteristics, healthcare use, and costs of care of veterans in the rapidly expanding Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical foster home (MFH) with those of three other VHA long-term care (LTC) programs. Design Descriptive, unmatched study. Setting VHA MFHs, home-based primary care (HBPC), community living centers (CLCs), and community nursing homes (CNHs). Participants Veterans newly enrolled in one of the four LTC settings in calendar years 2010 or 2011. Measurements Using VA and Medicare data from fiscal years 2010 and 2011, demographic characteristics, healthcare use, and costs of 388 veterans in MFHs were compared with 26,037 of those in HBPC, 5,355 in CLCs, and 5,517 in CNHs in the year before and the year after enrollment. Results Veterans enrolled in the MFH program were more likely to be unmarried than those in other LTC programs and had higher levels of comorbidity and frailty than veterans receiving HBPC but had similar levels of comorbidity, frailty, and healthcare use as those in CLCs and CNHs. MFH veterans incurred lower costs than those in CNHs and CLCs. Conclusion MFHs served a distinct subset of veterans with levels of comorbidity and frailty similar to those of veterans cared for in CLCs and CNHs at costs that were comparable to or lower than those of the VHA. Propensity-matched comparisons will be necessary to confirm these findings.
Determining deformation resistance in cutting soft tissue with nonuniform thickness

Understanding soft tissue response during tool tissue interaction is important for developing a reality based haptic interaction model for surgical training and simulation. In this work, experiments were conducted to cut liver specimens with nonuniform thickness. Three cutting speeds ranging from 0.1 cm/sec-2.54 cm/sec were used. The cutting forces, cutting tool displacement, and tool/tissue imaging via stereo camera system were collected. The time varying depth-of-cut in the thickness-varying specimen was then determined using image analysis. The force-displacement data revealed that the cutting process consisted of a sequence of repeating units each comprising of a localized deformation phase followed by localized crack extension phase in the tissue. Based on depth-of-cut normalized cutting force, the deformation resistance of the tissue during the localized deformation phases was determined. The deformation resistance was characterized via the local effective modulus (LEM) of the soft tissue. The effect of cutting speed on the deformation resistance of the soft tissue was determined.
Abstract #4391: The Raf/MEK/ERK pathway can mediate androgen receptor downregulation and growth arrest independently of ERK1/2 kinase activity in LNCaP cells

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 18-22, 2009; Denver, CO Although Ras or Raf mutations are rarely detected in prostate tumor, activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway is correlated with some aspects of prostate tumorigenesis including loss of androgen receptor (AR) expression in prostate tumors upon androgen withdrawal. We investigated the effect of activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway on AR expression in the androgen-dependent human prostate tumor cell line, LNCaP. Activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway, using an inducible Raf or constitutively active MEK1/2, induced downregulation of AR and c-MYC, which is accompanied by growth arrest and morphological changes. This indicated that activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway alone is sufficient to mediate AR downregulation and prompted us to further investigate involved mechanisms of ERK1/2 signaling. Surprisingly, we found that Raf/MEK/ERK-induced AR downregulation and growth arrest can be mediated via a novel ERK signaling mechanism for which ERK1/2 kinase activity is not necessary. Ablation of ERK1/2 by RNA interference abrogated the effects of Raf activation on downregulation of AR and c-MYC, growth arrest as well as morphological changes. However, overexpression of ERK1-K71R, a kinase-deficient ERK1 that competitively inhibited activation of endogenous ERK1/2, could not block Raf-induced AR downregulation and growth arrest although it effectively blocked morphological changes, c-MYC downregulation, and phosphorylation of the ERK1/2 catalytic activity readouts, p90RSK and ELK1. Since this indicated non-catalytic signaling potential of ERK1/2, we generated LNCaP lines in which both ERK1 and ERK2 were stably knocked down, and further determined the non-catalytic ERK signaling using ERK2-K52R, a rat-derived kinase-deficient ERK2, which is not targeted in the stable cell lines. Indeed, ERK2-K52R selectively restored cellular ability to undergo Raf-induced AR downregulation and growth arrest without affecting cellular morphology and c-MYC levels. Kinase activity is the key biochemical property of the MAP kinase, ERK1/2. However, these results suggest that ERK1/2 can also mediate non-catalytic signaling in cells. Our finding of kinase activity-independent ERK1/2 signaling may provide a foundation to investigate the molecular background of AR downregulation during prostate tumorigenesis. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 4391.
The GapMap project: a mobile surveillance system to map diagnosed autism cases and gaps in autism services globally.

Although the number of autism diagnoses is on the rise, we have no evidence-based tracking of size and severity of gaps in access to autism-related resources, nor do we have methods to geographically triangulate the locations of the widest gaps in either the US or elsewhere across the globe. To combat these related issues of (1) mapping diagnosed cases of autism and (2) quantifying gaps in access to key intervention services, we have constructed a crowd-based mobile platform called “GapMap” ( http://gapmap.stanford.edu ) for real-time tracking of autism prevalence and autism-related resources that can be accessed from any mobile device with cellular or wireless connectivity. Now in beta, our aim is for this Android/iOS compatible mobile tool to simultaneously crowd-enroll the massive and growing community of families with autism to capture geographic, diagnostic, and resource usage information while automatically computing prevalence at granular geographical scales to yield a more complete and dynamic understanding of autism resource epidemiology.
Determining the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Composition of Freshwater Streams from Fish Gut Analysis

Abstract The monitoring of changes in benthic macroinvertebrate communities over time facilitates the evaluation of any changes that occur in the function and structure of aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesized that it would be possible to determine, through running simulations, which trophic group of fishes' gut content can and should be used to best determine benthic macroinvertebrate community composition. Researchers could use this knowledge to estimate historic benthic macroinvertebrate communities of aquatic systems from fishes catalogued in museums. These historical data could then be compared to current data to see how macroinvertebrate communities have changed over time. In this study, we identified the fishes whose gut content most accurately reflected the benthic macroinvertebrate community of Marshalls Creek in East Stroudsburg, PA. We collected fish species and benthic macroinvertebrate samples at various sites and at different times of year to reflect seasonal variation. Enneacanthus gloriosus ...
Improved utilization of operating room time for trainee cataract surgery in a public hospital setting.

Purpose To examine the effect of group goal and group performance theories on operating room efficiency in resident-performed cataract surgery. Setting Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. Design Prospective case series. Methods This study assessed 4 specific segments of operating room utilization identified as room-to-incision time, incision-to-close time, close-to-exit time, and room turnover time. The time segments were measured for resident-performed cataract cases before the proposed intervention. Then, group goals were set for ideal times of each utilization segment. Behaviors of the surgery, anesthesia, nursing, pharmacy, and housekeeping teams that would improve group performance were identified. Utilization segments were measured again after the intervention. Results The time segments were measured for 134 resident-performed cataract cases before the proposed intervention and again after the intervention for 136 resident-performed cataract cases. Before the intervention, the mean overall case time was 55 minutes, allowing for 10 cases in a 10-hour day. After the intervention, the mean overall case time was 46 minutes, allowing for 13 cases in a 10-hour day. The decrease in postintervention times for overall case time, room-to-incision time, and close-to-exit time were statistically significant. Conclusions Operating room utilization for resident-performed cataract surgery was enhanced by setting group goals. A multidisciplinary effort to enhance group performance through behavior modification can be implemented immediately and improve efficiency without compromising patient safety or resident teaching.
An objective score to identify psychogenic seizures based on age of onset and history

Abstract Objective Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES) is a common diagnosis after evaluation of medication resistant or atypical seizures with video-electroencephalographic monitoring (VEM), but usually follows a long delay after the development of seizures, during which patients are treated for epilepsy. Therefore, more readily available diagnostic tools are needed for earlier identification of patients at risk for PNES. A tool based on patient-reported psychosocial history would be especially beneficial because it could be implemented in the outpatient clinic. Methods Based on the data from 1375 patients with VEM-confirmed diagnoses, we used logistic regression to compare the frequency of specific patient-reported historical events, demographic information, age of onset, and delay from first seizure until VEM in five mutually exclusive groups of patients: epileptic seizures (ES), PNES, physiologic nonepileptic seizure-like events (PSLE), mixed PNES plus ES, and inconclusive monitoring. To determine the diagnostic utility of this information to differentiate PNES only from ES only, we used multivariate piecewise-linear logistic regression trained using retrospective data from chart review and validated based on data from 246 prospective standardized interviews. Results The prospective area under the curve of our weighted multivariate piecewise-linear by-sex score was 73%, with the threshold that maximized overall retrospective accuracy resulting in a prospective sensitivity of 74% (95% CI: 70–79%) and prospective specificity of 71% (95% CI: 64–82%). The linear model and piecewise linear without an interaction term for sex had very similar performance statistics. In the multivariate piecewise-linear sex-split predictive model, the significant factors positively associated with ES were history of febrile seizures, current employment or active student status, history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and longer delay from first seizure until VEM. The significant factors associated with PNES were female sex, older age of onset, mild TBI, and significant stressful events with sexual abuse, in particular, increasing the likelihood of PNES. Delays longer than 20 years, age of onset after 31 years for men, and age of onset after 40 years for women had no additional effect on the likelihood of PNES. Discussion Our promising results suggest that an objective score has the potential to serve as an early outpatient screening tool to identify patients with greater likelihood of PNES when considered in combination with other factors. In addition, our analysis suggests that sexual abuse, more than other psychological stressors including physical abuse, is more associated with PNES. There was a trend of increasing frequency of PNES for women during childbearing years and plateauing outside those years that was not observed in men.
Trainees’ Reflections on Clinical and Personal Growth

This chapter offers clinical reflections from medical trainees and other healthcare practitioners about their work with patients with addiction. These experiences illuminate the impact of therapeutic work on professional and personal transformation.
Therapy for progressive supranuclear palsy: past and future.

Dysfunction of multiple brain systems in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) has complicated attempts to treat the disease. Neuro-transmitter replacement strategies targeting the dopaminergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic systems have been unsuccessful. In order to bypass the degenerated corticostriato-pallidal loop, we adminstered the adrenergic agonist idazoxan (IDA) to treat PSP in two randomized double-blind, placebo controlled, crossover studies. Approximately one half of patients enrolled in these studies showed statistically significant improvement in balance and manual dexterity while taking IDA compared to placebo. These results suggest that new therapies that target structures outside of the basal ganglia may be useful for symptomatic treatment of PSP. Applying this strategy and developing treatments that arrest or reverse clinical deterioration in PSP will require improved understanding of the process underlying the illness.
Anticipation: A Bridge between Narration and Innovation

Everyone. No one goes to his physician prepared to accept a diagnosis that might be right or wrong. You don’t send an e-mail that just might reach your addressee, or might reach someone else, or might get lost.