cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cerebral oxygen metabolism during and after therapeutic hypothermia in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: a feasibility study using magnetic resonance imaging.

Therapeutic hypothermia is the standard-of-care treatment for infants diagnosed with moderate-to-severe hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). MRI for assessing brain injury is usually performed after hypothermia because of logistical challenges in bringing acutely sick infants receiving hypothermia from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to the MRI suite. Perhaps examining and comparing early cerebral oxygen metabolism disturbances to those after rewarming will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of brain injury in HIE and the effects of therapeutic hypothermia. The objectives were to assess the feasibility of performing a novel T2-relaxation under spin tagging (TRUST) MRI technique to measure venous oxygen saturation very early in the time course of treatment, 18–24 h after the initiation of therapeutic hypothermia, to provide a framework to measure neonatal cerebral oxygen metabolism noninvasively, and to compare parameters between early and post-hypothermia MRIs. Early (18–24 h after initiating hypothermia) MRIs were performed during hypothermia treatment in nine infants with HIE (six with moderate and three with severe HIE). Six infants subsequently had an MRI after hypothermia. Mean values of cerebral blood flow, oxygen extraction fraction, and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen from MRIs during hypothermia were compared between infants with moderate and severe HIE; and in those with moderate HIE, we compared cerebral oxygen metabolism parameters between MRIs performed during and after hypothermia. During the initial hypothermia MRI at 23.5±5.2 h after birth, infants with severe HIE had lower oxygen extraction fraction (P=0.04) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (P=0.03) and a trend toward lower cerebral blood flow (P=0.33) compared to infants with moderate HIE. In infants with moderate HIE, cerebral blood flow decreased and oxygen extraction fraction increased between MRIs during and after hypothermia (although not significantly); cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (P=0.93) was not different. Early MRIs were technically feasible while maintaining hypothermic goal temperatures in infants with HIE. Cerebral oxygen metabolism early during hypothermia is more disturbed in severe HIE. In infants with moderate HIE, cerebral blood flow decreased and oxygen extraction fraction increased between early and post-hypothermia scans. A comparison of cerebral oxygen metabolism parameters between early and post-hypothermia MRIs might improve our understanding of the evolution of HIE and the benefits of hypothermia. This approach could guide the use of adjunctive neuroprotective strategies in affected infants.
Review of David Sytsma's Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers

A review of David Sytsma's recent book Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017).
Evaluation of a Pilot Perioperative Smoking Cessation Program: A Pre-Post Study.

Abstract Background Surgical clinic and perioperative settings are critical touchpoints for treating smoking, yet health care systems have not typically prioritized smoking cessation among surgical patients. We evaluated the implementation of a pilot smoking cessation intervention integrated into standard perioperative care. Materials and methods English-speaking adult smokers undergoing elective surgery in Kaiser Permanente San Francisco before (2015) and after (2016-2017) the implementation of a smoking cessation intervention were included. Provider outcomes included counseling referrals, cessation medication orders (between surgery scheduling and surgery), and preoperative carbon monoxide testing. Patient outcomes included counseling and medication use, smoking status at surgery and 30 d after discharge, and surgical complications. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined pre-to-post intervention changes in outcomes using electronic health record data and 30-d postdischarge telephone surveys. Results The sample included 276 patients (70% male; 59% non-Hispanic white; mean age = 50 y). There were significant pre-to-post increases in tobacco cessation counseling referrals (3% to 28%, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 11.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.78-32.71) and preoperative carbon monoxide testing (38% to 50%, AOR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.10-3.06). At ∼30 d after discharge, patients in the postintervention period were more likely to report smoking abstinence in the previous 7 d (24% pre, 44% post; AOR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.11-5.13) and since hospital discharge (18% pre, 39% post; AOR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.42-7.23). Cessation medication orders and patient use of counseling and medications increased, whereas surgical complications decreased, but pre-to-post differences were not significant. Conclusions A perioperative smoking cessation program integrated into standard care demonstrated positive smoking-related outcomes; however, larger studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs.
Caring for the Transgender Adolescent: It Takes a Village.

CASE:Christa is a 15-year-old male-to-female (MTF) transgender patient who comes to your Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics office for consultation on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) management and concerns about worsening anxiety. Review of medical history included mild persistent
The synthesis of novel polycyclic heterocyclic ring systems via photocyclization. 22 Dibenzo[f,h]benzothieno[2,3-c]quinoline, dibenzo[f,h]benzothieno[2,3-c][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoline and dibenzo[f,h]naphtho[2′,1′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinoline†‡§

Photocyclization of 3-chloro-N-(9-phenanthryl)benzo[b]-thiophene-2-carboxamide (3) and 3-chloro-N-(9-phenanthryl)-naphtho[1,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxamide (10) yielded dibenzo[f,h]benzothieno[2,3-c]-quinolin-10(9H)-one (4) and dibenzo[f,h]naphtho[2′,1′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinolin-10(9H)-one (11), respectively. Further elaboration of the lactams provided three novel unsubstituted new ring systems.
Prioritizing transcriptomic and epigenomic experiments by using an optimization strategy that leverages imputed data

Successful science often involves not only performing experiments well, but also choosing well among many possible experiments. In a hypothesis generation setting, choosing an experiment well means choosing an experiment whose results are interesting or novel. In this work, we formalize this selection procedure in the context of genomics and epigenomics data generation. Specifically, we consider the task faced by a scientific consortium such as the National Institutes of Health ENCODE Consortium, whose goal is to characterize all of the functional elements in the human genome. Given a list of possible cell types or tissue types ("biosamples") and a list of possible high throughput sequencing assays, we ask "Which experiments should ENCODE perform next?" We demonstrate how to represent this task as an optimization problem, where the goal is to maximize the information gained in each successive experiment. Compared with previous work that has addressed a similar problem, our approach has the advantage that it can use imputed data to tailor the selected list of experiments based on data collected previously by the consortium. We demonstrate the utility of our proposed method in simulations, and we provide a general software framework, named Kiwano, for selecting genomic and epigenomic experiments.
Clarifying the relationship between trait empathy and action-based resonance indexed by EEG mu-rhythm suppression.

Abstract Sensorimotor resonance, the vicarious activation of the sensory motor system during observation of another's actions, is thought to contribute to important social functions including empathy. Previous research has shown that sensorimotor resonance, as measured by suppression of the electrophysiological (EEG) mu rhythm, is predicted by trait empathy, but findings are inconsistent. Here we report data from a high-powered study (N = 252) to clarify the relationship between sensorimotor resonance as indexed by mu suppression during action observation and trait empathy as measured by the well-established Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Our initial pre-registered analyses at central electrode locations indicate that sensorimotor resonance is unrelated to general trait empathy or its sub-facets, however, these effects could not be isolated from attention-related occipital alpha. An additional non-registered analysis using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to look at the isolated central mu-component clarified the relationship. Results confirmed the lack of a relationship between the mu-component and the perspective taking, personal distress, or fantasy facets of the IRI, but suggest a possible association with empathic concern such that greater resonance is associated with greater empathic concern. These results question the previously assumed relationship between trait empathy and sensorimotor resonance and highlight the need to investigate experience sharing tendencies in the context of simulation-based resonance.
Using machine learning to estimate survival curves for patients receiving an increased risk for disease transmission heart, liver, or lung versus waiting for a standard organ

Introduction Over 19% of deceased organ donors are labeled increased risk for disease transmission (IRD) for viral blood-borne disease transmission. Many potential organ recipients need to decide between accepting an IRD organ offer and waiting for a non-IRD organ. Methods Using machine learning and simulation, we built transplant and waitlist survival models and compared the survival for patients accepting IRD organ offers or waiting for non-IRD organs for the heart, liver, and lung. The simulation consisted of generating 20 000 different scenarios of a recipient either receiving an IRD organ or waiting and receiving a non-IRD organ. Results In the simulations, the 5-year survival probabilities of heart, liver, and lung recipients who accepted IRD organ offers increased on average by 10.2%, 12.7%, and 7.2%, respectively, compared with receiving a non-IRD organ after average wait times (190, 228, and 223 days, respectively). When the estimated waitlist time was at least 5 days for the liver, and 1 day for the heart and lung, 50% or more of the simulations resulted in a higher chance of 5-year survival when the patient received an IRD organ versus when the patient remained on the waitlist. We also developed a simple equation to estimate the benefits, in terms of 5-year survival probabilities, of receiving an IRD organ versus waiting for a non-IRD organ, for a particular set of recipient/donor characteristics. Conclusion For all three organs, the majority of patients are predicted to have higher 5-year survival accepting an IRD organ offer compared with waiting for a non-IRD organ.
Management of Clostridioides difficile Infection

Clinical relevance Clostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile infection is among the most identified causes of health care-associated infections in US hospitals and remains a major public health problem. The incidence and severity of C difficile infection are high among critically ill patients. Treating critically ill patients is challenging; treatment failure is especially common because of comorbidities and the continued need for antibiotic therapy for other infections. Because of the high risk of C difficile infection recurrence and high mortality rate associated with the disease, intensive research has taken place over the last decade to improve patient outcomes. This research has resulted in new drugs indicated for C difficile infection and new information on existing drugs. The 2010 clinical practice guidelines for C difficile infections have been updated on the basis of this new information. Purpose of paper To review the 2017 update of the clinical practice guidelines from the Society for Health-care Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Content covered The updated recommendations for the treatment of C difficile infection, the clinical pharmacology of old and new drugs for treating the infection, and the role of critical care nurses in mini-mizing the risk of C difficile infection for their patients.
‘We still here’: Black mothers’ personal narratives of sense making and resisting antiblackness and the suspensions of their Black children

While research has called attention to the phenomena of a link between school and prison for many Black students in the United States, there has been much less examination of the direct impact to B...
Martingales and the theory of capital asset pricing

Introduction. This paper offers an introduction to some recent work and current issues in mathematical finance. It is couched in the language of continuous-time stochastic processes, a vehicle which is tailor made for finance. In particular, the Ito calculus and the representation of martingales as stochastic integrals play fundamental roles. To give some feeling for the range of mathematical finance, this paper presents in their simplest versions two problems, one mic~oeconomic and the other macroeconomic. The first is the problem of determining a fair price for a contingent claim in the presence of a complete market, and its resolution leads to the celebrated Black-Scholes option uricing ~ These matters are discussed in Section 2. The macroeconomic problem is the determination of the equilibrium complete market for a set of agents with individual endowments and preferences. The stage for this is set in Section 3, where the behavior of a single agent is studied. The aggregation of a set of agents is considered in Section 4. Some open problems are raised in the concluding section. At the end of each section, indications are give where more detailed treatments can be found.
Phenotypic diversity in clinical and manometric characteristics of pediatric patients with ACTG2 mutations

Abstract Heterogenous missense variants in ACTG2 have been identified in individuals with visceral myopathy and megacystis, microcolon, intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS). Though varying degrees of severity of chronic intestinal pseudo obstruction have been correlated to the disease phenotype when ACTG2 is mutated, little is known about the details of motility disorder affecting different regions of the gastrointestinal tract. This is a case series of 5 patients, age 9 months to 9 years, with ACTG2 mutations who underwent gastrointestinal manometry testing at an academic pediatric hospital. Esophageal manometry was performed in two patients with p.R257C mutations. Each was abnormal. Antral fed response with low amplitude response to azithromycin was found in one patient with a p.R257H mutation. Antral activity differed in the patients with p.R257C mutations, two having normal gastric motility (contractions in response to feeding and normal response to erythromycin), and the other having gastric dysmotility (absent fed response and no response to erythromycin). Small bowel and colonic motility did not differ significantly among patients. All patients required gastrostomy tubes and diverting ileostomies, with differing reliance on supplemental parenteral nutrition. These findings suggest that ACTG2 mutations can have varied manometric presentations within different segments of the gastrointestinal tract, which may translate to differing patient outcomes.
Snapchat lenses and body image concerns

Snapchat allows users to apply lenses to photographic content, with these lenses often enhancing physical appearance. This may lead users to adopt unrealistic ideals of physical appearance. In a tw...
654 Potential Longitudinal Association Between COVID-19 Infection Outcomes and Insomnia Symptoms

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unequivocal negative impact worldwide, including increases in stress related to social isolation, unemployment, grief, and fear of contracting the virus. This increased stress has likely led to a greater prevalence of sleep continuity disturbance (i.e., insomnia) in the general population. The goal of the present study was to assess the prevalence of sleep continuity disturbance (i.e., insomnia) in the United States during the initial months of the pandemic. In addition, longitudinal assessment is currently ongoing in order to further assess participant experiences with COVID-19. Specifically, these follow-up data will be used to assess whether, among those that contracted COVID-19, insomnia at baseline (Time 1) predicts worse outcomes (e.g., symptoms of greater frequency, duration, or severity) upon follow-up (Time 2). Methods: A national survey was conducted from April-June 2020. Participants answered questions regarding social distancing practices, mood, sleep, physical activity, and COVID-19 symptoms. Insomnia symptom prevalence and severity were estimated with a retrospective sleep diary and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). A follow-up assessment is currently ongoing and will be completed in March 2021. The follow-up survey consists of similar questions and additional items regarding COVID-19 testing, symptoms [frequency, duration, and severity], and outcomes [outpatient treatment, incidence and duration of hospitalization, and incidence and type of respiratory assistance]. Results: 4,133 adults (Mage = 45.8 years;range = 18 - 86 years;78.7% female) completed the baseline survey. The prevalence of clinically significant sleep continuity disturbance (≥ 30 minutes) was 44.6% for sleep latency problems and 36.2% for wake after sleep onset problems. Nearly 34% of subjects reported average total sleep times of less than 7 hours. Over 17% of subjects (n = 719) reported total ISI scores in the clinical range (ISI total score ≥ 15). Conclusion: The present study suggests the prevalence of clinically significant insomnia symptoms during COVID-19 remain high in the general population (17-45% depending on definition of insomnia). Similarly, the prevalence of short sleep is elevated. Whether these incident data are associated with COVID-19 outcomes remains to be determined and will be the subject of follow-up analyses in January/February 2021.
Label-free enrichment of rare unconventional circulating neoplastic cells using a microfluidic dielectrophoretic sorting device.

Cellular circulating biomarkers from the primary tumor such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating hybrid cells (CHCs) have been described to harbor tumor-like phenotype and genotype. CHCs are present in higher numbers than CTCs supporting their translational potential. Methods for isolation of CHCs do not exist and are restricted to low-throughput, time consuming, and biased methodologies. We report the development of a label-free dielectrophoretic microfluidic platform facilitating enrichment of CHCs in a high-throughput and rapid fashion by depleting healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We demonstrated up to 96.5% depletion of PBMCs resulting in 18.6-fold enrichment of cancer cells. In PBMCs from pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients, the platform enriched neoplastic cells identified by their KRAS mutant status using droplet digital PCR with one hour of processing. Enrichment was achieved in 75% of the clinical samples analyzed, establishing this approach as a promising way to non-invasively analyze tumor cells from patients. Montoya Mira & Sapre et al. design a microfluidic device utilizing dielectrophoresis for the enrichment of circulating neoplastic cells that possess both epithelial and immune-like characteristics. They optimized the device using in vitro models and then applied it to clinical samples for clinically relevant mutation analyses.
A discontinuous Galerkin method for three-dimensional shallow water flows with free surface

Numerical modeling of shallow-water flows, especially in case of systems involving discontinuities, shock waves, and greatly varying flow regimes, poses a number of challenges. Most existing numerical methods, with their well known limitations with regard to stability, local mass and momentum conservation, ability to accommodate hp-adaptivity, and parallel implementation, fail to address these challenges in an adequate way. The local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method, on the contrary, offers unique advantages in terms of flexibility in approximation space choice, cheap parallel implementation, and stability control. Though demonstrated to work well for the 2D shallow-water equations as well as for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations in 3D, formulation of the LDG method for the 3D shallow-water equations with a free surface requires dealing with a number of nontrivial issues quite different from anything encountered in the 2D case. Preliminary results obtained from application of the proposed scheme to several test problems indicate excellent stability and accuracy properties, provided we use a special numerical flux formulation on the inter-element boundaries.
The Two-Photon Laser

We explain in simple terms the behavior of two-photon lasers and describe recent results that have lead to the realization of the first continuous-wave two-photon optical laser. We stress the differences between one- and two-photon lasers to develop an appreciation of their dynamics and the difficulties associated with achieving two-photon lasing. It will be shown that the fundamental light-matter interactions give them a unique threshold behavior and that competing nonlinear optical processes make it difficult to achieve lasing. Finally, we describe a new class of driven-atom gain media that are ideally suited for constructing two-photon lasers.
Big data biology-based predictive models Via DNA-metagenomics binning for WMD events applications

In WMD events or natural disasters, identifying bio-chemicals and microorganisms rapidly is crucial. Metagenomics is the study of microorganisms collected directly from natural environments using whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing. Metagenomics methods allow sequencing of organism genomes which cannot be cultured in a laboratory. Grouping random fragments obtained from whole shotgun genome data into groups is known as binning. Metagenomics methods allow quick sequencing of microbes obtained from natural disaster sites to identify microbes and provide rapid and timely response, in terms, for examples, for rapid environment cleanup/restoration, rapid quarantine of objects/animals/humans, recovery, etc. In this paper we propose machine learning related predictive DNA sequence feature selection algorithms to solve binning problems in more accurate and efficient ways. Here we use sub-sequences blocks extracted from organism protein domains as features. We analyze and compare binning prediction results obtained by using k-mers, by using codons, and by using sub-sequences blocks derived from conserved protein domains. We show here, that sub-sequences blocks derived from conserved protein domains give better prediction accuracy than k-mers or codons. We also showed comparative analysis of binning predictive models using Naive Bayes Classifier and Random Forest Classifier with feature set derived from conserved protein domain. Our analysis shows that using the Random Forest classifier, results in better classification accuracy than using the Naive Bayes classifier.
Communication: Quantitative multi-site frequency maps for amide I vibrational spectroscopy

An accurate method for predicting the amide I vibrational spectrum of a given protein structure has been sought for many years. Significant progress has been made recently by sampling structures from molecular dynamics simulations and mapping local electrostatic variables onto the frequencies of individual amide bonds. Agreement with experiment, however, has remained largely qualitative. Previously, we used dipeptide fragments and isotope-labeled constructs of the protein G mimic NuG2b as experimental standards for developing and testing amide I frequency maps. Here, we combine these datasets to test different frequency-map models and develop a novel method to produce an optimized four-site potential (4P) map based on the CHARMM27 force field. Together with a charge correction for glycine residues, the optimized map accurately describes both experimental datasets, with average frequency errors of 2–3 cm−1. This 4P map is shown to be convertible to a three-site field map which provides equivalent performance, highlighting the viability of both field- and potential-based maps for amide I spectral modeling. The use of multiple sampling points for local electrostatics is found to be essential for accurate map performance.
Studies of a mechanism inhibiting the initiation of the extrinsic pathway of coagulation

We have extended earlier studies (Blood 66:204, 1985) of a mechanism of inhibition of factor VIIa/tissue factor activity that requires a plasma component (called herein extrinsic pathway inhibitor or EPI) and factor Xa. An activated peptide release assay using 3H-factor IX as a substrate was used to evaluate inhibition. Increasing the tissue factor concentration from 20% to 40% (vol/vol) overcame the inhibitory mechanism in normal plasma but not in factor VII-deficient plasma supplemented with a low concentration of factor VII. A second wave of factor IX activation obtained by a second addition of tissue factor to plasma with a normal factor VII concentration was almost abolished by supplementing the reaction mixture with additional EPI and factor X. Factor Xa's active site was necessary for factor Xa's contribution to inhibition, but preliminary incubation of factor Xa with EPI in the absence of factor VIIa/tissue factor complex or of factor VIIa/tissue factor complex in the absence of EPI did not replace the need for the simultaneous presence of factor Xa, factor VIIa/tissue factor, calcium, and EPI in an inhibitory reaction mixture. Inhibition of factor VIIa/tissue factor was reversible; both tissue factor and factor VIIa activity could be recovered from a dissociated, inhibited factor VIIa/tissue factor complex. EPI appeared to bind to a factor VIIa/tissue factor complex formed in the presence of factor Xa but not to a factor VIIa/tissue factor complex formed in the absence of factor Xa.
Producing Knowledge in the Global South: The Political Economy of Social Science in Argentina, Colombia, and Peru

How do international inequalities in funding, institutional support and research capacity affect the production of social science knowledge? New data on the political economy of research in Latin America shows that funding for social science is organized in sharply contrasting ways across countries, with three types of capital -- foreign, domestic public, and domestic private -- playing distinct roles. This cross-national variation in the role played by each type of capital, in turn, has contrasting consequences for (1) who produces knowledge, that is, for the professional credentials and networks needed to gain access to funding for research; and (2) for the kind of knowledge produced, especially for the comparative scope and policy relevance of research. A focus on cross-national variation in how social science is funded provides a stronger understanding of knowledge production in the Global South.
Kiyemba, Guantanamo, and Immigration Law: An Extraterritorial Constitution in a Plenary Power World

Immigration law is central to justifications for why five men remain detained indefinitely at Guantanamo, despite having writs of habeas approved in 2008. Since then, the Court of Appeals in Kiyemba v. Obama I, II, and III has used plenary powers reasoning to justify detentions under immigration law. The detainees are all non-combatants and Uighurs, Turkic Muslims from China. The Supreme Court may review these cases. Kiyemba I and III concern their judicial release into the U.S., while Kiyemba II regards barring their transfer because they may be tortured overseas. These cases raise significant constitutional habeas issues, but they also justify detentions with plenary powers. This reasoning defers immigration issues to the political branches and denies rights because of a detainee’s alien status or presence overseas. This Essay argues that immigration law, i.e. plenary powers, provides a “fall back” legal justification for Guantanamo detentions. This is especially important after the Supreme Court’s finding in Boumediene v. Bush that aliens on the base enjoy constitutional habeas rights. A critical non-legal context produces the Kiyemba detention quagmire. A transnational analysis of this context points to the normative influence of assumptions on diplomacy, culture, geopolitics, individual rights, and the War on Terror.
Scalable Test Generators for High-Speed Datapath Circuits

This paper explores the design of efficient test sets and test-pattern generators for on-line BIST. The target applications are high-performance, scalable datapath circuits for which fast and complete fault coverage is required. Because of the presence of carry-lookahead, most existing BIST methods are unsuitable for these applications. High-level models are used to identify potential test sets for a small version of the circuit to be tested. Then a regular test set is extracted and a test generator TG is designed to meet the following goals: scalability, small test set size, full fault coverage, and very low hardware overhead. TG takes the form of a twisted ring counter with a small decoder array. We apply our technique to various datapath circuits including a carry-lookahead adder, an arithmetic-logic unit, and a multiplier-adder.
Ponatinib as first-line treatment for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia in chronic phase: a phase 2 study

Summary Background Ponatinib has shown efficacy in patients with refractory chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and in those with CML with a Thr315Ile mutation. We aimed to investigate the activity and safety of ponatinib as first-line treatment for patients with chronic-phase CML. Methods We did a single-arm, phase 2 trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, USA. Between May 3, 2012, and Sept 24, 2013, we enrolled patients with early ( Findings We enrolled 51 patients. Median follow-up was 20·9 months (IQR 14·9–25·2). 43 patients were started on 45 mg ponatinib every day; eight patients were started on 30 mg per day. 43 (94%) of 46 evaluable patients achieved complete cytogenetic response at 6 months. Most frequent toxicities included skin-related effects (n=35; 69%) and elevated lipase (n=32; 63%). Cardiovascular events (mainly hypertension) occurred in 25 (49%) patients. Grade 3–4 myelosuppression occurred in 15 (29%) patients. Five (10%) patients developed cerebrovascular or vaso-occlusive disease. 43 (85%) patients needed treatment interruptions at some time and 45 (88%) needed dose reductions. The study was terminated June 18, 2014, at the recommendation of the FDA due to concern about the increased risk of thromboembolism with ponatinib. Interpretation Patients with newly diagnosed CML in chronic phase respond well to treatment with ponatinib, with most achieving a complete cytogenetic response. Dose adjustment, extensive monitoring, and counselling of the patients for thromboembolic events is needed for patients on ponatinib therapy. However, due to the risk of vascular thrombotic events and the availability of alternative options for these patients, other drugs should be considered first in the frontline setting. Funding MD Anderson Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute, ARIAD Pharmaceutical.
Laboratory measurements of dry air atmospheric absorption with a millimeter wave cavity ringdown spectrometer

Abstract Fast scan submillimeter spectroscopy (FASSST) cavity ring down spectroscopy has been used to measure the dry air continuum, and separately its individual component parts, at ∼6000 frequencies in the spectral region between 170 and 260 GHz. These measurements have been made at pressures that range from 0 to 3 atmospheres and in the temperature range between 230 and 320 K. For several of the components these are the first measurements made at or near atmospheric conditions. These measurements contain all of the information necessary to parameterize the observed absorptions in terms of the fundamental line and continuum interactions without the need to import external parameters. The inversion of this analysis makes possible the calculation of atmospheric absorption with meaningful uncertainties over this spectral region for temperatures and pressures of atmospheric interest.
The sequential cuing effect in speech production

How are the sounds of words represented in plans for speech production? In Experiment 1, subjects produced sequences of four CVCs as many times as possible in 8s. We varied the number of repetitions of the initial consonant, vowel, final consonant, CV, rhyme, and whole CVC each sequence required, and measured subjects' speaking rate. Subjects produced more CVCs when the final consonant or whole word was repeated, but were slowed when only initial sounds or CVs were repeated. Two other experiments replicate the location-based effects and extended them to bisyllabic words. We attribute the locational effects to competition between words that are formally similar, and specifically, to competition between discrepant phonemes in the two words to occupy a particular wordframe position. The fact that only discrepant initial, but not final sounds slow production suggests that phonemes are activated sequentially, from left to right.
THE ROLE OF AMINO ACIDS AND AMIDES IN THE METABOLISM OF AMMONIUM ABSORBED BY ZEA MAYS L

When corn seedlings, previously depleted in soluble nitrogen constituents, are forced to absorb large quantities of ammonium nitrogen, soluble compounds accumulate in the sap. Asparagine, glutamine, one or more amino acids and undetermined compounds are synthesized. Ammonia does not accumulate until these constituents have reached a relatively high level.
Sensorimotor deficits associated with brain tumor progression and tumor-induced brain plasticity mechanisms

The objective of this study was to investigate functional deficits and reactive peri-tumoral brain plasticity events in glioma-bearing rats. 9L gliosarcoma cells were implanted into the forelimb region of the sensorimotor cortex in Fischer rats. Control animals underwent the same operation without tumor implantation. Sensitive tests for detecting sensorimotor dysfunction, including forelimb-use asymmetry, somatosensory asymmetry, and vibrissae-evoked forelimb placing tests, were conducted. We found that tumor-bearing animals exhibited significant composite behavioral deficits on day 14 post-tumor injection compared to surgical controls. With the assistance of magnetic resonance imaging, we demonstrated a significant correlation between tumor volume and magnitude of somatosensory asymmetry, indicating that the somatosensory asymmetry test can provide an effective and efficient means to measure and predict tumor progression. Histopathological assessments were performed after the rats were sacrificed 14 days following tumor implantation. Immunostaining revealed that densities of microtubule-associated protein 2, glial fibrillary acid protein, von Willebrand factor, and synaptophysin were all significantly upregulated in the peri-tumoral area, compared to the corresponding region in surgical controls, suggesting synaptic plasticity, astrocyte activation and angiogenesis in response to tumor insult. Understanding the behavioral and bystander cellular events associated with tumor progression may lead to improved evaluation and development of new brain tumor treatments that promote, or at least do not interfere with, functional adaptation.
Neuroimmunomodulation with enkephalins: Effects on thymus and spleen weights in mice

The subcutaneous injection of either methionine-enkephalin or leucine-enkephalin in BDF1 mice resulted in a significant increase in thymus weight and a significant decrease in spleen weight. This study further supports earlier findings that the enkephalins are neuroimmunomodulators.
Debonding of epoxy from glass in irradiated laminates

Abstract Glass fabric filled epoxies irradiated at 4.7 K and examined at room temperature by 20 × stereomicroscopy showed an internal flaw structure which increasingly filled the sample as the γ dose was increased. These flaws were determined to be areas where the plastic had debonded from the glass fibers. The extent of this process correlated well with the dose-dependent loss of mechanical strength. Evidence is reported for a similar mechanism in polyimides although visible flaws have not yet been produced. Possible mechanisms for debonding are suggested. New experiments are also suggested to further clarify the failure mechanism.
Electrical Conductivity of Electrolytes Found In Natural Waters from (5 to 90) °C

The electrical conductivities of 34 electrolyte solutions found in natural waters ranging from (10−4 to 1) mol·kg−1 in concentration and from (5 to 90) °C have been determined. High-quality electrical conductivity data for numerous electrolytes exist in the scientific literature, but the data do not span the concentration or temperature ranges of many electrolytes in natural waters. Methods for calculating the electrical conductivities of natural waters have incorporated these data from the literature, and as a result these methods cannot be used to reliably calculate the electrical conductivity over a large enough range of temperature and concentration. For the single-electrolyte solutions, empirical equations were developed that relate electrical conductivity to temperature and molality. For the 942 molar conductivity determinations for single electrolytes from this study, the mean relative difference between the calculated and measured values was 0.1 %. The calculated molar conductivity was compared to...
Prototype device for multiwavelength pyrometry

The Multichannel Infrared-Red Temperature Micro-Analyzer (MIRTMA) system is used to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of a method of multiwavelength pyrometry using least-squares fitting analyses. The MIRTMA is a prototype instrument capable of monitoring temperatures above 1100 K with a spatial resolution of 100 um using spectral radiance measurements at approximately 200 wavelengths in a range of 0.6 to 0.8 um. Demonstrations of this equipment on a heated platinum strip source are described and discussed. The temperature measurements of these sources are generally within 5% of the actual temperature but can be within 1% using certain techniques. Capabilities and limitations of the method and the MIRTMA equipment are presented. The various calibrations used with the technique are also described, particularly with respect to corrections for the nonlinear response of the silicon intensified target (SIT) detector employed. Potential improvements to the instrument based on this work are presented, and it is concluded that the SIT detector should be replaced with a more suitable detector.
Lifetime cost of care for children with human immunodeficiency virus infection

Background. Knowledge of the cost of care for children with HIV infection is necessary to analyze the economic impact of recommendations for universal counseling and voluntary HIV testing of pregnant women. Objectives. To estimate the total cost of care for children with HIV infection. Methods. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all 88 children with (n = 29) or at risk for (n = 59) perinatally acquired HIV infection cared for at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin between February 2, 1987, and June 1, 1995. Review of medical records for all 29 children with perinatally acquired HIV infection or AIDS identified: date of HIV diagnosis; date of classification into Category N, A, B or C; date of AIDS diagnosis; and date of death or transfer of care. The time each subject remained in each CDC category was calculated and the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to calculate survival time for all patients in each CDC category. Hospital-based inpatient and outpatient charges per patient per month in each CDC category (N, A, B, C and AIDS) were calculated with information from the hospital financial services database, and lifetime hospital-based inpatient and outpatient charges were estimated as the sum of the charges for each category. From that, total charges were calculated assuming that hospital-based charges were 83% of total charges. Results. Based on a median survival time of 120 months, the mean lifetime charges for hospital-based care for children with HIV infection was $408 307 (estimates ranged from $172 217 to $498 539). If hospital-based care represents 83% of the total charges for care of children with HIV infection, then mean total lifetime charges for care of children with HIV infection were $491 936 ($207 490 to $600 649). Conclusions. The care of children with HIV infection is expensive. This information may be useful in planning for care programs and for analyzing the economic impact of recommendations for universal counseling and voluntary HIV testing of pregnant women.
Paravertebral somatic nerve block for outpatient inguinal herniorrhaphy: An expanded case report of 22 patients

Background and Objectives Inguinal herniorrhaphy is a common outpatient surgical procedure. However, anesthetic techniques for inguinal herniorrhaphy are still associated with numerous side effects. Paravertebral somatic nerve block (PSNB) has the potential advantage to offer unilateral abdominal wall anesthesia and longlasting pain relief with minimal side effects. We report our initial trial of PSNB for outpatient inguinal herniorrhaphy. Methods Twenty-two patients received a PSNB at T10 to L2 using 5 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine 1:400,000 at each of the five levels. The onset of surgical anesthesia, duration of analgesia, side effects, and patient satisfaction with the technique were documented. Results Surgical anesthesia occurred 15-30 minutes after injection. Two patients had a failed block. The mean ± SD time to onset of discomfort was 14 ± 11 hours. Time until first narcotic requirement was 22 ± 18 hours. Thirteen patients (n = 20) had no incisional discomfort 10 hours or longer after their blocks. Three patients had epidural spread. Most patients were very satisfied with their anesthetic technique. Conclusions The results of our initial experience suggest that PSNB is a potentially safe and effective technique. In general, the block provided long-lasting pain relief in most patients with few side effects. A randomized study comparing paravertebral blocks with conventional anesthesia choices is suggested given the findings in this initial series of patients.
Comparison of EUS-guided FNA and Trucut biopsy for diagnosing and staging abdominal and mediastinal neoplasms.

The objective of this study was to evaluate endoscopic ultrasound Trucut biopsy (TCB) specimens and compare these findings to fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens for the diagnosis of neoplasia. FNA and TCB specimens were reviewed in blinded fashion by a cytopathologist from patients (N = 93) who had EUS-guided FNA and TCB specimens collected between July 2000 and January 2005. Specimens were categorized as nondiagnostic, negative, suspicious for stromal neoplasm, suspicious for malignancy, positive for stromal neoplasm, or positive for malignancy. Standard final diagnosis based on clinical and/or pathologic follow-up was available for 86 of 93 patients. The final diagnoses comprised malignancy (n = 55), stromal neoplasm (n = 19), and benign findings (n = 12). The combination of FNA and TCB results combined were significantly (P < 0.001) more sensitive that FNA alone for the detection of both malignancy (78% vs. 55%) and stromal neoplasia (79% vs. 19%) without a significant change in overall specificity (92% vs. 100%, P = 1.00). A positive FNA specimen with a negative/nondiagnostic TCB result was established in seven patients with malignancy. A positive TCB diagnosis with a negative/nondiagnostic FNA result was noted in five patients with malignancy. A suspicious FNA result was upgraded to positive in conjunction with TCB specimen evaluation in eight patients with malignancy. The results of this study suggest that TCB is a useful adjunctive technique when used in tandem with FNA for malignancy and stromal neoplasia detection. Additional data are needed to firmly establish practice guidelines for the use of EUS-guided TCB specimens in clinical practice. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Structure of a loose dimer: an intermediate in nitric oxide synthase assembly

Cooperativity among ligand binding, subunit association, and protein folding has implications for enzyme regulation as well as protein aggregation events associated with disease. The binding of substrate l -arginine or cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin converts nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) from a “loose dimer”, with an exposed active center and higher sensitivity to proteolysis, to a “tight dimer” competent for catalysis. The crystallographic structure of the Bacillus subtilis NOS loose dimer shows an altered association state with severely destabilized subdomains. Ligand binding or heme reduction converts loose dimers to tight dimers in solution and crystals. Mutations at key positions in the dimer interface that distinguish prokaryotic from eukaryotic NOSs affect the propensity to form loose dimers. The loose dimer structure indicates that non-native interactions can mediate subunit association in NOS.
Video delivery over wireless channel with dynamic QoS control

The combination of bit-rate variability of compressed video traffic and inferior quality of a wireless fading channel causes low bandwidth efficiency, high data error rate, and long delay to wireless multimedia applications. In this paper, we analyze the drawbacks of conventional SR-ARQ for time- constrained traffic transmission, such as video. We also show the necessity of enhancing the existing data link protocols. Consequently, a new QoS aware SR-ARQ (QSR-ARQ) scheme is proposed. QSR-ARQ utilizes the layer property of MPEG video frames, as well as varied QoS requirements of different data sections to improve the protocol performance. A time spreading technique that based on clients' buffering capacity is also used in the study. This technique not only reduces the bit- rate fluctuation of video traffic but also alleviates the impact of burst link errors on MPEG video. Comprehensive computer simulations were used to compare the performance of the proposed QSR-ARQ with a conventional SR-ARQ using original video traffic and the pre-processed ones. The results proved the applicability and the effectiveness of the QSR-ARQ and the time spreading technique for transmitting MPEG videos with QoS guarantees in a wireless mobile environment. QSR-ARQ can also be applied to the component-based video compression applications.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Conversion of Nicotine in Tobacco Smoke to Its Volatile and Available Free-Base Form through the Action of Gaseous Ammonia

Ammonia-forming compounds are routinely added to cigarette tobacco. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has argued that this is done to promote the formation of the volatile free-base form of nicotine in mainstream smoke (MSS) particles, thus increasing its availability to the smoker. The presence of ammonia in tobacco smoke may also be expected to promote the volatilization of nicotine from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) particles in indoor air. The gas/particle partitioning of nicotine can be parameterized in terms of the gas/particle partitioning constant Kp = cp/cg, where cp (ng/μg) is the concentration in the particle phase and cg (ng/m3) is the concentration in the gas phase. The ability of ammonia to increase the amount of nicotine in the gas phase, as compared to the particle phase, was measured and confirmed. A gas-phase am monia pressure of pNH3 of ∼100 × 10-6 atm (100 ppmV) was found to reduce the Kp value for the partitioning of nicotine to tobacco smoke particulate matter by more t...