cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypertension associated with protamine sulfate administration

A case of protamine-associated hypertension in a 76-year-old Caucasian woman with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing hemodialysis is reported. Four dialysis runs during March 1977 are described in this report; all involved the i.v. administration of heparin sodium (2500-5000 units) during the five-hour procedures. Protamine sulfate (25-50 mg) was given i.v. at the end of each procedure to neutralize excess heparin. In three of the four dialyses, the patient became short of breath, hypertensive, and tachycardic, usually for less than 10 minutes. In the last of these runs, the patient first became hypotensive and then hypertensive, and was incontinent of urine and feces. Treatment in each case consisted of elevation of the head of the bed and oxygen administration. During the forth dialysis, no adverse reaction occurred. Possible explanations of this phenomenon are discussed, including hypersensitivity to protamine sulfate products and the action of protamine on platelets resulting in serotonin or histamine release. In dialyses where the patient became hypertensive, more protamine on platelets resulting in serotonin or histamine release. In dialyses where the patient became hypertensive, more protamine sulfate was given than was needed to neutralize the heparin. In the run where symptoms were most severe, the patient received only 2500 units of heparin but was given 50 mg protamine sulfate. It is concluded that this reaction occurred as a result of administering excess protamine sulfate, which then acted on platelets. The platelets released either histamine or serotonin, which mediated rapid changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing pattern.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for metallothionein.

A heterogeneous, double-antibody, fluorometric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is described for the detection and quantitation of metallothionein (MT). The protocol uses the same immunological reagents as the radioimmunoassay (RIA) developed previously in this Laboratory; fluorescence replaces radioactivity for detection of the reference antigen in the specific binding reaction. Present results indicate that the developed ELISA has approximately the same range of capability in detecting and quantitating MT as is characteristic of the RIA. The ELISA has the advantage that the time required to perform a typical assay is significantly less than that required for the RIA.
The Impact of Synchronous Versus Metachronous Diagnosis of Brain Metastases on Survival in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

support the previously unvalidated estimates as safe guidelines, which may in fact underestimate the tolerance of the optic structures, particularly in patients without prior radiation. Further investigation will refine the estimated normal tissue complication probability for SRS near the optic apparatus. Author Disclosure: S.M. Hiniker: None. L.A. Modlin: None. M.S. Binkley: None. J.P. Harris: None. K. Seiger: None. J.R. Adler: None. I.C. Gibbs: None. S.D. Chang: None. G.R. Harsh: None. G. Li: None. S.L. Hancock: None. S.G. Soltys: None.
Bin-Packing with Fragile Objects

We consider an extension of the classical bin packing problem, motivated by a frequency allocation problem arising in cellular networks. The problem is as follows: Each object has two attributes, weight and fragility. The goal is to pack objects into bins such that, for every bin, the sum of weights of objects in that bin is no more than the fragility of the most fragile object in that bin.
Gas Reactions of Carbon

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the majority of pertinent papers on gas–carbon reactions. The inherent chemical reactivity of the carbon and mass transport of the reactants and products can play an important role in affecting the kinetics of gas–carbon reactions. The chapter discusses the possibilities of using bulk-density and surface-area profile data on reacted carbons for better understanding of reaction mechanisms. One of the steps involved in a gas–carbon reaction is the chemisorption of the gas on the carbon surface. Some of the products of the gas–carbon reactions chemisorb on the carbon surface under certain conditions. Therefore, an understanding of the chemisorptions of gases on carbon is essential for the understanding of the gas–carbon reactions. In chemisorption, it is known that the surface atoms must have free valence electrons to form strong chemical bonds with gas molecules or atoms. Much recent work using electron paramagnetic resonance absorption techniques has confirmed the presence of unpaired electrons in various types of carbons. The number of unpaired electrons is a complex function of carbon heat-treatment temperature, apparently being affected primarily by the number and nature of imperfections in the carbon structure.
Reviewing the evidence on South Africa and the bomb

A recent book presents a compelling case that South Africa has the ability and motivation to make nuclear weapons. But the importance of this shadowy program calls for more attention to technical details.
Through-Silicon Vias: Drivers, Performance, and Innovations

To address the abating performance improvements from device scaling, innovative 2.5-D and 3-D integrated circuits with vertical interconnects called through-silicon vias (TSVs) have been widely explored. This paper reviews TSVs with focus on the following: 1) key drivers for TSV-based integration; 2) TSV fabrication techniques; 3) TSV electrical and thermomechanical performance fundamentals and characterization techniques; and 4) novel technologies to attain enhanced performance beyond the state-of-the-art TSVs.
Influence of HVDC Control on HVDC Reactive Power Dynamic Characteristic

The reactive power dynamic characteristic of HVDC transmission system strongly correlates with the HVDC control and obviously impacts on transient voltage stability of the AC grid at the receiving end, however a clear and explicit conclusion for the impact of HVDC control on reactive power dynamic characteristic of HVDC transmission system is not yet formed. Taking a certain HVDC transmission project as the background and based on EMTDC simulation platform with the parameter of actual control model, the impacting mechanism and pathway of HVDC control on reactive power dynamic characteristic are analyzed. Firstly, by means of keeping the firing angle of the converter same as that before the disturbance, the inherent reactive power dynamic characteristic of HVDC system during the fault occurred in AC system at the receiving end is analyzed. On this basis the impacting mechanisms of the constant current control, constant voltage control and constant extinction angle control on reactive power dynamic characteristic of HVDC system are analyzed. In allusion to the reactive power overshoot during the recovery process after the commutation failure of HVDC transmission system, the mechanism leading to the overshoot is further researched, and based on simulation results the impacting rules of the parameters of PI controller, VDCOL and instantaneous current control function on reactive power overshoot are summarized to offer the reference for the optimization of HVDC control strategy to enhance the transient voltage stability of AC system at the receiving end.
USE OF SEQUENCE HYDROPHOBIC MOMENT TO ANALYZE MEMBRANE INTERACTING DOMAINS OF BOTULINUM, TETANUS AND OTHER TOXINS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the use of sequence hydrophobic moment to analyze membrane interacting domains of botulinum, tetanus, and other toxins. A group of bacterial toxins including botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins, although water soluble, interact with membrane bilayers for their translocation across the cell. Primary amino acid sequences of such toxins have not provided any obvious clues for the involvement of specific peptide segments for interaction with membrane. Even three dimensional X-ray structural analysis has failed to definitely identify such segments (for example, Pseudomonas exotoxin A). Hydrophobicity calculation alone has been inadequate to explain the membrane channel formation activity of these toxins. A combination of hydrophobicity and hydrophobic moment calculations have proven effective in identifying potential peptide segments of toxins such as Pseudomonas exotoxin A, botulinum, tetanus and influenza virus hemagglutinin HA2.
European Headwind: ECB Policy and Fed Normalization

The monetary policy of the ECB and the Fed over the past few years are compared and contrasted. The two central banks have similar price stability objectives and faced similar conditions early in the crisis, including the zero bound on short-term interest rates. Since mid-2012, their policies have diverged dramatically. The Fed has pursued consistently expansionary policy through a large expansion of its balance sheet, contributing to significantly better outcomes with respect to both inflation and growth. By contrast, the ECB has tightened policy by reducing its balance sheet by one third. Judging from the weakness in money and credit growth, this policy has been inconsistent with the ECB’s two-pillar strategy. The outcome has been economic stagnation and a harmful disinflation that is inconsistent with the ECB’s mandate. The paper explores alternative explanations for this policy, including the role of politics in managing the euro area crisis. It proposes a policy of balance sheet expansion that would promote better fulfillment of the ECB’s mandate and outlines the implications of developments in the euro area for Fed normalization.
Reaction Mechanism of Nerve-Agent Hydrolysis with the Cs8Nb6O19 Lindqvist Hexaniobate Catalyst

We present a detailed mechanism for the hydrolysis of Sarin catalyzed by Cs8Nb6O19 obtained using electronic structure calculations. The initial steps of the reaction involve the adsorption of water and Sarin on the hexaniobate catalyst via nonbonding interactions. Dissociation of the coordinated water molecule generates a hydroxide ion that adds nucleophilically to the coadsorbed Sarin molecule in a concerted manner, following a general base catalysis mechanism. The addition of OH– to the nerve agent generates a trigonal bipyramidal pentacoordinated phosphorus intermediate that subsequently undergoes facile dissociation forming either HF or isopropanol and a corresponding phosphonic acid. The rate-determining step of the overall reaction is found to be the dissociation of water on the catalyst in concert with the nucleophilic addition of the nascent OH– to the nerve agent. The calculated barrier for this step is considerably smaller than that measured for bulk base hydrolysis. This work represents a blue...
Abstract 1054: SNAI1 regulates the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway to promote tumorigenesis and oncogene-induced senescence escape in lung cancer

Lung cancer is the deadliest and most common malignancy worldwide. Tumor invasion and metastasis influence the dismal 16% overall 5-year survival. Evidence suggests malignancies commandeer epithelial plasticity programs like the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to promote tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis. Furthermore, EMT has recently been linked to alterations in cancer metabolism, which can engender adaptation to environmental stress while supporting the macromolecular demand of rapid proliferation. Thus it is important to better understand the emerging roles of EMT in regulating cancer metabolism. SNAI1 is a master EMT regulator and is aberrantly overexpressed in many cancers including lung cancer. To investigate the role of SNAI1 in tumorigenesis, we created a novel inducible autochthonous mouse model. Our model reveals SNAI1 overexpressing mutant Kras mice generate identifiable tumors twice as fast (median = 14 weeks) as mice overexpressing mutant Kras alone (median = 30 weeks). To identify possible mechanisms of SNAI1-accelerated tumorigenesis, we used mRNA expression profiling. We identified significantly altered gene signatures related to metabolic reprogramming. Specifically, SNAI1 upregulates the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) in mutant Kras-driven mouse lung tumors. SNAI1 elevates protein and mRNA of the rate limiting step (GFPT2) and final step (UAP1) of this pathway. This SNAI1-driven promotion of the HBP was recapitulated in vitro using human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) SNAI1 isogenic cell lines. NSCLC mRNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) also showed SNAI1 expression in patient tumor samples correlate with a significant tendency towards co-expression with HBP genes (Fisher9s exact test, p Citation Format: Kekoa Taparra, Hailun Wang, Katriana Nugent, Reem Malek, Jen Groves, Gokben Yildirir, Brian Simons, Dean Felsher, Natasha Zachara, Phuoc Tran. SNAI1 regulates the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway to promote tumorigenesis and oncogene-induced senescence escape in lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1054.
Density scaling beyond the FinFET: Architecture considerations for gate-all-around CMOS

The promise of improved electrostatics and the ability to increase the amount of effective width (Weff) available in a given device footprint drove the semiconductor industry from planar CMOS transistors to the FinFET transistor starting at the 22 nm node [1]. Numerous manufacturers are in large-scale production of 16 and 14 nm node FinFET technologies [2-3] and there is no indication that a change in device architecture is planned for the 10 or 7 nm nodes [4]. Looking beyond 7 nm, the scaling challenges of the FinFET are expected to increase dramatically. In particular, continued scaling of the fin width and fin pitch may reach a physical limit due to a combination of quantum effects, patterning process [5] realities and contact architecture limitations [6]. It is well known that gate-all-around (GAA) devices demonstrate improved electrostatics over double or triple-gated FinFET devices [7]. In view of the impending difficulties occasioned by FinFET scaling, it is necessary to take a critical look at the possibility of a GAA CMOS device technology. In this paper, I will explore this topic by presenting relevant TCAD and experimental work on single and stacked GAA devices. The TCAD illustrates that a properly designed stacked GAA device architecture can show superior performance over a scaled FinFET reference. I will conclude by presenting experimental work to substantiate this claim.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND ECONOMIC DYNAMISM

We analyze the consequences of economic freedom on economic dynamism across U.S. states and over time. Using data from the Economic Freedom of North America index, we show that states with greater economic freedom have higher rates of gross and net job creation and establishment entry. The results are robust to the inclusion of many different control variables and alternative specifications, suggesting a connection between freedom and dynamism. This evidence supports theories in which government policies may impede business dynamism. (JEL 043, P16, R5)
Extrinsic Means and Antimeans

Often times object spaces are compact, thus allowing to introduce new location parameters, maximizers of the Frechet function associated with a random object X on a compact object space. In this paper we focus on such location parameters, when the object space is embedded in a numeric space. In this case the maximizer, whenever the maximizer of this Frechet function is unique, is called the extrinsic mean of X.
Analysis of Let-7a and Mir-17-5p Micro-RNAs Expression In Patients with Adult De Novo Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Abstract 4965 Introduction. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that act at the post-transcriptional level, regulating protein expression by repressing translation or destabilizing mRNA target. Since their discovery, microRNAs have been associated with almost every normal cell function, including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Several studies suggest that they have an important role in normal hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies. Let-7a negatively regulates the expression of Ras proteins, which are overexpressed in patients with Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In addition mir-17-5p contributes to the down-regulation of E2F1, which is overexpressed in MDS. Purpose. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the expression of let-7a and mir-17-5p in CD34 cells from the bone marrow of patients with MDS. Material and methods. We evaluated 29 patients with MDS (25 men, 4 women) with median age 73 years. FAB classification was as follows: 9 RA, 15 RAEB, 2 RAEB-t and 3 AML. According to IPSS our study included 9 patients with low, 8 with Int-1, 7 with Int-2 and 5 with high risk disease. We isolated CD34+ cells from bone marrow of patients using magnetic beads. Extraction of microRNA and total RNA was performed and cDNA of let-7a and mir-17-5p was amplified using real time PCR, to study the relative expression of these microRNAS according to the expression of RNU48 (a snoRNA used as control). The control group included donors of CD34+ cells for stem cell transplantation. Results. The median miR17-5p expression level in patients was lower compared to controls [23vs 47.4]. The median let-7a expression levels were higher in MDS patients than in healthy donors [32.85 vs 8]. However these differences were not significant as shown by the Mann-Whitney U test. Moreover, ROC analysis demonstrated that neither miR17-5p nor let-7a expression had significant discriminatory value to efficiently distinguish MDS patients from non-MDS. In addition Spearman analysis did not reveal any correlations between these two microRNA expression levels and other continuous variables examined in the current study (age, hemoglobin concentration, numbers of neutrophils, platelets, and BM blasts). Finally, we found no associations between either miR17-5p or let-7a expression and clinicopathological parameters of MDS patients using chi-square (χ 2 ) or Fisher9s exact test where appropriate. Conclusion. The micro RNA let-7 was overexressed although not significantly in CD34 cells from MDS patients demonstrating that this is not a mechanism contributing to the increased expression RAS proteins in MDS. The micro RNA-mir17-5 is underexpressed in CD34 cells and needs further investigation for the establishment of a role in the overepxression of E2F in MDS. The lack of significant differences in the expression levels of both micro RNAs could be related to the admixture of normal and dysplastic CD34 cells in the bone marrow of MDS or to the small sample size. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Coupling between Protein Stability and Catalytic Activity Determines Pathogenicity of G6PD Variants

G6PD deficiency, an enzymopathy affecting 7% of the world population, is caused by over 160 identified amino acid variants in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). The clinical presentation of G6PD deficiency is diverse, likely due to the broad distribution of variants across the protein and the potential for multidimensional biochemical effects. In this study, we use bioinformatic and biochemical analyses to interpret the relationship between G6PD variants and their clinical phenotype. Using structural information and statistical analyses of known G6PD variants, we predict the molecular phenotype of five uncharacterized variants from a reference population database. Through multidimensional analysis of biochemical data, we demonstrate that the clinical phenotypes of G6PD variants are largely determined by a trade-off between protein stability and catalytic activity. This work expands the current understanding of the biochemical underpinnings of G6PD variant pathogenicity and suggests a promising avenue for correcting G6PD deficiency by targeting essential structural features of G6PD.
Convergence Analysis of the Quasi-OBE Algorithm and Performance Implications

Abstract Convergence behavior of the quasi-OBE algorithm for both the central point estimate and the ellipsoidal membership set are studied. Necessary and sufficient conditions for point convergence are proven, and it is shown that set-convergence is not possible. Implications for applications are discussed.
Liquidity, Liquidity Risk and the Cross Section of Mutual Fund Returns

This paper examines the impact of liquidity and liquidity risk on the cross-section of mutual fund returns. I find that funds with the most illiquid equity holdings outperform those with the most liquid holdings by as much as 4.44 percent annually. While funds with high liquidity beta only marginally outperform those with low liquidity beta, this outperformance is significantly stronger after excluding periods of extreme market illiquidity. A one standard deviation increase in liquidity beta increases annualized fund returns by as much as 2.04 percent. Testing the two liquidity effects jointly reveals that both independently influence fund returns. Overall, I find that the liquidity level and liquidity risk of fund holdings are both important determinants of mutual fund returns.
Readers, Personal Record Managers, and Community Members: An Exploratory Study of Researchers' Participation in Online Research Information Management Systems

ABSTRACTPrior studies have identified a need for engaging researchers in providing and curating their identity data. This article reports findings from a qualitative study exploring how researchers use and participate in online research information management (RIM) systems and their requirements for information quality in RIM systems. The purpose of the study was to enhance the knowledge of how to design scalable and reliable solutions for research-identity data curation by examining researchers' motivations for participating in online RIM systems and contributing to research-identity data curation. The findings identify nine activity-related motivations for using RIM systems, five types of information-quality problems in RIM systems, and 12 information-quality criteria that researchers perceived to be important in RIM systems.This study also identified three levels of participation in RIM systems: Readers, Personal Record Managers, and Community Members. Design recommendations were suggested for institut...
Modulation of prefrontal cortex excitation/inhibition balance rescues social behavior in CNTNAP2-deficient mice

Alterations in the balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition (E:I balance) have been implicated in the neural circuit activity–based processes that contribute to autism phenotypes. We investigated whether acutely reducing E:I balance in mouse brain could correct deficits in social behavior. We used mice lacking the CNTNAP2 gene, which has been implicated in autism, and achieved a temporally precise reduction in E:I balance in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) either by optogenetically increasing the excitability of inhibitory parvalbumin (PV) neurons or decreasing the excitability of excitatory pyramidal neurons. Surprisingly, both of these distinct, real-time, and reversible optogenetic modulations acutely rescued deficits in social behavior and hyperactivity in adult mice lacking CNTNAP2. Using fiber photometry, we discovered that native mPFC PV neuronal activity differed between CNTNAP2 knockout and wild-type mice. During social interactions with other mice, PV neuron activity increased in wild-type mice compared to interactions with a novel object, whereas this difference was not observed in CNTNAP2 knockout mice. Together, these results suggest that real-time modulation of E:I balance in the mouse prefrontal cortex can rescue social behavior deficits reminiscent of autism phenotypes.
The relationship between smell identification and neuropsychological domains: Results from a sample of community-dwelling adults suspected of dementia

ABSTRACTObjective: This study aimed to test the theoretical relationships between smell identification and cognitive tasks based on existing neuroimaging and anatomical findings.Method: Utilizing data collected from a memory assessment clinic, theory-derived mediation and moderation models were tested. The sample used in this study consisted of 103 (39 male, 64 female) individuals referred for memory assessments. The sample’s mean education was 12.4 years (SD = 3.2), and the mean age of the sample was 77.2 years (SD = 6.3).Results: The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) was a significant, partial mediator of the relationship between the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Immediate and Delayed Memory indexes. Olfactory identification did not mediate list learning and retrieval; however, olfactory identification was a significant partial mediator of the relationship between story encoding and later memory retrieval of the story. Olfactory ide...
Sensory steering for sampling-based motion planning

Sampling-based algorithms offer computationally efficient, practical solutions to the path finding problem in high-dimensional complex configuration spaces by approximately capturing the connectivity of the underlying space through a (dense) collection of sample configurations joined by simple local planners. In this paper, we address a long-standing bottleneck associated with the difficulty of finding paths through narrow passages. Whereas most prior work considers the narrow passage problem as a sampling issue (and the literature abounds with heuristic sampling strategies) very little attention has been paid to the design of new effective local planners. Here, we propose a novel sensory steering algorithm for sampling-based motion planning that can “feel” a configuration space locally and significantly improve the path planning performance near difficult regions such as narrow passages. We provide computational evidence for the effectiveness of the proposed local planner through a variety of simulations which suggest that our proposed sensory steering algorithm outperforms the standard straight-line planner by significantly increasing the connectivity of random motion planning graphs.
Fournier's gangrene: still highly lethal

Five patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections of the perineum and scrotum are presented. There were one female and four male patients, aged from 35 to 70 years. Portals of entry were perirectal abscesses in four cases and a scrotal abscess in one case. All patients required extensive surgical debridement and intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics. Operative debridement involved the scrotum, the perineal and inguinal area, the upper thighs and the anterior abdominal wall. One patient required transverse loop colostomy and one loop sigmoidostomy. One patient was reoperated on after inadequate drainage of a perirectal abscess. Three patients were referred to our unit after some delay, while one patient did not seek medical care until after being febrile for 2 weeks. Despite aggressive debridement, this last patient died of fulminant sepsis. Fournier's gangrene, which is not so rare as in generally considered, is still associated with a high mortality, which can be reduced only by improving medical awareness and early treatment both of the primary cause and of necrotizing fasciitis.
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of A549 lung cancer cells exposed to electronic cigarettes.

Abstract Objectives Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the initial step enabling the metastasis of cancer cells, which often leads to death. Although smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer, there is still widespread use of conventional cigarettes. Recently, the tobacco industry has been transformed by the introduction of electronic cigarettes (ECs), which have lower levels of carcinogens and may provide a safer alternative. Here, we investigate the ability of EC liquids and aerosols to induce an EMT in A549 lung cancer cells. Materials and Methods Human adenocarcinoma alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549) were exposed to EC liquids and aerosols from a popular product for 3–8 days. Live cell imaging, EMT biomarker analysis, and machine learning/image processing algorithms were used to characterize changes associated with EMT. Results Long-term exposure of A549 cells to menthol or tobacco-flavored EC liquids or aerosols induced an EMT that was characterized by acquisition of a fibroblast-like morphology, loss of cell-to-cell junctions, internalization of E-cadherin, increased motility, and upregulation of other EMT markers. The EMT was concurrent with plasma membrane to nuclear translocation of active β-catenin. Conclusion This is the first known study to show an EMT of lung cancer cells during exposure to EC products. Because an EMT is an initial step leading to metastasis, an intractable problem that often leads to patient death, this critical finding has significant implications for former or heavy cigarette smokers who are using EC and may be at risk for lung cancer or who may already have a lung tumor.
Hepatitis A Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Among Homeless Adults in San Francisco: Should Homelessness Be Included in the Risk-Based Strategy for Vaccination?

SYNOPSIS Objectives. Homeless adults have an increased risk of infectious diseases due to sexual and drug-related behaviors and substandard living conditions. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors for presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies among homeless and marginally housed adults. Methods. We analyzed serologic and questionnaire data from a study of marginally housed and homeless adults in San Francisco from April 1999 to March 2000. We tested seroprevalance for total antibodies to HAV (anti-HAV) and analyzed data using Chi-square tests and logistic regression. Results. Of the 1,138 adults in the study, 52% were anti-HAV positive. The anti-HAV prevalence in this study population was 58% higher than the expected prevalence based on age-specific prevalence rates from the gen eral population. Number of years of homelessness ( 5 years) was associated with anti-HAV prevalence (46%, 50%, and 61%, respectively, p 45 years, respectively). These variables all remained significant in a multivariate model. Conclusions. We found overall anti-HAV prevalence elevated in this San Francisco homeless population compared with the general U.S. population. These data show that anti-HAV was associated with homelessness independent of other known risk factors, such as being foreign-born, race/ethnicity, and injection drug use. This increase indicates an excess risk of HAV infection and the potential need to offer hepatitis A vaccination as part of homeless services.
Estimation of High-Variance Vehicular Noise

In this chapter, we describe a method of minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) a posteriori estimation of high-variance vehicular noise. The proposed method considers spectral instances of noise as sampled values from a stochastic noise process and estimates them with given statistical properties of noise and current noisy observation. Accuracy of the noise estimation method is evaluated in terms of the accuracy of a spectrum-based voice activity detection (VAD), in which speech presence is determined by the a priori and a posteriori signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in each frequency bin. VAD experiments are performed on clean speech data by adding four different types of vehicular noise, each with the SNR varying from −10 to 20 dB. Also, isolated digit recognition experiments are performed using original noisy recordings from the AVICAR corpus. Experimental results show that the proposed noise estimation method outperforms both the MMSE a priori noise estimation and autoregressive noise adaptation methods especially for low SNR.
Development, implementation, and initial results of the UC San Diego Health Moores Cancer Center Wellbeing Screening Tool.

Objective All accredited cancer institutions are required to screen patients for psychosocial distress. This paper describes the development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of the University of California San Diego Health Moores Cancer Center Wellbeing Screening Program. Method Essential steps learned in a formal National Cancer Institute-funded training workshop entitled "Implementing Comprehensive Biopsychosocial Screening" were followed to ensure successful program implementation. These steps included identification of stakeholders; formation of a working committee; establishment of a vision, process, and implementation timeline; creation of a screening tool; development of patient educational material; tool integration into an electronic medical record system; staff training and pilot testing of tool administration; and education about tool results and appropriate follow-up actions. Screening data were collected and analyzed retrospectively for preliminary results and rapid cycle improvement of the wellbeing screening process. Results Over an 8-month implementation and assessment period, the screening tool was administered 5,610 times of 7,664 expected administrations (73.2%.) to 2,394 unique patients. Visits in which the questionnaire was administered averaged 39.6 ± 14.8 minutes, compared with 40.3 ± 15.2 minutes for visits in which the questionnaire was not administered (t = -1.76, df = 7,662, p = 0.079). Significance of results This program provides a process and a tool for successful implementation of distress screening in cancer centers, in a meaningful way for patients and providers, while meeting accreditation standards. Further, meaningful data about patient distress and tool performance were able to be collected and utilized.
Kepler's Area Law in the Principia: Filling in some details in Newton's proof of Prop. 1

During the past 25 years there has been a controversy regarding the adequacy of Newton's proof of Prop. 1 in Book 1 of the {\it Principia}. This proposition is of central importance because its proof of Kepler's area law allowed Newton to introduce a geometric measure for time to solve problems in orbital dynamics in the {\it Principia}. It is shown here that the critics of Prop. 1 have misunderstood Newton's fundamental limit argument by neglecting to consider the justification for this limit which he gave in Lemma 3. We clarify the proof of Prop. 1 by filling in some details left out by Newton which show that his proof of this proposition was adequate and well grounded.
Ease of Use and Usefulness of Medication Reminder Apps among Rural Aging Adults

Older adults manage multiple medications for chronic disease and those living in rural areas are impacted by health care disparities due to health provider shortages and fewer pharmacies. The use of downloadable medication reminder apps on smartphones may serve as a strategy for medication self-management of chronic diseases. In this feasibility study, thirteen rural older adult participants downloaded Medisafe® and used the app to manage their daily medications. The community-dwelling aging adults in this pilot perceived the Medisafe® as not difficult to use, useful for medication tracking and providing reminders for the self-management of multiple medications.
Activist Disconnect: Social Movements, Public Opinion, and U.S. Military Bases in East Asia:

Do activists seeking to challenge the U.S. military presence overseas succeed in persuading the local population? While the comparative literature on base contestation often makes implicit causal c...
Philosophy of Care

Once largely segregated from society, marked changes in where and how persons with intellectual disorders are treated have been developed. Major philosophies of care provision include deinstitutionalization, normalization, inclusion, self-determination, and person-centered planning. This chapter provides an overview of the evolution in thinking and current practices with respect to enhancing the well-being of persons with intellectual disabilities.
A large scale analysis of the impact of trial type and instructional errors on acquisition during discrete trial training

Abstract Discrete trial training is one evidence-based instructional procedure within Applied Behavior Analysis. Two important considerations when using this procedure are trial presentation type and treatment integrity. Research has demonstrated both these considerations affect skill acquisition for children with developmental disabilities but has not rigorously examined their independent and interactive impact on learning in larger samples. The present study is a translational approach to better understand learning during discrete trial training. Specifically, we compared trial presentation type (varied instruction versus task interspersal) on skill acquisition during high- and low-treatment integrity conditions in 166 college students. Findings demonstrated task interspersal resulted in better acquisition and maintenance than varied instruction and that low treatment integrity significantly impaired learning. No interaction between trial presentation type and treatment integrity emerged. Discussion of learning processes and implications for instruction is included in light of present findings.
Static and Acuity Profile Perimetry in Optic Neuritis

Luminance thresholds for detection (static profile perimetry) and resolution (acuity profile perimetry) were determined across the central visual field of 12 patients with optic neuritis. Loss and recovery of detection and resolution properties were generally equivalent with respect to their magnitude and time course. In one particularly interesting case of prolonged recovery, detection properties began to improve slightly before any enhancement of resolution properties were noted. Beyond this initial state of recovery, both functions again showed parallel improvements with time. These data are consistent with previous results for other types of optic nerve dysfunction. In contrast, many other visual disorders (e.g. cataracts, amblyopia, retinal diseases) typically display a large dissociation between detection and resolution properties, with resolution exhibiting greater loss (and in some instances, greater recovery) than detection. Our findings suggest that the combination of static and acuity profile perimetry may become a valuable differential diagnostic technique for optic nerve disease. A preliminary working hypothesis is proposed to account for the present results.
The clinical utility of health-related quality of life assessment in pediatric cardiology outpatient practice.

Objectives Children with congenital heart disease may experience significant psychosocial morbidity related to impaired quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of health-related QOL assessment in a pediatric cardiology outpatient clinic. Design The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scales were completed by a convenience sample of 176 patients, aged 8–18 years, being seen in a pediatric cardiology clinic. Three cardiologists enrolled in this study reviewed the completed PedsQL during the clinic visit and recorded their responses to items reported to be a problem “Often” or “Almost Always.” This utilization of the instrument was compared to standardized scoring and the practicality and perceived usefulness of the practice was evaluated by physician interview. Results PedsQL responses showed 38% of patients reporting significant (Often or Almost Always) problems on at least one domain (19% Physical Functioning, 18.2% Emotional Functioning, 11.4% Social Functioning, and 22.3% School Functioning problems). Using standardized scoring, the prevalence of scores below the cutoff score for clinically significant impaired QOL in each domain ranged from 10% to 20%, with agreement between scoring methods ranging from 89% to 93%, sensitivity 68% to 86%, and specificity 89% to 97%. Cardiologists reported interventions in 30.1% of patients. They found that the PedsQL was easy to use, did not interfere with clinic operations, required minimal time (1–5 minutes), and provided information that had an important impact on their practice in some patients. Conclusions This study demonstrates the clinical utility of health-related QOL assessment using the PedsQL in a pediatric cardiology outpatient setting. Identification of significant impairments in QOL can impact clinical decision making and may change psychosocial outcomes in children with congenital heart disease.
Organization of hindlimb muscle afferent projections to lumbosacral motoneurons in the chick embryo

We have examined the organization of muscle afferent projections to motoneurons in the lumbosacral spinal cord of chick embryos between stage 37, when muscle afferents first reach the motor nucleus, and stage 44, which is just before hatching. Connectivity between afferents and motoneurons was assessed by stimulating individual muscle nerves and recording the resulting motoneuron synaptic potentials intracellularly or electrotonically from other muscle nerves. Most of the recordings were made in the presence of DL-2-amino-5- phosphonovaleric acid (APV), picrotoxin, and strychnine to block long- latency excitatory and inhibitory pathways. Activation of muscle afferents evoked slow, positive potentials in muscle nerves but not in cutaneous nerves. These potentials were abolished in 0 mM Ca2+, 2mM Mn2+ solutions, indicating that they were generated by the action of chemical synapses. The muscle nerve recordings revealed a wide-spread pattern of excitatory connections between afferents and motoneurons innervating six different thigh muscles, which were not organized according to synergist-antagonist relationships. This pattern of connectivity was confirmed using intracellular recording from identified motoneurons, which allowed the latency of the responses to be determined. Short-latency potentials in motoneurons were produced by activation of homonymous afferents and the heteronymous afferents innervating the hip flexors sartorius and anterior iliotibialis. Stimulation of anterior iliotibialis afferents also resulted in some short-latency excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in motoneurons innervating the knee extensor femorotibialis, though other connections were of longer latency. Afferents from the adductor, a hip extensor, did not evoke short-latency EPSPs in any of these three types of motoneurons. Short-latency, but not long-latency EPSPs, persisted during repetitive stimulation at 5 Hz, suggesting that they were mediated monosynaptically. Long-latency, fatigue-sensitive potentials were maintained in the presence of APV, picrotoxin, and strychnine, suggesting that polysynaptic pathways utilize non-NMDA receptors as well as NMDA receptors. We found no difference in the pattern of inputs to femorotibialis motoneurons between stage 37–39 and near hatching at stage 44, suggesting muscle afferent projections to these motoneurons are correct at stage 37, when the afferents first reach the lateral motor column in substantial numbers.
Aerosolized amikacin for treatment of pulmonary Mycobacterium avium infections: an observational case series.

Background Current systemic therapy for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection is limited by poor clinical response rates, drug toxicities and side effects. The addition of aerosolized amikacin to standard oral therapy for nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection may improve treatment efficacy without producing systemic toxicity. This study was undertaken to assess the safety, tolerability and preliminary clinical benefits of the addition of aerosolized amikacin to a standard macrolide-based oral treatment regimen.
Synthesis of N1'-([18F]fluoroethyl)naltrindole ([18F]FEtNTI): A radioligand for positron emission tomographic studies of delta opioid receptors

N1'-([ 18 F]fluoroethyl)naltrindole ([ 18 F]FEtNTI), a novel analog of the delta opioid receptor antagonist naltrindole (NTI), has been prepared for evaluation as a radioligand for use in positron emission tomography. The precursor for radiolabeling was obtained in four steps from naltrexone hydrochloride with an overall yield of 47%. Nucleophilic displacement of a tosylate leaving group by [ 18 F]fluoride, followed by hydrogenolysis (H 2 , 10% Pd/C) of a benzyl protecting group on the phenolic moiety, gave [ 18 F]FEtNTI. The average (n = 5) time for radiosynthesis, HPLC purification, and formulation was 77 min from end of bombardment. [ 18 F]FEtNTI of high radiochemical purity was obtained with an average specific activity of 846 mCi/μmol at end of synthesis, and an average radiochemical yield of 10% (not corrected for decay).
Time-varying risk aversion and asset prices

Abstract This paper uses a variant of the consumption-based representative agent model in Campbell and Cochrane [Campbell, J.Y., Cochrane, J.H., 1999. By force of habit: Consumption-based explanation of aggregate stock market behavior. Journal of Political Economy 107, 205–251] to study how investors’ time-varying risk aversion affects asset prices. First, we show that a countercyclical variation of risk aversion drives a procyclical conditional risk premium. Second, we show that with a small value for the volatility of the log surplus consumption ratio, a large value of risk aversion may not determine whether the equity premium and the risk-free rate puzzles can be resolved or not. Third, we show that countercyclical risk aversion may not help explain the predictability of long-horizon stock returns, the univariate mean-reversion of stock prices and the “leverage effect” in return volatility.
The Yin-Yang of cobalamin biochemistry

The cobalamins are B12 cofactors with a reactive cobalt-carbon bond at their core and support the activity of two mammalian enzymes that are both medically important. The reactive organometallic bond of the cofactor can be cleaved either homolytically or heterolytically, but what determines how the enzymes control the fate of this bond?
Planning for Enrollment Growth: Using Land Use Data to Determine Future School Sites

This paper summarizes the methodology and preliminary results from a nearly 2-year study for the Wake County Public Schools System in North Carolina. The size and complexity of this system have provided the opportunity for the Operations Research and Education Laboratory to expand the successful Integrated Planning for School and Community program to encompass a projected enrollment of more than 250,000 students in 2025 and a diverse network of municipality and county land use plans. The goals of this project are to provide flexible, data-driven decision science tools for the location of future school sites and attendance boundaries and to cultivate an environment among Wake County planners and school administration that will foster effective communication of common goals.
Two measures of geographic location and their relation to income.

Two different ways of categorizing people’s geographical location are compared as to their relation to earned incomes of family heads, after adjustment for education, age, sex and race. One, the traditional code, uses the size of the city in which the family lives. The other, originally suggested by Bernard Lazerwitz, focuses on the distance to, and the size of, the central city of the nearest standard metropolitan statistical area. Both appear useful, and their joint effects are examined.
Optical Dissociation of Iodine and Enhancement of Predissociation by Collisions

Optical dissociation of iodine molecules is demonstrated by absorption by the atoms of light of wave-lengths 1830, 1783, 1642, 1618, 1583 and 1515A these being the lines in the region 2100 to 1514 which arise from transitions to the normal state of the iodine atom. This dissociation is produced in iodine-argon mixtures by light of wave-length g5100A, which produces only excited molecules immediately upon absorption so that the atoms presumably result from dissociation produced by collisions. Spectra of electrical excitation and of fluorescence in iodine-argon mixtures show that molecules of higher ${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ are more effectively quenched, this larger quenching setting in at about ${v}^{\ensuremath{'}}=12$. This suggests that the effect is a sort of predissociation, enhanced by collisions. A possible theoretical interpretation of such an effect is discussed.