cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differentiation of central nervous system lesions in AIDS patients using positron emission tomography (PET)

To determine if positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) can accurately distinguish between malignant and infectious central nervous system (CNS) mass lesions in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, a prospective case series of 18 patients with HIV infection and focal CNS lesions on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) scans was analysed. The patients were divided into 3 groups based on biopsy results, serology and response to therapy. Group 1 consisted of 8 patients with infectious lesions (4 with toxoplasmosis, 2 with neurosyphilis, 2 with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)). Group 2 consisted of 5 patients with biopsy proven CNS lymphoma. Group 3 consisted of 5 patients with presumed CNS lymphoma. Patients underwent FDG-PET studies as an adjunctive diagnostic procedure. The metabolic activity of each patient's lesion was graded using both a qualitative visual score and a semi-quantitative count ratio comparing the lesion with contralateral brain. CNS lesions diagnosed as lymphomas had statistically higher visual scores (P = 0.001) and count ratios (P = 0.002) than CNS lesions diagnosed as infections. FDG-PET could accurately differentiate lymphoma from infections in 16 of 18 cases. Two cases of PML had high metabolic activity and could not be differentiated from lymphoma. FDG-PET shows great promise in differentiating lymphoma from infectious lesions in the CNS of patients with HIV infection. If larger prospective studies confirm this impression, more specific and rapid treatment of CNS lesions could be performed and perhaps obviate the need for brain biopsy in many cases.
The solar nebula redox state as recorded by the most reduced chondrules of five primitive chondrites

Mafic minerals in the most reduced chondrules of five primitive meteorites were analyzed with an electron microprobe to determine the lower limit on their FeO contents. The accuracy obtained was + or - 0.01 weight percent FeO. The thermodynamic relationship between mole fraction FeSiO3 and pO2 of the ambient nebular gas at the time of mineral equilibration was established, and was used to infer the local O/H ratio of the nebular gas during chondrule formation. The lowest ferrosilite compositions reflected equilibration at 1500 K with a gas 2-18 times more oxidizing than a gas of solar composition. Olivines in low-FeO unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOC) chondrules are uniformly more FeO-rich than coexisting pyroxenes. This discrepancy suggests that a significant change in the O/H ratio of the nebular gas occurred between the time of olivine and pyroxene crystallization in the region of the nebula where UOCs formed. Mineral compositions in the chondrules of two C2 chondrites studied suggest they formed in a more homogeneous region of the nebula than the UOCs.
Metabolic Crisis without Brain Ischemia is Common after Traumatic Brain Injury: A Combined Microdialysis and Positron Emission Tomography Study:

Brain trauma is accompanied by regional alterations of brain metabolism, reduction in metabolic rates and possible energy crisis. We hypothesize that microdialysis markers of energy crisis are present during the critical period of intensive care despite the absence of brain ischemia. In all, 19 brain injury patients (mean GCS 6) underwent combined positron emission tomography (PET) for metabolism of glucose (CMRglu) and oxygen (CMRO(2)) and cerebral microdialysis (MD) at a mean time of 36 h after injury. Microdialysis values were compared with the regional mean PET values adjacent to the probe. Longitudinal MD data revealed a 25% incidence rate of metabolic crisis (elevated lactate/pyruvate ratio (LPR) > 40) but only a 2.4% incidence rate of ischemia. Positron emission tomography imaging revealed a 1% incidence of ischemia across all voxels as measured by oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral venous oxygen content (CvO(2)). In the region of the MD probe, PET imaging revealed ischemia in a single patient despite increased LPR in other patients. Lactate/pyruvate ratio correlated negatively with CMRO(2) (P < 0.001), but not with OEF or CvO(2). Traumatic brain injury leads to a state of persistent metabolic crisis as reflected by abnormal cerebral microdialysis LPR that is not related to ischemia.
Impact ionization in InP and GaAs

Abstract The experimental techniques that are critical in the determination of impact ionization coefficients in semiconductors are reviewed. The experimental results for the electron and hole ionization coefficients in InP and GaAs will be given. A discussion of Monte Carlo calculations of the ionization coefficients in these materials is included.
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone action in the preoptic/anterior hypothalamus decreases thermoregulatory set point in ground squirrels.

Abstract Earlier work has shown that thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) produces dose-dependent decreases in body temperature ( T b ) and metabolic rate when microinjected into the dorsal hippocampus (HPC) or preoptic/anterior hypothalamus (PO/AH) of awake ground squirrels. This study employed a behavioral paradigm to investigate the possibility that TRH-induced hypothermia is associated with a decrease in thermoregulatory set point. Six animals were successfully trained to press a bar for radiant heat escape and cool air reinforcement in order to obtain a cooler ambient temperature ( T a ). During experimental testing, the animals were microinjected remotely with TRH (10–1000 ng/μl) or a control solution (sterile saline or TRH-OH) into the PO/AH. The micro-injections were delivered via bilateral injection cannulae inserted through chronic bilateral cannula guides that had been stereotaxically implanted under pentobarbital anesthesia. Cumulative and time-integrated bar presses were obtained on a computer generated display. T b , measured in the brain via a bead-type thermistor, and chamber T a were recorded continuously. Following TRH administration, a significant increase in mean bar-press rate was observed during the period in which T b was falling, when compared to a comparable time period just prior to the microinjection. These findings complement results obtained from four animals that were trained to press a bar for heat reinforcement in a cold (−10 °C) environment. In this alternative behavioral paradigm, microinjection of TRH into the PO/AH or HPC induced a decrease in mean bar-press rate as T b was falling. The results support the hypothesis that TRH-induced hypothermia in golden-mantled ground squirrels is achieved by lowering thermoregulatory set point.
Meeting delay constraints in DSM by minimal repeater insertion

We address the problem of inserting repeaters, selected from a library, at feasible locations in a placed and routed network to meet user-specified delay constraints for deep submicron (DSM) technology. We use minimal repeater area by taking advantage of slacks available in the network. Specifically, we transform the problem into an unconstrained optimization problem and solve it by iterative local refinement. We show that the optimal repeater locations and sizes that locally minimize the objective function in the unconstrained problem can be efficiently computed. We have implemented our algorithm and tested it on a set of benchmarks; experimental results are promising.
Evolving network architectures with custom computers for multi-spectral feature identification

This paper investigates the design of evolvable FPGA circuits where the design space is severely constrained to an interconnected network of meaningful high-level operators. The specific design domain is image processing, especially pattern recognition in remotely sensed images. Preliminary experiments are reported that compare neural networks with a recently introduced variant known as morphological networks. A novel network node is then presented that is particularly suited to the problem of pattern recognition in multi-spectral data sets. More specifically, the node can exploit both spectral and spatial information, and implements both feature extraction and classification components of a typical image processing pipeline. Once trained, the network can be applied to large image data sets, for at the sensor to extract features of interest with two orders of magnitude speed-up compared to software implementations.
Representation in Context: Election Laws and Ideological Congruence Between Citizens and Governments

Democratic theory assumes that successful democratic representation will create close ideological congruence between citizens and their governments. The success of different types of election rules in creating such congruence is an ongoing target of political science research. As often in political science, a widely demonstrated empirical finding, the greater congruence associated with proportional representation election rules, has ceased to hold. I suggest that systematically taking account in our theories of conditional effects of local context can often provide a remedy. The systematic incorporation of levels of political party polarization into theory of election laws and ideological congruence extended the temporal and spatial range of the theory. Data from the Comparative Manifesto research program and the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES) research program are used to test the revised theory empirically. Suggestions for generalizing our theories of political context are offered. The results of this research continue the interactions between substantive research, ongoing political events, and the great normative issues of representation and democracy.
Philanthropic Identity at Work: Employer Influences on the Charitable Giving Attitudes and Behaviors of Employees

Philanthropic discourse is increasingly present in the workplace. Given that one’s identity is often shaped by work, employees are likely to be influenced by the discourse and activities of their p...
The Contribution of Resurgent Sodium Current to High-Frequency Firing in Purkinje Neurons: An Experimental and Modeling Study

Purkinje neurons generate high-frequency action potentials and express voltage-gated, tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels with distinctive kinetics. Their sodium currents activate and inactivate during depolarization, as well as reactivate during repolarization from positive potentials, producing a "resurgent" current. This reopening of channels not only generates inward current after each action potential, but also permits rapid recovery from inactivation, leading to the hypothesis that resurgent current may facilitate high-frequency firing. Mutant med mice are ataxic and lack expression of the Scn8a gene, which encodes the NaV1.6 protein. In med Purkinje cells, transient sodium current inactivates more rapidly than in wild-type cells, and resurgent current is nearly abolished. To investigate how NaV1.6-specific kinetics influence firing patterns, we recorded action potentials of Purkinje neurons isolated from wild-type and med mice. We also recorded non-sodium currents from Purkinje cells of both genotypes to test whether the Scn8a mutation induced changes in other ion channels. Last, we modeled action potential firing by simulating eight currents directly recorded from Purkinje cells in both wild-type and med mice. Regular, high-frequency firing was slowed in med Purkinje neurons. In addition to disrupted sodium currents, med neurons had small but significant changes in potassium and leak currents. Simulations indicated that these modified non-sodium currents could not account for the reduced excitability of med cells but instead slightly facilitated spiking. The loss of NaV1.6-specific kinetics, however, slowed simulated spontaneous activity. Together, the data suggest that across a range of conditions, sodium currents with a resurgent component promote and accelerate firing.
Transverse fractures of the femoral shaft are a better predictor of nonaccidental trauma in young children than spiral fractures are.

Background: Certain fracture configurations, especially spiral fractures, are often thought to be indicative of nonaccidental trauma in children. The purpose of this study was to determine whether femoral fracture morphology, as determined by an objective measurement (fracture ratio), was indicative of nonaccidental trauma in young children. Methods: Consecutive patients who were three years of age or younger and had a closed, isolated femoral shaft fracture treated at an urban pediatric level-I trauma center between 2005 and 2013 were identified. Anteroposterior and lateral fracture ratios (fracture length/bone diameter) were calculated for each patient by a fellowship-trained pediatric orthopaedic surgeon who was blinded to the patient’s clinical history. The presence or absence of a Child Protective Services referral as well as institutional Child Assessment Program evaluations were reviewed. Nonaccidental trauma was deemed to be present, absent, or indeterminate by Child Protective Services or an on-site Child Assessment Program team. To further evaluate and quantify the likelihood of nonaccidental trauma, the criteria of the Modified Maltreatment Classification System were used. Results: Of 122 patients identified, ninety-five met the inclusion criteria for this study. Of these ninety-five, fifty-one (54%) had either a Child Protective Services or a Child Assessment Program consultation because of suspected nonaccidental trauma. Thirteen (25%) were found to have nonaccidental trauma as determined by Child Protective Services or the Child Assessment Program team and seven (14%) had indeterminate Child Protective Services or Child Assessment Program investigations. All thirteen patients with nonaccidental trauma, as well as the seven patients with an indeterminate Child Protective Services or Child Assessment Program investigation, had positive Modified Maltreatment Classification System scores for physical abuse. Patients who had nonaccidental trauma had significantly decreased mean anteroposterior fracture ratios compared with those who had confirmed accidental trauma (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The fracture ratio can be helpful to determine fracture morphology and can be used as part of the assessment of a child with suspected nonaccidental trauma. While not diagnostic, the presence of a transverse diaphyseal femoral fracture in a young child should raise the index of suspicion for nonaccidental trauma. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
SHIELDSTRAP: Making secure processors truly secure

Many systems may have security requirements such as protecting the privacy of data and code stored in the system, ensuring integrity of computations, or preventing the execution of unauthorized code. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure such protections as hardware-based attacks, in addition to software attacks, become more widespread and feasible. Many of these attacks target a system during booting before any employed security measures can take effect. In this paper, we propose SHIELDSTRAP, a security architecture capable of booting a system securely in the face of hardware and software attacks targeting the boot phase. SHIELDSTRAP bridges the gap between the vulnerable initialization of the system and the secure steady state execution environment provided by the secure processor. We present an analysis of the security of SHIELDSTRAP against several common boot time attacks. We also show that SHIELDSTRAP requires an on-chip area overhead of only 0.012% and incurs negligible boot time overhead of 0.37 seconds.
Economic and epidemiological impact of early antiretroviral therapy initiation in India

Introduction : Recent WHO guidance advocates for early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation at higher CD4 counts to improve survival and reduce HIV transmission. We sought to quantify how the cost-effectiveness and epidemiological impact of early ART strategies in India are affected by attrition throughout the HIV care continuum. Methods : We constructed a dynamic compartmental model replicating HIV transmission, disease progression and health system engagement among Indian adults. Our model of the Indian HIV epidemic compared implementation of early ART initiation (i.e. initiation above CD4 ≥350 cells/mm 3 ) with delayed initiation at CD4 ≤350 cells/mm 3 ; primary outcomes were incident cases, deaths, quality-adjusted-life-years (QALYs) and costs over 20 years. We assessed how costs and effects of early ART initiation were impacted by suboptimal engagement at each stage in the HIV care continuum. Results : Assuming “idealistic” engagement in HIV care, early ART initiation is highly cost-effective ($442/QALY-gained) compared to delayed initiation at CD4 ≤350 cells/mm 3 and could reduce new HIV infections to <15,000 per year within 20 years. However, when accounting for realistic gaps in care, early ART initiation loses nearly half of potential epidemiological benefits and is less cost-effective ($530/QALY-gained). We project 1,285,000 new HIV infections and 973,000 AIDS-related deaths with deferred ART initiation with current levels of care-engagement in India. Early ART initiation in this continuum resulted in 1,050,000 new HIV infections and 883,000 AIDS-related deaths, or 18% and 9% reductions (respectively), compared to current guidelines. Strengthening HIV screening increases benefits of earlier treatment modestly (1,001,000 new infections; 22% reduction), while improving retention in care has a larger modulatory impact (676,000 new infections; 47% reduction). Conclusions : Early ART initiation is highly cost-effective in India but only has modest epidemiological benefits at current levels of care-engagement. Improved retention in care is needed to realize the full potential of earlier treatment. Keywords: HIV; India; cost-effectiveness; antiretroviral therapy; continuum of care. To access the supplementary material to this article please see Supplementary Files in the column to the right (under Article Tools). (Published: 1 October 2015) Citation: Maddali MV et al. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2015, 18 :20217 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/20217 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.18.1.20217
Transient Analysis of Lossless Coupled Transmission Lines in a Non-Homogeneous Dielectric Medium

This paper presents an effective method for computing the transient response of an n-conductor, coupled transmission-line system, which is characterized by multiple propagation modes of unequal phase velocities. To derive the computational algorithm, an equivalent circuit consisting of n decoupled transmission lines in conjunction with two congruence transformers was constructed and converted into two disjointed resistive n-ports. It is shown that the electrical behavior of the coupled transmission lines can be completely described by the static capacitance matrices of the conductor system. The experimental result obtained on a three-conductor, microstrip printed circuit was found to be in excellent agreement with the computed result.
Pilgrimage in the jet age: the development of the American evangelical Holy Land travel industry, 1948–1978

Abstract The period from 1948 to 1978 was the key transitional moment that brought modern, mass tourism to the Holy Land. It also saw the rise of American tourism as the primary market segment in the area. Yet the period remains woefully understudied, lost amidst ample scholarly work about Holy Land travel in earlier and later periods. This article examines the development of the American evangelical Holy Land travel industry in this period. It argues that scholars should conceive of the middle-class Christian leisure industry in ways that correspond to how historian Lisa McGirr has described the rise of evangelical politics in the same period: a series of overlapping grassroots networks. Two major points about these networks are highlighted. First, Catholic companies, which have remained obscured in tourism history literature, actually provided the first models in this homegrown industry. Second, fledgling evangelical companies positioned themselves as insiders in faith communities by adapting models fro...
Discrete Start Sites for DNA Synthesis in the Yeast ARS1 Origin

Sites of DNA synthesis initiation have been detected at the nucleotide level in a yeast origin of bidirectional replication with the use of replication initiation point mapping. The ARS1 origin of Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed a transition from discontinuous to continuous DNA synthesis in an 18-base pair region (nucleotides 828 to 845) from within element B1 toward B2, adjacent to the binding site for the origin recognition complex, the putative initiator protein.
Analysis of pedestal plasma transport

An H-mode edge pedestal plasma transport benchmarking exercise was undertaken for a single DIII-D pedestal. Transport modelling codes used include 1.5D interpretive (ONETWO, GTEDGE), 1.5D predictive (ASTRA) and 2D ones (SOLPS, UEDGE). The particular DIII-D discharge considered is 98889, which has a typical low density pedestal. Profiles for the edge plasma are obtained from Thomson and charge-exchange recombination data averaged over the last 20% of the average 33.53 ms repetition time between type I edge localized modes. The modelled density of recycled neutrals is largest in the divertor X-point region and causes the edge plasma source rate to vary by a factor ~102 on the separatrix. Modelled poloidal variations in the densities and temperatures on flux surfaces are small on all flux surfaces up to within about 2.6 mm (ρN > 0.99) of the mid-plane separatrix. For the assumed Fick's-diffusion-type laws, the radial heat and density fluxes vary poloidally by factors of 2–3 in the pedestal region; they are largest on the outboard mid-plane where flux surfaces are compressed and local radial gradients are largest. Convective heat flows are found to be small fractions of the electron (10%) and ion (25%) heat flows in this pedestal. Appropriately averaging the transport fluxes yields interpretive 1.5D effective diffusivities that are smallest near the mid-point of the pedestal. Their 'transport barrier' minima are about 0.3 (electron heat), 0.15 (ion heat) and 0.035 (density) m2 s−1. Electron heat transport is found to be best characterized by electron-temperature-gradient-induced transport at the pedestal top and paleoclassical transport throughout the pedestal. The effective ion heat diffusivity in the pedestal has a different profile from the neoclassical prediction and may be smaller than it. The very small effective density diffusivity may be the result of an inward pinch flow nearly balancing a diffusive outward radial density flux. The inward ion pinch velocity and density diffusion coefficient are determined by a new interpretive analysis technique that uses information from the force balance (momentum conservation) equations; the paleoclassical transport model provides a plausible explanation of these new results. Finally, the measurements and additional modelling needed to facilitate better pedestal plasma transport modelling are discussed.
Planar circuits for non-contact near-field microwave probing

This paper presents a planar microwave probe circuit for non-contact near-field probing of quasi-planar structures which can be made of metal, dielectric or semiconductor. The probe circuit demonstrated here consists of a high-Q resonator in the range between 900 MHz and 5GHz hybridly integrated with a microstrip circuit and field-concentrating micro-meter size probe tip which determines the spatial resolution of the detection process. The design of the probe circuit and measurement system are presented, along with measurements of a GaAs test circuit and a Si CMOS chip. By scanning the probe above a quasi-planar sample, two-dimensional data sets of complex S-parameters are obtained and appropriate processing is applied to extract information about the sample.
Informed Versus Uninformed Consent for Prostate Surgery: The Value of Electronic Consents

Purpose: We evaluated the documentation of informed consent for 2 common prostate operations using current, conventional, paper based consent forms. Based on the results of the review the conventional paper based consent system was replaced with a new, standardized electronic consent system. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the consent forms obtained for transurethral resection of the prostate and radical prostatectomy procedures during the 6-year period 1995 to 2000 at Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Analysis focused on the basic elements of informed consent, including a description of the proposed treatment, and the purpose, benefits, risks and alternatives. Based on these findings we standardized the procedure specific information contained in consent forms and stored it electronically in a central network accessible to all urology providers throughout the medical center. Results: Of the 222 total procedures 204 consent forms were available for review. Senior residents, junior residents and physician assistants obtained consent for 42.2%, 30.9% and 25.5% of procedures, respectively. Information on the purpose and benefits of treatment was missing in 4.4% of cases and deficient in 22.6%. General or procedure specific risks were documented inconsistently in 0% to 96% of cases. Alternative treatment options were missing in 49% of the consent forms and they were significantly deficient in the remaining 51%. Prognosis and surgical risks were documented variably for each procedure. For example, in the radical prostatectomy group 79 patients (88.8%) had appropriate documentation regarding the potential for significant blood loss and yet only 23 (25.8%) had documented consent for blood transfusion. Following the implementation of a new standardized electronic consent program 96.1% of the patients surveyed preferred the new system. Conclusions: Conventional nonstandardized consent forms have significant deficiencies and errors. The new system of electronic informed consent is standardized, legible and understandable, and it assists providers in fully informing patients about the treatment, risks, benefits and alternative therapies, thereby supporting ethical and legal standards, and improving the quality of care. In our opinion standardized electronic informed consent should be the new standard of care.
An Analysis of Cloud Drop Growth by Collection Part II. Single Initial Distributions

Abstract The initial spreading of a cloud droplet distribution, its time of formation and placement of the second maximum, and the value of the minimum between the two maxima are systematically related to the mean mass and standard deviation of the initial distribution.
Changing Clinical Features of Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE)

The early clinical features, age at onset, and relation to immunization of 32 patients (24 males, 8 females) with SSPE are reported from Grant Medical College, Mumbia, India.
Immunocytochemistry in Contemporary Cytology: The Technique and Its Application

This is the first in a four-part continuing education series on cytology. This article discusses the role of immunocytochemistry in the laboratory. The technique and its applications are discussed, with markers of tumor classification and markers of tumor behavior highlighted. The second article of the series is on cancer cytogenetics, following articles will be about fine-needle aspiration and cytology’s relationship to laboratory service. This article focuses on cytology's increasingly important role in disease diagnosis. Because cytologic samples may be the only diagnostic samples available from patients with cancer, many tests traditionally performed on histologic material are now being performed on cytologic samples. Immunocytochemistry is one technique shown to be important in diagnostic tumor pathology.
Study of Current Postpartum Care and Visit and Corresponding Strategies

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of postpartum visit and patient satisfaction in grassroots maternal and child healthcare hospitals and discuss how to improve the effectiveness of postpartum visit and satisfaction of postpartum women.Methods: The paper investigated and analyzed the need of postpartum care and visit among 498 postpartum women and their satisfaction.Results: Most women were in need of postpartum care.The main source of their knowledge of postpartum care was media report.The most demanding postpartum care was guidance and knowledge on postpartum rehabilitation.Some women were not satisfied with current postpartum care and visit.Conclusion: Grassroots maternal and child healthcare hospitals should strengthen management of postpartum care and visit to improve effectiveness of postpartum visit and satisfaction of postpartum women.
The approach to the irradiated thyroid.

Nodular thyroid disease and cancer are frequently associated with a history of prior irradiation. Mass screening and patient recall programs have identified those at risk. Treatment involves careful evaluation followed by total or near-total thyroidectomy for patients with cancer.
From Michelangelo to Darwin: the evolution of human longevity.

` What is the natural, usual, and normal duration of the life of man?'' [1]. When Florens asked this question in his 19th century book Human Longevity and the Amount of Life Upon the Globe, he was seeking an answer to an age-old question that has been the subject of inquiry and debate for thousands of years. Throughout history, the greatest thinkers of every era not only speculated about the duration of life [2,3], but many also devised what they believed were methods of modifying how long people are capable of living [4]. Questions of this sort are no longer esoteric, for how long we live as individuals and populations has important public policy implications. For example, the future solvency of age-entitlement programs (such as those involving retirement and health) is heavily dependent on how many people will live to retirement age and how long they will draw benefits from such programs. As such, forecasts of the duration of life have taken on new meaning in the public policy arena [5±8]. Although some researchers have used mathematical extrapolation models to forecast that human life expectancy at birth will rise steadily to 100 years by the year 2060 [9], others have suggested that such models, and the assumptions upon which they are based, are unrealistic because they completely ignore the underling biological forces that influence (and limit) the duration of life [10,11]. Furthermore, there is now strong theoretic and empiric evidence suggesting that the lifespans of individuals and the life expectancy of populations are fundamentally influenced and limited by biological forces that represent currently immutable genetic characteristics of the species [10]. In this review I will summarize these arguments briefly and suggest that in low mortality/high life expectancy populations, an effective biological barrier to further dramatic increases in human life expectancy is being approached.
The Management of Hepatitis B in Liver Transplant Recipients

Liver transplant (LT) is now an established indication for patients with chronic hepatitis B, mainly because of the development and use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and oral antivirals for prophylaxis. The combination of low-dose HBIG and antivirals has been considered the standard prophylaxis regimen to prevent post-LT recurrence of hepatitis B. The important remaining issues are related to the long-term cost of HBIG and the risk of escape hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants. Strategies for prevention of HBV after LT are constantly improving. With the availability of new nucleoside/nucleotide analogues, new post-LT strategies also should emerge.
Founding Environment, Inward Internationalization, and Firm Performance: Evidence from Chinese Private Enterprises

The Chinese economic transition from a centrally planned economy to a free market economy since 1978 has witnessed local private enterprises as underdogs. Compared with state-owned enterprises that...
Mullā Ṣadrā's Philosophical Arguments for the Necessity of the Imamate

This is a study of Mullā Ṣadrā's arguments for the necessity of the imamate based on a chapter from his commentary on al-Uṣūl al-kāfī, one of the earliest canonical collections of the Shīʿī traditions (ḥadīth). After an overview and brief literature review of the subject, the paper shows Mullā Ṣadrā's use of philosophical teachings to prove the most pivotal doctrine of his Shīʿī faith. It summarizes the philosopher's arguments under the two categories of knowledge and existence. At the level of knowledge, the unrivaled access of the Imam/ḥujja to true knowledge after the Prophet makes him the only one who can reach the depth of the Qurʾan, hence the necessity of his existence in every age. As for the existential aspect of the imamate, Mullā Ṣadrā argues that there are intermediaries through whose existence the hierarchical ladder of creation unfolds, and he considers the Imams to be such intermediaries without whom nothing would exist.
Challenging Heteronormativity: Creating a Safe and Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ Students.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth face hostile and exclusionary learning environments. A qualitative phenomenographic method involving semistructured intervie...
Findings from the Harvard Medical School Cambridge Integrated Clerkship, a Year-Long Longitudinal Psychiatry Experience.

The Harvard Medical School Cambridge Integrated Clerkship is a longitudinal integrated clerkship that has provided an alternative clinical model for medical education in psychiatry since its inception in 2004. This study was undertaken in an effort to better understand the student experience of the Cambridge Integrated Clerkship and how it may have impacted students’ perceptions of and interest in psychiatry, as well as performance. Qualitative surveys were sent via e-mail to the first 11 student cohorts who had completed the Cambridge Integrated Clerkship (from 2004 to 2014) and for whom we had e-mail addresses (N = 100), and the free-text responses were coded thematically. All available standardized scoring data and residency match data for Cambridge Integrated Clerkship graduates were obtained. From 2006 to 2014, 12 out of 73 Cambridge Integrated Clerkship students who entered the match chose a psychiatry residency (16.4%), four times more than students in traditional clerkships at Harvard Medical School (3.8% of 1355 students) or the national average (4.1% of 146,066 US applicants). Thirty of the 100 surveyed Cambridge Integrated Clerkship graduates (30%) responded to the qualitative survey with free-text remarks on a number of themes. Cambridge Integrated Clerkship students compared positively to their classmates in terms of standardized test performance. Their fourfold higher match rate into psychiatry compared to other students raises intriguing questions as to what role a longitudinal clerkship might have played in developing interest in psychiatry as a career.
Measuring Deprivation in a Multi-Attribute Framework with Ordinal Data

This paper studies measures of group deprivation in a multi-dimensional framework where, for each individual and each attribute under consideration, the only information that one uses is whether the individual is deprived in terms of that attribute. We consider two classes of measures; one class needs micro-level data while the other class deals with aggregate data. We focus on the axiomatic properties of these two classes.
E. L. Moerk: remembrances.

In thinking about my memories of Ernst and his work, three areas come to mind. First, I recall the meticulousness and bravery he exhibited in his scholarly pursuits. Consider the context. Gold (1967) had argued that learners of a natural language like English must be provided negative evidence. Unless their errors are corrected, they cannot learn the language. Next, Brown and Hanlon's (1970) research supposedly demonstrated that a learner's syntactic errors are not, in fact, corrected. Thus, most concluded that languages are not learned, but are acquired when linguistic input “triggers” an innate language faculty to produce one's knowledge of language. In what was clearly anything but a “career move,” Ernst's detailed reanalysis (e.g., Moerk, 1983) of Roger Brown's data vacated this conclusion by showing—in exquisite detail—the robust nature of corrective feedback. Second, I remember the humor (often sardonic) that he displayed in his otherwise serious scholarship. Here are three examples. (1) In response to the claim that a language learner's input does not contain negative evidence, Ernst published a paper playfully entitled “Positive Evidence for Negative Evidence” (Moerk, 1991). (2) Ernst argued against Chomsky's contention that language acquisition requires positing an LAD (language acquisition device) by pointing out that “diverse maternal instructional processes . . . are sufficient to enable the child to acquire language skills” (Moerk, 1989, p. 21). This paper was titled, in part, “The LAD Was a Lady.” (3) Finally, my favorite example is his assertion that Chomsky, rather than conducting research, “relies exclusively on ‘imagination’” (Moerk, 2000, p. 5). To support his assertion, Ernst offered two quotes from Chomsky. “It is hard to imagine [italics added] that children receive specific training to establish this shared knowledge [of a specific linguistic structure] or even that this knowledge is derived inductively from experiences” (Caplan & Chomsky, 1980, p. 98). And “It is difficult to imagine [italics added] that people capable of these judgments have all had the relevant training or experience” (Chomsky, 1980, p. 42). My final area of Ernst remembrances is a personal one. About 15 years ago Howard Shaw and I had occasion to “DJ” a dance at the annual conference of the Northern California Association for Behavior Analysis (now CalABA). To my surprise and delight Ernst attended the dance. Not only had he no trouble dancing to contemporary rock-n-roll and R&B tunes, but he and his partner were among those who kept dancing until the very end.
Considerations for using the 'brown bag' strategy to reconcile medications during routine outpatient office visits.

Background Among medication reconciliation studies, varying methods are used to determine which medications patients are actually taking. One recommended approach is to ask patients to "brown bag" their medications for routine office visits. Aims To determine if 'brown bag' practices performed during routine office visits improve the accuracy of provider-documented medication lists. Methods This cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in a university affiliated community geriatric clinic. Forty-six cognitively intact elders who managed their own medications enrolled. Participants self-selected into two groups: 'brown-baggers' (BBs) and 'non-brown-baggers' (NBBs). Three medication lists were compared for each patient: provider-documented in patient's chart (chart list); researcher-generated by post-appointment semistructured interview (point-of-care [POC] list); post-appointment semi-structured telephone interview (telephone list, reference standard). Accuracy of chart and POC lists were compared with reference lists among BBs and NBBs. Results Thirty-three (72%) patients brought some of their medications to scheduled appointments (BBs); of these, 39% bagged all of their medications. Excluding route as a variable, 35% of provider-documented chart lists were complete; only 6.5% were accurate. Some 76% of chart-documented medication lists contained inclusion, omission and/or dosing instruction discrepancies, with no differences between BBs and NBBs. However, POC lists obtained using a semi-structured interview included fewer inclusion and omission discrepancies among BBs than NBBs (42% v 77%, P = 0.05). In subset analyses by medication type, over-the-counter (OTC) medication documentation was more accurate among BBs than NBBs. Overall, chart lists contained two to three times more discrepancies than lists generated at POC. Conclusion Most BBs do not bag all their medications for office visits. Chart list accuracy is no better among BBs than NBBs, although patients who 'brown bag' their medications for office visits may prompt providers to conduct a more thorough medication history. Lists generated by semistructured interviewing, regardless of BB status, are more accurate than chart lists. Findings challenge benefits of the 'brown bag' unless coupled with in-depth questioning and processes for transferring information to chart lists.
Could Mesophases Play a Role in the Nucleation and Polymorph Selection of Zeolites

Zeolites and mesoporous silicas are porous materials with important applications in catalysis, gas storage, and separation. Zeolite crystals form in the presence of cationic surfactants that act as structure directing agents (SDAs). The way SDAs control the nucleation and polymorphs selection in zeolites is not fully understood. The formation of mesoporous silica is templated by liquid crystalline mesophases that result from frustrated attraction between silicates and long-chain SDAs. Experiments indicate that surfactants CnH2n+1(CH3)3N+ with n > 6 yield mesoporous silicas, and the one with n = 6 produces a zeolite. This suggests that the driving force toward mesophase formation is also present for small organocations, but is overcome by the ability of silica to wrap a crystal lattice around them. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate whether the existence of metastable mesophases can play a role in the nucleation and polymorph selection of zeolitic crystals. As a proof of concept, we ...
Tree selection and foraging height of wintering Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) in an urban environment

ABSTRACT Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) drill sap holes in a variety of tree species to consume sap and bast. We examined the use of tree species in urban South Florida, a wintering ground for sapsuckers where their tree preferences have not previously been described. We determined that black olive (Bucida buceras) and tropical almond (Terminalia catappa) trees are strongly preferred and are used to a greater extent than all other trees. Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) and baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) are also drilled but are less likely to become host trees with ≥100 bands of sap holes. In urban areas where black olive and tropical almond are grown, these trees are used so extensively by the sapsucker that bands of sap holes usually extend to within a meter of the ground surface. The urban setting of these trees potentially exposes them to predation by feral cats and puts them at risk of collisions with windows.
A phase I study of the mitochondrial metabolism inhibitor CPI-613 in combination with high-dose ara-C (HDAC) and mitoxantrone for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

7028 Background: Altered metabolism is an emerging hallmark of cancer and a possible therapeutic target. CPI-613 is a first in class agent that targets mitochondrial metabolism.This trial was desig...
Second Founding: The Story of the Fourteenth Amendment

Settle back and let me tell you a brief version of the story I tell in my new book, Democracy Reborn - the story of the Fourteenth Amendment and its vital role in making our Constitution truly democratic.The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, which opened in 2003, is a magnificent shrine to our Constitution - part museum, part library, part meeting hall. After leaving the theater, if a visitor looks carefully, he or she may find a small placard that indicates that the Constitution wasever-so-slightly changed during and after the Civil War. All three of the so-called Civil War Amendments are summarized on this one placard, and here is the entire discussion of the Fourteenth Amendment:"The 14th defines U.S. citizenship, and includes all black Americans."This summary represents the meaning of only twenty-eight of the Amendment's four hundred-plus words. And, at that, it does not summarize them correctly, as the Citizenship Clause, the first sentence of Section 1, contains no racial language. It includes not only black Americans, but any person born on American soil and subject to American jurisdiction. The Fourteenth Amendment goes on to specify a number of rights belonging to citizens and noncitizens, and the placard simply ignores this. The Fourteenth Amendment is the longest amendment ever placed in the Constitution, and, I will argue, the most important. But it is, alas, unsurprising that even those entrusted with celebrating our Constitution should be unclear about its text and its importance. Fourteenth Amendment amnesia is a national disease.Americans know that they have constitutional rights. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, is a source of national pride. Written by James Madison and enacted by Congress when George Washington was president, these amendments are our national legacy and an example to the world.But relatively few Americans understand that, without the Fourteenth Amendment, the Bill of Rights would be no help to them in most of their dealings with government. That is because, as written by Congress and interpreted by the federal courts, the Bill of Rights originally applied only to the federal government. The first ten amendments barred "Congress" from abridging free speech, setting up a national religion, abridging "the right to bear arms," or requiring self-incrimination, but they left state governments perfectly free to do all those things, which many of them enthusiastically did. For most of us today, just as in the years before the Civil War, our dealings with government power are mostly with state police, prosecutors, regulators, and courts. "For most of us," an old legal saying points out, "the Constitution is the cop on the corner"-and that cop usually draws a state paycheck.
Surveys for Population Persistence and Bd at the Northeastern Range Edge of the Eastern Lesser Siren

Sirens are enigmatic, fully aquatic salamanders found in freshwater wetland habitats. Siren intermedia intermedia (Eastern Lesser Siren) occurs along the East Coast of the United States from Alabama to Virginia. Surveys near the northeastern range edge of the subspecies at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia from 1995 to 1999 documented 53 Eastern Lesser Sirens in 5 wetlands. In 2015, 13 individuals were found, documenting persistence at 4 of these wetlands; none were found in 4 additional wetlands with habitat that appeared appropriate. The size distribution of captured individuals was similar for the 2 survey periods. Captured individuals in 2015 were screened for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen ubiquitous in aquatic habitats of the southeast and mid-Atlantic. No Bd was detected on these individuals, despite the presence of Bd on other amphibians at Fort A.P. Hill. Further investigations of the Eastern Lesser Siren populations in this area would provide important information about the persistence of this species in the region and provide more insight into the biology of this elusive salamander.