cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential Immunodominance of Human and Porcine Factor VIII in Hemophilia A Mice.

Hemophilia A inhibitor patients and patients with acquired hemophilia A recognize immunodominant epitopes in the A2 and C2 domains of human factor VIII (fVIII). Hemophilia A mice also recognize A2 and C2 domain epitopes when immunized with human fVIII using a dosing schedule that mimics clinical use. We compared the immune responses of hemophilia A mice to human and porcine fVIII using a domain specific ELISA. In this assay, monoclonal antibodies are tested against a panel of six single human fVIII domain hybrid human/porcine fVIII molecules that contain the human A1, A2, ap, A3, C1 or C2 domains. With anti-human antibodies, a positive signal with one of the single human domain proteins identifies domain specificity, whereas loss of signal indicates domain specificity of anti-porcine fVIII antibodies. Exon16 (E16) - disrupted hemophilia A mice (n = 3) received six weekly μ10 g/kg intravenous injections of recombinant B-domain deleted human fVIII and a final 25 μg/kg boost. To obtain comparable inhibitor titers, E16 mice (n = 3) received six weekly injections of μ40 g/kg of recombinant B-domain deleted porcine fVIII. Spleens from high titer mice were fused with NS1 mouse myeloma cells and 485 of the resulting hybridomas were analyzed for fVIII domain specificity (Table). Only two hybridomas secreted antibodies specific for the ap domain. Human fVIII elicited a significantly greater number of antibodies to the A2 domain, whereas porcine fVIII elicited a significantly greater number of antibodies to the A1 and A3 domains (p Domain Specificity of Anti-FVIII MAbs
Cancer Fatalism and Cancer Information Seeking Among Black Women: Examining the Impact of Aretha Franklin’s Death on Cancer Communication Outcomes

Information seeking is often heightened following news coverage of cancer announcements from prominent celebrities or public figures. While scholars have sought to explicate the mechanisms influencing cancer information seeking following celebrity health announcements, the focus has primarily been on cognitive and emotional factors. Other influences such as sociocultural constructs have largely been ignored in this domain. Additionally, few studies have examined the health communication behaviors of minority individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine Black women’s information seeking behaviors as a response to the death of the singer Aretha Franklin from pancreatic cancer and the role of fatalistic beliefs about cancer in the information seeking process. Using a survey conducted a few weeks after Franklin’s death (N = 164), we found moderate amounts of pancreatic cancer information seeking, with almost 30% of women looking for information. Younger Black women were much more likely to search for information after Franklin’s death than older women. Moreover, while we found fatalistic beliefs to be associated with pancreatic cancer information seeking, the findings were driven by younger women. In particular, younger women were more likely to seek pancreatic cancer information regardless of their beliefs about cancer. This study advances the understanding of cancer information seeking among Black women. Implications for cancer communication with Black women are discussed.
Abstract B13: A novel mouse model for small-cell carcinoma of bladder

Background: Molecular characterization studies suggest the neuronal subtype muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is associated with a high response rate to immune checkpoint inhibitor. We sought to establish a mouse model for small-cell carcinoma of bladder. Materials and Methods: Three canonical signaling pathways (TP53, RB1, and RTK/PI3K/AKT) are commonly altered in small-cell bladder cancer. Keratin 5 promoter-driven adenovirus Cre (Ad-K5-Cre, University of Iowa) was instilled into the bladder of female triple floxed (Trp53f/f:Pten f/f:Rb1 f/f) mice for 30 min. The mice were monitored for hematuria and bladder mass using ultrasound. Results: One Ad-K5-Cre:Trp53-/-: Pten-/-: Rb1-/- mouse died from urinary obstruction at 22 weeks. An obstructive tumor was noted in bladder trigone. Immunohistochemistry analysis of bladder tumor demonstrated negative cytokeratin 7 (CK7) expression and strong synaptophysin expression. Disseminated metastatic foci in lung were noted with positive synaptophysin expression as of primary tumor in the bladder. PCR demonstrated Cre mediated recombined alleles of the Trp53, Pten, and Rb1 in the tumor DNA but not in the tail DNA. The bladder tumor was dissociated to generate an organoid line. The organoid after 5 passages was tested for drug response of standard chemotherapy regimens. IC50 of cisplatin, etoposide, and gemcitabine were 3.1 μM, 0.8 μM, and 92.3 nM, respectively. Further characterization of more mice will address the limitation of small sample size. Conclusion: Inactivation of Trp53, Pten, and Rb1 is sufficient to induce metastatic small-cell carcinoma of bladder. This mouse model provides a powerful tool to study molecular mechanism of neuroendocrine differentiation and screen novel therapeutic drugs for small-cell carcinoma of bladder. Citation Format: Dongbo Xu, Qiang Cao, Li Wang, Yanqing Wang, Xiaojing Zhang, Yue Wu, Gary Smith, Bo Xu, David Goodrich, Qiang Li. A novel mouse model for small-cell carcinoma of bladder [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Evolving Landscape of Cancer Modeling; 2020 Mar 2-5; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B13.
Mitigating Hospital-Onset Clostridioides difficile: Evaluation of a Standardized Environmental Hygiene Program in Eight Hospitals

Background: Despite ongoing efforts over the past 3 decades, hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) continues to challenge interventions aimed at its prevention and control. We describe the impact of a model environmental services (EVS) program on the incidence of HO-CDI across 8 hospitals that are part of a nationwide integrated health system. Methods: Eight acute-care hospitals with 44–532 beds (mean, 263 beds) in 6 states with stable endemic HO-CDI incidence densities independently implemented identical sporicidal environmental hygiene interventions in 2017. The program combined the use of a hydrogen peroxide/peroxyacetic acid surface disinfectant for all patient-zone hygienic cleaning combined with a structured model EVS cleaning program that included optimized cleaning and disinfection technique, staff training, and auditing with objective performance feedback, which aligned with 2008 HICPAC/CDC categories I and II as well as 2010 CDC Guidance Level II monitoring program recommendations. After a 3-month phase-in, we compared NHSN-reported LabID HO-CDI SIRs for 18 months before and 12 months after implementation of the program. Results were not shared between sites and data were not collated by the authors until a year after the postintervention results were initially available. Multiple possible confounding factors were evaluated and determined not to have identifiably affected the outcome. Results: Mean preintervention HO-CDI SIRs over the 18 months measured ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 (mean, 1.0 for the group). Following the wash-in period, SIRs decreased precipitously in all sites to a mean of 0.42 for the group by the end of 12 months of the intervention. (P < .0001) (Fig. 1). Individual site improvement ranged from 20% to 92% (mean, 57%) (Fig. 2.) Conclusions: Overall, HO-CDI SIRs decreased almost 60% in the study hospitals following daily sporicidal disinfection cleaning of all patient-zone surfaces in association with ongoing programmatic optimization of cleaning practice. As predicted by earlier single-site studies reporting a favorable impact of sporicidal disinfectant cleaning in outbreak settings, this multisite quasi-experimental study has illustrated the substantial potential impact of hospital-wide sporicidal disinfection integrated with objectively sustained optimized thoroughness of cleaning to decrease the incidence of HO-CDI. Funding: None Disclosures: None
Environmental justice expansion in the context of fracking

We investigated the endorsement of an expanded construct of environmental justice (ExEJ) that includes the rights of nature, other species, and future generations. We contextualized this study in terms of the environmental challenges posed by hydraulic fracturing. We used structural equation modeling to test a model that hypothesized that attitudes toward fracking would mediate an endorsement of ExEJ. We tested multiple factors that research suggests contribute to those attitudes using a student and non-student sample from a state experiencing fracking activity. Results suggest that self-transcendent factors directly predicted ExEJ endorsement, while self-focus factors predicted positive attitudes toward fracking, and a varied set of factors predicted a negative fracking attitude. Attitudes had no direct effect on ExEJ. Patterns of result suggest self-transcendent factors and avenues for change facilitate ExEJ, while self-enhancement factors influence positive fracking attitudes. Interpretations of these patterns are offered.
Stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, disability, and mental health: Considerations from the Intermountain West.

The deleterious mental health effects associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are increasingly apparent, however, questions remain about the extent to which pandemic-related stressor exposure has contributed to increased psychological distress among an already disadvantaged group, individuals with disabilities. The first aim of the study was to examine the distribution of pandemic-related stressors across multiple dimensions-employment, personal and family finances, personal relationships, and quality of social life-among individuals with and without disabilities. The second aim of the study was to examine the association between a composite COVID-19 stressor score and two mental health outcomes-depressive and anxiety symptoms-among the two subsamples. The study used quota-based online survey data (N = 2043) collected in the summer of 2020 from adults (18 and older) residing in the Intermountain West, half of whom had a self-reported disability. Study results demonstrated that individuals with disabilities experienced pandemic-related stressors at significantly higher rates relative to their non-disabled counterparts. Further, pandemic stressor exposure was associated with greater negative effects on their psychological well-being. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic is generating a secondary mental illness pandemic, and that individuals with disabilities are affected by it at significantly higher proportions.
Correlational Analysis of the Awareness to COVID-19 Pandemic and the Perceived Educational Technology Learning among College Students in St. Mary's College of Bansalan, Inc

The purpose of this study was to analyze the significant relationship that prevailed from the two variables, which are awareness to COVID-19 Pandemic and the perceived educational Technology Learning of the college students of St. Mary's College of Bansalan Inc. With this existing dilemma, the researchers had come up to conduct this study in order to identify the students' awareness to COVID-19 and their perception towards educational technology. Furthermore, this study showcases quantitative research using the correlational approach. This study involved 56 informants, which are college students of St. Mary's College of Bansalan Inc. During the conducting of the survey through questionnaire via Google forms, the respondents were identified as college students of St. Mary's College of Bansalan Inc. and affected of COVID-19 Pandemic which led to online learning. The researchers formulated two variables, and these are awareness of COVID-19 and the perceived educational technology learning. The result showed that the demographic profile of college students does not have any significant difference with awareness to COVID-19 and the perceived educational technology learning. Due to calculated data, the researchers found out that awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic and the perceived educational technology learning among college students of St. Mary's College of Bansalan Inc. has a positive correlation.
Evolution of U.S. Regulation and the Standard-Setting Process for Financial Reporting: 1930s to the Present

Evolution of U.S. Regulation and the Standard-Setting Process for Financial Reporting: 1930s to the Present
Quantitative probing of glycosylated queuosine modifications in tRNA

Queuosine (Q) in humans is a microbiome-dependent modification in the wobble anticodon position of tRNATyr, tRNAHis, tRNAAsn, and tRNAAsp. These tRNAs share a G34U35N36 anticodon consensus. In humans, the Q base in tRNATyr and tRNAAsp is further glycosylated to generate galactosyl-Q (galQ) and mannosyl-Q (manQ) modifications. Q-tRNA modification is known to regulate translation in a codon dependent manner, but the function of Q glycosylation is unknown. A sensitive and quantitative detection method for Q-glycosylation in tRNA is essential to investigate its biological function. Although LC/MS was used in the characterization of glyco-Q tRNA, the requirements of large amount of input material and LC/MS expertise limit its application. We recently developed an acid denaturing gel and Northern blot method to sensitively detect galQ and manQ-tRNA modification and quantify their modification fractions using just microgram amounts of total RNA. This method uses the same acid denaturing gel system for separating charged from uncharged tRNA; however, deacylated, galQ and manQ modified tRNAs are also separated from unmodified tRNAs because of the positive charge carried by the secondary amine and the large chemical moiety of the glyco-Q base. Our method enables rapid investigation of glycosylated Q modification in tRNA, and also has the potential to investigate other large tRNA modifications that carry a positive charge under acid denaturing gel conditions.
Random Walks with Variable Restarts for Negative-Example-Informed Label Propagation.

Label propagation is frequently encountered in machine learning and data mining applications on graphs, either as a standalone problem or as part of node classification. Many label propagation algorithms utilize random walks (or network propagation), which provide limited ability to take into account negatively-labeled nodes (i.e., nodes that are known to be not associated with the label of interest). Specialized algorithms to incorporate negatively labeled samples generally focus on learning or readjusting the edge weights to drive walks away from negatively-labeled nodes and toward positively-labeled nodes. This approach has several disadvantages, as it increases the number of parameters to be learned, and does not necessarily drive the walk away from regions of the network that are rich in negatively-labeled nodes. We reformulate random walk with restarts and network propagation to enable "variable restarts", that is the increased likelihood of restarting at a positively-labeled node when a negatively-labeled node is encountered. Based on this reformulation, we develop CusTaRd, an algorithm that effectively combines variable restart probabilities and edge re-weighting to avoid negatively-labeled nodes. In addition to allowing variable restarts, CusTaRd samples negatively-labeled nodes from neighbors of positively-labeled nodes to better characterize the difference between positively and negatively labeled nodes. To assess the performance of CusTaRd, we perform comprehensive experiments on four network datasets commonly used in benchmarking label propagation and node classification algorithms. Our results show that CusTaRd consistently outperforms competing algorithms that learn/readjust edge weights, and sampling of negatives from the close neighborhood of positives further improves predictive accuracy.
Students with global experiences during medical school are more likely to work in settings that focus on the underserved: an observational study from a public U.S. institution.

BACKGROUND Global health interest has grown among medical students over the past 20 years, and most medical schools offer global health opportunities. Studies suggest that completing global health electives during medical school may increase the likelihood of working with underserved populations in a clinical or research capacity. This study aimed to assess the association of global electives in medical school on subsequently working in global health and with underserved populations in the United States (U.S.), additionally considering students' interests and experiences prior to medical school. We also examined whether respondents perceived benefits gained from global electives. METHODS We surveyed medical school graduates (classes of 2011-2015) from a large public medical school in the U.S. to describe current practice settings and previous global health experience. We evaluated work, volunteer, and educational experiences preceding medical school, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity using American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) data. We assessed the association between students' backgrounds, completing global health electives in medical school and current work in global health or with underserved populations in the U.S. RESULTS In the 5 to 8 years post-graduation, 78% of 161 respondents reported work, research, or teaching with a focus on global or underserved U.S. POPULATIONS Completing a global health elective during medical school (p = 0.0002) or during residency (p = 0.06) were positively associated with currently working with underserved populations in the U.S. and pre-medical school experiences were marginally associated (p = 0.1). Adjusting for pre-medical school experiences, completing a global health elective during medical school was associated with a 22% greater prevalence of working with an underserved population. Perceived benefits from global electives included improved cultural awareness, language skills, public health and research skills, and ability to practice in technology-limited settings. CONCLUSION Medical school graduates who participated in global electives as students were more likely than their peers to pursue careers with underserved populations, independent of experiences prior to medical school. We hypothesize that by offering global health experiences, medical schools can enhance the interests and skills of graduates that will make them more likely and better prepared to work with underserved populations in the U.S. and abroad.
Inequality and Preferences for Redistribution in the Developing World

We examine the sources of preferences for redistribution in 41 developing countries, with a multi-level model that shows the effect of individual-level and country-level predictors. We test hypotheses derived from Melzer-Richard expectations about the effects of income and sociological expectations about the effect of occupation and urban residence. We show that the preferences of the poor are cross-cut by sharp differences between unskilled and semi-skilled workers and those who work in the agricultural sector. At the country level, we find only very limited evidence that higher levels of economic inequality strengthen preferences for redistribution among the poor in general, although there is some indication that it affects the attitudes of those who live in large cities. The most consistent level-2 finding is that growth appears to diminish support for government intervention in support of the poor.
Botulinum toxin injection in dysphagia syndromes with preserved esophageal peristalsis and incomplete lower esophageal sphincter relaxation.

Background Botulinum toxin injection into the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) treats dysphagia syndromes with preserved peristalsis and incomplete LES relaxation (LESR). We evaluated clinical and esophageal motor characteristics predicting response, and compared duration of efficacy to similarly treated achalasia patients. Methods Thirty-six subjects (59 ± 2.2 years, 19F/17M) with incomplete LESR on high resolution manometry (HRM) treated with botulinum toxin injection were identified. Individual and composite symptom indices were calculated, and HRM characteristics extracted. Symptom resolution for 6 months was a primary outcome measure, and repeat botulinum toxin injection, dysphagia recurrence or employment of alternate therapeutic approaches were secondary outcome measures. Duration of response was compared using Kaplan-Meier survival curves to a historical cohort of similarly treated achalasia subjects. Key Results Response lasted a mean of 12.8 ± 2.3 months. Symptom relief for >6 months was seen in 58.3%; short ( 180 mmHg independently predicted <6 months relief (P < 0.05 for each). On survival analysis, relief with a single injection extended to 1 year in 54.8% and 1.5 years in 49.8%, statistically equivalent to that reported by 42 similarly treated achalasia subjects (59 ± 3.2 years, 24F/18M). Symptom relief was more prolonged compared to achalasia when repeat injections were performed on demand (P = 0.003). Conclusions & Inferences Botulinum toxin injections can provide lasting symptom relief in dysphagia syndromes with incomplete LESR. Prominent perceptive symptoms and non-specific spastic features may predict shorter relief.
A Density Functional Theory Study of Oxygen Adsorption at Silver Surfaces: Implications for Nanotoxicity

The formation of superoxide at Ag(100) and Ag(111) surfaces for cluster and periodic slab models is studied by applying first-principles density functional theory calculations, including ab-initio molecular dynamics. Adsorption energies and structural parameters are discussed in detail. Charge transfer analyses indicate that O2- preferentially forms on clusters, particularly at an Ag(100) surface.
Hierarchical Hybrid Symbolic Robot Motion Planning and Control

This paper addresses the motion planning problem using hybrid symbolic techniques. The proposed approach develops a unified hierarchical hybrid control framework using a bismulation-based abstraction technique over the partitioned motion space that can be applied to autonomous aerial robots 3-D symbolic motion planning or ground vehicles 2-D symbolic motion planning. The bisimulation relation between the abstracted model and the original continuous system guarantees that their behaviors are the same. This allows to design a discrete supervisor for the abstracted model, and then, the designed supervisor can be applied to the original system while the closed-loop behavior does not change. To apply the discrete supervisor to the original continuous system, an interface layer is developed, which on the one hand translates discrete commands of the supervisor to a continuous form applicable to the continuous plant and on the other hand, abstracts the continuous signals of the continuous low layer to discrete symbols understandable by the supervisor. The proposed algorithm is verified through implementation of a hybrid symbolic algorithm for the formation control of unmanned aerial vehicles.
8. Speaking with children: Advice from investigative interviewers.

This chapter is a brief overview of research-supported child interviewing strategies that can maximize the quality and quantity of information produced by children when questioned about abuse. I discuss the need to use open-ended questions, instructions, and practice narratives, and the importance of avoiding age-inappropriate questions regarding number and time.
Unsupervised Learning of Probabilistic Context-Free Grammar using Iterative Biclustering

This paper presents PCFG-BCL, an unsupervised algorithm that learns a probabilistic context-free grammar (PCFG) from positive samples. The algorithm acquires rules of an unknown PCFG through iterative biclustering of bigrams in the training corpus. Our analysis shows that this procedure uses a greedy approach to adding rules such that each set of rules that is added to the grammar results in the largest increase in the posterior of the grammar given the training corpus. Results of our experiments on several benchmark datasets show that PCFG-BCL is competitive with existing methods for unsupervised CFG learning.
Iowa's Waters: A Mirror of the Land

In June 2008, floods of historic proportions raged across the Iowa landscape. For weeks, rivers rose to leave their banks, in many eastern Iowa locations spreading farther and deeper than at any time in recorded history. Hardest hit were towns along the Cedar and Iowa Rivers. In Cedar Rapids, floodwaters rose to a stage of 31.12 feet, 11 feet above the previous historic high and 19 feet above the flood stage of 12 feet, and flows crested at 140,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Discharges of the next largest floods here (in 1961 and 1993) had been about half that size; the average Cedar River flow in Cedar Rapids is a mere 3,807 cfs. More than nine square miles of downtown business and residential buildings, or 1,300 city blocks, went underwater; 25,000 people were evacuated in Linn County alone. Twenty miles to the south, Iowa City felt the largest floods since the construction of the Coralville Dam sev eral miles upstream on the Iowa River. At the University of Iowa, nestled along the Iowa River in downtown Iowa City, twenty-two major buildings?including the entire School of Music and most of the Art and Art History complex?took on water. University flood damages were estimated at $232 million. For the state as a whole, losses of physical property (including crop losses) were estimated at $3.5 billion, fema declared eighty-five of Iowa's ninety-nine counties federal disaster areas. Even before the floodwaters peaked, Iowans began asking why. Why now, why here? Cloaked in that question were feelings of anger as well as self-recrimination: What did we do to deserve this? But also, what have we done to cause this? Some clung to the fact that Iowa has always flooded, long before the state's transformation to one of the world's most intensively managed agricultural land scapes. Others stated that a flood was inevitable given the year's weather conditions?rivers running high with snowmelt from the unusually cold, wet, long winter; the cool wet spring preventing planting of crops that would have helped to dry soaked soils; and the intense May and June rainstorms that fell on a saturated land
Physiologic, psychologic, and social determinants in the etiology of duodenal ulcer.

With the preceding, an attempt has been made to delineate only a few of the links in the chain of events that comprise the physiologic, psychologic, and social determinants in the predisposition to and precipitation of duodenal ulcer in man. Such a survey makes obvious that there is no single causal agent in the etiology of this syndrome and that the discrepancies that exist between various hypotheses are related to each proponent's particular orientation. Those who insist that the development of duodenal ulcer is determined solely by “organic” factors are as fallacious as those who claim that “psychic” factors are the sole determinants. Such polar attitudes will disappear when the inferences are derived from “propter hoc” rather than from “post hoc” data. The selection of individuals who are most likely to develop the syndrome in the future and the proper application of the concepts and tools of various disciplines during the premorbid state will yield such information about the precise determinants in the predisposition and precipitation of duodenal ulcer as to make it unnecessary to camouflage ignorance by dogma. The studies reported herein represent an effort in that direction.
Sheepdog, parallel collaborative programming-by-demonstration

We introduce parallel collaborative programming-by-demonstration (PBD) as a principled approach to capturing knowledge on how to perform computer-based procedures by independently recording multiple experts executing these tasks and combining the recordings via a learning algorithm. Traditional PBD has focused on end-user programming for a single user, and does not support parallel collaborative procedure model construction from examples provided by multiple experts. In this paper we discuss how to extend the main aspects of PBD (instrumentation, abstraction, learning, and execution), and we describe the implementation of these extensions in a system called Sheepdog.
Centroid-moment tensor solutions for January–March 1992

Abstract Centroid-moment tensor solutions are presented for 160 earthquakes that occurred during the first quarter of 1992. The solutions are obtained using corrections for aspherical Earth structure represented by a whole mantle shear velocity model SH8/U4L8 of Dziewonski and Woodward.
Application of the general linear model for smoothing gas exchange data

The precision of an interpretation of gas exchange records in progressive exercise is limited by the typical breath-to-breath variation in the data. Recently, two procedures have been proposed for minimizing the "noise" in the estimates of alveolar gas exchange time series data. One approach utilizes an estimate of pulmonary blood flow (Q) for smoothing purposes. The other approach utilizes an estimate of effective lung volume (V'L) for smoothing purposes. In this paper, we formulate the smoothing problem as a general linear model and demonstrate the concurrent estimates of both V'L and Q. Furthermore, we investigate the interaction between V'L and Q. Specifically, when a high value of lung volume is used (such as the subject's resting functional residual capacity) in the alveolar gas exchange algorithm, the estimate of Q is biased low and the result is a less effective smoothing of the data. In addition, we demonstrate how the Q estimate can be improved by utilizing more appropriate estimates of arterial carbon dioxide tension.
Interprocedual optimization: experimental results

The problem of tracking data flow across procedure boundaries has a long history of theoretical study by people who believed that such information would be useful for code optimization. Building upon previous work, an algorithm for interprocedural data flow analysis has been implemented. The algorithm produces three flow-insensitive summary sets: MOD, USE and ALIASES. The utility of the resulting information was investigated using an optimizing Pascal compiler. Over a sampling of 27 bench-marks, new optimizations performed as a result of interprocedural summary information contributed almost nothing to program execution speed. Finally, related optimization techniques of possibly greater potential are discussed.
Importance of estimated functional capacity as a predictor of all-cause mortality among patients referred for exercise thallium single-photon emission computed tomography: report of 3,400 patients from a single center.

Abstract Objectives. We sought to determine the relative influence of estimated functional capacity and thallium-201 (Tl-201) single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) findings on prediction of short-term all-cause and cardiac-related mortality. Background. Decreased functional capacity and abnormal Tl-201 SPECT findings are predictive of increased cardiovascular risk and mortality. However, the relative importance of these variables as predictors of all-cause mortality is not well established. Methods. Analyses were based on 3,400 consecutive adults undergoing symptom-limited exercise Tl-201 SPECT testing at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation between September 1990 and December 1993; none had previous invasive procedures, heart failure or valve disease. Estimated functional capacity, classified by age and gender, and thallium perfusion defects, expressed as a stress extent thallium score on a 12-segment scale, were analyzed to determine their relative prognostic importance during 2 years of follow-up. Results. Of 3,400 patients, 108 (3.2%) died during follow-up; 32 deaths were identified as cardiac related. On univariable analysis, estimated functional capacity was a strong predictor of death, with 62 (57%) deaths occurring in patients achieving Conclusions. In this clinically low risk group, estimated functional capacity was a strong and overwhelmingly important independent predictor of all-cause mortality among patients undergoing exercise Tl-201 SPECT testing. The extent of myocardial perfusion defects was of comparable importance for the prediction of cardiac mortality.
Neurotensin, a biologically active peptide.

Abstract Neurotensin, a tridecapeptide appears to be localized in various parts of the brain and gut. A high affinity binding component of neurotensin to brain membranes, synaptosomes and mast cells has been reported. After peripheral administration the peptide exerts a medley of effects which appear directed mainly to glucose metabolism. In addition, complex vascular effects have also been noted including hypotensin, cyanosis, vasodilation and increased permeability. The peptide may also be associated with inflammatory events. Complex effects upon the secretion of anterior pituitary tropic hormones have been observed. After central administration neurotensin exerts several effects all of which appear to be sufficiently explained by the potent hypothermic action. The resolution of the question of which, if any, of the actions of neurotensin are involved in physiological regulation has not been achieved.
PPARγ activation blocks development and reduces established neuropathic pain in rats.

Peroxisomeproliferator-activatedreceptorgamma(PPARg)isemergingasanewpharmacotherapeutictarget for chronic pain. When oral (3e30 mg/kg/day in chow for 7 wk) or twice-daily intraperitoneal (1e10 mg/kg/ day for 2 wk) administration began before spared nerve injury (SNI), pioglitazone, a PPARg agonist, dosedependently prevented multiple behavioral signs of somatosensory hypersensitivity. The highest dose of intraperitoneal pioglitazone did not produce ataxia or reductions in transient mechanical and heat nociception, indicating that inhibitory effects on hypersensitivity were not secondary to adverse drug-induced behaviors or antinociception. Inhibitory effects on hypersensitivity persisted at least one week beyond cessation of pioglitazone administration, suggestive of long-lasting effects on gene expression. Blockade of PPARg with GW9662, an irreversible and selective PPARg antagonist, dose-dependently reduced the inhibitory effect of pioglitazone on hypersensitivity, indicating a PPARg-dependent action. Remarkably, a single preemptive injection of pioglitazone 15 min before SNI attenuated hypersensitivity for at least 2 weeks; thiswasenhancedwithasecondinjectiondelivered12hafterSNI.PioglitazoneinjectionsbeginningafterSNI also reduced hypersensitivity, albeit to a lesser degree than preemptive treatment. Intraperitoneal pioglitazone significantly reduced the nerve injury-induced up-regulation of cd11b, GFAP, and p-p38 in the dorsal horn, indicating a mechanism of action involving spinal microglia and/or astrocyte activation. Oral pioglitazone significantly reduced touch stimulus-evoked phospho-extracellular signal-related kinase (p-ERK) in lamina IeII, indicating a mechanism of action involving inhibition of central sensitization. We conclude that pioglitazone reduces spinal glial and stimulus-evoked p-ERK activation and that PPAR g activation blocks the development of and reduces established neuropathic pain.
Some chemical and biological properties of the F′c fragment of human γG globulins

Abstract F′c fragments were prepared from normal human γG globulin, ‘Heavy chain disease’ protein CR and from G myeloma proteins belonging to at least three of the four γ chain subclasses by papain digestion. This fragment, which had a mol. wt. of about 24,000, was obtained in a yield ranging from 10 to 15 per cent of the Fc fragment. F′c fragments failed to react with antisera specific for each subclass, but reacted with antisera to the determinants common to all four γ chain subclasses. By assuming homologies between the human and rabbit Fc fragments, the F′c fragment appears to be located in the carboxy terminal half of the Fc fragment. Although peptide maps demonstrated the ‘a’ and ‘non a’ peptides, Gm activity could not be detected. Similarly, none of the other biologic properties such as the ability to react with complement or rheumatoid factor or to fix to the skin of the guinea pig could be demonstrated. A similar fragment prepared by pepsin digestion showed a close relationship to the papain F′c fragment, but appeared to be somewhat smaller, lacked the ‘a’ and ‘non a’ peptides and had less carbohydrate. It seems likely that the F′c fragment is a dimer held together by non-covalent bonds and that it constitutes a major part of the carboxy terminal half of the Fc fragment of human γG globulin.
Interlaminar fenestration in lumbar canal stenosis- a retrospective study

Background: Degenerative lumbar canal stenosis is a multifaceted problem presenting as backache and neurological claudication. Methods: In fifteen patients of acquired degenerative lumbar canal stenosis multi level interlaminar fenestration with discectomy, if required, was carried out. Retrospective analysis was done to assess the out come by assessing the relief in backache and neurological claudication. Results: The mean age of patients was 50.4 years and average duration of neurological claudication was nine months. Diagnosis of the degenerative lumbar canal stenosis was made by clinical examination and confirmed by radiological and MRI measurement of cross section area of neural canal. Interlaminar fenestration was done at four levels and three levels in six patients each while it was done at two levels in remaining three patients. None of the patients reported immediate or late onset of backache or restriction of spinal movements, indicating spinal in stability. None of the patients had neurological claudication in the postoperative period. Conclusion: Retrospective analysis suggests that multiple interlaminar fenestrations done in moderate spinal stenosis provides adequate neurological decompression besides maintaining spinal stability.
Survey of Job Shop Scheduling Techniques

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Mathematical Techniques 3 Dispatching Rules 4 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Techniques 5 Artificial Neural Networks 6 Neighborhood Search Methods 7 Fuzzy Logic 8 Swarm 9 Reactive Scheduling 10 Learning in Scheduling 11 Theory of Constraints 12 Summary and Conclusions
Training occupational therapists in the care of the elderly with dementia and their caregivers: Focus on collaboration

In this article we describe a funded, innovative field‐based training program for senior occupational therapy students to provide a state‐of‐the‐art service model to the elderly and their caregivers in the home. The 9‐month program addresses the urgent need for advanced training in collaborative, caregiver‐centered treatment approaches that focus on the environmental forces shaping behavior and management practices. Students progress through three phases of professional development: (a) understanding the aging process, assessment and treatment in the home, and collaboration with informal providers (the caregivers), (b) collaboration with formal providers while comparing and contrasting one's own professional role with other professional roles, and (c) dissemination of information about the training and service model at local and state conferences. Under closely supervised field‐based experiences, students refine their knowledge base through the development and implementation of interventions and in‐servic...
Folate-regulated changes in gene expression in the anterior neural tube of folate binding protein-1 (Folbp1)-deficient murine embryos.

Inactivation of the murine folate binding protein-1 (Folbp1) has been shown to play a vital role in embryonic development. Nullizygous embryos (Folbp1−/−) have significant malformations of the neural tube, craniofacies, and conotruncus, and invariably die in utero by gestational day(E) 10. Administration of 25 mg·kg−1·day−1 folinic acid to dams prior to and throughout gestation rescues the majority of embryos from premature death; however, a portion of surviving embryos develops neural tube defects. Using antisense RNA amplification and cDNA microarrays, we examined the expression of approximately 5700 genes in the anterior neural tube of gestational day 9 Folbp1−/− embryos that were supplemented with folinic acid. Genes that appear to be folate regulated include transcription factors, G-proteins, growth factors, methyltransferases, and those that are related to cell proliferation. The potential impact of such changes during neural tube closure is considered in light of the phenotype of Folbp1−/− embryos.
An Illocutionary Logical Explanation of the Liar Paradox

This paper uses the resources of illocutionary logic to provide a new understanding of the Liar Paradox. In the system of illocutionary logic of the paper, denials are irreducible counterparts of assertions; denial does not in every case amount to the same as the assertion of the negation of the statement that is denied. Both a Liar statement, (a) Statement (a) is not true, and the statement which it negates can correctly be denied; neither can correctly be asserted. A Liar statement, more precisely, an attempted Liar statement, fails to fulfill conditions essential to statements, but no linguistic rules are violated by the attempt. Ordinary language, our ordinary practice of using language, is not inconsistent or incoherent because of the Liar. We are committed to deny Liars, but not to accept or assert them. This understanding of the Liar Paradox and its sources cannot be fully accommodated in a conventional logical system, which fails to mark the distinction between sentences/statements and illocutiona...
Selection of C3 alcohols by high and low ethanol selecting mouse strains and the effects on open field activity.

Abstract Mice of the high-ethanol selecting C57BL/6j strain consume significantly larger amounts of 10% solution of 1,2-propanediol and 1-propanol than the low-ethanol selecting DBA/2j strain. Both strains uniformly avoid a 10% solution of 1,3-propanediol and 2-propanol. Open field activity was tested 30 min after an IP injection of 3 different equimolar doses of each alcohol. An increase in activity was produced in the DBA/2j strain by high (0.003 ml/mg) and middle (0.0015 ml/kg) doses of 1,2-propanediol and by a low dose (0.0005 ml/mg) of 2-propanol. The C57BL/6j strain were unaffected by these doses. High doses of 2-propanol produced sleep in both strains with the DBA/2j strain sleeping significantly longer, and 1,3-propanediol produced depression in both strains. Death resulted in all animals following injections at the high (0.002 mg/gm) and medium (0.001 ml/gm) doses of 1-propanol while the low dose (0.0005 ml/gm) produced slight depression.
An up to date look at lung cancer screening

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. At the time of initial presentation, most patients are at an advance stage of disease and have a poor associated prognosis. Those diagnosed and treated at earlier stages have a significantly better outcome with 5-year survival for stage I disease approaching 75%. Ideally a screening strategy for lung cancer would detect disease at an earlier stage and allow for potential surgical cure. The purpose of this review is to examine past and current evidence as it relates to lung cancer screening.
Log-robust portfolio management after transaction costs

We suggest an approximation method for solving a Log-robust portfolio optimization problem that includes transaction costs. We transform the problem into a linear programming problem so that it is easy to implement in an actual investment. We also provide numerical tests comparing the approximation method's solution to the solution for a traditional Log-robust problem.
Spin-rotation effects in elastic proton-nucleus scattering

Abstract We discuss a particular form of spin-rotation distribution in the context of proton-nuclear scattering and indicate its behaviour as a function of momentum transfer. We point out that besides effectively completing our knowledge of the nuclear scattering amplitudes the measurement of this function would furnish information both about the nuclear density distribution and about parts of the fundamental proton-nucleon spin-orbit scattering amplitudes. The latter are terms of the amplitudes which have been left undetermined by existing polarization data.
The diagnosis of death and the irreducibility of the human person

If, as Karol Wojtyla had insisted, the human person is fundamentally irreducible to any natural, biological, social, or even cosmological function, then the diagnosis of death on any of the purely functionalistic grounds available to medical science presents a serious ethical problem. Perhaps we can no longer treat the question of death merely as a medical “diagnosis,” regarding, on that basis, the appropriateness of organ transplantation as a purely medical judgment, ethically accountable only to professional standards of care. We will explore this problem from within a personalistic philosophical, and theological framework, according to which the irreducibility of the human person provides the central referent for an analysis of the reductionistic tendencies of contemporary thinking concerning the “diagnosis of death.”
Normal redundancy in chest leads as basis for recognition of minor abnormalities

Abstract The correlations between R amplitudes and between T amplitudes in Leads I, V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 were calculated in 640 healthy men who ranged in age from 20 to 59 years. The correlations were found to be so high that R and T waves are predictable with high probability from two adjacent leads by means of regression equations. Thus, abnormality can be predicted as a break in the continuity of the QRS and T deflections across the chest even if any single lead is within normal limits. For easy clinical application, a set of nomographs was constructed.
Interaction of microwaves with atmospheric pressure plasmas

In this paper, the interaction of microwaves with a plasma, generated at atmospheric pressure, is studied. The refractive index, attenuation index, skin depth, attenuation coefficient, phase coefficient, and reflectivity are investigated as functions of the plasma number density, the wave frequency and type of polarization, and the grazing angle. It is found that two frequency regimes characterize these type of plasmas. The first is a range where the phase velocity and attenuation of the wave both increase with frequency. The second is a frequency range in which the phase velocity and attenuation of the wave remain constant. It is also found that to have a shallow skin depth, the plasma number density has to be in the 1013 cm−3 range. The reflectivity is found to be an increasing function of the number density. In horizontal polarization, the reflectivity is a decreasing function of the grazing angle. But in vertical polarization and for grazing angle less than 20°, the reflectivity has a maximum at a frequency $$f = f_s = \frac{{2\pi f_{pe}^2 }}{\nu }$$ , where fpe is the electron plasma frequency and v is the collision frequency.
Cell Proliferation of Canine Cyclic Hematopoietic Marrow in Diffusion Chambers

SummaryThe ability (Cytopoietic Potential) of marrow from dogs with cyclic hematopoiesis to proliferate within diffusion chambers that had been implanted into irradiated mice has been studied. Cytopoietic Potentials fluctuated over the hematopoietic cycle from near normal levels during the period of peripheral neutropenia to significantly below normal when peripheral blood neutrophils were elevated. Although interpretation of the results has to be tempered by the lack of knowledge concerning the nature of the cell responsible for cell generation in diffusion chambers, the data appear to suggest a compromised multipotential stem cell compartment in cyclic hematopoiesis. Periodic proliferation of these stem cells may account for the previously recognized in phase cycling of committed granulocytic and erythrocytic progenitor cells.