cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cladistic analysis of the Early Cambrian olenelloid trilobites

A phylogenetic analysis was used to determine evolutionary relationships within the Early Cambrian superfamily Olenelloidea Walcott, 1890. Phylogenetic patterns within the suborder Olenellina Walcott, 1890, which contains the Olenelloidea and the Fallotaspidoidea Hupe, 1953, are also discussed. The Olenelloidea are monophyletic, and synapomorphies uniting them include the condition of the ocular lobes where they intersect the frontal lobe of the glabella, and the condition of the lateral margins of the glabellar lobes. In contrast, taxa formerly assigned to the Fallotaspidoidea are shown to represent a paraphyletic grade of several genera, some more closely related to the Olenelloidea, and some more closely related to the Redlichiina Richter, 1933. Seventy-nine exoskeletal characters were coded for 26 taxa within the Olenellina. These included 22 ingroup Olenelloidea and four outgroup taxa that have traditionally been assigned to the Fallotaspidoidea. When subjected to parsimony analysis these character data yielded a single most parsimonious cladogram that provides an hypothesis of relationship for the generic clades within the superfamily. Two new genera are recognized herein, Fritzolenellus and Lochmanolenellus. It has been argued that genetic flexibility was so great and trilobite morphology was so plastic in the Early Cambrian that suprageneric classification of Early Cambrian trilobites is precluded. Although levels of intraspecific variability may have been slightly higher in the Early Cambrian relative to the mid Paleozoic, based on the extent of polymorphic character codings, it was not so high as to obviate attempts at recovering phylogenetic structure in a major clade of Early Cambrian taxa. In addition, the consistency index recovered by this analysis is not unduly low for a phylogenetic database of this size. The phylogenetic analysis also has bearing on patterns of allometric heterochrony, which have often been held to be significant in Early Cambrian trilobites. The paedomorphic retention of advanced genal spines into the adult probably evolved at least four times. Three of the episodes can be best described as neoteny, the fourth, as progenesis. Finally, based on the phylogeny, it is likely that rates of speciation in trilobites may have been two to three times higher in the Early Cambrian than in the mid Paleozoic.
Hormonal changes with anastrozole treatment in breast cancer

e12026 Background: Aromatase inhibitors are a class of drugs that inhibit tumor growth in hormone receptor positive breast cancer, in postmenopausal women. They inhibit the conversion of androgens to estrogens. Both clinical benefit and side effects are believed to be due to alterations in blood hormonal levels. Methods: Clinical charts of postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, receiving anastrozole 1 mg daily, were reviewed to determine the clinical side effects and blood hormonal changes during treatments, at a community oncology practice. Hormonal levels measured were serum testosterone, serum estrogens and prolactin levels. Results: There were 31 postmenopausal women age 52–73 (median 62) years, receiving anastrozole 1 mg daily. Duration of treatment was 8 to 42 (median 24) months. Clinical side effects noted were joint pains in 4 patients; mild to moderate hot flashes in 4; temporary nausea lasting for 1 week in 3; and vaginal dryness in 2 patients. Serum estrogen levels ...
Reflections on Government Service Rotations by an Academic Health Education Professional

This reflection is on a health education professional’s rotation from professor in a school of public health to a government position and back parallels that of Professor Howard Koh’s journey to Assistant Secretary of Health, one level higher in the same federal bureaucracy. We both acknowledge the steep learning curve and some bureaucratic hassles and mazes that can attend government service, but similarly conclude that “. . . it was worth it.” In this personalized case, I weigh some of the specific learning experiences and challenges I faced while in the government against the needs of the field of health promotion for more such revolving-door experiences among academic public health professionals. From my argument that to get more evidence-based practice we need more practice-based evidence, I conclude that more experience in practice among those returning to academia will render their teaching and research more relevant to the needs for evidence in policy and practice.
Polarization-independent actively tunable colour generation on imprinted plasmonic surfaces.

Structural colour arising from nanostructured metallic surfaces offers many benefits compared to conventional pigmentation based display technologies, such as increased resolution and scalability of their optical response with structure dimensions. However, once these structures are fabricated their optical characteristics remain static, limiting their potential application. Here, by using a specially designed nanostructured plasmonic surface in conjunction with high birefringence liquid crystals, we demonstrate a tunable polarizationindependent reflective surface where the colour of the surface is changed as a function of applied voltage. A large range of colour tunability is achieved over previous reports by utilizing an engineered surface which allows full liquid crystal reorientation while maximizing the overlap between plasmonic fields and liquid crystal. In combination with imprinted structures of varying periods, a full range of colours spanning the entire visible spectrum is achieved, paving the way towards dynamic pixels for reflective displays.
A Decade of Political and Economic Change in Italy

A LMOST eleven years ago, in the immediate aftermath of a costly war and the fall of fascism, Italy's electorate dismissed the House of Savoy and voted to try its hand at republican government instead. Looking back, most Italian commentators are inclined to judge positively the events following that decision. They point out that Italy has demonstrated a marked capacity for operating democratic political institutions, and an almost miraculous ability to stay above water economically in the face of the most discouraging obstacles. To be sure, there are those on the political right who still bemoan the break with tradition, and others on the left who claim that the break with the past has not been nearly what many had anticipated during the days of the Resistance. Nevertheless, the evidence is overwhelming that basic changes, many of them with profound long-run implications for Italian society, have been effected in the political, economic, and social spheres. It is common knowledge that the United States has played a major role in the reconstruction of postwar Italy. Economic aid, technical assistance personnel, educational exchange, even the millions of American tourists, have been instruments for shaping the direction which certain changes in Italian society have taken. Yet, in spite of the high degree of interaction between the two countries, the public and the government of the United States probably know less about the politics and economics of Italy than of any other of our major allies in Western Europe. We have come to appreciate Italian fashions, motion pictures, motion picture actresses, and postwar novelists. These interests, however, have not been duplicated by serious inquiries into the political institutions and behavior of the Italian Republic. This limited knowledge of Italian affairs has historical roots. We have always been much more closely identified with Great Britain and France, nations that have loomed large in the evolution of our own political institutions. Italy, on the other hand, did not emerge as a nation until the middle of the nineteenth century. What might have developed into close Italo-American ties was thwarted by American isolationism
Everolimus versus sunitinib prospective evaluation in metastatic non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (The ESPN Trial): A multicenter randomized phase 2 trial.

4505 Background: In a single-arm phase II trial of sunitinib in non-clear cell RCC (nccRCC) we previously reported (Tannir et al. Eur Urol 2012), objective response rate [ORR] was 5% and median pro...
Effect of the time of day and queue position in the endoscopic schedule on the performance characteristics of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for diagnosing pancreatic malignancies.

Background and Objectives: Recent reports have indicated that the time of day may impact the detection rate of abnormal cytology on gynecologic cytology samples. The aim of this study was to determine if procedure time or queue position affected the performance characteristics of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for diagnosing solid pancreatic malignancies. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study evaluating patients with solid pancreatic lesions in whom EUS-FNA was performed. Three timing variables were evaluated as surrogate markers for endoscopist fatigue: Procedure start times, morning versus afternoon procedures, and endoscopy queue position. Statistical analyses were performed to determine whether the timing variables predicted performance characteristics of EUS-FNA. Results: We identified 609 patients (mean age: 65.8 years, 52.1% males) with solid pancreatic lesions who underwent EUS-FNA. The sensitivity of EUS-FNA was 100% for procedures that started at 7 AM while cases that started at 4 PM had a sensitivity of 81%. Using start time on a continuous scale, each elapsed hour was associated with a 1.9% decrease in EUS-FNA sensitivity (P = 0.003). Similarly, a 10% reduction in EUS-FNA sensitivity was detected between morning and afternoon procedures (92% vs. 82% respectively, P = 0.0006). A linear regression comparing the procedure start time and diagnostic accuracy revealed a decrease of approximately 1.7% in procedure accuracy for every hour later a procedure was started. A 16% reduction in EUS-FNA accuracy was detected between morning and afternoon procedures (100% vs. 84% respectively, P = 0.0009). When the queue position was assessed, a 2.4% reduction in accuracy was noted for each increase in the queue position (P = 0.013). Conclusion: Sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for solid pancreatic lesions decline with progressively later EUS starting times and increasing numbers of procedures before a given EUS, potentially from endoscopist fatigue and cytotechnologist fatigue.
The Status and Trends of Dietary Nutrients Intake of the Urban Residents in Guangxi

Objective To understand the changes of dietary pattern of Guangxi urban residents from 1992 to 2002,Methods To analyze the status and trends of dietary nutrients intake from the cruising data about nutrition of Guangxi autonomous regions in 2002 and compare to nationwide synchronous level.Results The intakes of major food of the urban residents of Guangxi in 2002 had a bigger change compared with 1992,the main good food intake had improved obviously,such as potatoes,other cereals,vegetables,fruits and milk,but the downtrend of salt and jam was obvious.The intakes of meats increased but the number of shrimps decreased obviously,but higher than the average of nationwide.The intakes of three main nutriment increased,vitamins had a suitable standards,Retinol and riboflavine were lower,the deficiency of Calcium was most norablely.Conclusion The dietary pattern of Guan- gxi urban residents had a obvious progress compared with the number of ten years ago,but the condition is not so optimistic,the deficiency of Calcium is still the most marked problem about nutrition of Guangxi urban residents.
Effect of Th1/Th2 cytokines on expression of nerve growth factor in lymphocytes of rat asthma model

AIM:To investigate the effect of interleukin-13 and γ-interferon on the expression of nerve growth factor mRNA in bronchial asthma rat.METHODS:Four Wistar rats were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin to establish the asthmatic models,and the rat splenic lymphocytes were isolated and cultured with ConA.The expression of NGF mRNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)before and after the lymphocytes were exogenously added with interferon-γ(IFN-γ)or interleukin-13(IL-13).RESULTS:The lymphocytes of the asthmatic model stimulated by ConA in vitro expressed NGF mRNA in a time-dependent manner.IL-13 upregulated the expressions of NGF mRNA in a time-dependent manner and all the NGF mRNA expressions at the designated time points were significantly higher than the basal values(P0.05).IFN-γ downregulated the expressions of NGF mRNA in a dose-dependent manner(all P0.05).CONCLUSION:In the asthmatic rats,IL-13,one of the Th2 cytokines,can upregulate the expressions of NGF;IFN-γ,one of the Thl cytokines,can downregulate the expressions of NGF,both in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner.Th1/Th2 cytokine immune imbalance may indirectly induce the airway neurogenic inflammation by regulating the NGF mRNA expression.
A Consumer Guide for Marketing Medical Services: One Institution’s Experience

This paper describes the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's experience with the development and implementation of a 20-page quality indicator consumer guide for patients with or at risk of developing coronary artery disease. The guide, which provides six "quality indicators," was designed to enable patients to evaluate and compare quality-related information when choosing a provider. Design elements for the guide included a user-friendly format to offset the amount of information consumers are asked to absorb. Data on inquiries showed that the majority were women (53%) and adults under the age of 65 years (57%). Although the media criticized the guide as a marketing tool, it represents an effort to educate consumers about the importance of research when choosing a provider.
Analysis of High Plains Resource Risk and Economic Impacts

The importance of the High Plains Aquifer is broadly recognized as is its vulnerability to continued overuse. T his study e xplore s how continued depletions of the High Plains Aquifer might impact both critical infrastructure and the economy at the local, r egional , and national scale. This analysis is conducted at the county level over a broad geographic region within the states of Kansas and Nebraska. In total , 140 counties that overlie the High Plains Aquifer in these two states are analyzed. The analysis utilizes future climate projections to estimate crop production. Current water use and management practices are projected into the future to explore their related impact on the High Plains Aquifer , barring any changes in water management practices, regulat ion, or policy. Finally, the impact of declining water levels and even exhaustion of groundwater resources are projected for specific sectors of the economy as well as particular elements of the region's critical infrastructure.
Phenotypes of Juvenile Batten Disease

The phenotypes of 10 Finnish juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL; late-onset Batten disease) patients were correlated with the genotypes in a study at Helsinki University, Finland; and the Rayne Institute, University College, London, UK.
Efficient reduction of optimal disinfectant booster station placement formulations for security of large-scale water distribution networks

ABSTRACTIn response to a contamination incident in water distribution networks, disinfectant booster stations can be used to neutralize the contaminant and protect the public. In this paper, two mixed-integer linear programming formulations are proposed for optimal placement of disinfectant booster stations. The first formulation minimizes the contaminant mass consumed by the public, while the second formulation minimizes the number of people who ingest the contaminant above a mass threshold. The proposed formulations consider uncertainty in both the location and time of the contamination incident, resulting in an intractably large stochastic programming problem. This manuscript proposes a series of reductions that decrease the size of the problem by up to five orders of magnitude. The results show that the use of a small number of disinfectant booster stations can be very effective as a response strategy.
Using the ACMGE Milestones as a Handover Tool From Medical School to Surgery Residency

Objective To map current medical school assessments for graduating students to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestones in general surgery, and to pass forward individual performance metrics on level 1 milestones to receiving residency programs. Design The study included 20 senior medical students who were accepted into surgery internship positions. Data from medical school performance assessments from the third-year surgery clerkship, fourth-year surgery rotations, fourth-year surgery boot camp, Clinical Competency Assessment Examination, and United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and 2 examinations were used to map each student's competency assessments to the General Surgery Milestones based on a scoring system created and validated by independent assessors. This Milestones Assessment was then provided to each student's receiving program director. Setting The study was conducted at the University of Michigan Medical School, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Participants Fourth-year medical students entering into surgical internship. Results Of 16 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) General Surgery Milestones subcompetencies, 12 were able to be evaluated with current medical school assessments. Of the 20 students, 11 met criteria for all the level 1 milestones and 9 needed improvement in at least 1 domain. Conclusions It was feasible to use medical school assessments to feed forward information about senior medical students on 12 of the 16 General Surgery Milestones subcompetency domains.
48. Treatment of Methylmalonic Acidemia by Promoterless Gene-Targeting Using Adeno-Associated Viral (AAV) Mediated Homologous Recombination

Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism most typically caused by mutations in methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT). While the hallmark of this disease is elevated levels of methylmalonic acid in the plasma, other disease related metabolites such as methylcitrate are elevated in the plasma as well. Patients with MMA suffer from frequent and potential lethal bouts of metabolic instability that can be eliminated by liver transplantation. Adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy has shown great promise as the treatment for MMA in a murine model of the disease. However, a majority of the AAV-treated mice developed hepatocellular cancer, which was determined to arise from AAV-mediated insertional mutagenesis. In an attempt to create a safer gene therapy platform for the treatment of MMA, we created a novel vector for site-specific gene addition of human MUT into the mouse albumin (Alb) locus. This promoterless AAV vector contains a 2A-peptide coding sequence proximal to a codon-optimized human MUT gene. The 2A-MUT sequence is flanked by arms of homology immediately upstream of mouse Alb stop codon. Since albumin is expressed exclusively in hepatocytes, we prepared an AAV serotype 8 vector to take advantage of the murine liver tropism conferred by this capsid. This newly created vector was named AAV8-Alb-A2-MUT. After site-specific integration of the vector into the Alb locus in the liver, ribosomal skipping generates both Alb and MUT as separate proteins derived from the same transcript. We delivered a dose of 2.5e12 GC of AAV8-Alb-2A-MUT to five mice with MMA by intraperitoneal injection at birth. At one month post-injection, we observed increased hepatic expression of the MUT by western blot, improved growth and a significant reduction of disease related metabolites, in the treated MMA mice (Table 1Table 1). This gene delivery approach is anticipated to provide permanent hepatic transgene expression while reducing the risk of off-target integration and vector-mediated insertional mutagenesis.Table 1Markers of Correction in MMA Murine ModelUntreated (n=3-8)AAV8-Alb-A2-MUT (n=5)P ValuePercent of Wild-type Mut ExpressionND11.3+/-9.1NAPlasma Methylmalonic Acid (uM)969+/−396563+/−98<0.05Plasma Methylcitrate (nM)5, 020+/−8732, 904+/−638<0.0001Weight at 1 Month6.9+/−1.610.7+/−0.6<0.003 View Table in HTML
Growth models for tree stems and vines

Abstract The paper introduces a PDE model for the growth of a tree stem or a vine. The equations describe the elongation due to cell growth, and the response to gravity and to external obstacles. An additional term accounts for the tendency of a vine to curl around branches of other plants. When obstacles are present, the model takes the form of a differential inclusion with state constraints. At each time t , a cone of admissible reactions is determined by the minimization of an elastic deformation energy. The main theorem shows that local solutions exist and can be prolonged globally in time, except when a specific “breakdown configuration” is reached. Approximate solutions are constructed by an operator-splitting technique. Some numerical simulations are provided at the end of the paper.
Ecosystem function in complex mountain terrain: Combining models and long-term observations to advance process-based understanding

Abiotic factors structure plant community composition and ecosystem function across many different spatial scales. Often, such variation is considered at regional or global scales, but here we ask whether ecosystem-scale simulations can be used to better understand landscape-level variation that might be particularly important in complex terrain, such as high-elevation mountains. We performed ecosystem-scale simulations by using the Community Land Model (CLM) version 4.5 to better understand how the increased length of growing seasons may impact carbon, water, and energy fluxes in an alpine tundra landscape. The model was forced with meteorological data and validated with observations from the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Program site. Our results demonstrate that CLM is capable of reproducing the observed carbon, water, and energy fluxes for discrete vegetation patches across this heterogeneous ecosystem. We subsequently accelerated snowmelt and increased spring and summer air temperatures in order to simulate potential effects of climate change in this region. We found that vegetation communities that were characterized by different snow accumulation dynamics showed divergent biogeochemical responses to a longer growing season. Contrary to expectations, wet meadow ecosystems showed the strongest decreases in plant productivity under extended summer scenarios because of disruptions in hydrologic connectivity. These findings illustrate how Earth system models such as CLM can be used to generate testable hypotheses about the shifting nature of energy, water, and nutrient limitations across space and through time in heterogeneous landscapes; these hypotheses may ultimately guide further experimental work and model development.
Development and initial validation of a cessation fatigue scale

Abstract Background Smoking cessation fatigue, or tiredness of attempting to quit smoking, has been posited as a latent construct encompassing loss of motivation, loss of hope in cessation success, decreased self-efficacy, and exhaustion of self-control resources. Despite the potential clinical impact of characterizing cessation fatigue, there is currently no validated measure to assess it. Using a rational scale development approach, we developed a cessation fatigue measure and examined its reliability and construct validity in relation to a) smokers’ experience of a recently failed quit attempt (QA) and b) readiness to engage in a subsequent QA. Methods Data were drawn from an online cross-sectional survey of 484 smokers who relapsed from a QA within the past 30 days. Results Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors within the 17-item Cessation Fatigue Scale (CFS), which we labeled: emotional exhaustion, pessimism, and devaluation. High internal consistency was observed for each factor and across the full scale. As expected, CFS overall was positively associated with withdrawal severity and difficulty quitting. CFS was negatively associated with previously validated measures of intention to quit, self-efficacy, and abstinence-related motivational engagement, even after adjusting for nicotine dependence. Conclusions Findings provide initial validation for a new tool to assess cessation fatigue and contribute needed information on a theory-driven component of cessation-related motivation and relapse risk.
Invisible and Unexamined: The State of Whiteness in Men’s Studies Journals

Existing research tells us that race is prominent in studies of men and masculinities but it doesn’t help us to understand how race is discussed. We seek to begin a larger conversation on the state of race in studies of men and masculinities by examining how whiteness specifically emerges as a subject in three Men’s Studies journals. Is race discussed in the respective research article at all? Is race used as an explanatory variable? And is whiteness discussed in the writing? In addition to these basic quantitative findings, we also present qualitative interpretations of the overall trends we observed in order to illustrate the trajectory of the state of accounts of whiteness in the field of Men’s Studies. Keywords: masculinity, race, intersectionality, whiteness.
Evolutionary responses to crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by the copepod Eurytemora affinis

The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster was the most catastrophic offshore oil spill in U.S. history, yet we still have a poor understanding of how organisms could evolve in response to the toxic effects of crude oil. This study offers a rare analysis of how fitness-related traits could evolve rapidly in response to crude oil toxicity. We examined evolutionary responses of populations of the common copepod Eurytemora affinis residing in the Gulf of Mexico, by comparing crude oil tolerance of populations collected before versus after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. In addition, we imposed laboratory selection for crude oil tolerance for ~8 generations, using an E. affinis population collected from before the oil spill. We found evolutionary increases in crude oil tolerance in the wild population following the oil spill, relative to the population collected before the oil spill. The post-oil spill population showed increased survival and rapid development time in the presence of crude oil. In contrast, evolutionary responses following laboratory selection were less clear; though, development time from metamorphosis to adult in the presence of crude oil did become more rapid after selection. We did find that the wild population, used in both experiments, harbored significant genetic variation in crude oil tolerance, upon which selection could act. Thus, our study indicated that crude oil tolerance could evolve, but perhaps not on the relatively short time scale of the laboratory selection experiment. This study contributes novel insights into evolutionary responses to crude oil, in directly examining fitness-related traits before and after an oil spill, and in observing evolutionary responses following laboratory selection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Biosynthesis of hydroxyfatty acid polymers: Enzymatic hydration of 18-hydroxy-cis-9,10-epoxystearic acid to threo-9,10,18-trihydroxystearic acid by a particulate preparation from apple (Malus pumila)

Abstract A 3000g participate fraction prepared from homogenates of the skin of young apple fruit catalyzed the hydration of 18-hydroxy-cis-9,10-epoxystearic acid to threo-9,10,18-trihydroxystearic acid, a key step in the biosynthesis of cutin, the hydroxyfatty acid biopolymer of the plant cuticle. Similar preparations from the internal tissue of apple fruit contained less than 6% of this epoxide hydrase activity. The enzymatic product was identified by thin-layer chromatography on silica gel G and on boric acid-silica gel G, as well as by radio gas-liquid chromatography of its periodate oxidation product. The epoxide hydrase required no cofactors, had a pH optimum of 6.5, and it was located mainly (>90%) in the 3000g particle fraction which contained the cuticular membranes. The rate of hydration of the epoxy acid was linear up to 75 min and up to a protein concentration of 0.8 mg/ml. The apparent Km and V of the enzyme was 4 × 10−4 m and 170 μmol/1-h-mg of protein, respectively. p-Chloromercuribenzoate strongly inhibited the enzyme (80% inhibition at 10−4 m ), while iodoacetamide and N-ethylmaleimide were less potent inhibitors. 1,1,1-Trichloropropylene-2,3-oxide at 5 × 10−3 m gave 60% inhibition of hydration of 18-hydroxy-9,10-epoxystearic acid. Diisopropylfluorophosphate was mildly inhibitory, and the enzyme was insensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Methyl 18-hydroxy-9,10-epoxystearate, 18-acetoxy-9,10-epoxystearic acid, methyl 18-acetoxy-9,10-epoxystearate, 9,10-epoxystearic acid, and styrene oxide were not readily hydrated by this plant epoxide hydrase showing that it has a fairly stringent substrate specificity, unlike the catabolic epoxide hydrases of animals. Particulate preparations capable of hydrating 18-hydroxy-9,10-epoxystearic acid to the trihydroxy acid were also obtained from Senecio odoris leaf epidermis and Spinacia oleracea leaves. This is the first report on the enzyme which catalyzes this important step in the biosynthesis of the protective biopolymer, cutin.
Testicular artery ligation at the deep inguinal ring to control postoperative haemorrhage in a feline castration

An approximately four-year-old male intact feral domestic short-haired cat was presented to a feral cat sterilisation clinic in September 2015. Closed castration was performed in routine fashion. Significant postsurgical haemorrhage was observed, coming from the incisions in the scrotum. Typical conservative therapy was not possible because the cat was feral and could not be contained and handled for treatment. The patient was prepared for a ventral mid-line approach. The testicular arteries were ligated within the peritoneal cavity as they entered the deep inguinal rings. Bleeding from the scrotum stopped within seconds. Complications from feline castration are uncommon, but when significant haemorrhage is encountered, references cite entering the abdomen but do not describe the specific anatomy or surgical techniques employed to resolve haemorrhage. This case report describes a situation in which such actions were taken, with details on this previously unreported procedure such that others may be able to repeat it as necessary.
Molecular components and polarity of radial glial cells during cerebral cortex development

Originating from ectodermal epithelium, radial glial cells (RGCs) retain apico-basolateral polarity and comprise a pseudostratified epithelial layer in the developing cerebral cortex. The apical endfeet of the RGCs faces the fluid-filled ventricles, while the basal processes extend across the entire cortical span towards the pial surface. RGC functions are largely dependent on this polarized structure and the molecular components that define it. In this review, we will dissect existing molecular evidence on RGC polarity establishment and during cerebral cortex development and provide our perspective on the remaining key questions.
Low-dose CT perfusion with projection view sharing.

Author(s): Martin, Thomas; Hoffman, John; Alger, Jeff R; McNitt-Gray, Michael; Wang, Danny Jj | Abstract: PurposeCT Perfusion (CTP) is a widely used clinical imaging modality. However, CTP typically involves the use of substantial radiation dose (CTDIvol ≥~200 mGy). The purpose of this study is to present a low-dose CTP technique using a projection view-sharing reconstruction algorithm originally developed for dynamic MRI - "K-space Weighted Image Contrast" (KWIC).MethodsThe KWIC reconstruction is based on an angle-bisection scheme. In KWIC, a Fourier transform was performed along each projection to form a "k-space"-like CT data space, based on the central-slice theorem. As a projection view-sharing technique, KWIC preserves the spatiotemporal resolution of undersampled CTP data by progressively increasing the number of projection views shared for more distant regions of "k-space". KWIC reconstruction was evaluated on a digital FORBILD head phantom with numerically simulated time-varying objects. The numerically simulated scans were undersampled using the angle-bisection scheme to achieve 50%, 25%, and 12.5% of the original dose (288, 144, and 72 projections, respectively). The area-under-the-curve (AUC), time-to-peak (TTP), and full width half maximum (FWHM) were measured in KWIC recons and compared to fully sampled filtered back projection (FBP) reconstructions. KWIC reconstruction and dose reduction was also implemented for three clinical CTP cases (45 s, 1156 projections per turn, 1 s/turn, CTDIvol 217 mGy). Quantitative perfusion metrics were computed and compared between KWIC reconstructed CTP data and those of standard FBP reconstruction.ResultsThe AUC, TTP, and FWHM in the numerical simzulations were unaffected by the undersampling/dose reduction (down to 12.5% dose) with KWIC reconstruction compared to the fully sampled FBP reconstruction. The normalized root-mean-square-error (NRMSE) of the AUC in the FORBILD head phantom is 0.04, 0.05, and 0.07 for 50%, 25%, and 12.5% KWIC, respectively, as compared to FBP reconstruction. The cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume had no significant difference between FBP and 50%, 25%, and 12.5% KWIC reconstructions (P g 0.05).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that KWIC preserves perfusion metrics for CTP with substantially reduced dose. Clinical implementation will require further investigation into methods of rapid switching of a CT x-ray source.
Textualidades extrañas y eclécticas; visiones atrevidas y excéntricas: mujeres guatemaltecas en la narrativa breve y el arte contemporáneo

Han pasado ya doce anos desde que el gobierno y la guerrilla firmaran la paz en Guatemala. Los acuerdos de paz trajeron consigo una apertura cultural, desde la cual el arte y la literatura de Guatemala parecieron resurgir, en el sentido de emerger de forma mucho mas publica. La postguerra trajo ademas de un ambiente mas relajado politicamente hablando, apariciones de otras formas de arte y literatura. 2 No queremos insinuar que durante la guerra de guerrillas, no se publicaran o escribieran libros y no hubiese habido exposiciones de arte, sobre todo en las galerias o espacios privados, que el arte guatemalteco estilo durante muchos anos. Nos referimos a visualizar nuevas maneras de abordar el hecho artistico en las dos ramas de la cultura guatemalteca.
Larone’s Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification

Larone’s Medically Important Fungi is now available on Wiley.com The definitive guide for identifying fungi from clinical specimens Davise H. Larone is well known as the originator of the book that many readers have come to rely upon for assistance in the accurate identification of fungi from patient specimens, a key step in treating mycotic infections. Dr. Larone has now been joined by Thomas J. Walsh and Randall T. Hayden to update this gold standard reference while retaining the format that has made this guide so popular for more than 40 years. Medically Important Fungi, will expand your knowledge and support your work by: Providing detailed descriptions of the major mycoses as viewed in patients’ specimens by direct microscopic examination of stained slides Offering a logical step-by-step process for identification of cultured organisms, utilizing detailed descriptions, images, pointers on organisms’ similarities and distinctions, and selected references for further information Covering nearly 150 of the fungi most commonly encountered in the clinical mycology laboratory Presenting details on each organism’s pathogenicity, growth characteristics, relevant biochemical reactions, and microscopic morphology, illustrated with photomicrographs, Dr. Larone’s unique and elegant drawings, and color photos of colony morphology and various test results Explaining the current changes in fungal taxonomy and nomenclature that are due to information acquired through molecular taxonomic studies of evolutionary fungal relationships Providing basic information on molecular diagnostic methods, e.g., PCR amplification, nucleic acid sequencing, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and other commercial platforms Including an extensive section of easy-to-follow lab protocols, a comprehensive list of media and stain procedures, guidance on collection and preparation of patient specimens, and an illustrated glossary With Larone’s Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification, both novices and experienced professionals in clinical microbiology laboratories can continue to confidently identify commonly encountered fungi. Hardcover, 550 pages, full-color illustrations, index.
The New CLOCIT Irradiation Facility for 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology: Characterisation, Comparison with CLICIT and Implications for High-Precision Geochronology

The Cadmium-Lined Outer-Core Irradiation Tube (CLOCIT) is a new irradiation facility for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor. We report fluence parameters from the first four CLOCIT irradiations and compare them to the existing Cadmium-Lined Inner-Core Irradiation Tube (CLICIT). CLOCIT provides an average neutron flux equivalent of 1.45–1.53 ×10-4 J/h; about 55% of CLICIT. Radial fluence gradients are on the order of 0.2–2.4 %/cm. A planar fit of J-values results in residuals in the range of uncertainty in the J-value, but systematic deviations resolve a non-planar component of the neutron flux field which has also been observed in CLICIT. Axial neutron fluence gradients are 0.6–1 %/cm, compared to 0.7–1.6 %/cm for the CLICIT. Production rate ratios of interfering reactions are (40Ar/39Ar)K = (4±6) ×10-4 and (38Ar/39Ar)K = (1.208±0.002) ×10-2, (36Ar/37Ar)Ca = (2.649±0.014) ×10-4, (38Ar/37Ar)Ca = (3.33±0.12) ×10-5, and (39Ar/37Ar)Ca = (9.1±0.28) ×10-4, similar to the CLICIT values.
S3B: Software-Defined Secure Server Bindings

For decades, request-routing protocols operating at multiple layers of the network stack have been a staple of Internet services. Commonly deployed request-routing techniques use the requestor's IP address as an identifier of the client. For instance, using DNS as a request-routing protocol, the local DNS resolver's IP address is used as a surrogate identifier of the client in order to assign the client to the closest server. While such coarse associations may be acceptable for performance-centric purposes, they are not appropriate in settings that require fine-grained, enforceable bindings of clients to servers – e.g., to ensure that malicious clients are unable to bypass their bindings and issue their request to a server of their choosing. In this paper, we propose S3B (Software-defined Secure Server Bindings), a protocol that provides precise and enforceable client-server assignments. S3B uses a server module to assign clients unique access keys. Using HTTP redirection with the key encrypted as an additional domain label, the name server is able to distribute precise server assignments specific to each client. In addition, the server module maintains an access control list to enforce these assignments. As an implementation of the S3B protocol, we have developed an HTTP/S prototype and deployed it to Amazon AWS. Our performance evaluation suggests that our prototype introduces no discernible overhead for client requests. To evaluate S3B's effectiveness as a security appliance, we developed an application to isolate clients suspected as spiders, capable of virtually immediate containment once detected.
An Ontology-Composition Algebra

The need for an algebra to manipulate ontologies is motivated by the impossibility of achieving a globally consistent ontology. Our approach is to integrate information from diverse sources by focusing on the intersection of their ontologies and articulating them accordingly. These articulations typically require rules to define semantic correspondences like synonymy, homonymy, hypernymy, overlapping semantics, and abstraction among the terms of interest. The algebra, needed to compose multiple articulations, has to manipulate the ontologies based on these articulation rules.
The Effect of a Medical Toxicology Inpatient Service in an Academic Tertiary Care Referral Center

Morbidity and mortality from poison- and drug-related illness continue to rise in the USA. Medical toxicologists are specifically trained to diagnose and manage these patients. Inpatient medical toxicology services exist but their value-based economic benefits are not well established. This was a retrospective study where length of stay (LOS) and payments received between a hospital with an inpatient medical toxicology service (TOX) and a similar hospital in close geographic proximity that does not have an inpatient toxicology service (NONTOX) were compared. Controlling for zip code, demographics and distance patients lived from each hospital, we used a fitted multivariate linear regression model to identify factors associated with changes in LOS and payment. Patients admitted to the TOX center had 0.87 days shorter LOS per encounter and the hospital received an average of $1800 more per patient encounter. In this study, the presence of an inpatient medical toxicology service was associated with decreased patient LOS and increased reimbursement for admitted patients. Differences may be attributable to improved direct patient care provided by medical toxicologists, but future prospective studies are needed.
The Life Course Paradigm: Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations

The term “paradigm” is broadly used to imply a combination of theories, methods, and evidence (Alford 1998). Shanahan et al. (2016a) point out that “compared to a theory…the content, boundaries and emphasis of a paradigm are less easy to identify with a high degree of consensus” (2016a: 3). As researchers tend to apply the life course concept differently not only according to their disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., Alwin 2012) but also within their specific discipline (Shanahan et al. 2016b), the life course paradigm has also diverse meanings. However, the most common use of the term refers to a set of perspectives relevant to the study of patterns of stability and change (George 2003). According to this view, explanations of continuity and change must involve the study of a sequence of responses and adaptations to changing life conditions (Pulkkinen and Caspi 2002), and the term “adaptation” in turn refers to people’s adjustments to biological, psychological, and social changes they experience over the course of their lives (e.g., Clausen 1986; Gierveld and Dykstra 1993). These adaptations are necessary due to the life changes and events that people experience, including developmental and social changes (Clausen 1986).
Dissolving “Wicked” Problems: Beyond Institutionalist and Participatory Approaches to Land Title Regularization:

A central contribution of institutionalist approaches to planning has been to illustrate how planners’ constraints can also present opportunities for creative action. Through an ethnographic case a...
Why Some Persistent Problems Persist

Recent work on counter-insurgency, client states, foreign aid, and proxy wars uses a principal–agent framework to study the principal’s ability to induce an agent to exert effort on the principal’s behalf. This work broadly emphasizes the moral hazard problem and the actors’ limited commitment power. The latter is usually addressed through the logic of repeated games in which reneging on an agreement triggers future punishment. This study analyzes a related incentive problem that undermines the principal’s ability to induce an agent to exert effort on its behalf. The repeated-game’s enforcement mechanism tends to break down if the principal is trying to get the agent to resolve a problem that, if resolved, (i) creates an ongoing problem for the agent and (ii) simultaneously significantly reduces the agent’s ability to impose future costs on the principal. The principal cannot induce the agent to exert much effort in these circumstances, and the problem persists.
Heteronormative Relationship Education for Same‐Gender Couples

In recent years, same-gender group-based relationship education has emerged as a viable intervention to prevent relationship distress among same-gender couples. However, many of these programs are conducted in metropolitan areas and lack the ability to reach rural populations. The current study sought to investigate whether two wide-reaching web-based heteronormative relationship education programs could positively impact same-gender relationships. In a sample of 49 same-gender couples, heteronormative relationship education had small (Cohen's d = 0.16-0.39) but reliably positive effects on key areas of relationship functioning and perceived stress relative to a waitlist control group. Additionally, when same-gender couples were matched with different-gender individuals with similar baseline characteristics, no reliable differences between the two groups emerged even though the program effects were sometimes half as large for same-gender couples. Finally, same-gender participants were as satisfied with the program as the matched different-gender individuals. Though the results of the present study indicate that heteronormative relationship education can be helpful for same-gender couples, additional tailoring should be undertaken to ensure that same-gender couples experience as much benefit as possible. Estimates from the current study could be used in future studies to detect what might be small-sized differences.
Impact of Substance Use and Abuse on Opioid Demand in Lower Extremity Fracture Surgery.

OBJECTIVES To describe the perioperative opioid demand in a large population of patients undergoing lower extremity fracture fixation and to evaluate mental disorders such as substance abuse as risk factors for increased use. DESIGN Retrospective, observational. SETTING National insurance claims database. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS Twenty-three four hundred forty-one patients grouped by mental disorders such as depression, psychoses, alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse, drug abuse, and preoperative opioid filling undergoing operative treatment of lower extremity fractures (femoral shaft through ankle) between 2007 and 2017. INTERVENTION Operative treatment of lower extremity fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was filled opioid prescription volume converted to oxycodone 5-mg pill equivalents. Secondary outcomes included the number of filled prescriptions and the risk of obtaining 2 or more opioid prescriptions. RESULTS Of 23,441 patients, 16,618 (70.9%), 8862 (37.8%), and 18,084 (77.1%) filled opioid prescriptions within 1-month preop to 90-day postop, 3-month postop to 1-year postop, and 1-month preop to 1-year postop, respectively. On average, patients filled 104, 69, and 173 oxycodone 5-mg pills at those time intervals. Alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and preoperative opioid filling were associated with increased perioperative opioid demand. Psychoses had a small effect on opioid demand, and depression had no significant impact. CONCLUSIONS This study reports the rate and volume of opioid prescription filling in patients undergoing lower extremity fracture surgery. Substance use and abuse were the main risk factors for increased perioperative opioid prescription filling. Providers should recognize these risk factors for increased use and be judicious when prescribing opioids. Enhanced patient education, increased nonopioid pain management strategies, and referral for substance use and abuse treatment may be helpful for these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.