cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patently Inconsistent: State & Tribal Sovereign Immunity in Inter Partes Review

In 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act was signed into law with the goal of bringing America’s patent system up to date in the 21st century. As part of that effort, the Act introduced a new post-grant proceeding known as inter partes review (“IPR”) to better ensure that issued patents were not granted erroneously. A number of patent owning state entities have since evaded IPRs by invoking the doctrine of state sovereign immunity, which allows states to avoid unwanted adjudication. Emboldened by the success of states on this front, at least one pharmaceutical company has transferred ownership rights in its patents to a Native American tribe. The tribe, in turn, has attempted to avail itself of the doctrine of tribal sovereign immunity in order to avoid post-grant review of the patents. Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has held that, unlike states, tribes cannot avoid IPRs through sovereign immunity claims. This Note argues that the Federal Circuit reached the correct result on tribal sovereign immunity claims and that, due to the similarities between the two doctrines, state sovereign immunity claims should likewise fail as a defense in IPRs.
A direct and efficient total synthesis of the tubulin-binding agents ceratamine A and B; use of IBX for a remarkable heterocycle dehydrogenation

The total synthesis of the tubulin-binding agents ceratamine A and B is reported, along with des-methyl analogs, via a synthetic route that is high-yielding and operationally efficient. The synthetic route involved a Beckmann rearrangement to form an azepine ring precursor, a Knoevenagel condensation to install the benzylic side chain, and an effective imidazole annulation onto an alpha-aminoketone precursor with a protected S-methylisothiourea. Final dehydrogenation proved remarkably facile using IBX.
Right ventricular strain in patients with pulmonary embolism and syncope

Patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) can present with various clinical manifestations including syncope. The mechanism of syncope in PE is not fully elucidated and data of right ventricular (RV) function in patients has been limited. We retrospectively identified 477 consecutive patients hospitalized with acute PE diagnosed with a computed tomogram (CT) who also had a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) 24 h prior to or 48 h after diagnosis. Parameters of RV strain on CT, TTE, electrocardiogram (ECG), and clinical characteristics and adverse outcomes were collected. Patients with all three studies available for assessment were included (n = 369) and those with syncope (n = 34) were compared to patients without syncope (n = 335). Patients with syncope were more likely to demonstrate RV strain on all three modes of assessment compared to those without syncope [17 (50%) vs. 67 (20%); p = 0.001], and those patients were more likely to receive advanced therapies [9 (53%) vs. 15 (22%); p = 0.02]. PE-related mortality was highest among those presenting with high-risk PE and syncope (36%, OR 20.1, 95% CI 5.3–81.1; p < 0.001) and was low in patients with syncope without criteria for high-risk PE (3%, OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.2–10.0; p < 0.001). In conclusion, acute PE patients with syncope are more likely to demonstrate multimodality evidence of RV strain and to receive advanced therapies. Syncope was only associated with increased PE-related mortality in patients presenting with a high-risk PE. Syncope alone without evidence of RV strain is associated with low short-term adverse events and is similar to those without syncope.
Faculty and Resident Perspectives on Teaching Pediatric Evidence-Based Medicine in the Clinical Setting: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Purpose To describe how pediatric educators effectively teach evidence-based medicine (EBM) in the clinical setting. Secondarily, to identify barriers hindering effective practice and teaching of EBM and strategies to overcome these barriers. Methods The authors conducted a cross-sectional multi-institutional qualitative study from July 2016 through December 2017 in which they interviewed pediatric educators across many subspecialties who were identified as exemplary teachers of EBM at three academic pediatric residency programs. Pediatric residents who had recently worked with these faculty members were also interviewed to allow triangulation between participants. Qualitative analysis was complete once saturation was achieved. Results Twenty-six pediatric educators identified as exemplary teachers of EBM and 10 residents who worked with those educators participated in the study. Thirteen explicit teaching strategies and two implicit teaching strategies, namely disclosure of uncertainty and role modeling, were identified. Barriers to practicing clinical EBM included balancing patient responsibilities, inadequate time, and personal knowledge. Barriers to teaching clinical EBM were inadequate time and learner engagement. To overcome these barriers, faculty limit and focus teaching points, attempt to make EBM relevant to patient care, and incorporate follow-up strategies. Conclusion Numerous teaching strategies are available to faculty to improve the clinical teaching of EBM and to overcome commonly encountered clinical EBM barriers. Familiarity with these clinical EBM teaching strategies can be used for faculty development and to enhance the teaching of EBM to learners.
Brainprint: identifying individuals from Magnetoencephalography

Neuroimaging tools have been widely adopted to study the anatomical and functional properties of the brain. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), a neuroimaging method prized for its high temporal resolution, records magnetic field changes due to brain activity and has been used to study the cognitive processes underlying various tasks. As the research community increasingly embraces the principles of open science, a growing amount of MEG data has been published online. However, the prevalence of MEG data sharing may pose unforeseen privacy issues. We argue that an individual may be identified from a segment of their MEG recording even if their data has been anonymized. From our standpoint, individual identifiability is closely related to individual variability of brain activity, which is itself a widely studied scientific topic. In this paper, we propose three interpretable spatial, temporal, and frequency MEG featurizations that we term brainprints (brain fingerprints). We show using multiple datasets that these brainprints can accurately identify individuals, and we reveal consistent components of these brainprints that are important for identification. We also investigate how identification accuracy varies with respect to the abundance of data, the level of preprocessing, and the state of the brain. Our findings pinpoint how individual variability expresses itself through MEG, a topic of scientific interest, while raising ethical concerns about the unregulated sharing of brain data, even if anonymized.
Accelerating water dissociation in bipolar membranes and for electrocatalysis

Catalyzing water dissociation (WD) into protons and hydroxide ions is important both for fabricating bipolar membranes (BPMs) that can couple different pH environments into a single electrochemical device and for accelerating electrocatalytic reactions that consume protons in neutral to alkaline media. We designed a BPM electrolyzer to quantitatively measure WD kinetics and show that, for metal nanoparticles, WD activity correlates with alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction activity. By combining metal-oxide WD catalysts that are efficient near the acidic proton-exchange layer with those efficient near the alkaline hydroxide-exchange layer, we demonstrate a BPM driving WD with overpotentials of <10 mV at 20 mA·cm-2 and pure water BPM electrolyzers that operate with an alkaline anode and acidic cathode at 500 mA·cm-2 with a total electrolysis voltage of ~2.2 V.
Space-time Philosophy Reconstructed via Massive Nordström Scalar Gravities? Laws vs. Geometry, Conventionality, and Underdetermination

What if gravity satisfied the Klein-Gordon equation? Both particle physics from the 1920s-30s and the 1890s Neumann-Seeliger modification of Newtonian gravity with exponential decay suggest considering a "graviton mass term" for gravity, which is _algebraic_ in the potential. Unlike Nordstrom's "massless" theory, massive scalar gravity is strictly special relativistic in the sense of being invariant under the Poincare group but not the 15-parameter Bateman-Cunningham conformal group. It therefore exhibits the whole of Minkowski space-time structure, albeit only indirectly concerning volumes. Massive scalar gravity is plausible in terms of relativistic field theory, while violating most interesting versions of Einstein's principles of general covariance, general relativity, equivalence, and Mach. Geometry is a poor guide to understanding massive scalar gravity(s): matter sees a conformally flat metric due to universal coupling, but gravity also sees the rest of the flat metric (barely or on long distances) in the mass term. What is the 'true' geometry, one might wonder, in line with Poincare's modal conventionality argument? Infinitely many theories exhibit this bimetric 'geometry,' all with the total stress-energy's trace as source; thus geometry does not explain the field equations. The irrelevance of the Ehlers-Pirani-Schild construction to a critique of conventionalism becomes evident when multi-geometry theories are contemplated. Much as Seeliger envisaged, the smooth massless limit indicates underdetermination of theories by data between massless and massive scalar gravities---indeed an unconceived alternative. At least one version easily could have been developed before General Relativity; it then would have motivated thinking of Einstein's equations along the lines of Einstein's newly re-appreciated "physical strategy" and particle physics and would have suggested a rivalry from massive spin 2 variants of General Relativity (massless spin 2, Pauli and Fierz found in 1939). The Putnam-Grunbaum debate on conventionality is revisited with an emphasis on the broad modal scope of conventionalist views. Massive scalar gravity thus contributes to a historically plausible rational reconstruction of much of 20th-21st century space-time philosophy in the light of particle physics. An appendix reconsiders the Malament-Weatherall-Manchak conformal restriction of conventionality and constructs the 'universal force' influencing the causal structure. Subsequent works will discuss how massive gravity could have provided a template for a more Kant-friendly space-time theory that would have blocked Moritz Schlick's supposed refutation of synthetic _a priori_ knowledge, and how Einstein's false analogy between the Neumann-Seeliger-Einstein modification of Newtonian gravity and the cosmological constant \Lambda generated lasting confusion that obscured massive gravity as a conceptual possibility.
Reforming Patent Eligibility: Supplementary Statement of Professors Jeffrey A. Lefstin and Peter S. Menell

Seven years ago, the Supreme Court triggered a drastic and far-reaching experiment in patent eligibility standards. During the preceding decades, district courts invalidated a small handful of patents per year on eligibility grounds. Since the Court’s Mayo decision, that number has skyrocketed past 100 patents per year. The Mayo-Alice framework has also wreaked attendant havoc at the Federal Circuit, the Patent Office, and among the broad range of businesses and research institutions assessing investments in research and development. District courts now routinely integrate specific patent validity considerations set forth in sections 102, 103, and 112 into section 101 patent eligibility determinations without the care and precision that the patent validity provisions demand. They also routinely invalidate patents at early stages of litigation without creating a record. The Federal Circuit is struggling to make sense of the fallout of the Supreme Court’s radical reinterpretation of patent eligibility. This supplementary statement aims to assist the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in placing the Coons-Tillis legislative proposal into the broader historical context and to identify some larger ramifications and potential concerns about adapting patent law for the information age. As we explain, the Supreme Court has undermined Congress’s eligibility/patentability framework. The proposed legislation would restore coherence to patent validity analysis and promote technological innovation and scientific discoveries vital to the betterment of society.
Perfectionism, conscientiousness, and neuroticism: Does age matter?

Abstract Research has linked dimensions of perfectionism and personality traits included in the five-factor model (FFM), such as conscientiousness and neuroticism. There has been very little research, however, on the relationship between perfectionism and FFM facets in older adults (i.e., age 60+). This is of particular importance given that previous research suggests that as individuals age, the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and conscientiousness weakens, and the relationship between perfectionistic strivings and neuroticism increases. The present study aimed to examine the moderating effect of age on the perfectionism-conscientiousness and perfectionism-neuroticism link. In addition, a secondary aim was to examine differences in perfectionism levels amongst young adults and older adults. Measures of perfectionism and the FFM facets, conscientiousness, and neuroticism, were administered to a sample of undergraduates (n = 587) and older adults (n = 313). Age was found to moderate the relationship between personal standards and conscientiousness only. Differences in perfectionism levels as well conscientiousness and neuroticism were observed. More specifically, undergraduates were higher on perfectionistic strivings and neuroticism. Research and clinical implications are discussed.
Inflation and Cross-National Homicide: Assessing Nonlinear and Moderation Effects Across 65 Countries, 1965–2015:

Criminologists have long speculated that economic conditions play a role in driving crime trends. Emerging research finds that inflation rates are associated with crime rates both within the United...
Parameterization of hydrostatic behavior of deployable hypar umbrellas as flood barriers

Abstract Deployable four-sided hyperbolic paraboloid (hypar) umbrellas inspired by the architecture of Felix Candela have been conceptualized as a feasible countermeasure against surge-induced coastal inundation. Referred as Kinetic Umbrellas, such structures may readily deploy from an open canopy to form a physical barrier prior to imminent coastal hazard scenarios. This paper presents a parametric investigation into the structural behavior of Kinetic Umbrellas exhibiting rise/area ( r ∕ A ) ratios from 0 to 0.045 m−1 subject to hydrostatic inundation ranging from 50% to 100% of the total deployed height. An analytical method for the discretization of hydrostatic forces on tilted hypar manifolds was developed and validated, enabling the determination of internal forces and deformations within the umbrella and supporting column via finite element modeling. All critical demands were highly influenced by the lateral column rigidity for any given r ∕ A , to which a ratio of 0.03 m−1 was revealed as optimal for the minimization of shell stresses. Longitudinally asymmetric umbrellas were also analyzed and were discovered to exhibit inferior structural performance relative to their doubly-symmetric counterparts. Finally, concrete reinforced with glass fiber polymers was demonstrated as a feasible material for such structures even at the maximum level of inundation. This work ultimately provides insight into the holistic response of Kinetic Umbrellas to aid their prototyping and design for practical engineering applications.
58 Rate and Predictors of Outpatient Follow-Up Compliance of Pediatric Burn Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased isolation of families at home and potentially decreased access to the healthcare system We therefore evaluated the effect of COVID-19 on rates of compliance with recommended post-injury follow-up We hypothesized that this isolation may lead to detrimental effects on adherence to proper follow-up for children with burn injuries Methods We queried the registry at an ABA-verified Level 1 pediatric burn center for patients aged 0–14 years who were treated and released from March 30 to July 31, 2020, which represents the height of the pandemic As a control, we searched the registry for patients treated during the same time frame from 2016 to 2019 Patient and clinical factors were compared between the COVID and pre-COVID cohorts Predictors of follow-up were compared using chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis tests Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate for predictors of compliance with follow-up Results A total of 401 patients were seen and discharged from the pediatric ED for burn injuries The COVID cohort consisted of 58 (14 5%) of these patients Burn characteristics and demographic patterns did not differ between the COVID and pre-COVID cohorts Demographics, including age, gender, race, and ethnicity did not differ between patients with 2-week follow-up and those without The rate of compliance with 2-week follow-up was also not affected (62 4% prior to COVID vs 55 2% during, p=0 29) As expected, burn size, burn depth, and mechanism of injury all significantly predicted compliance with 2-week follow up (table 1) After adjusting for these variables, there was still no difference in the odds of appropriate follow up (OR 0 6, 95% CI 0 3 – 1 1;p=0 12) Conclusions Despite concerns about decreased access to healthcare during the pandemic, the experience at our Level 1 pediatric burn center, including rates of follow-up for those managed as outpatients, appears unchanged
Complicated placenta accreta spectrum: identifying a high-risk cohort.

To assess differences in the perioperative complication rate between patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) with and without complicating factors.This retrospective cohort study included sub...
Mental Health of US Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has increased mental health distress among health professionals.1, 2 Residents, pre-pandemic, already had elevated rates of depression, burnout, and suicide.3 However, there are no studies quantifying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students in the USA. Our purpose was to conduct a multi-institution survey to assess mental health among US medical students.
Identifying Research Themes and Trends in the top 20 Cancer Journals through Textual Analysis

Abstract Background The rapid growth in cancer research continues expanding the literature. Text mining approaches help make sense of large bodies of scientific literature and integrate the mounting data into the health care delivery system. Our objective is to generate a comprehensive understanding of the themes and trends in cancer research. Methods We employed a three-step text mining process of corpus generation and term-list creation and analysis, including latent semantic analysis for dimension reduction and factor analysis for topic identification to analyze 93,423 abstracts from the top 20 cancer/oncology journals for the period between 1999 and 2020. Results We identified 14 distinct topics in cancer literature. The results revealed the uptrend topics - including cell signaling (T-2), immunotherapy (T-3), clinical trials (T-5), disparities and epidemiology (T-7), cancer practice and policy (T-8), outcome research (T-9), and molecular therapeutics (T-10). - and downtrend topics such as cell death (T-1), early phase clinical trials (T-4), angiogenesis (T-6), cancer screening (T-12), and transplant (T-13). The topics of biomarkers(T-11) and cancer genetics(T-16) remained relatively stable. While the topics of angiogenesis (n = 10,490) and cell death (n = 10,258) included the highest number of abstracts, biomarkers (n = 3,203), and cancer genetic (n = 4,322) themes included the least number of articles. These findings suggest that despite having the lowest numbers of publications, certain topics such as cancer genetic (T-16) and biomarkers (T-11) have been exhibiting a stable trend and drawing a steady amount of attention from cancer researchers over the past 20 years. Conclusion Findings of this study contribute explanatory insight about themes and trends in cancer research, which can help researchers and stakeholders to identify areas for future studies. Policy Summary Statement The findings indicate the increasing efforts to improve cancer practice and cancer care through policy efforts. Therefore, policymakers and other stakeholders may use the findings in prioritization and funding of specific topics.
Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Photosynthetic Systems

This Chapter discusses the use of fluorescence upconversion and transient absorption techniques for the study of photosynthetic systems. A description is given of the state-of-the-art laser systems available for ultrafast studies, along with examples of some common techniques for extending the wavelength range of these lasers. The experimental techniques of fluorescence upconversion and transient absorption are introduced, with the goal of describing the implementation, versatility, and limitations of these experiments. Recent experimental results are presented which illustrate applications of ultrafast spectroscopy to studies of excitation energy transfer in light harvesting complexes and electron transfer in bacterial reaction centers.
A Research Agenda in Economic Diagnostics

Very little research is devoted in economics to "economic diagnostics": figuring out which among multiple plausible models actually applies in a particular setting. The profession places a large premium on developing new models that shed light on as yet unexplained phenomena; but no-one gets brownie points for research that informs how appropriate models and remedies can be selected in specific contexts. With better diagnostic tools, perhaps economists would have been more skeptical of applying perfect-information, zero-agency-costs models to the U.S. prior to the financial crisis. Different economies suffer from different constraints, and the appropriate models and remedies depend on the nature of the more binding constraints. Diagnostic research can help us figure out how to apply economics in different settings in an intelligent way.
"Good Hands, Stout Heart, and Fast Feet": The History and Culture of Working People in Early America

THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES some of the structural and cultural dimensions of capital-labour relations in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century America. It situates the lives of labouring people within an expansive transatlantic economy and a labour-scarce colonial economy, a combination that created both a heavy dependence upon unfree labour and persistent struggles over the mobility of workers. The article explores the major types of labour in early America — hunting, craft, domestic, free wage, free farming, indentured servant, and slave — and argues that a general culture of labour was emerging from the converging experiences of working men and women. The conclusion suggests that the pervasive experience of unfree labour in early America is intertwined with America's long history of ferocious conflict at the point of production. L'ARTICLE ANALYSE quelques aspects structurels et culturels des relations entre le capital et le travail aux 17e et 18e siecles en Amerique. Il situe la vie des travailleurs dans le cadre du developpement de l'economie transatlantique et de la rarete de la main-d'oeuvre dans l'economie coloniale. Ces deux facteurs ont conduit a une forte dependance des travailleurs non-libres et a des luttes constantes sur la mobilite des travailleurs. L'auteur qui s'arrete aux principaux groupes de travailleurs en Amerique du Nord — chasseurs, artisans, domestiques, travailleurs libres, agriculteurs libres, engages et esclaves — soutient que la culture ouvriere emane de l'experience commune de ces travailleurs et travailleuses. En conclusion, il developpe l'idee que le bagage culturel des travailleurs non-libres dans l'Amerique du 17e et 18e siecles est relie a la longue histoire en Amerique des durs conflits engendres par les modes de production.
Usefulness of power Doppler ultrasonography in evaluating erectile dysfunction

Objective To evaluate deep penile arterial flow after an intracavernosal injection with papaverine in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). Patients and methods Twenty patients with ED were evaluated using power Doppler ultrasonography with a linear probe (8 MHz). Diagnostic tests were undertaken after an intracavernosal injection with 40 mg papaverine. The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistive index (RI) were analysed. Results After injecting papaverine, seven patients had a normal erection and appropriate waveform patterns; their mean PSV was 30.7 cm/s, the EDV 4.42 cm/s and the RI 0.85. There was tumescence and elongation of the penis with no rigidity in eight patients; their mean PSV was 23.9 cm/s, the EDV 7.34 cm/s and the RI 0.72. There was no erection in five patients. The abnormal flow values showed insufficient arterial vessels in a quarter of the men, venous leakage in 15% and mixed ED in 20%. Conclusion The power Doppler technique allows the accurate location and evaluation of deep penile arteries. Vascular pathology may be differentiated after an intracavernosal injection with a vasomotor agent. Recognising the pathological pattern assists in choosing the best method of treatment.
Terminal area trajectory synthesis for air traffic control automation

Research into air traffic control automation at Ames Research Center has led to the development of the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS). The component of CTAS used in the TRACON (i.e. terminal) area is the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST). FAST is designed to help air traffic controllers produce a safe, efficient, and expeditious flow of traffic. A key performance factor of the CTAS system is the ability to calculate accurate trajectories. The trajectories in CTAS for aircraft in both the terminal and en-route areas are calculated in the Trajectory Synthesizer (TS). This paper describes the trajectory generation algorithm in the terminal area and suggests some modifications that will improve its performance. Trajectories calculated from the current algorithm and a modified algorithm adapted from a validated en-route TS algorithm are compared. Both algorithms are very accurate (four to six percent error) when calculating estimated time of arrival compared to the actual time of arrival. The current algorithm has large (greater than 10 percent) differences from the validated en-route algorithm in calculating advisories, such as speed changes. This is acceptable for the current CTAS system which continually updates advisories, but will create problems for the future planned combination of CTAS with airborne flight management systems.
Mycotoxin genetics and gene clusters

Fungi produce low molecular weight secondary metabolites such as antibiotics and mycotoxins. Antibiotics cure diseases whereas mycotoxins cause diseases in plants, animals and human beings. Species such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium and Stachybotrys are known to produce mycotoxins that accumulate in processed foods and feeds, although the incidence of infection occurs before processing, during the active growth of the organism. Among the mycotoxins, aflatoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus have been extensively studied at the molecular level. A complex biosynthetic pathway involving sixteen steps is mediated by individual major genes. These fungi have eight linkage groups, but the aflatoxin/sterigmatocystin (AF/ST) metabolic pathway genes have been mapped to only three linkage groups; ten of them belong to linkage group VII, and one of each to linkage group II and VIII. These genes are involved in both the Sregulatory and biosynthetic pathways and are clustered on the respective chromosomes. Clustering of genes in fungi indicates an evolutionary trend among genes that orchestrate gene function. Being linked together they segregate ‘as a unit’, thereby conferring a selective advantage to the organism. The evolution of gene clusters takes place through vertical or horizontal gene transfer. In fungi, horizontal gene transfer is most effective. Functionally, the mechanism of evolution of mycotoxin gene clusters in fungi seems to be similar to the evolution of a super-gene. The possible implications of evolutionary parallelism of gene clusters and super-genes is briefly explored.
Enterococci in Insects

Enterococci were obtained from 213 of 403 insects cultured during a 14-month period, in numbers from 103 to 3 × 107/g of insect. Insects were taken only from nonurban, wild, and cultivated fields and woods. In species of insects carrying them, enterococci were not always present in every individual cultured, and often more than one species of enterococcus occurred within a species. Enterococci were obtained from certain insects taken in the field during the dormant season, suggesting their role as overwintering agents. They were generally present in species feeding on nectar, succulent plant parts, and on and ir forest litter, but not from insects feeding on less succulent leaves and stems. Streptococcus faecalis was recovered from 32%, Streptococcus faecium from 22.4%, and Streptococcus faecium var. casseliflavus from 43.5% of members of the 37 taxa of insects. S. faecalis and S. faecium var. casseliflavus exhibit a high percent of conformity to the properties published for them. The heterogeneity in properties of S. faecium is similar to that found for the species taken from plants. Many fail to grow in broth at 45 C or in broth containing 6.5% NaCl; 50% of the cultures ferment both melezitose and melibiose, and a few ferment neither sugar. The remainder ferment melibiose only. Failure to reduce methylene blue in milk by S. faecalis and S. faecium is correlated with the inability to ferment lactose. More than 93% of the cultures of S. faecalis digest casein in milk from the top downward, following the production of a soft, flowing curd. Because this property is not characteristic of S. faecalis taken from humans, the reaction in litmus milk is suggested as a means of differentiation between cultures of remote and innocent origin in nature and recent, human pollution.
Clinical approach to the syndromes of viral encephalitis, myelitis, and meningitis

Abstract Viruses are the most common infectious cause of encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, and myelitis. More than 100 viral pathogens have been identified as causing encephalitis. As newer technologies allow for rapid screening for multiple viruses simultaneously, the list of viral central nervous system (CNS) infections is likely to grow. Numerous non-viral infections and non-infectious processes can mimic viral CNS infection. A systematic approach to viral CNS disease therefore must take into account viral factors, including tropism for certain CNS structures, host factors, including immune status and exposure risk, and targeted testing aimed at the most serious and most likely etiologies. While treatment for most viral CNS infections is supportive, certain inflammatory CNS diseases have drastically different outcomes depending on appropriate and timely treatment and therefore must be distinguished quickly from other viral causes.
Infecciones causadas por Candida spp. Resistente al fluconazol en pacientes con el síndrome de inmunodeficiencia adquirida (SIDA). Reporte de un caso.

Large, ulcerative lesions over the skin scalp, and oral mucosa were observed in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) receiving chronic suppressive therapy with fluconazole. Candida glabrata was recovered in culture from biopsy material, and was found to be resistant to reported frequency of infections with Candida spp. resistant to fluconazole has increased in recent years. We review the literature regardin fluconazole resistant infections in patients with AIDS, discuss the possible mechanisms of resistance, and management options.
Word sense disambiguation via semantic type classification.

Accurate concept identification is crucial to biomedical natural language processing. However, ambiguity is common during the process of mapping terms to biomedical concepts (one term can be mapped to several concepts). A cost-effective approach to disambiguation relating to training is via semantic classification of the ambiguous terms, provided that the semantic classes of the concepts are available and are all different. We propose such a semantic classification based method to disambiguate ambiguous mappings with different semantic type(s), which can be used with any program that maps terms to UMLS concepts. Classifiers for the semantic types were built using abundant features extracted from a huge corpus with terms mapped to UMLS concepts. The method achieved a precision of 0.709, with unique advantages not achievable by the other comparable methods. Our results also demonstrate a need to further investigate the complementary properties of different methods.
History of far-infrared research. II. The grating era, 1925–1960

A short history of the development, after the early work by Rubens and collaborators, of grating spectroscopy in the far infrared begins with Czerny in 1925 and continues to the introduction of commercial instruments in about 1960. The spectral range was gradually extended to 1 mm wavelength, the resolution was increased primarily through the development of better detectors, and the ease of operation in the region was facilitated by modern electronics and sensitive recorders.
Multi-surface failure criterion for saline ice in the brittle regime

Abstract In this paper, the development of a 3-D failure criterion for saline ice is presented. The need for such general 3-D failure formulation stems from the fact that, during ice–ship interactions, ice undergoes a complex state of deformation and stress before it fails and breaks away, and the use of the uniaxial strength of ice to compute impact ice loads may lead to inaccurate load calculations and non-conclusive results. In recent years, with the availability of High Power Computers (HPC), numerical methods are being used more than ever before in marine and ice engineering problems. Numerical models based on computational techniques such as finite elements, boundary elements and discrete elements require 3-D constitutive models and failure criteria to represent the behavior of the materials involved (such as the behavior of the ship structure, ice and water “fluid”). At high-speed impacts (strain rates >10−3 s−1), ice behaves as a linear elastic material with a brittle mode of failure. Previously, Derradji-Aouat [Derradji-Aouat, A., 2000. A unified failure envelope for isotropic freshwater ice and iceberg ice. ASME/OMAE-2000, Int. Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, Polar and Arctic section, New Orleans, US, PDF file # OMAE-2000-P/A # 1002] developed a unified 3-D failure envelope for both fresh water isotropic ice and iceberg ice. In this paper, that formulation is extended to include failure of saline ice (in addition to fresh water ice and iceberg ice). The results of a significant number of true triaxial tests using Laboratory Grown Ice (LGSI) were obtained from the open literature. The results of these tests formed a database that enables the existing failure model [Derradji-Aouat, A., 2000. A unified failure envelope for isotropic freshwater ice and iceberg ice. ASME/OMAE-2000, Int. Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, Polar and Arctic section, New Orleans, US, PDF file # OMAE-2000-P/A # 1002] to be extended from the isotropic fresh water ice and iceberg ice to columnar saline ice. Mroz's [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 15 (1967) 163] concept for the multi-surface failure theory is used in both studies (the present study, for saline ice, as well as in the previous study, for the fresh water isotropic ice and iceberg ice). It appears that the same set of the equations is applicable to the failure of all three types of ice. The possibility of the existence of a universal and general failure criterion for all types of ice is discussed. The validation of the present multi-surface failure criterion was discussed on the basis of comparisons between predicted failure curves and actual true triaxial test results. An overall discrepancy of predicted versus measured strength values of less than 20% was calculated.
Infection, antibiotics, and preterm delivery

The relationship between genital tract infection and preterm delivery has been established on the basis of biochemical, microbiological, and clinical evidence. In theory, pathogenic bacteria may ascend from the lower reproductive tract into the uterus, and the resulting inflammation leads to preterm labor, rupture of the membranes, and birth. A growing body of evidence suggests that preterm labor and/rupture of the membranes are triggered by micro-organisms in the genital tract and by the host response to these organisms, ie, elaboration of cytokines and proteolytic enzymes. Epidemiologic and in vitro studies do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between infection and preterm birth. However, the preponderance of evidence indicates that treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria and symptomatic lower genital tract infections such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia will lower the risk of preterm delivery. Based on current evidence, pregnant women who note an abnormal vaginal discharge should be tested for BV, trichomonas, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Those who test positive should be treated appropriately. A 3- to 7-day course of antibiotic treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria during pregnancy is clinically indicated to reduce the risk of pyelonephritis and preterm delivery. Routine screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea should be performed for women at high risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. The practice of routine screening for BV in asymptomatic women who are at low risk for preterm delivery cannot be supported based on evidence from the literature. Routine screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria during pregnancy is cost-effective, particularly in high-prevalence populations. The results of antibiotic trials for the treatment of preterm labor have been inconsistent. In the absence of reasonable evidence that antimicrobial therapy leads to significant prolongation of pregnancy in the setting of preterm labor, antibiotics should be used only for protecting the neonate from group B streptococci sepsis. They should not be used for the purpose of prolonging pregnancy. Multiple investigations have shown that, in patients with preterm premature rupture of the membranes, prophylactic antibiotics are of value in prolonging the latent period between rupture of the membranes and onset of labor and in reducing the incidence of maternal and neonatal infection. The most extensively tested effective antibiotic regimen for prophylaxis involves erythromycin alone or in combination with ampicilln. Controversy still exists regarding the appropriate length and route of antibiotic prophylaxis.
Asymptotic expansion of a class of integral transforms via Mellin transforms

An asymptotic expansion for large λ of functions I(λ) defined by definite integrals of the form $$I(\lambda ) = \mathop \smallint \limits_0^\infty h(\lambda t)f(t)dt$$ is obtained in the case where h(t)=O(exp(-βtp)) as t→∞ with β, ϱ>0. To obtain the expansion for such integral transforms, I(λ) is first represented as a contour integral involving M [h; z], the Mellin transform of the kernel h(t) evaluated at z, and M[f; 1-z], the Mellin transform of the function f(t) evaluated at 1-z. By assuming a rather general asymptotic expansion for f(t) near t=0, it is shown that M[f; 1-z] can be continued into the right-half plane as a meromorphic function with poles that can be located and classified. The desired asymptotic expansion of I is then obtained by systematically moving the contour in its integral representation to the right. Each term in the expansion arises as a residue contribution corresponding to a pole of M[f; 1-z]. It is then shown how the expansion, originally found for large positive λ, can be extended to complex λ. Finally several examples are considered which illustrate the scope of our expansion theorems.
Context-Independent, Temperature-Dependent Helical Propensities for Amino Acid Residues

Assigned from data sets measured in water at 2, 25, and 60 °C containing 13C═O NMR chemical shifts and [θ]222 ellipticities, helical propensities are reported for the 20 genetically coded amino acids, as well as for norvaline and norleucine. These have been introduced by chemical synthesis at central sites within length-optimized, spaced, solubilized Ala19 hosts. The resulting polyalanine-derived, quantitative propensity sets express for each residue its temperature-dependent but context-independent tendency to forego a coil state and join a preexisting helical conformation. At 2 °C their rank ordering is: P ≪ G < H < C, T, N < S < Y, F, W < V, D < K < Q < I < R, M < L < E < A; at 60 °C the rank becomes: H, P < G < C < R, K < T, Y, F < N, V < S < Q < W, D < I, M < E < A < L. The ΔΔG values, kcal/mol, relative to alanine, for the cluster T, N, S, Y, F, W, V, D, Q, imply that at 2 °C all are strong breakers: ΔΔGmean = +0.63 ± 0.11, but at 60 °C their breaking tendencies are dramatically attenuated and conve...
A Therapeutic Summer Weekend Camp for Grieving Children: Supporting Clinical Practice Through Empirical Evaluation

Through collaborative action-oriented community research, agency-based clinicians, and university-based researchers engaged in a two-year theory-driven evaluation of a therapeutic summer camp for grieving children. The evaluation examined the camp practice model and children’s engagement in therapeutic camp activities and psychosocial functioning based on the camp staff and parental caregivers’ assessments. The first year findings led to a synergistic decision-making process that strengthened one of camp therapeutic activities. The overall results reveal a high consistency among staff on assessments of engagement and psychosocial functioning, and parental caregivers’ satisfaction with the camp. Limitations of research evaluation and implications for practice are considered.
Effects of Indoleacetic Acid on Growth Without Mitosis & on Mitotic Activity in Absence of Growth by Expansion.

The effects of indoleacetic acid (IAA) on plant growth and development have been intensively studied for more than three decades. Some effects are reflected in changes in cell size, while others (e.g., adventitious roots, calluses, & tumors) involve an overall expansion with cell proliferation (1, 5. 20, 21, 35). Complementary systems have recently been found for studying in intact organisms A: mitotic activity in the absence of over-all growth by expansion (viz., dormant lettuce seeds, 13-15), and B: growth and differentiation without significant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, mitosis, and cell division (viz., wheat grown from gamma-irradiated grain, 9, 11). Tn this paper we report the effects of IAA on these two systems, with particular reference to interactions of TAA with kinetin on cell division (29), and we suggest how such effects might underlie various actions of auxin as a regulator of normal growth, as a herbicide, and as a causative agent in the production of plant tumors.
Postsurgical disparity in survival between African Americans and Caucasians with colonic adenocarcinoma.

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer mortality among men and women in the United States. In 2003, there were an estimated 147,500 new cases of CRC and 57,100 deaths due to this malignancy.1 In the United States, there are racial differences in CRC incidence, mortality, and survival. Compared with Caucasians, African Americans have higher incidence and mortality rates and lower survival rates.2 Recent trends indicate that the incidence of CRC among Caucasians has declined slightly and recently stabilized, whereas CRC incidence among African Americans has increased. The racial discrepancy is even more prominent with respect to mortality: Mortality rates have declined steadily for Caucasians, whereas they have increased for African Americans, and particularly African-American men. For each disease stage at diagnosis, 5-year relative survival rates are lower for African Americans with CRC than for Caucasians.2 Several studies of survival differences between African-American and Caucasian patients with CRC have reported poorer prognosis and shorter survival among the former group3–15 (Table 1). These studies analyzed survival and/or mortality among patients with colonic, rectal, or colorectal carcinoma (patients with colonic and rectal tumors were analyzed as a single group). A variety of explanations for the racial disparity in survival have been proposed, including differences in age, advanced disease stage at the time of diagnosis, treatment options, socioeconomic factors, and biologic characteristics (Table 1). TABLE 1 Review of Studies Evaluating Differences in Survival between African Americans and Caucasians with Colorectal Adenocarcinoma We conducted survival analyses to elucidate the differences in survival between African-American patients and Caucasian patients with CRC based on tumor site and tumor stage, because neoplasia of the colon and the rectum should be viewed as distinct disease entities, each with their own prognostic factors. All patients underwent surgery (alone) with curative or palliative intent at the University of Alabama–Birmingham (UAB; Birmingham, AL) or at an affiliated Birmingham Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. The current clinical cohort of patients may represent the population dynamics of the southeastern United States.
Trends in Circulating Concentrations of Total Homocysteine among US Adolescents and Adults: Findings from the 1991–1994 and 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Background: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has monitored total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations in a nationally-representative sample of the US population since 1991. Until recently, however, data could not be compared across survey periods because of changes in analytical methods and specimen matrices. Such an analysis of these data could supplement current knowledge regarding whether the US folic acid fortification program has modified national plasma tHcy concentrations. Methods: We examined tHcy data in the prefortification NHANES III survey (phase II, 1991–1994) and in 3 postfortification survey periods (1999–2000, 2001–2002, and 2003–2004). We applied method adjustment equations to the survey data based on method comparison studies of separate samples. Persons with chronic kidney disease were excluded from the analyses. Results: Mean plasma tHcy concentrations decreased by 8%, 9%, and 10% for adolescent, adult, and older men and by 6%, 3%, and 13% for women, respectively, from before to after fortification. Concentrations remained unchanged between the first and third postfortification survey periods. Prevalence estimates of increased plasma tHcy concentrations (>13 μmol/L) for older men and women decreased from prefortification (32% and 20%, respectively) to postfortification (14% and 5%, respectively) but remained unchanged thereafter (16% and 14%, respectively [males] and 5% and 9%, respectively [females]). Conclusions: After adjusting for method changes, we quantified a prefortification to postfortification decrease in circulating tHcy concentrations of about 10% in a national sample of the US population. This change is similar to effects seen in intervention trials with folic acid and in smaller observational studies.