cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term memory for abstract concepts in the lowland gorilla (Gorilla g. Gorilla)

Four gorillas underwent a series of experiments on discrimination reversal (DR) problems. Upon achieving learning criterion, they were tested with various types of transfer conditions. The results suggested that during DR training the gorillas learned an abstract strategy. This acquired abstract concept was retained for at least 2.5 years. A further experiment showed that the gorillas’ long-term memory was not due to the specific stimuli used.
USE OF CELLULOSE FILTER PAPER TO QUANTIFY WHOLE-BLOOD MERCURY IN TWO MARINE MAMMALS: VALIDATION STUDY

Abstract Whole blood (WB) is commonly used to assess mercury (Hg) exposure in mammals, but handling and shipping samples collected in remote areas can be difficult. We describe and validate use of cellulose filter paper (FP) for quantifying WB total Hg concentration. Advantec Nobuto® FP was soaked with bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) or harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) WB (collected between March and July 2012), then air dried. Untreated blood-soaked FPs were analyzed or were eluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and the eluate and PBS-treated FP Hg concentrations were determined. Total Hg from dried blood-soaked FPs, postelution FPs, and PBS-based eluate were compared with total Hg concentrations from WB. Recovery (on a concentration basis) for soaked FP relative to WB was 0.89±0.15, for postelution FP was 0.86±0.13, and for eluate (with a correction factor applied) was 0.96±0.23. Least-squares linear regressions were fit for soaked papers (y = 1.15x, R2 = 0.97), postelution FPs (y = 1.22x, R2 ...
New techniques for the analysis of cohort studies.

Cohort studies involve the key element of follow-up of individuals over time to study an outcome in relation to some earlier exposure factor or a fixed host characteristic (such as genotype). While the outcome under study could be the change in some continuous variable, we shall restrict this review to studies of disease incidence. Subjects can be randomly assigned to different exposures, as in a clinical or prevention trial, or the exposure histories of free-living individuals can be passively observed, as in most epidemiologic cohort studies. Although the issues of confounding and comparability are very different in randomized and observational studies, the basic analysis methods are similar (except, perhaps, for a greater emphasis on adjustment for covariates in observational studies) and the distinction will be ignored. Similarly, follow-up can conducted "prospectively" or "retrospectively" in real time, but this too has no significance for methods of analysis. We begin with a brief description of several cohort studies with different types of data structures and different analysis problems that will be used to illustrate the statistical issues. Following a review of the basic approaches to the analysis of the different types of cohort data, we focus on empirical and mechanistic approaches to model specification. Some special problems, such as measurement error, dependent outcomes, and the unique problems of reproductive data, are addressed. We conclude with a more in-depth treatment of approaches to the analysis based on cohort sampling methods—the nested case-control and case-cohort designs, and variants thereof.
Detection of postoperative surgical-site infections: comparison of health plan-based surveillance with hospital-based programs.

Background Review of health plan administrative data has been shown to be more sensitive than other methods for identifying postdischarge surgical-site infections (SSIs), but there has not been a direct comparison between this method and hospital-based surveillance for all infections, including those diagnosed before discharge. We compared these two methods for identifying SSIs following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures. Methods We studied 1,352 CABG procedures performed among members of one health plan from March 1993 through June 1997. Health plan administrative records were reviewed based on claims containing diagnoses or procedures suggestive of infection or outpatient dispensing of antibiotics appropriate for SSI. Hospital-based surveillance information was also reviewed. SSI rates were calculated based on the total events identified by either mechanism. Results Postdischarge information was reviewed for 328 (85%) of 388 procedures. SSIs were confirmed in 167 patients (13% overall risk of confirmed SSI; range, 3% to 14% in the 5 hospitals). The overall sensitivity of hospital-based surveillance was 49.7% (83 of 167), and that of health plan data was 71.8% (120 of 167). There was no significant difference among hospitals in the sensitivity of either surveillance mechanism. Conclusions Surveillance based on health plan data identified more postoperative infections, including those occurring before discharge, than did hospital-based surveillance. Screening administrative data and pharmacy activity may be an important adjunct to SSI surveillance, allowing efficient comparison of hospital-specific rates. Interpretation of differences among hospitals' infection rates requires case mix adjustment and understanding of variations in hospitals' discharge diagnosis coding practices.
Mortality salience, self-esteem, and defense of the group: mediating role of in-group identification

Numerous studies have shown that mortality salience strengthens defense of cultural institutions and that this effect is buffered by self-esteem. The present study examines a novel prediction, based on social identity processes, that group identification mediates the impact of the interaction of mortality salience and self-esteem on worldview defense. Self-esteem and mortality salience were manipulated using Greenberg and colleagues' standard methods, the dependent measure was defense of America, and the mediating variable was identification with America. As predicted, mortality salience only increased identification with America and defense of America when self-esteem was not enhanced, enhancing self-esteem attenuated the effects of mortality salience. Also following predictions, the interactive effect of mortality salience and self-esteem on defense of America was mediated by identification with America.
A modified host-cell reactivation assay to measure repair of alkylating DNA damage for assessing risk of lung adenocarcinoma

The nicotine-derived nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) induces lung adenocarcinoma through formation of DNA adducts. Our previous research on susceptibility to tobacco-induced carcinogenesis focused on benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide (BPDE) as the in vitro mutagen for phenotype measurements of DNA repair capacity (DRC) in mammalian cells. Here, we present a modified host-cell reactivation (HCR) assay to measure lymphocytic DRC for alkylating DNA damage as is induced by the tobacco-specific nitrosamine, NNK. We substituted dimethyl sulfate (DMS) to create alkylating damage in pCMVluc plasmid DNA and established the damage-repair dose-response curves in both normal and nucleotide excision repair-deficient lymphoblastoid cell lines and in phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated primary lymphocytes. We then successfully measured the DRC in PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from 48 patients with lung adenocarcinoma and 45 cancer-free controls and tested our hypothesis that lower DRC for alkylating damage is associated with an increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma. The cases exhibited a lower mean DRC than did the controls. A >3-fold increased risk (odds ratio = 3.21; 95% confidence interval = 1.25-8.21) was found for those with DRC levels below the control median. There was no correlation between the DRC measured with this DMS-HCR assay and that from the parallel BPDE-HCR assay. Interestingly, risk increased to >10-fold for those with sub-optimal DRC measured by both DMS- and BPDE-HCR assays. We conclude that variability in DRC is a risk factor for lung cancer and our results provide proof of principle for a new assay that can assess DRC for NNK-induced DNA damage.
Identifying and Managing Factors that Interfere with or Worsen Blood Pressure Control

Hypertension is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Even moderate blood pressure (BP) elevation can have a significant impact on outcomes. Maintaining BP within recommended levels significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Yet, more than one-third of people receiving treatment for hypertension in the United States have uncontrolled BP. When faced with a patient whose BP is no longer controlled, clinicians need to develop a differential diagnosis of potential contributing factors. These factors may include BP measurement issues, poor adherence to antihypertensive medications, therapeutic inertia on the part of clinicians, lifestyle changes, secondary causes of hypertension, or ingestion of substances that interfere with BP control. Patients who demonstrate a deterioration in BP control should be questioned about adherence, recent changes to diet and lifestyle, signs and symptoms of secondary causes of hypertension, and use of any concomitant medications or other substances that may be known to increase BP or interfere with antihypertensive therapy. Common substances that can interfere with BP control include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral contraceptives, glucocorticoids, antidepressants, decongestants, alcohol, or other stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamines. Because of the high prevalence of both osteoarthritis and hypertension among elderly people, NSAIDs are a common potential factor in this age group. In the face of worsening BP control, clinicians must actively investigate potential contributing factors and appropriately increase or adjust antihypertensive therapy.
Event-related potential indicators of the dynamic unconscious

Abstract The present study applies a new method for investigating dynamic unconscious processes. The method consists of (1) selection of words from patient interview and test protocols that in the clinicians' judgments capture the patients' conscious symptom experience (i.e. [phobia) and the hypothetical unconscious conflict related to the symptom, (2) subliminal and supraliminal presentation of these words, (3) signal analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs) obtained to the word presentations. Eight phobics and three patients suffering from pathological grief reactions served as subjects. A time-frequency ( Williams & Joeng, 1989 ) ERP analysis revealed that subjects' ERPs classified the unconscious conflict words better subliminally than supraliminally, while the reverse was true for the conscious symptom words (t(20) = 2.82, p = .011). The relationship between frequency and latency revealed a similar mirror image pattern for the unconscious conflict and conscious symptom words ( F( 4 36 ) = 4.14, p = .007 ). This method demonstrated that objective, brain-based evidence for unconscious conflict can be obtained.
Exploring subdomain cooperativity in T4 lysozyme II: uncovering the C-terminal subdomain as a hidden intermediate in the kinetic folding pathway.

Intermediates along a protein's folding pathway can play an important role in its biology. Previous kinetics studies have revealed an early folding intermediate for T4 lysozyme, a small, well-characterized protein composed of an N-terminal and a C-terminal subdomain. Pulse-labeling hydrogen exchange studies suggest that residues from both subdomains contribute to the structure of this intermediate. On the other hand, equilibrium native state hydrogen experiments have revealed a high-energy, partially unfolded form of the protein that has an unstructured N-terminal subdomain and a structured C-terminal subdomain. To resolve this discrepancy between kinetics and equilibrium data, we performed detailed kinetics analyses of the folding and unfolding pathways of T4 lysozyme, as well as several point mutants and large-scale variants. The data support the argument for the presence of two distinct intermediates, one present on each side of the rate-limiting transition state barrier. The effects of circular permutation and site-specific mutations in the wild-type and circular permutant background, as well as a fragment containing just the C-terminal subdomain, support a model for the unfolding intermediate with an unfolded N-terminal and a folded C-terminal subdomain. Our results suggest that the partially unfolded form identified by native state hydrogen exchange resides on the folded side of the rate-limiting transition state and is, therefore, under most conditions, a “hidden” intermediate.
Investigations of NiO‐CuO Solid Solutions Using Transmission Electron Microscopy: II, Evidence for Long‐Range Cation Order

Further studies of rock salt solid solutions in the (NixCu1-x)O system have given direct structural evidence of long-range cation order. Using transmission electron microscopy a structural modulation has been observed at high NiO concentration, x < 0.85, and superlattice reflections and fringes confirmed the formation of an ordered compound Ni2CuO3. The cationic arrangement in Ni2CuO3 is analogous to the atomic arrangement in the alloy Ni2V The proposed structure is orthorhombic with a=acubic/√2, b= 3acubic/√2, and c=acubic, and it shows considerable microtwinning. The arrangement of cations is compared to that in Cu2MgO3 and these two compounds are found to be closely related. The structural models are discussed in terms of the energetics of the (Nix, Cu1-x)O system. The behavior of CuO-MO systems, containing Ni2+, is compared and contrasted to that in the Co and Mg systems.
Examining a Spanish nonfiction collection in a public library

AbstractMany areas of the country have seen large growth in their Spanish speaking community. Libraries and other public agencies have redesigned their practices to better serve the needs of these new segments of the population. The urban area chosen for this study has experienced one of the fastest growing Spanish speaking populations in the country in the last 10 years. In this study, a needs assessment was created for the Spanish speaking population served by a branch library in a large, urban area. The needs assessment was created with the use of demographic data and an analysis of current library literature. Using the assessment, the current Spanish nonfiction collection of the library was evaluated for both size and content and then compared to the size and content of the English nonfiction collection. This assessment technique is useful to libraries wishing to conduct a needs analysis on a specific group in their population served.
Generation of submicrometer structures by photolithography using arrays of spherical microlenses

This paper describes the fabrication of arrays of spherical microlenses by self-assembly of microspheres and the use of these arrays for nearfield photolithography to generate repetitive microstructures in photoresist. We used these arrays of microspheres to fabricate two types of elastomeric membranes: (i) membranes that have microspheres embedded in their surface and (ii) membranes that have hemispherical wells in their surface. Both types of membranes act as amplitude masks that pattern the intensity of illumination in the near field incident on the photoresist. Microspheres in the first type of membrane act as convergent lenses that generate recessed microstructures in positive photoresist. Hemispherical wells in the second type of membrane act as divergent lenses that produce protrusive microstructures in positive photoresist. This method can generate dense, regular arrays of microstructures with a variety of profiles—circular or hexagonal holes, circular posts, hollow posts, and cones—depending on the sizes and refractive indices of the spherical lenses and the distance between the lenses and the photoresist. This technique provides a simple route to large areas ( > 4c m 2 ) of repetitive, simple microstructures.
The Scintilla of Individual Profit: In Search of Private Inurement and Excess Benefit

The prohibition against private inurement has been the linchpin of the law of charitable tax exemption since the first corporate tax. And yet the prohibition remains elusive and undefined. With the manifestly business-like operations of tax exempt organizations and the recent imposition of personal liability for violations of the prohibition, via IRC 4958, it is more important than ever that private inurement be identifiable and understood according to a stated principle. A detailed study of the manifestations of private inurement suggests that the heretofore unstated principle prohibits the synonymity of individual and entity wealth such as is appropriate between a partner and partnership or shareholder and corporation. Three generic forms of private inurement are identified and explained as strict accounting private inurement, incorporated pocketbook private inurement, and joint venture private inurement. Each of four modern theories regarding tax exemption relies, in one form or another, upon the prohibition against private inurement for its validity. Those theories are espoused by Professors Henry Hansmann, Rob Atkinson, Nina Crimm, Mark Hall and John Columbo. The adoption of the excess benefit scheme and the Service's apparent approval of gainsharing compensation methods suggests that profit taking is not inherently inconsistent with charitable tax exemption and thus calls into question the correctness of modern theory. Professor Evelyn Brody's work on the manner in which agency costs are similarly incurred by both nonprofit and for-profit entities seems to support the article's conclusion that profit taking, per se, is not inherently inconsistent with charitable tax exemption. After defining the generic forms of private inurement, the article builds upon Professor Brody's implication and concludes that gainsharing and other forms of profit-sharing designed to reduce inevitable agency costs of charitable operations is not inconsistent with charitable tax exemption.
Transurethral biopsy of the prostatic urethra is associated with final apical margin status at radical cystoprostatectomy.

Purpose Biopsy of the prostatic urethra is an integral part of clinical staging in patients prior to radical cystoprostatectomy (RC) and urinary diversion. We examined whether preoperative transurethral resection (TUR) biopsy was associated with final apical urethral margin status and hypothesized that a negative biopsy could replace intraoperative frozen section for decision making regarding the feasibility of orthotopic neobladder reconstruction. Methods TUR biopsy, frozen section, urethrectomy, and final apical urethral margin pathologic data were extracted from the charts of men who had undergone RC at the Houston Methodist Hospital between 1987 and 2013. TUR biopsies were performed at five and seven o'clock adjacent to the verumontanum. A positive biopsy was defined as the presence of in situ or invasive urothelial carcinoma. Clinical and perioperative variables were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results We reviewed the medical records of 272 men. Preoperative TUR biopsies of the prostatic urethra were negative in 74% (200/272) and positive in 26% (72/272) of men. The overall incidence of apical urethral margin positivity on final pathology was 2.2% (six of 272). Four men underwent primary or secondary urethrectomy. TUR biopsy negative and positive predictive values for apical urethral margin positivity were 99.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 97.2 to 99.9) and 6.9% (95% CI: 2.3 to 15.5), respectively. Conclusions The incidence of a positive apical urethral margin was low in patients undergoing RC. A negative preoperative TUR biopsy of the prostatic urethra was reliably associated with a negative final margin, obviating the need for intraoperative frozen section. Furthermore, a positive biopsy was not reliably associated with final margin status. These data will aid in the counseling of patients regarding the feasibility of neobladder reconstruction.
Funding Liquidity and Market Liquidity

Recent empirical studies have shown an increasing co-movement between fund and market liquidity, which is driven by common factors such as monetary shocks. Modeling this co-movement becomes desirable to evaluate policies relating to liquidity and financial instability. This paper establishes a monetary model with capital to explain the dynamic interactions between funding and market liquidity in a search framework featured by Kiyotaki and Wright [1989]. Capital and money are two important elements here. As the collateral and production input, capital affects both fund and goods trading market. As medium of exchange, money is essential to trade; meanwhile the opportunity cost of carrying it affects the fund market imbalance as well. As a result, monetary policy can change traders' expectations and negotiations, and have non-trivial impact on fund markets and liquidity risks. Calibrated the model, simulated liquidity moments respond to monetary shocks, moving together across time and presenting business cycle properties.
Germicidal Action of Aliphatic Alcohols

SummaryTwenty-six aliphatic alcohols containing from one to 11 carbon atoms were compared in their disinfecting action against nine representative strains of bacteria. Primary-normal-amyl alcohol was found to be the most effective disinfectant when tested by the agar cup plate method for testing antiseptics and disinfectants. There was a regulardecrease in germicidal action from the primary to iso- to secondary to tertiary arrangements of the carbon atom chain for any given number of carbon atoms.
Fractionation of whey protein isolate with supercritical carbon dioxide to produce enriched α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin food ingredients.

An environmentally friendly protein fractionation process using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) as an acid was developed to produce enriched α-lactalbumin (α-LA) and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) frac...
Deterioration in health: What is the role of unemployment and poverty?

Aim: There is powerful evidence on the association between ill health and low income or low socioeconomic position of the individual. In this article we study the deterioration in self-assessed health and its determinants, focusing on unemployment and poverty status of the person. A special focus on worsening health status gives more information on the link between health and socioeconomic characteristics than static analysis of health status. Methods: The longitudinal EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data covering years from 2008 to 2013 for 26 EU Member States is used to follow people for whom we have data for 4 consecutive years. We will use information on the self-rated health status of the person. Logistic regression analysis is employed to study the determinants of transition to worse health status. Results: The results show that unemployment (OR 1.23) and poverty (OR 1.19) before the health transition are significantly associated with worsening health even when controlled for...
Controlling von Internationalisierungsprozessen aus Sicht der Praxis

Um dem pragmatischen Wissenschaftsziel der Arbeit Rechnung zu tragen, wurden die erarbeiteten Bausteine an den Erfordernissen der Praxis gemessen. Die Ergebnisse der empirischen Untersuchung sind Inhalt dieses Kapitels. Nach der Offenlegung des Untersuchungsdesigns (6.1) wird zunachst das Steuerungsverstandnis der Praxis thematisiert (6.2). Danach wird die Bedeutung der einzelnen Bausteine aus Sicht der Praxis erortert (6.3). Dadurch ergibt sich ein detaillierter Einblick in Umfang und Stellenwert der Rationalitatssicherungsaufgaben der Praxis (6.4). Das Kapitel endet mit einer Zusammenfassung (6.5).
Information on antineoplastic drugs for nononcologist physicians

A postcard questionnaire was used to evaluate drug information letters that were sent to physicians who administered injectable chemotherapy to a hospital's outpatients. During the eight-month study period, 282 questionnaires were sent out with patients and 86 (30%) were returned. Three drugs (doxorubicin, fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide) accounted for over 50% of all the drugs listed on the returned surveys. Responses indicating prior knowledge of side effects, route of administration and stability ranged from a low of 66% (stability information) to a high of 86% (route of administration). All of the responses for investigational drugs indicated that the physician thought the drug information received was helpful. More than 90% of the responses indicated that the information was helpful for commercially available drugs. Two-thirds of all responses from oncologists indicated that the information in the letters was helpful; a much higher percentage (98%) of nononcologists found the information helpful. Because of the positive response to the letters, the drug information service plans to expand and continue the program.
Association of insulin resistance with serum ferritin and aminotransferases-iron hypothesis

AIM: To investigate the relationship of iron indices with diabetes mellitus (DM) in those without hemochromatosis. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined data collected during the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Only those who fasted properly and were not anemic with transferrin saturation < 45% were included (n = 6849). Insulin sensitivity and beta cell function were calculated from fasting glucose and insulin concentrations. Indices of iron metabolism were examined in the presence or absence of DM. We examined the relationship of insulin sensitivity and beta cell function with serum ferritin concentration. The influence of C-reactive protein and liver enzymes was also investigated. RESULTS: Serum ferritin concentration was significantly higher in diabetic subjects (P = 0.0001 to < 0.000001). The difference remained significant after adjustment for age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and mineral/iron supplement (P = 0.03 to < 0.000001). In those who did not take insulin, serum ferritin concentration was negatively associated with insulin sensitivity (P = 0.05 to 0.00001), but not with beta cell function. The alanine aminotransferase was correlated with serum ferritin concentration (P = 0.02 to < 0.000001) but not with insulin sensitivity, suggesting the role of the liver in iron-associated insulin resistance. CONCLUSION: As most of diabetes is type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance is a cardinal feature of type 2 diabetes, disordered iron metabolism could play a role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes through its effect on liver function.
RECENT ADVANCES IN COASTAL STRUCTURE DESIGN

The type and scope of work accomplished and responsibility and authority of the office to which he is attached is indicative of the interests of an author and of the information available to him. It is therefore pertinent to cover in this general section a summary of the responsibility and the delegated authority of the Corps of Engineers as regards Coastal Engineering. The subject of recent advances in coastal structures is quite broad and complex and modern design practice incorporates old and new findings. This paper discusses various aspects of proper modern design of breakwaters and jetties with special attention to newer findings, their proper application and the means by which the findings were made. The Corps has the responsibility for the planning, investigation, design and construction of Federal civil works navigation projects. This consists generally of harbor and channel works. Their responsibility extends to the control of all works, private or governmental, to assure that navigation will not be adversely affected. They are also charged with the responsibility of planning, investigation, design and construction of Federal civil works projects involving shore protection from wave and currents, protection from effects of hurricane, tsunamis and tidal flooding, and of beach erosion control. The accomplishment of such a mission therefore includes research of an applied nature to permit advancement in knowledge and technique. Most of this research is based on small scale model studies accomplished at the U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and at the laboratory of the Corps of Engineers Beach Erosion Board in Washington, D. C. In addition a limited number of prototype studies are being initiated in the charge of the staffs of various District Engineers.
Perioperative clopidogrel is associated with increased bleeding and blood transfusion at the time of lower extremity bypass.

Abstract Objective Controversy persists surrounding the perceived bleeding risk associated with perioperative clopidogrel use in patients undergoing lower extremity bypass (LEB). The purpose of this study was to examine the LEB bleeding risk and clinical sequelae associated with clopidogrel. Methods All LEBs in the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) from 2008 to 2014 were studied. The exposure was perioperative clopidogrel. Primary outcomes were blood transfusion, estimated blood loss ≥500 mL, and reoperation for bleeding. Secondary outcomes included mean operative time, major cardiac events, respiratory complications, infectious complications, and in-hospital mortality. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to analyze patients on the basis of clopidogrel use and its association with outcomes. Nonparametric test for trend and Mantel-Haenszel methods were used to analyze association of clopidogrel use with blood transfusion and secondary outcomes. Results Among the LEB cohort (N = 9179), 28% (n = 2544) were taking clopidogrel and 72% (n = 6635) were not. Patients taking clopidogrel were more likely to have coronary disease, prior coronary intervention, abnormal findings on stress test, and aspirin use ( P P P P = .9). Clopidogrel use was also associated with increased mean operative times (244 minutes vs 232 minutes; P P = .001), respiratory complications (2.5% vs 1.6%; P = .007), and in-hospital mortality (1.3% vs 0.8%; P = .03). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that clopidogrel was associated with increased risk of 1- or 2-unit blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-2.1; P 2-unit blood transfusion (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.7-2.5; P P = .05) and respiratory complications (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-2.0; P = .03) were also independently associated with clopidogrel use. Weighted Mantel-Haenszel ORs controlling for blood transfusion amount revealed no remaining effect of clopidogrel on major cardiac events (OR, 1.1; P = .4) or respiratory complications (OR, 1.0; P = .8). Conclusions Perioperative clopidogrel use in LEB surgery is associated with increased blood loss and blood transfusion. Associated clinical sequelae include increased cardiac and pulmonary complications. Accordingly, surgeons should consider discontinuation of perioperative clopidogrel when it is clinically appropriate unless it is strongly indicated at the time of LEB.
mTOR folate sensing links folate availability to trophoblast cell function.

Key points Folate deficiency during pregnancy is associated with restricted fetal growth, although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we show that mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) functions as a folate sensor in primary human trophoblast (PHT) cells. Folate sensing by mTOR in PHT cells involves both mTOR Complex 1 and 2 and requires the proton-coupled folate transporter. We report a previously unknown molecular mechanism by which folate regulates trophoblast cell function. Because mTOR is a positive regulator of placental amino acid transport and mitochondrial function, placental mTOR folate sensing may constitute the mechanistic link between maternal folate status and fetal growth. These findings provide new insight into how folate influences human cell physiology and may have implications for our understanding of how altered folate availability causes diseases such as fetal growth restriction, fetal malformations and cancer. Abstract Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that is essential for cellular methylation reactions and DNA synthesis and repair. Low maternal folate levels in pregnancy are associated with fetal growth restriction, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) links nutrient availability to cell growth and function by regulating gene expression and protein translation. Here we show that mTOR functions as a folate sensor in primary human trophoblast (PHT) cells. Folate deficiency in PHT cells caused inhibition of mTOR signalling and decreased the activity of key amino acid transporters. Folate sensing by mTOR in PHT cells involves both mTOR Complex 1 and 2 and requires the proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT, SLC46A1). The involvement of PCFT in mTOR folate sensing is not dependent on its function as a plasma membrane folate transporter. Increasing levels of homocysteine had no effect on PHT mTOR signalling, suggesting that mTOR senses low folate rather than high homocysteine. In addition, we demonstrate that maternal serum folate is positively correlated to placental mTORC1 and mTORC2 signalling activity in human pregnancy. We have identified a previously unknown molecular link between folate availability and cell function involving PCFT and mTOR signalling. We propose that mTOR folate sensing in trophoblast cells matches placental nutrient transport, and therefore fetal growth, to folate availability. These findings may have implications for our understanding of how altered folate availability causes human diseases such as fetal growth restriction, fetal malformations and cancer.
S. PAUL GARNER: ACCOUNTANCY'S AMBASSADOR TO THE WORLD

Samuel Paul Garner spent nearly seven decades, as a student, professor, administrator, leader and visionary, enhancing the understanding and development of our academic community. Born in 1910, he studied at Duke University, then briefly as a non degree student at Columbia before teaching and then entering the Ph.D. program at the University of Texas at Austin. At Texas, under the direction of George Hillis Newlove, he focused upon accounting. His interest in history had been kindled by a noted economic historian Earl J. Hamilton, under whom Garner had studied at Duke. His first post doctoral appointment would be his lifelong assignment, as a member of the faculty of what is now the Culverhouse School of Accountancy at the University of Alabama. Starting in 1939 he served as a faculty member, next as department chair, and then for seventeen years, from 1954 to 1971, as dean of the College of Business. His career achievements are many and include being the only person to serve as President of both the Amer...
Effectiveness of zero pricing in TOU demand reponses at the residential level

As a vital part of the Smart Grid concept, load participation has been widely accepted and applied by power industries. As an effective tool to improve reliability, stability, and financial efficiency of the power grids, Demand response (DR) has brought numerous financial and technical benefits to power systems. As one of the price-based DR programs with less control costs, the Time-of-Use (TOU) program has been applied as default rates by many utility companies. To avoid financial risks and make the most profit out of the wholesale market, utility companies treat TOU as an effective marketing strategy to change customers' electricity consumption patterns. However, due to the complexity of human behaviors and disparities of residential locations, many of the existing TOU programs are not as effective as expected. The purpose of this research is to examine the key reasons underlying the ineffectiveness of most extant TOU programs, and to demonstrate that zero pricing can be a remedy, due to its unique properties in enhancing consumers' responsiveness to TOU programs. Actual utility usage data from residential consumers in both Shanghai (China) and Texas (USA) are used to support our propositions. Properly implementing zero pricing into TOU programs with scientific strategy has the potential to bring considerable profit for utility companies.
Preliminary Studies of Magnetic NDE Techniques for Identifying Neutron Embrittlement of Pressure Vessel Steel

In operating nuclear reactors, the steel pressure vessel is exposed to neutron irradiation. The high energy part (>1 MeV) of this irradiation, over a long period, makes the steel brittle and susceptible to rupture.
Convolutional networks for vehicle track segmentation

Existing methods to detect vehicle tracks in coherent change detection images, a product of combining two synthetic aperture radar images taken at different times of the same scene, rely on simple and fast models to label track pixels. These models, however, are unable to capture natural track features, such as continuity and parallelism. More powerful but computationally expensive models can be used in offline settings. We present an approach that uses dilated convolutional networks consisting of a series of 3×3 convolutions to segment vehicle tracks. The design of our networks considers the fact that remote sensing applications tend to operate in low power and have limited training data. As a result, we aim for small and efficient networks that can be trained end-to-end to learn natural track features entirely from limited training data. We demonstrate that our six-layer network, trained on just 90 images, is computationally efficient and improves the F-score on a standard dataset to 0.992, up from 0.959 obtained by the current state-of-the-art method.
Evolution of the process underlying floral zygomorphy development in pentapetalous angiosperms.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Observations of floral ontogeny indicated that floral organ initiation in pentapetalous flowers most commonly results in a median-abaxial (MAB) petal during early development, a median-adaxial (MAD) petal being less common. Such different patterns of floral organ initiation might be linked with different morphologies of floral zygomorphy that have evolved in Asteridae. Here, we provide the first study of zygomorphy in pentapetalous angiosperms placed in a phylogenetic framework, the goal being to find if the different patterns of floral organ initiation are connected with particular patterns of zygomorphy. METHODS We analyzed patterns of floral organ initiation and displays of zygomorphy, extracted from floral diagrams representing 405 taxa in 330 genera, covering 83% of orders (30 out of 36) and 37% of families (116 out of 313) in core eudicots in the context of a phylogeny using ancestral state reconstructions. KEY RESULTS The MAB petal initiation is the ancestral state of the pattern of floral organ initiation in pentapetalous angiosperms. Taxa with MAD petal initiation represent ∼30 independent origins from the ancestral MAB initiation. There are distinct developmental processes that give rise to zygomorphy in different lineages of pentapetalous angiosperms, closely related lineages being likely to share similar developmental processes. CONCLUSIONS We have demonstrated that development indeed constrains the processes that give rise to floral zygomorphy, while phylogenetic distance allows relaxation of these constraints, which provides novel insights on the role that development plays in the evolution of floral zygomorphy.
Rectal prolapse associated with bulimia nervosa : Report of seven cases

PURPOSE: Rectal prolapse is a condition in which, when complete, the full thickness of the rectal wall protrudes through the anus. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by periodic food binges, which are followed by purging. Purging usually takes the form of self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, and/or diuretic abuse. We report seven cases of rectal prolapse associated with bulimia nervosa. METHODS: The case histories of seven women with rectal prolapse and bulimia nervosa, average age 29 (range 21–42) years, seen over a period of 11 years (1987–1997) were reviewed. An analysis of the clinical data, including history, presenting physical examination, surgical treatment, and outcome was performed. RESULTS: All seven patients had a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa, made either before or with a diagnosis of rectal prolapse. Rectal prolapse was confirmed in each patient at anorectal examination. Five patients underwent sigmoid resection with proctopexy, one died before operative therapy, and one awaits further treatment. One of the five surgical patients had a recurrence that was managed by a perineal rectosigmoidectomy. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, despite extensive review of both bulimia nervosa and rectal prolapse as seen in the medical literature, an association between the two has not been described previously. Several aspects of bulimia nervosa, including constipation, laxative use, overzealous exercise, and increased intra-abdominal pressure from forced vomiting are likely causes for the probable relationship with rectal prolapse. The possibility that an atypically young female presenting with rectal prolapse may also have bulimia nervosa should be taken into account by clinicians. This may assist the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa, a disease with multiple morbidities. Conversely, a patient being treated for bulimia nervosa who develops anorectal symptoms may come to earlier diagnosis and treatment for rectal prolapse.
3D radar wavefield tomography of comet interiors

Abstract Answering fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of small planetary bodies hinges on our ability to image their surface and interior structure in detail and at high resolution. The interior structure is not easily accessible without systematic imaging using, e.g., radar transmission and reflection data from multiple viewpoints, as in medical tomography. Radar tomography can be performed using methodology adapted from terrestrial exploration seismology. Our feasibility study primarily focuses on full wavefield methods that facilitate high quality imaging of small body interiors. We consider the case of a monostatic system (co-located transmitters and receivers) operated in various frequency bands between 5 and 15 MHz, from a spacecraft in slow polar orbit around a spinning comet nucleus. Using realistic numerical experiments, we demonstrate that wavefield techniques can generate high resolution tomograms of comets nuclei with arbitrary shape and complex interior properties.
Capturing, Representing, and Interacting with Laughter

We investigate a speculative future in which we celebrate happiness by capturing laughter and representing it in tangible forms. We explored technologies for capturing naturally occurring laughter as well as various physical representations of it. For several weeks, our participants collected audio samples of everyday conversations with their loved ones. We processed those samples through a machine learning algorithm and shared the resulting tangible representations (e.g., physical containers and edible displays) with our participants. In collecting, listening to, interacting with, and sharing their laughter with loved ones, participants described both joy in preserving and interacting with laughter and tension in collecting it. This study revealed that the tangibility of laughter representations matters, especially its symbolism and material quality. We discuss design implications of giving permanent forms to laughter and consider the sound of laughter as a part of our personal past that we might seek to preserve and reflect upon.
Physician-ordered respiratory care vs physician-ordered use of a respiratory therapy consult service: early experience at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

BACKGROUND Accumulative evidence suggests that respiratory care is frequently misallocated. We report the results of a pilot study of a delivery system aimed at correcting such misallocation. METHODS The delivery system (Respiratory Therapy Consult Service, or RTCS) allows respiratory therapists (when requested by the case-managing physician) to determine respiratory care, with decisions guided by algorithm (ie, Consult patients). In the pilot study, Therapist Evaluators responded to requests for Consults on two study wards. All staff therapists participated in implementing Evaluator-determined treatment. STUDY DESIGN We evaluated 38 patients (20 of whom were Consult patients) randomly selected from a total of 82 patients undergoing abdominal surgery during the study period. RESULTS Consult patients were significantly older than non-Consult patients, more likely to be heavy smokers (67 vs 43%), and sicker as suggested by a higher Triage Score. Consult patients received more types and more total respiratory care services, demonstrated a trend toward longer stay, and had significantly higher respiratory therapy charges. CONCLUSION Our experience shows that a consult program can be successfully implemented in a large, tertiary care institution with widespread physician and nursing support. Whether the RTCS fulfills its goal of ameliorating misallocation of respiratory care has yet to be proven and awaits the completion of other studies currently under way.
Determination of Acyl Homoserine Lactone and Tetramic Acid Concentrations in Biological Samples

Within environmental communities, there is a constant struggle for survival, as nutrients are often limited. In response, bacteria have developed elaborate methods to deal with competitors. One such mechanism is the coordination of behaviors and function via the exchange of small chemical signals in a process known as quorum sensing. This process is especially prominent in the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen that forms sessile communities known as biofilms. These biofilms play an important role in the lifestyle of P. aeruginosa, either in their natural environment or during establishment and maintenance of infection in human hosts; thus, they often have grievous effects on human health. As such, a method for the detection of these QS signals may provide insights into the pathogenicity and survival of P. aeruginosa. In this chapter, we present a method for the extraction and quantitation of the P. aeruginosa QS signal N-3-oxo-dodecanoyl-homoserine lactone, and its rearranged tetramic acid product, C12-TA, which itself has implications as a survival tactic used by P. aeruginosa.
Differential regulation of ion channels function by proteolysis.

Abstract Ion channels are pore-forming protein complexes in membranes that play essential roles in a diverse array of biological activities. Ion channel activity is strictly regulated at multiple levels and by numerous cellular events to selectively activate downstream effectors involved in specific biological activities. For example, ions, binding proteins, nucleotides, phosphorylation, the redox state, channel subunit composition have all been shown to regulate channel activity and subsequently allow channels to participate in distinct cellular events. While these forms of modulation are well documented and have been extensively reviewed, in this article, we will first review and summarize channel proteolysis as a novel and quite widespread mechanism for altering channel activity. We will then highlight the recent findings demonstrating that proteolysis profoundly alters Inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate receptor activity, and then discuss its potential functional ramifications in various developmental and pathological conditions.