cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bowel ultrasound for predicting surgical management of necrotizing enterocolitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract that represents a significant source of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Imaging of the abdomen is valuable for timely diagnosis and close monitoring of disease progression in NEC. Bowel ultrasound (US) is increasingly being recognized as an important imaging tool for evaluating NEC that provides additional detail than plain abdominal radiographs. To identify bowel US findings associated with surgical management or death in infants with NEC. We searched Embase, PubMed, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature for studies investigating the association between bowel US findings and surgical management or death in NEC. Selected articles were evaluated for quality of study methodology using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and aggregate statistics for odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval were calculated. Of 521 articles reviewed, 11 articles comprising 748 infants were evaluated for quality. Nine of the studies were retrospective and from single-center experiences. Pooled analysis showed that focal fluid collections (OR 17.9, 3.1–103.3), complex ascites (OR 11.3, 4.2–30.0), absent peristalsis (OR 10.7, 1.7–69.0), pneumoperitoneum (OR 9.6, 1.7–56.3), bowel wall echogenicity (OR 8.6, 3.4–21.5), bowel wall thinning (OR 7.11.6–32.3), absent perfusion (OR 7.0, 2.1–23.8), bowel wall thickening (OR 3.9, 2.4–6.1) and dilated bowel (OR 3.5, 1.8–6.8) were associated with surgery or death in NEC. In contrast, portal venous gas (OR 3.0, 0.8–10.6), pneumatosis intestinalis (OR 2.1, 0.9–5.1), increased bowel perfusion (OR 2.6, 0.6–11.1) and simple ascites (OR 0.54, 0.1–2.5) were not associated with surgery or death. This meta-analysis identified several bowel US findings that are associated and not associated with surgery or death in NEC. Bowel US may be useful for early identification of high-risk infants with NEC who may benefit from more aggressive treatment, including surgery. Future studies are needed to determine whether the addition of bowel US in NEC evaluation would improve outcomes.
Dynamics of opinion-dependent product spread

In this paper we propose a novel model of product spread that combines models which capture the behavior of epidemic-like product spread among agents in a network with different opinion models, allowing a greater range of product spread behaviors to be modeled. In the proposed opinion-dependent product spread models, product adoptions over a network are affected by the agents' opinions of the product. These opinions evolve via a separate set of network-dependent opinion dynamics, which are also dependent on the product adoption of the agent. The behavior of the product spreading is explored under the influence of several different models of opinion dynamics. We provide analysis of the local equilibria of the coupled models and compare the behavior of the coupled product-opinion dynamics via simulation. These simulations illustrate that the opinion dynamics drive the outcome of the system, allowing different types of product adoption to be modeled through different choices of opinion dynamics and strengthening the ability of epidemic spread techniques to model product adoption.
The Future of Biomateriomics

Necessitated by the complexity of biological materials, understanding the relationships between material structure and function, and Nature’s persistent use of universality, cooperativity, and multiscale hierarchies, biomateriomics unifies efforts to understand and ultimately exploit “Nature’s secrets”. Indeed, with a keen eye and a new holistic perspective, we recognize glimpses of materiomics in current research, unlocking novel functional materials, both biological and synthetic.
The Role of Frozen Sections in the Diagnosis and Management of Bone and Soft-Tissue Tumors

The frozen section, and the immediate rendering of a diagnosis, is used by pathologists worldwide. Most pathologists will not hesitate to recommend mastectomy on the basis of a frozen-section diagnosis of carcinoma. However, these same pathologists may be hesitant about recommending amputation on the basis of a frozen-section diagnosis of sarcoma. The reason for this difference is that breast cancer is relatively common and most pathologists have enough experience to gain confidence, whereas sarcomas are rare and most pathologists have not had much experience with them. With experience, the pathologist will find that the diagnosis of most sarcomas is no more difficult than that of breast cancer.
Theoretical study of electron-cyclotron heating in elmo bumpy torus

The basic features of microwave propagation and electron-cyclotron damping in ELMO Bumpy Torus (EBT) devices are investigated to provide an understanding of the heating of the toroidal core plasma component. The characteristics of microwave propagation in EBT geometry, where there is strong variation of absolute value B along field lines, are described and contrast is made with the electron-cyclotron heating (ECH) of tokamaks. Linear cyclotron damping calculations are presented for plasmas having parameters typical of EBT-I and parameters projected for EBT-II. It is shown that tye extraordinary mode is completely absorbed near the fundamental cyclotron resonance when propagating from the high magnetic field side (mirror throat).
Objective Assessment of the Role of Echocardiography (UCG) in the Diagnosis of Acute Endocarditis (AE)

UCG was performed in 26 patients (Dts) with septicemia and suspected AE. 14 pts had positive UCG findings: a) premature closure of mitral valve(5) b) valve thickening and abnormal echoes (6), c) disruption of mitral valve apparatus (1), and d) cluster of echoes due to fungus (2). In 10 Dts the diagnosis of AE was confirmed at surgery, or autopsy. On 9 of the 10 (90%), the UCG was positive. The UCG was positive in 5 and negative in 11 other pts with septicemia and an uncomplicated clinical course. All 5 UCG positive pts were discharged with diagnosis of AE. Four UCG negative pts were discharged with diagnosis AE. In the one false negative UCG, the pathologic finding was a small gonococcal aortic valve lesion in the commisure. These studies indicate the usefulness and high accuracy of UCG studies in confirming AE.
The bacterial lipid II flippase MurJ functions by an alternating-access mechanism.

The peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall is an essential extracytoplasmic glycopeptide polymer that safeguards bacteria against osmotic lysis and determines cellular morphology. Bacteria use multiprotein machineries for the synthesis of the PG cell wall during cell division and elongation that can be targeted by antibiotics such as the β-lactams. Lipid II, the lipid-linked precursor for PG biogenesis, is synthesized in the inner leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane and then translocated across the bilayer, where it is ultimately polymerized into PG. In Escherichia coli, MurJ, a member of the MOP exporter superfamily, has been recently shown to have lipid II flippase activity that depends on membrane potential. Because of its essentiality, MurJ could potentially be targeted by much needed novel antibiotics. Recent structural information suggests that a central cavity in MurJ alternates between inward- and outward-open conformations to flip lipid II, but how these conformational changes occur are unknown. Here, we utilized structure-guided cysteine cross-linking and proteolysis-coupled gel analysis to probe the conformational changes of MurJ in E. coli cells. We found that paired cysteine substitutions in transmembrane domains 2 and 8 and periplasmic loops of MurJ could be cross-linked with homobifunctional cysteine cross-linkers, indicating that MurJ can adopt both inward- and outward-facing conformations in vivo. Furthermore, we show that dissipating the membrane potential with an ionophore decreases the prevalence of the inward-facing, but not the outward-facing state. Our study provides in vivo evidence that MurJ uses an alternating-access mechanism during the lipid II transport cycle.
Cotidianidad y conectividad imaginaria: Parodias de una cultura de la imagen en La mano invisible y La habitación oscura de Isaac Rosa

The private sphere is being influenced by fantasies and expectations constructed through cultural commodities. From different perspectives, Jameson and Castells have seen that the growing fusion of economic and cultural spheres of postmodern globalization point not just merely to a geographical expansion, but also to a simultaneous transformation of everyday life. This everyday life is often portrayed by mass media as a permanent representation of the market. This phenomenon pervades recent decades of Spanish society, in which a naturalization of consumerism is tightly linked to a culture of image production. These novels realize a parody of the way the everyday life of individuals affected by the financial crisis is interconnected with the utopian projections of an imaginary connectivity
Non-locality and the misdiagnosis of Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality: proof of concept.

Study design This is a retrospective review. Objectives To validate the concept of "non-locality" to explain cases of Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality (SCIWORA) previously deemed inexplicable. To investigate and challenge the source data for the SCIWORA hypothesis which has the built-in assumption that a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) can only be caused by a local or adjacent spinal column injury and which, therefore, postulates that the pediatric spinal column is inherently more flexible than the spinal cord to explain SCI whenever a local spinal column injury is not detected. Setting A National Rehabilitation Center, one of fourteen which reports to the Spinal Cord Injury Model System. Methods We examined all residual SCIWORA cases over a 5-year period. In addition, we performed an extensive literature search to trace the evidence supporting the SCIWORA hypothesis that children's spinal columns are inherently lax and may stretch more than the spinal cord prior to disruption. Results Six SCI patients with a residual diagnosis of SCIWORA were identified, 3 pediatric and 3 adult. All had injuries fitting non-locality. None were an actual SCIWORA. Source data do not appear to support the SCIWORA hypothesis. Conclusion Borrowing from quantum mechanics, we reveal non-locality as a real entity in the spine. The assumption of locality-only is invalid and likely contributed to the SCIWORA hypothesis for the pediatric spine. Misdiagnosis and misunderstanding of SCIWORA may lead to improper treatment and increased cost. Awareness may facilitate search for adequate explanations for difficult cases rather than mere assignment as SCIWORA.
Interprétation en échographie mammaire : images hyperéchogènes

Resume Les images mammaires hyperechogenes sont connues pour avoir une valeur predictive tres elevee de benignite. Neanmoins, en pratique quotidienne, on rencontre des lesions malignes entierement ou en partie hyperechogenes. Nous faisons le point ici sur les lesions mammaires benignes et malignes, en insistant sur les signes qui peuvent faire evoquer une pathologie maligne sous-jacente.
Traditional Forms of Asian Theatre

This chapter considers the ancient Indian theatre manual, Natya-Shastra, with various elements of inner/outer performance, including the spectator’s experience of resonant emotions (bhavas) at a distance, as refined flavors (rasas). It investigates related dance-dramas still performed in India: kutiyattam, krishnanattam, kathakali, ottan thullal, bharatanatyam, odissi, and bhavai. It looks at the long history of Chinese theatre from Shang (sixteenth to eleventh century BCE) shamans to Qing (seventeenth to twentieth century) operas and playwrights, as well as current Chinese Opera forms and shadow puppetry (dating back to the thirteenth-century Song Dynasty). It considers Korean talchum dance-theatre and a variety of Japanese forms: noh, kabuki, and bunraku. It looks at Indonesian wayang topeng (masked dance-drama), wayang kulit (two-dimensional, shadow puppetry), and wayang golek (three-dimensional puppetry), plus Cambodian traditions.
Mammary Dysbiosis and Nipple Blebs Treated With Intravenous Daptomycin and Dalbavancin

Introduction:Mammary dysbiosis, also known as subacute mastitis, may be associated with nipple blebs. These overlapping diagnoses represent a challenging clinical scenario during lactation. Little ...
Theme: Exploring Data and Improving Quality

In today’s information society, decisions are made on the basis of data. A student checks the calorie chart before selecting a fast-food lunch. A homeowner checks the efficiency rating before purchasing a new refrigerator. A physician checks the outcomes of recent clinical studies before prescribing a medication. An engineer tests the tensile strength of wire before it is wound into a cable. The decisions made from data—correctly or incorrectly—affect each of us every day of our lives. How to systematically study data for the purpose of making decisions is the overarching theme of modern statistics, and the basic ideas on how to make sense out of data are the subject of the first set of activities. These ideas should be studied thoroughly in an introductory statistics course because they form the building blocks for the remainder of statistics and the remainder of the activities in this program.
Teach-Back Experience and Hospitalization Risk Among Patients with Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions: a Matched Cohort Study.

The teach-back method, also known as the “show-me” method, has been endorsed by many medical and health care societies. However, limited investigation has been conducted regarding its association with patient outcomes. To examine the association between patient teach-back experience and the risk of hospitalizations and length of hospital stay among patients with ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). A matched cohort study. Data from the 2011–2015 Longitudinal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (panels 16–19). Three thousand nine hundred ninety-four US adults aged ≥ 18 years with any of 5 ACSCs (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]). Hospital admissions (all-cause or ACSC-related) and the length of stay of the first admission were examined by teach-back during interaction with a health provider. Patients with teach-back experience were less likely to experience hospitalization for an ACSC-related condition (relative risk, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.99) and had a lower risk for a condition-related readmission (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.99), compared with those without teach-back experience. The median length of hospital stay did not differ between patients with teach-back experience and those without teach-back experience (median 3 days [IQR 1 to 8 days] and median 3 days [IQR 0 to 8 days], respectively; P = 0.84). Subgroup analysis showed that the association of reported teach-back experience on the outcomes was relatively stable among those with hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, but was not among those with asthma or COPD. Teach-back exposure relied on patient self-reported information. Our findings suggest that patient teach-back method is associated with reduced risk of hospitalization for those with ACSCs, especially among patients with cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Encouraging providers to utilize the teach-back method at every visit has the potential to further reduce hospitalizations for individuals with ACSCs.
Initiative to Stop the Violence: Sadat’s Assassins and the Renunciation of Political Violence

Al-jamā’ah al-islāmīyah (pronounced in Egyptian Arabic as Al-jama’ah al-Islamiyyah [the Islamic Organization]) was a well-known Islamist group that was responsible for many terrorist incidents in E...
Management of infection among Medicare beneficiaries with HIV/AIDS: risk of diabetes with protease inhibitors and associated racial disparities using big data approach.

Association between protease inhibitors (PI) and Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients is largely debated. This st...
Transfer of incentive salience from a first-order alcohol cue to a novel second-order alcohol cue among individuals at risk for alcohol use disorder: electrophysiological evidence.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS In susceptible individuals, cues associated with drug use are theorized to take on incentive-motivational properties, including the ability to reinforce higher-order, drug-related associative learning. This study aimed to test this prediction among people varying in risk for alcohol use disorder. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Repeated-measures experiment with a measured individual difference variable at a University psychology laboratory in Missouri, USA. One hundred and six young adults (96 contributed complete data) were pre-selected to represent the upper and lower quartiles of self-reported sensitivity to alcohol's acute effects. MEASUREMENTS Participants completed a second-order Pavlovian conditioning paradigm in which an initially neutral visual cue (second-order conditional stimulus; CS2 ) predicted onset of an olfactory cue (first-order conditional stimulus; CS1 ). Olfactory cues were isolated from alcoholic beverages, sweets and non-comestible substances, each presumed to have a natural history of first-order conditioning. Event-related potential responses to the CS2 across its conditioning and extinction, and to the CS1 , provided neurophysiological indices of incentive salience (IS). FINDINGS The IS of the alcohol CS1 was higher among participants low in alcohol sensitivity (LS), relative to their higher-sensitivity (HS) peers. The IS of the CS2 paired with the alcohol CS1 increased across the CS2 conditioning phase among LS but not HS participants. Also, LS (but not HS) individuals also experienced increases in alcohol craving following alcohol CS1 exposure, and this change was correlated with increases in the IS of the CS2 paired with the alcohol CS1 . CONCLUSIONS Alcoholic beverage odor, a proximal cue for alcohol consumption, appears to reinforce conditioning of neurophysiological responses to a novel cue among low alcohol sensitivity (LS) individuals but not high alcohol sensitivity individuals, providing the first evidence that the LS phenotype may be associated with differences in the conditioned reinforcing properties of alcohol-related cues. These findings support the idea that the LS phenotype may increase alcohol use disorder risk via susceptibility to incentive salience sensitization.
Trilinc Global Impact Fund

This case calls students to evaluate an investment in impact-oriented private-debt fund TriLinc Global. The fund is led by Wall Street veteran Gloria Nelund and provides debt financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. The case discusses the well-known shortages in SME finance globally and the role SMEs play in emerging economies. In her desire to make the impact investing accessible to retail investors, Nelund registered TriLinc Global with the SEC. The case discusses the TriLinc Global Impact Fund's (TriLinc Global's) unique structure and how it addresses capital-shortage problems in global SME finance. The case opens with Abena Dede looking at the request for proposal from a new potential client, Yohan Van den Berg. Dede's private-wealth-management firm was transitioning from a single-revenue-source business to a more diversified family office. With a roughly $150 million potential account, Van den Berg was a very attractive prospective client who made clear that his investment objectives included “rational and return oriented” impact investing. He had already declined allocation of part of his portfolio to the BlackRock Impact Bond Fund.Dede was intrigued by TriLinc Global. The fund had made most of its investments through term loans and trade financing. TriLinc Global's loans were collateralized, short-to-medium maturity, had strict loan covenants, and were self-liquidating through repayment of principle with established businesses. The investments range was $1 million to $10 million per transaction with three-to-five-year terms. Trade financing involved short-term capital to importers and exporters. Most of TriLinc Global's experience had been with exporters through senior-secured trade finance. These trade-finance transactions ranged between $500,000 to $5 million and had terms between three and eight months. The material requires students to explore the TriLinc Global and BlackRock Impact Bond funds and evaluate investment strategies. Excerpt UVA-F-1779 Aug. 8, 2017 TriLinc Global Impact Fund Abena Dede was looking at the request for proposal from a new potential client, Yohan Van den Berg. Dede's private-wealth-management firm was transitioning from a single-revenue-source business to a more diversified family office. With a roughly $ 150 million potential account, Van den Berg was a very attractive prospective client. Dutch by birth and upbringing, Van den Berg moved to the United States in 1999 for a graduate degree in engineering at the California Institute of Technology. The U.S. education led him to Microsoft and then to a small start-up that in 2014 was bought by the technology giant at which Van den Berg had started his career. The sale left Van den Berg and his family with enough capital to retire in their newly built “fully sustainable” house in suburban Seattle, Washington. . . .
Trust Region Method for Coupled Systems of PDE Solvers and Deep Neural Networks.

Physics-informed machine learning and inverse modeling require the solution of ill-conditioned non-convex optimization problems. First-order methods, such as SGD and ADAM, and quasi-Newton methods, such as BFGS and L-BFGS, have been applied with some success to optimization problems involving deep neural networks in computational engineering inverse problems. However, empirical evidence shows that convergence and accuracy for these methods remain a challenge. Our study unveiled at least two intrinsic defects of these methods when applied to coupled systems of partial differential equations (PDEs) and deep neural networks (DNNs): (1) convergence is often slow with long plateaus that make it difficult to determine whether the method has converged or not; (2) quasi-Newton methods do not provide a sufficiently accurate approximation of the Hessian matrix; this typically leads to early termination (one of the stopping criteria of the optimizer is satisfied although the achieved error is far from minimal). Based on these observations, we propose to use trust region methods for optimizing coupled systems of PDEs and DNNs. Specifically, we developed an algorithm for second-order physics constrained learning, an efficient technique to calculate Hessian matrices based on computational graphs. We show that trust region methods overcome many of the defects and exhibit remarkable fast convergence and superior accuracy compared to ADAM, BFGS, and L-BFGS.
The SAGA core module is critical during Drosophila oogenesis and is broadly recruited to promoters

The Spt/Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) coactivator complex has multiple modules with different enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions. How each module contributes to gene activation in specific biological contexts is not well understood. Here we analyzed the role of the non-enzymatic core module during Drosophila oogenesis. We show that depletion of several SAGA-specific subunits belonging to the core module blocked egg chamber development during mid-oogenesis stages, resulting in stronger phenotypes than those obtained after depletion of SAGA’s histone acetyltransferase module or deubiquitination module. These results, as well as additional genetic analyses pointing to an interaction with TBP, suggested a differential role of SAGA modules at different promoter types. However, SAGA subunits co-occupied all promoter types of active genes in ChIP-seq and ChIP-nexus experiments. Thus, the SAGA complex appears to occupy promoters in its entirety, consistent with the strong biochemical integrity of the complex. The high-resolution genomic binding profiles are congruent with SAGA recruitment by activators upstream of the start site, and retention on chromatin by interactions with modified histones downstream of the start site. The stronger genetic requirement of the core module during oogenesis may therefore be explained through its interaction with TBP or its role in recruiting the enzymatic modules to the promoter. We propose the handyman principle, which posits that a distinct genetic requirement for specific components may conceal the fact that the entire complex is physically present.
Competent ED Care of Gender-Diverse Patients

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGGNC) individuals have a gender identity that is different from that which was assumed or assigned, commonly based upon genitalia, at their birth. There are an estimated 1–1.3 million TGGNC people in the United States. While the majority of ED practitioners have cared for this patient population, historically ED practitioners have not been trained in TGGNC-specific health issues. This chapter presents EM clinicians with the basics of TGGNC-specific emergency medicine needs, challenges the institutionalization of the gender binary, and situates this clinical conversation in the current US social and structural normative context.
Sex Modifies the Effect of Genetic Risk Scores for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome on Metabolic Phenotypes

Females with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder in women, have an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Furthermore, while only diagnosable in females, males with a family history of PCOS can also exhibit a poor cardiometabolic profile. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the role of sex in the relationship between PCOS and its comorbidities by conducting bidirectional genetic risk score analyses in both sexes. We conducted a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) using PCOS polygenic risk scores (PCOSPRS) to understand the pleiotropic effects of PCOS genetic liability across 1,380 medical conditions in females and males recorded in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center electronic health record (EHR) database. After adjusting for age and genetic ancestry, we found that European descent males with higher PCOSPRS were significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than females at the same level of genetic risk, while females had a higher odds of developing T2D. Based on observed significant associations, we tested the relationship between PRS for comorbid conditions (e.g., T2D, body mass index, hypertension, etc.) and found that only PRS generated for BMI and T2D were associated with a PCOS diagnosis. We then further decomposed the T2DPRS association with PCOS by adjusting the model for measured BMI and BMIresidual (enriched for the environmental contribution to BMI). Results demonstrated that genetically regulated BMI primarily accounted for the relationship between T2DPRS and PCOS. This was further supported in a mediation analysis, which only revealed clinical BMI measurements, but not BMIresidual, as a strong mediator for both sexes. Overall, our findings show that the genetic architecture of PCOS has distinct metabolic sex differences, but these associations are only apparent when PCOSPRS is explicitly modeled. It is possible that these pathways are less explained by the direct genetic risk of metabolic traits than they are by the risk factors shared between them, which can be influenced by biological variables such as sex.
Effect of quencher, denaturants, temperature and pH on the fluorescent properties of BSA protected gold nanoclusters

In this paper, we have synthesized BSA protected gold nanoclusters (BSA Au nanocluster) and studied the effect of quencher, protein denaturant, pH and temperature on the fluorescence properties of the tryptophan molecule of the BSA Au nanocluster and native BSA. We have also studied their effect on the peak emission of BSA Au nanoclusters (650 nm). The phtophysical characterization of a newly developed fluorophore in different environments is absolutely necessary to futher develop their biomedical and analytical applications. It was observed from our experiments that the tryptophan in BSA Au nanoclusters is better shielded from the polar environment. Tryptophan in native BSA showed a red shift in its peak emission wavelength position. Tryptophan is a highly polarity sensitive dye and a minimal change in its microenvironment can be easily observed in its photophysical properties.
An Eigenvalue Analysis of finite-difference approximations for hyperbolic IBVPs

The eigenvalue spectrum associated with a linear finite-difference approximation plays a crucial role in the stability analysis and in the actual computational performance of the discrete approximation. We investigate the eigenvalue spectrum associated with the Lax-Wendroff scheme applied to a model hyperbolic equation. For an initial-boundary-value problem (IBVP) on a finite domain, the eigenvalue or normal mode analysis is analytically intractable. A study of auxiliary problems (Dirichlet and quart er-plane) leads to asymptotic estimates of the eigenvalue spectrum and to an identification of individual modes as either benign or unstable. The asymptotic analysis establishes an intuitive as well as quantitative connection between the algebraic tests in the theory of Gustafsson, Kreiss, and Sundstrom and Lax-Richtmyer L2 stability on a finite domain.
ELEVATED CALCIUM CHLORIDE IN CUCUMBER FERMENTATION BRINE PROLONGS PICKLE PRODUCT CRISPNESS

ABSTRACT The effects of treating cucumbers with calcium chloride (CaCl2) during fermentation and alum during desalting on changes in crispness of processed pickle mesocarp tissue during storage were determined from probe penetration forces, measurements of sound frequencies and sensory panel ratings. Penetration forces of mesocarp tissues from salt-stock and desalted pickles that had been treated with CaCl2 were similarly higher than untreated tissues. After processing and storage, crispness and its retention was significantly correlated to the amount of residual Ca++. A high level of crispness was retained during 52 weeks of storage in only the tissues containing elevated residual Ca++ (1,248 and 1,490 ppm). Tissues containing 96 ppm Al+++ and 655 ppm Ca++ were substantially crisper than tissues with less than 900 ppm Ca++ and without Al+++; however, retention of crispness was better in tissues containing elevated Ca++. It is concluded that alum can be replaced by elevating residual Ca++. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Augmenting calcium chloride in cucumber fermentation brines to increase the residual concentration of Ca++ in the processed pickle product provides manufacturers the opportunity to improve retention of crispness without using alum. Elimination of Al+++ without compromising texture should improve marketability of products, since Al+++ is objectionable to some distributors and consumers.
Ornithine decarboxylase production in vitro by using mouse cDNA.

Abstract Microgram quantities of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17)-specific mRNA were synthesized by transcription techniques in vitro, by using a plasmid containing mouse cDNA coding for this enzyme. The homogeneous RNA preparation was then used for cell-free synthesis of ODC protein, in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. Analysis of products translated in vitro by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis revealed predominantly one protein produced, with Mr approx. 54,000, which was immunoprecipitable by anti-ODC serum. Two-dimensional gel-electrophoretic analysis showed that the protein ODC synthesized in vitro had a pI of approx. 5.4, similar to the native enzyme isolated from mouse tissues. In addition, quantification of activity and protein amount showed that the enzyme synthesized in vitro had a specific activity of approx. 63,000 units (nmol/min)/mg, consistent with the purified mouse kidney enzyme's specific activity of approx. 47,000 units/mg. An average of nearly 200 pg of ODC protein was produced in vitro from various RNA preparations. These data demonstrate that ODC-specific mRNA and active ODC protein can be produced by 'in vitro' technology, which should prove useful in studying functional and structural characteristics of these molecules.
Foster Care and Child Health

Children in foster care need more from health providers than routine well-child care. The changes in legislation that were designed to prevent children from languishing in foster care also necessitate a plan that works with the child, the biological family, and the foster family in ensuring the best outcome for the child. This approach acknowledges that most foster children will return to the biological family. Recent research on the effect of adverse childhood experiences across all socioeconomic categories points to the need for specifically designed, focused, and coordinated health and mental health services for children in foster care.
Identification of susceptible soils and control of tunnelling failure in small earth dams

A method for identifying soils susceptible to tunnelling failure in embankments is described. Present design and construction recommendations are given based on laboratory investigations and experience with many small dams.
Perioperative hormonal therapy in locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the prostate

Perioperative hormonal therapy is a potential therapeutic strategy that combines the advantages of systemic therapy and local surgical control of adenocarcinoma of the prostate. In most cases, the use of hormonal therapy causes a reduction in the size of the prostate, some potential reduction in the volume of the cancer, and varying success in downstaging of the malignancy. No study has shown any benefit in either survival or reduction of recurrences. Cancer 1995 ; 75 :1969-71.
Chronic Disease Prevention Research Methods and Their Reliability, With Illustrations From the Women's Health Initiative

This article reviews the status of statistical methods for chronic disease prevention research, with emphasis on the reliability of findings and on future methodological needs and opportunities. Observational studies, especially cohort studies, play a major role in disease prevention research, but depend on adequate confounding control methods for a useful interpretation. Stratification and regression methods that are commonly used to control confounding are described, and comparative findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized controlled trial and companion cohort study of the benefits and risk of postmenopausal hormone therapy are used to illustrate the success of these methods. Measurement error in exposure assessment may be a potentially dominating source of bias in such important prevention research areas as nutrition and physical activity epidemiology. Statistical methods to correct for measurement error are briefly reviewed, and the need for methods to accommodate systematic bias i...
Measurement of oil reservoir dispersivity by nuclear reaction analysis

Abstract The dispersion of water in a consolidated porous medium was measured using the 18O(p, α)15N nuclear reaction. Reservoir rock core was saturated with water enriched to 0.56 at.% of 18O. During a miscible displacement of the resident 18O enriched water by a brine solution with natural 18O abundance, effluent mixtures of the fluids were collected as a function of time and pore volume injected. The targets used for the nuclear reaction analysis were prepared by anodic oxidation of tantalum at constant voltage. The Ta2O5 film was bombarded with 0.73 MeV protons and the resulting reaction alpha particles were recorded. The number of the reaction alpha particles being proportional to the 18O concentration in the effluent mixture was used as the concentration index for the determination of water dispersion profile and rock dispersivity.
A Genomewide Association Study of Citalopram Response in Major Depressive Disorder—A psychometric approach

We read with interest Garriock and colleagues’ article “A Genomewide Association Study of Citalopram Response in Major Depressive Disorder” (1). This work is an important step in analyzing the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) genomewide SNP data. Given STAR*D’s complexity, many additional analyses will undoubtedly be required to realize the full potential of this valuable resource. In this spirit, we quantitatively model response as measured by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS). The gains to quantitatively modeling response are evident in our results—unlike the initial analysis, we identify multiple genomewide significant SNPs.
Citizen preferences and perceptions concerning police pursuit policies

A sample of 450 registered voters was surveyed concerning their attitudes towards police pursuit policies and practices. Based on a 40 percent return rate, it was found that most police officers were thought to use good judgement in pursuit decisions;nevertheless, a slight majority of responders favored more restrictions on police pursuit. Most responders felt that such restrictions would not tempt them to elude; however, 21 percent either said they might elude or were not sure how they would be affected by the restrictions on police, Concerning specific policy types, citizens were found to be only slightly more likely than police officers to prefer a restrictive policy. Likewise, in response to a traffic stop scenario, citizens were only slightly less supportive of pursuit than were the police officers in that same city. Support for pursuit was found to have a slight but significant correlation with political conservatism.
Not so fast: taste stimulus coding time in the rat revisited.

Behavioral and electrophysiological studies suggest that rats can identify a taste stimulus with a single lick, in <200 ms. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the number of licks of a tastant, its concentration and prior learning experience will modulate identification. In Experiment 1A, we trained rats to avoid licking a weak quinine solution (0.1 mM) by pairing it with a LiCl injection in the home cage. Control groups either received no experience with quinine or received both quinine and a LiCl injection that were unpaired. Rats were later water deprived and tested in an experimental chamber. A computer-controlled drinking spout allowed delivery of 1, 2 or 3 consecutive licks of tastants, interspersed with 5 water rinse licks presented on a variable ratio schedule. Tastants were quinine (0.1 mM, Q; 10 mM, HQ), NaCl (100 mM, N), saccharin (4 mM, S) and citric acid (10 mM, CA), dissolved in distilled water. Each rat was tested with Q, N, S, CA and water with 1, 2 or 3 stimulus licks on separate days. Rats showed evidence of Q avoidance/identification by the fourth interlick interval (ILI), ~580 ms, but only after aversion training and only in the 3-lick condition. To assess the effects of the motivation, we divided each session into halves. Only one trained rat identified Q after ILI-3, ~435 ms, in the second half of the session when given 3 licks of each stimulus. In Experiment 1B, we tested the same rats with HQ and found that all rats, regardless of learning condition, could identify quinine by ILI-4, ~580 ms. In Experiments 2 and 3, rats were given a choice of Q or HQ vs. S and Q or HQ vs. sucrose (100 mM) in a 1-lick paradigm. Results showed that decreasing the number of choices of tastants in a session did not speed avoidance/identification of Q. Present data suggest that the neural representation of a taste stimulus may require only a single lick, but stimulus identification time may be a function of experience and motivation.
Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) monitoring of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer using sensitive (second-generation) immunometric assays can be disrupted by false-negative and false-positive serum thyroglobulin autoantibody misclassifications.

Context: Reliable thyroglobulin (Tg) autoantibody (TgAb) detection before Tg testing for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is critical when TgAb status (positive/negative) is used to authenticate sensitive second-generation immunometric assay (2GIMA) measurements as free from TgAb interference and when reflexing “TgAb-positive” sera to TgAb-resistant, but less sensitive, Tg methodologies (radioimmunoassay [RIA] or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry [LC-MS/MS]). Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess how different Kronus (K) vs Roche (R) TgAb method cutoffs for “positivity” influence false-negative vs false-positive serum TgAb misclassifications that may reduce the clinical utility of reflex Tg testing. Methods: Serum Tg2GIMA, TgRIA, and TgLC-MS/MS measurements for 52 TgAb-positive and 37 TgAb-negative patients with persistent/recurrent DTC were compared. A total of 1426 DTC sera with TgRIA of ≥1.0 μg/L had false-negative and false-positive TgAb frequencies determined using low Tg...
How Does Truncation of the Mask Affect a Refinable Function

If the mask of a refinable function has infinitely many coefficients, or if the coefficients are irrational, then it is often replaced by a finite mask with coefficients with terminating decimal expansions when it comes to applications. This note studies how such truncation affects the refinable function.
Revisiting the connection between intramyocellular lipids and insulin resistance: a long and winding road

In the mid-1990s, researchers began to re-examine type 2 diabetes from a more ‘lipocentric’ perspective; giving strong consideration to the idea that systemic lipid imbalances give rise to glucose dysregulation, rather than vice versa. At the forefront of this paradigm shift was a report by Krssak and colleagues (Diabetologia 1999; 42:113–116) showing that intramyocellular lipid content, measured via the (then) novel application of proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, served as a robust indicator of muscle insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals. A subsequent wave of investigations produced compelling correlative evidence linking ectopic lipid deposition within skeletal myocytes to the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance. But this relationship has proven much more complex than originally imagined, and scientists today are still left wondering if and how the intramyocellular accumulation of lipid droplets has a direct bearing on insulin action. Originally viewed as a simple storage depot, the lipid droplet is now recognised as an essential and sophisticated organelle that actively participates in numerous cellular processes. This edition of ‘Then and now’ revisits the connection between intramuscular lipids and insulin resistance and looks to future research aimed at understanding the dynamic interplay between lipid droplet biology and metabolic health.
Histological Effect of Chlorpromazine on Nissl Substance and Golgi Apparatus of Cortical Neurons

SummaryIn mice receiving 15 mg kg day of chlorpromazine for 28 days and in rats receiving 25 mg kg of the drug 3 times a day for 3 days, no morphological alterations in the Nissl and Golgi bodies of the cells of the cerebral cortex were noted.
Asymmetrical Analogical Arguments

Analogies must be symmetric. If a is like b, then b is like a. So if a has property R, and if R is within the scope of the analogy, then b (probably) has R. However, analogical arguments generally single out, or depend upon, only one of a or b to serve as the basis for the inference. In this respect, analogical arguments are directed by an asymmetry. I defend the importance of this neglected – even when explicitly mentioned – feature in understanding analogical arguments.
Dislocation spiral kinetics of crystal evaporation

Abstract The effect of screw dislocations on the kinetics of evaporation of otherwise perfect metal crystals is considered. A criterion for departure from the limiting law of evaporation of perfect crystals in which the monatomic ledges emanate from crystal edges, i.e. evaporation coefficient α = 1 3 + 2 3 ( p p e ) , is given in terms of concentration of screw dislocations and temperature. At large undersaturations, high concentrations of screw dislocations and low temperatures tend to favor departure from the limiting law. At small undersaturations, the limiting law should apply regardless of temperature and concentration of screw dislocations. A criterion is given for the degree of undersaturation required to produce appreciable pitting at screw dislocations.
Improving the beam quality of nanosecond optical parametric oscillators

We show by computer simulation that high beam quality can be achieved in high energy, nanosecond optical parametric oscillators by using image-rotating resonators. Lateral walk off between the signal and idler beams in the nonlinear crystal creates correlations across the beams in the walk off direction, or equivalently, a restricted acceptance angle. This tends to improve beam quality in the walk off plane. We show that image rotation or reflection can be used to improve beam quality in both planes. The lateral walk off can be due to birefringent walk off in type II mixing or due to noncollinear mixing in type I or type II mixing.
A New Generation EOS Compositional Reservoir Simulator: Part II - Framework and Multiprocessing

This paper describes the design and implementation of a Problem Solving Environment (PSE) for developing parallel reservoir simulators that use multiple fault blocks, multiple physical models and dynamic locally adaptive meshrefinements. The objective of the PSE is to reduce the complexity of building flexible and efficient parallel reservoir simulators through the use of a high-level programming interface for problem specification and model composition, object-oriented programming abstractions that implement application objects, and distributed dynamic data-management that efficiently supports adaptation and parallelism. This work is presented in two parts. In Part I (SPE 37979), we describe the mathematical formulation and discuss numerical solution techniques, while this Part II paper we address framework and multiprocessing issues.
Influential observations in ANOVA and MANOVA models

A large number of diagnostic statistics have been proposed for identifying influential observations for the general linear model. Although regression, Anova, and Manova models are three special cases of the general linear model, many of the proposed diagnostics for regression are not suitable for Anova and Manova. In this paper several statistics are used for identifying influential observations in both Anova and Manova models. The results show that Welsch-Kuh distance along with likelihood displacements can be used for identifying influential observations. A few examples are considered to illustrate the methods.