cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acceptable Plasma Concentrations of Raltegravir and Etravirine When Administered by Gastrostomy Tube in a Patient with Advanced Multidrug-Resistant Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Study Objective To determine whether the absorption of four antiretroviral agents—raltegravir, etravirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir—is compromised when administered by gastrostomy tube. Design Pharmacokinetic analysis. Setting University medical center. Patient A 52-year-old African-American man coinfected with advanced multidrug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and chronic hepatitis B, who was receiving treatment with raltegravir, etravirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir, and developed ulcerative esophagitis with perforation, requiring a gastrostomy tube. Measurements and Main Results Due to the patient's esophageal perforations, all nutrition and drug therapy had to be provided by gastrostomy tube. As his antiretroviral regimen of raltegravir, etravirine, and emtricitabine-tenofovir was not available in liquid or powder formulations, the oral tablets were crushed or dispersed and mixed with water, then administered by gastrostomy tube. To ensure that the absorption of the drugs was sufficient for antiretroviral response, plasma samples were collected at 2 hours and 12 hours after dosing, and drug concentrations were quantitated by using validated assays. The 2- and 12-hour postdose plasma concentrations were 1220 and 446 ng/ml for raltegravir, 212 and 274 ng/ml for etravirine, 1148 and 164 ng/ml for emtricitabine, and 320 and 94 ng/ml for tenofovir, respectively. The patient's plasma concentrations were then compared with those in published pharmacokinetic studies of oral regimens administered to HIV-infected persons and healthy volunteers. Overall, the plasma concentrations of the antiretrovirals administered by gastrostomy tube were similar to published values. No drug toxicities were observed in this patient. Conclusion These pharmacokinetic data suggest that absorption of raltegravir, etravirine, emtricitabine, and tenofovir was not compromised when the drugs were administered by gastrostomy tube. These findings provide a basis for further investigation of the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerance, and antiretroviral response to raltegravir, etravirine, and emtricitabine-tenofovir when the oral route of administration is not possible.
Relative intensities of L X-rays excited by 75–300 keV proton impact on elements with Z = 39–50

Abstract L X-rays excited by 75–300 keV protons impacting thick targets of Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Rh, Pd, Ag and Sn were measured using an ultra-thin window Si(Li) detector. The intensities of the Ll and Lβ2,15 X-ray transitions relative to the Lα(L3M4,5) X-rays were derived from the data and compared with theoretical predictions. Discrepancies in the results are attributed to multiple vacancy production due to the collisions. Vacancy fractions for the M and N shells of the target atoms are deduced from the results.
Evaluating rehabilitation outcome by cost function indicators.

Abstract This paper examines the cost effectiveness relationship between services provided and patient function gained during hospitalization in comprehensive medical rehabilitation centers. The paper develops a multi-dimensional outcome indicator which is applicable over time to patients who have received rehabilitation services. This indicator is a composite measure of functional gain per dollar cost of services and does not assume that an individual is or will be income productive. The indicator is applied to a national sample of 230 severely disabled spinal cord and focal cerebral patients treated at 10 leading comprehensive rehabilitation centers located across the continental United States. Analysis of the sample indicates that treatment and management, not demographic, variables influenced rehabilitation success; comprehensive medical rehabilitation centers have very different levels of cost effectiveness; cost effectiveness differed by homogeneous disability groups treated; and the indicator developed in this paper has wider applicability and utility than other traditional measures of rehabilitation outcome.
Differential expression of the apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE/ref-1) multifunctional DNA base excision repair gene during fetal development and in adult rat brain and testis

The multifunctional mammalian apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease is responsible for the repair of AP sites in DNA. In addition, this enzyme has been shown to function as a redox factor facilitating the DNA binding capability of Jun-Jun homodimers and Fos-Jun heterodimers by altering their redox state and to be involved in calcium mediated transcriptional repression of the parathyroid hormone gene. Previous studies examining the tissue specific distribution of the AP endonuclease (APE) transcript and protein by Northern analysis and enzymatic assays, respectively, have shown that this gene is expressed in all tissues at relatively similar levels. In the current study, adult and fetal rat tissue sections were examined for the expression of the APE transcript in specific subpopulations of cells and during development by in situ hybridization. In the adult brain, the APE transcript showed a widespread, but heterogeneous pattern of expression. Predominant levels of transcript were detected in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, the hippocampus and the cerebellum. During fetal development, transcript was detected in all somatic sites examined with very high levels in the thymus, liver and developing brain. Examination of the adult testis indicated that the expression of the transcript varies with the stage of spermatogenesis with the highest levels being present over round spermatids. These results provide evidence that the APE gene is not homogeneously expressed, but rather is found in subpopulations of cells in the brain and testes and during development.
An Improved Method for Determining Medium- and Long-Chain FAMEs Using Gas Chromatography

The existing protocols for analyzing fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) using a one-step acetyl chloride (AC) catalyzed transesterification and extraction procedure cannot accurately determine the medium- and long-chain fatty acids simultaneously in clinical (enteral, parenteral) formulations. For example: (1) addition of AC at room temperature generates an exothermic reaction that often results in loss of sample and possible injury to the analyst; (2) certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are less stable at elevated temperatures during the transesterification and contribute to the over-estimation of the C16:0 and C18:1 fatty acids; and (3) the flame-ionization detector (FID) response varies depending on the carbon chain length of the fatty acids, that consequently impacts the underestimation of medium-chain fatty acid (C6-C10) recoveries. To overcome these deficiencies and accurately determine FAMEs, we have developed an improved one-step transesterification method that employs the addition of AC in tubes kept on a dry ice bath, the transesterification at room temperature, and the data analysis using relative response factors. Using this modified protocol, we determined the fatty acid composition of lipid emulsions (Omegaven and Lipidem) on a Shimadzu GC2010 gas chromatography (GC) system using a capillary GC column (Zebron ZB-WAX plus, 30 m, 0.25 mm ID, 0.25 microm). Our data suggest that the improved method can be easily used to accurately determine fatty acids (C6-C24) in functional foods and lipid emulsions.
Richard T. Ely and the Contribution of Economic Research to National Housing Policy, 1920-1940

In December of 1931, 3,608 leaders of business, government, and civic affairs met in Washington, DC for the President's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership . Thirty-one conference committees ultimately produced 11 volumes of reports designed to promote affordable, improved quality, owner-occupied housing in urban and rural areas.' An important feature of these reports was the extent of technical research utilised by the committees. Had the conference been held a decade earlier, far less scholarly expertise would have been
Cilengitide (EMD 121974, NSC 707544) in asymptomatic metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer patients: a randomized phase II trial by the prostate cancer clinical trials consortium

Background Integrins are involved in prostate cancer metastasis by regulating cell adhesion, migration, invasion, motility, angiogenesis and bone metabolism. We evaluated the efficacy of two dose levels of cilengitide in patients (pts) with castrate resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Methods Chemotherapy-naive, asymptomatic metastatic CRPC pts were randomized to cilengitide 500 mg or 2,000 mg IV twice weekly using parallel 2-stage design. The primary endpoint was rate of objective clinical progression at 6-months. Secondary endpoints included clinical and PSA response rates, safety and effects of cilengitide treatment on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and bone remodeling markers. Results Forty-four pts were accrued to first stage (22/arm). Median number of cycles was three in both arms (500 mg arm: 1–8; 2,000 mg arm: 1–15). At 6 months, two pts (9%) on the 500 mg arm and five pts (23%) on the 2,000 mg arm had not progressed. Best objective response was stable disease (SD) in seven pts for 9.9[8.1,20.9] months. There were three grade 3 and no grade 4 toxicities. At 12 weeks, analysis of bone markers did not reveal significant trends. At progression, bone specific alkaline phosphatase and N-telopeptide increased in all pts, less so in pts on the 2,000 mg arm and in pts on both arms who obtained SD at 6 months. CTCs increased over time in both arms. Conclusion Cilengitide was well tolerated with modest clinical effect in favor of the higher dose. The unique trial design including a shift from response rate to objective progression as the endpoint, and not acting on PSA increases was feasible.
The Native Population of the Americas in 1492, 2nd edition

The Native Population of the Americas in 1492, (2nd edition).William M. Denevan (editor), with a foreword by W. George Lovell. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1992. xliv + 353 pp., glossary, 2 bibliographies, index. $45.00 (cloth), $14.95 (paper). ISBN 0-299-13430-X, ISBN 0-299-13434-2.
Demonstration of high-resolution doping profile mapping using terahertz time domain spectroscopy with electrochemical anodization

In the previous work we presented results demonstrating the ability of transmission mode terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to detect doping profile differences and deviations in silicon. Here we report follow up work demonstrating doping profile measurement by first precisely removing a thin layer (currently ~ 20 nm) from the junction by anodization followed by selective oxide etching. The anodization-etching step is followed by measuring the terahertz transmission using THz-TDS. The anodization and terahertz measurement steps are then alternated. The doping profile can then be reconstructed using the resultant dataset. In this work we share results obtained on phosphorus doped silicon wafers. We find good agreement between the measured transmitted terahertz spectra and the simulated terahertz spectra for all etching cycles when the doping profile used in the simulations agrees with SIMS analysis. We conclude that anodization combined with THz-TDS can potentially be a high resolution destructive doping profile mapping method.
The response of fluoroscopic image intensifier-TV systems.

Three different types of X-ray fluoroscopic TV chains were investigated: two standard clinical units, one with a vidicon camera tube, the other with a plumbicon camera tube; and the third was a large flat-screen unit. In each an X-ray beam generated at 100 kVp was passed through 10 cm of H2O before aluminum absorbers of varying thickness were introduced. Five video recordings were made at each absorber thickness. The video image was digitized directly from the disk recording and quantized into 128 gray levels. The five recordings were averaged on a point-to-point basis, and the central 900 averaged points were again averaged to yield a value for the gray level assigned to each particular image. This 30 by 30 matrix of points corresponds to input screen areas of 29, 8.2, and 3.6 sq cm for the three units investigated.
A coupled ocean-ecosystem model of the Ross Sea: 2. Iron regulation of phytoplankton taxonomic variability and primary production

[1] A model of the Ross Sea pelagic ecosystem has been developed by incorporating biological and nutrient dynamics into an ocean general circulation model. Surface heat and salt fluxes are calculated in the model using sea ice concentrations that are specified daily using the 20 year climatology derived from passive microwave satellite data. Surface spectral irradiance is calculated and propagated through both the water column and the sea ice. The biological state variables include two phytoplankton groups (diatoms and Phaeocystis antarctica), two nutrients (NO3 and Fe), detritus, and zooplankton. Nutrients are supplied to the sea surface from upwelling of nutrient-rich deep waters, and in the case of Fe, from melting sea ice and snow which have accumulated aeolian-derived Fe during the preceding autumn and winter. Phytoplankton growth rate is computed as a function of light or nutrient limitation. The model is able to accurately simulate the temporal evolution of the two well-described phytoplankton blooms that dominate the southwestern Ross Sea: the diatom bloom in the shallow mixed layer of the western continental shelf (including Terra Nova Bay) and the P. antarctica bloom in the more deeply mixed Ross Sea polynya region. The simulated temporal progression of both phytoplankton blooms as well as their magnitude of primary production are in good agreement with time series estimates made using satellite ocean color data as validated by in situ observations. Model results suggest that Fe availability controls annual primary production in the Ross Sea, with only about two thirds of the available macronutrients in surface waters being consumed during the course of the bloom, but that Fe has little role in determining phytoplankton community composition. Rather, the taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton blooms is determined by the differential responses of shade-adapted P. antarctica and high light-adapted diatoms to the different mixing (and hence light) regimes within the Ross Sea. The model also predicts the development of a previously undescribed phytoplankton bloom along the eastern continental shelf, just north of the Ross Ice Shelf. The physical environment of this third phytoplankton bloom differs from that of the western shelf and the Ross Sea polynya region in that it receives a larger input of sea ice-derived Fe and experiences complete exhaustion of surface NO3. Consequently, annual production on the eastern continental shelf is higher than anywhere else in the Ross Sea and supports an unusually large grazer population.
Effectiveness of an Online Graduate Preparation Program

The present study reports the results of a controlled examination of the effectiveness of an online graduate preparation program, the Virtual Advisor. The effects of the Virtual Advisor were compar...
Technical Note-Successive Approximations in Value Determination for a Markov Decision Process

We present a new procedure for solving the value-determination equations for an undiscounted Markov decision process by the successive approximations of a Gauss-Seidel or Jacobi iteration method. The key step is to use the Markov chain partitioning algorithm to compute the steady-state probabilities corresponding to a given policy. The gain, computed in terms of the steady-state probabilities, is substituted into the value-determination equations. After deleting one relative value and one value-determination equation, we show that the remaining system of equations satisfies the sufficient conditions for the convergence of a Gauss-Seidel or Jacobi iteration.
The dimension of the moduli space of superminimal surfaces of a fixed degree and conformal structure in the 4-sphere

It was established by X. Mo and the author that the dimension of each irreducible component of the moduli space $\mathcal{M}_{d,g}(X)$ of branched superminimal immersions of degree $d$ from a Riemann surface $X$ of genus $g$ into $C P^3$ lay between $2d-4g+4$ and $2d-g+4$ for $d$ sufficiently large, where the upper bound was always assumed by the irreducible component of {\it totally geodesic} branched superminimal immersions and the lower bound was assumed by all {\it nontotally geodesic} irreducible components of $\mathcal{M}_{6,1}(T)$ for any torus $T$. It is shown, via deformation theory, in this note that for $d=8g+1+3k$, $k\geq 0$, and any Riemann surface $X$ of $g\geq 1$, the above lower bound is assumed by at least one irreducible component of $\mathcal{M}_{d,g}(X)$.
Community source development: an emerging model with new opportunities

This paper focuses on an emerging model for software development in higher education: community source. Community source seeks to blend aspects of both open source and traditional development processes. Volunteers join at the institutional level and share resources and ideas to develop applications for common needs. The code remains open, but the collaboration exists in a meritocracy; those who contribute the most have the most influence on the outcome. While many in the HCI community have long abandoned the prospect of affecting change in open source development, average computer users, rather than developers, are becoming the main audience. As open source matures and community source emerges, some new opportunities are presenting themselves. They require a dialogue within our profession to yield new processes and vocabularies that work within the open source framework.
The readaptation of Eocene sirenians to life in water

Eocene sirenians and cetaceans simultaneously and independently evolved similar morphological adaptations to aquatic life. These included increased flexibility in the sacral region, reduction and loss of hind limbs, shortening of the neck, increased skeletal mass, and other modifications. Loss of hind limbs was probably driven by selection for the maintenance of horizontal trim. The advantage of a shorter neck lay in the more anterior position and consequently the greater turning moments of forelimb control surfaces that it made possible.
Exploring the DNA-recognition potential of homeodomains

The recognition potential of most families of DNA-binding domains (DBDs) remains relatively unexplored. Homeodomains (HDs), like many other families of DBDs, display limited diversity in their preferred recognition sequences. To explore the recognition potential of HDs, we utilized a bacterial selection system to isolate HD variants, from a randomized library, that are compatible with each of the 64 possible 3' triplet sites (i.e., TAANNN). The majority of these selections yielded sets of HDs with overrepresented residues at specific recognition positions, implying the selection of specific binders. The DNA-binding specificity of 151 representative HD variants was subsequently characterized, identifying HDs that preferentially recognize 44 of these target sites. Many of these variants contain novel combinations of specificity determinants that are uncommon or absent in extant HDs. These novel determinants, when grafted into different HD backbones, produce a corresponding alteration in specificity. This information was used to create more explicit HD recognition models, which can inform the prediction of transcriptional regulatory networks for extant HDs or the engineering of HDs with novel DNA-recognition potential. The diversity of recovered HD recognition sequences raises important questions about the fitness barrier that restricts the evolution of alternate recognition modalities in natural systems.
Prevalence of inadvertenthypothermia during the perioperative period: A quality assurance and performance improvement study

The inadvertent hypothermia that is often seen after anesthesia in a coolenvironment has been associated with delays in recovery from anesthesia and longer stays in the PACU. This quality assurance/performance improvement study was undertaken to determine the following: (1) the effectiveness of current interventions for preventing intraoperative hypothermia, (2) whether there were any apparent differences in effectiveness among the current methods for preventing intraoperative hypothermia, and (3) was intraoperative hypothermia associated with delays in discharge from the PACU. Data were completed on 502 patients. Despite longer surgical procedures, those patients treated intraoperatively with the Bair Hugger (Augustine Medical Inc., Eden Prairic, MN) were less likely to arrive in the PACU hypothermic than those who did not receive this treatment. Patients who arrived in the PACU hypothermic had longer PACU stays than patients who arrived normothermic. As a result of these findings, changes in nursing practice in the PACU and in the availability of the Bair Hugger in the operating rooms were made.
A new Xenorophus -like odontocete cetacean from the oligocene of North Carolina and a discussion of the basal odontocete radiation

Synopsis Oligocene cetaceans in eastern North America are currently only reported from the area around Charleston, South Carolina, despite the relative abundance of Oligocene nearshore marine rocks from Mississippi across the Gulf Coast into Florida and the Carolinas. A new skull from Onslow Beach, North Carolina, here designated Albertocetus meffordorum, represents the first named Oligocene cetacean from eastern North America outside the Charleston area. The skull is similar in size to Xenorophus sloani and Archaeodelphis patrius, but is more complete than the type specimen of either. The specimen is missing most of the rostrum and does not include any teeth. Both tympanic bullae and periotics are present and in place on the specimen. The holotype specimen includes portions of the mandibles, which were originally crushed on to the base of the skull. The anterior edge of the nasal is posterior to the level of the antorbital notch and the nasal roofs the nasal passage. The nasals, premaxillae and maxillae ...
Infants Use Meter to Categorize Rhythms and Melodies: Implications for Musical Structure Learning.

Little is known about whether infants perceive meter, the underlying temporal structure of music. We employed a habituation paradigm to examine whether 7-month-old infants could categorize rhythmic and melodic patterns on the basis of the underlying meter, which was implied from event and accent frequency of occurrence. In Experiment 1, infants discriminated duple and triple classes of rhythm on the basis of implied meter. Experiment 2 replicated this result while controlling for rhythmic grouping structure, confirming that infants perceived metrical structure despite occasional ambiguities and conflicting group structure. In Experiment 3, infants categorized melodies on the basis of contingencies between metrical position and pitch. Infants presented with metrical melodies detected reversals of pitch/meter contingencies, while infants presented with non-metrical melodies showed no preference. Results indicate that infants can infer meter from rhythmic patterns, and that they may use this metrical structure to bootstrap their knowledge acquisition in music learning.
Elinor Ostrom: uncommon

I first met Elinor Ostrom in the early 1970s. I was an assistant professor at Washington University, St. Louis, and she was a recently tenured associate professor at Indiana University who traveled to St. Louis from Bloomington on a regular basis to ride around dicey urban neighborhoods in police cruisers. Her research focused on metropolitan governance with special emphasis on the delivery of urban services of which police protection was a prime example. She was a member of the recently founded Public Choice Society (indeed, her spouse Vincent was a founding member) and was an adherent of the rational choice approach to social phenomena that later came to be identified under the banners of the Rochester School, the Virginia School, and the Bloomington School. But Elinor Ostrom was an uncommon scholar, and this shall be the theme of my brief contribution to this collection.
All Reviews are Not Created Equal: The Disaggregate Impact of Reviews and Reviewers at Amazon.com

Online product review networks help to transmit information that customers can use to evaluate product quality. The prior literature has found that, in the aggregate, better product reviews lead to higher sales. However, product review networks increasingly include an explicit social component that allows consumers to evaluate individual reviews based on the status of the reviewer and on the "helpfulness" of the review to the community. In this research, we extend this literature by analyzing the impact of reviews at a disaggregate level. We find that reviews that the community finds helpful have a stronger influence on consumers' purchase decisions than other reviews do. Moreover, these reviews have a stronger impact on less popular books than on more popular books, where consumers may be able to use other outside information sources to form an opinion of the product. Overall, our results suggest that the micro-level dynamics of community interactions are valuable in signaling quality over-and-above aggregate-level scores. One implication of this result is that the micro-level dynamics of reputation communities make it harder for self-interested parties to manipulate reviews versus an environment where consumers only have aggregate quality measures.
A Rare Case of Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome Development in an Immunocompromised Patient with Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy and Multicentric Castleman's Disease.

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) development in HIV with preexistent progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) has been extensively studied. PML-IRIS typically manifests clinically as new or worsening neurologic symptoms in conjunction with enlarging CNS lesions and occurs in approximately 10–20 percent of HIV-infected patients with PML who begin HAART. Likewise, Multicentric Castleman’s Disease (MCD), a rare malignant lymphoproliferative disorder, has a strong and well-known association with HIV. Our case provides a rare instance of PML-IRIS in combination with MCD in an HIV-positive individual. The combination of all three diseases has never been reported in the literature. Both MCD and PML were present during initial determination of HIV infection in our patient and their disease courses were altered during the subsequent development of IRIS.
Transplanted glioma cells migrate and proliferate on host brain vasculature: A dynamic analysis

Glioma cells have a remarkable capacity to infiltrate the brain and migrate long distances from the tumor, making complete surgical resection impossible. Yet, little is known about how glioma cells interact with the complex microenvironment of the brain. To investigate the patterns and dynamics of glioma cell infiltration and migration, we stereotactically injected eGFP and DsRed-2 labeled rat C6 glioma cells into neonatal rat forebrains and used time-lapse microscopy to observe glioma cell migration and proliferation in slice cultures generated from these brains. In this model, glioma cells extensively infiltrated the brain by migrating along the abluminal surface of blood vessels. Glioma cells intercalated their processes between the endothelial cells and the perivascular astrocyte end feet, but did not invade into the blood vessel lumen. Dynamic analysis revealed notable similarities between the migratory behavior of glioma cells and that previously observed for glial progenitor cells. Glioma cells had a characteristic leading process and migrated in a saltatory fashion, with bursts of migration separated by periods of immobility, and maximum speeds of over 100 microm/h. Migrating glioma cells proliferated en route, pausing for as short as an hour to divide before the daughter cells resumed migrating. Remarkably, the majority of glioma cell divisions took place at or near vascular branch points, suggesting that mitosis is triggered by local environmental cues. This study provides the first dynamic analysis of glioma cell infiltration in living brain tissue and reveals that the migration and proliferation of transplanted glioma cells is directed by interactions with host brain vasculature.
Differential effects of an offender-focused crime prevention media campaign

Despite the widespread use of media crime prevention campaigns targeting both potential victims and offenders, there exists only superficial understanding about their effectiveness. Less is known about possible differential effects of such campaigns across those who consume them. Early research evaluating the effect of victim-focused campaigns found that they were effective, however, the influence varied across different citizen groups. Comparatively little is known about the impact of offender-focused campaigns, generally, and it remains uncertain whether the influence of these campaigns also varies across potential offending subpopulations. Using national survey data (N=820) from the offender-focused
Analysis of the global vegetation dynamic metrics using MODIS Vegetation Index and land cover products

Climate change has important implications on the global distribution and dynamics of vegetation that, in turn, impacts the global carbon cycle. Irrespective of the forcings driving these changes, a characterization of global vegetation dynamics and the establishment of accurate metrics that can be linked to forcings are paramount to addressing questions related to climate change and its bearings on the terrestrial biosphere. Terrestrial ecosystems affect the climate through a complex system of interactions among water, carbon and energy. An increase, or decrease in these fluxes forces new equilibrium states and feedbacks to the climate system, which in turn impacts the ecosystems. NDVI-based time series analysis of satellite imagery from the NOAA-AVHRR sensor, collected during the last two decades narrates an enhanced vegetation activity over key areas of the Earth (high and mid latitudes). Most of this increase in activities has been indirectly linked to an increase in the Earth's temperature and CO2 concentration. In this study, we assessed the relationships between vegetation dynamic metrics and climate-ecosystem parameters. We analyzed 3 years of MODIS Vegetation Index (VI) data augmented by a global land cover map derived from the same sensor, and the GTOPO DEM data. Using a stratified spatial analysis, we assessed the role of the following characteristics on vegetation: 1) Latitude: to isolate temperature regimes and seasonality, 2) Elevation: to isolate land cover and precipitation distribution, 3) Land cover: to isolate phenological characteristics. A combinatorial analysis using the above stratification was applied in successive orders to generate compound results. The results yielded coherent time series profiles depicting vegetation dynamics as it relates to elevation, latitude and land cover
Long-term radiographic follow-up of the Nissen fundoplication in children

This study examined 46 children 5-9 years (mean 6.7) after Nissen fundoplication surgery for gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Eleven were deceased and ten of the 35 families declined objective evaluation. The remaining 25 children (71%) had a barium swallow examination. In 16 of the 25 patients the fundoplication was intact. In 2 patients a small portion of the fundoplication was displaced above the diaphragm. In 5 patients there was residual esophageal disease. In 3 patients (one with esophageal disease), with a hiatus hernia prior to surgery, despite immediate postoperative reduction, the barium swallow examination done for this study revealed recurrent hiatus hernia but no GER. Long-term results of the Nissen fundoplication reveal success in eliminating clinically significant gastroesophageal reflux. Those patients with esophageal disease prior to the surgery need close interval follow-up to monitor continuing problems.
Eliminating exception constraints of Java programs for IA-64

Java exception checks are designed to ensure that any, faulting instruction causing a hardware exception does not terminate the program abnormally. These checks, however, impose some constraints upon the execution order between an instruction potentially raising a Java exception and a faulting instruction causing a hardware exception. This reduces the effectiveness of instruction reordering optimization. We propose a new framework to effectively perform speculation for the Java language using a direct acyclic graph representation based on the SSA form. Using this framework, we apply a well-known speculation technique to a faulting load instruction to eliminate such constraints. We use edges to represent exception constraints. This allows us to accurately estimate the potential reduction of the critical path length for applying speculation. We also propose an approach to avoid extra copy instructions and to generate efficient code with minimum register pressure. We have implemented the technique in the IBM Java Just-In-Time compiler, and observed performance improvements up to 25% for micro-benchmark programs, up to 10% for Java Grande Benchmark Suite, and up to 12% for SPECjvm98 on an Itanium processor.
Immediate early genes of glucocorticoid action on the developing intestine.

Prior studies have demonstrated that glucocorticoid hormones elicit functional maturation of the small intestine as evidenced by their ability to induce increases in the expression of various diges...
Allergic contact dermatitis from dodecyl maleamic acid in Curad adhesive plastic bandages

Two patients, who developed eczematous eruptions beneath Curad-brand medical adhesive plastic bandages, were found to have allergic contact dermatitis to N -dodecyl maleamic acid, N -dodecyl maleamic acid is a monomer used in the production of the adhesive in Curad bandages. Our patients were also sensitive to several closely related chemical compounds. We discuss the chemical requisite for allergenicity of these compounds. These are the first documented cases of allergic contact dermatitis from dodecyl maleamic acid.
Pollution of the Stratosphere

Ozone in the stratosphere is vital to life on Earth. Yet it is chemically unstable and is susceptible to catalytic destruction from a long list of chemical substances, including NOX, HOX, CIOX, and metal oxides. In the stratosphere, these catalysts can be very active in ozone destruction, even when present at only one part of catalyst per 10,000 of ozone.Pollutants can reach the stratosphere in two ways: (1) by direct injection, as from supersonic transports, military aircraft, rockets, or nuclear bombs, and (2) by indirect injection from the troposphere, which may occur for inert, water-insoluble substances that will eventually work their way up into the stratosphere.The mass of catalysts sufficient to destroy stratospheric ozone at a significant, world-wide rate is less than the mass of the annual waste products from several industrial operations. In particular, the mass of nitrogen oxides from the exhausts of 500 supersonic transports is far above the threshold for significant catalytic destruction of ozone. This could have profound effects on the working and very maintenance of the biosphere.
Environmental Variables Affecting the School Achievement of Culturally and Linguistically Different Learners: An Instructional Perspective.

Abstract The literature offers many explanations for the differential educational attainment of culturally and linguistically different learners. However, research on effective methods is relatively scarce. This review of the literature was designed to examine the research basis for the school achievement of culturally and linguistically different learners from the standpoint of instructional effectiveness and the opportunity to learn. This review concentrated upon research which directly assessed specific ecological/instructional processes in relationship to achievement outcome measures. An important contribution of the present review is the focus upon functional ecological and teaching variables affecting the academic performance of culturally and linguistically different learners.
Effect of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting on Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Men Eligible for Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator.

Implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD) therapy for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death is not routinely recommended within 90 days of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) because of the possibility of an improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) to>35% after revascularization. We sought to determine the incidence and predictors of EF improvement to >35% after isolated CABG in patients who had a preoperative EF ≤35%. We studied 375 patients who underwent CABG at a tertiary institution and had an echocardiogram preoperatively and postoperatively. Of these, 74 patients (20%) with a preoperative EF ≤35% were included in this analysis. Improvement in EF was defined as postoperative EF >35%. In the overall study population (n = 74), mean EF improved from 28 ± 6% preoperatively to 36 ± 12% postoperatively (p 35% (mean EF in these patients increased from 30 ± 5% to 46 ± 8%; p 35% after surgery and became ineligible for a primary prevention ICD. EF improvement was unlikely in patients with preoperative EF
THE NUCLEAR ANNULI AS PATHWAYS FOR NUCLEOCYTOPLASMIC EXCHANGES

Colloidal gold particles, 25 to 55 A in diameter, which had been coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone, were microinjected into the ground cytoplasm of amebas (Chaos chaos). At time intervals of 1 minute, 2 minutes, 10 minutes, and 24 hours after injection the cells were fixed for electron microscopy. After 24 hours, gold particles were found in both the nuclei and the ground cytoplasm, the concentration being higher in the nuclei. Colloidal particles were also present in the nuclei after 10 minutes, but at this time interval the concentration did not appear to be greater than that in the ground cytoplasm. One and 2 minutes after injection, the gold particles were located almost exclusively in the ground cytoplasm; however, individual particles were often found within the annuli of the nuclear envelope, and were located specifically in the centers of these structures. The results suggest that at least some of the gold particles which enter the nuclei pass through the annuli, and that passage through these structures may be restricted to a central channel.
Abstract W P266: The Discharge Modified Rankin Score Correlates with Established Hemorrhagic Transformation Scores in Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Thrombolysis

Introduction: Several scores have been proposed to predict hemorrhagic transformation (HT) after IV r-tPA therapy. However, their utility in predicting adverse outcome has been limited to assessment of 30- or 90-day Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores, which are not readily available at many stroke centers. Studies evaluating discharge mRS scores as a predictor of long-term adverse patient outcome are lacking. Hypothesis: We tested the hypothesis that HT scores predicting long-term adverse outcome after r-tPA therapy correlate with readily available discharge mRS scores. Methods: Clinical data was analyzed from consecutive patients (n = 187) receiving IV r-tPA therapy from January 2009 until May 2013 at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. 8 HT scores were calculated for each patient: DRAGON, ASTRAL, Stroke-TPI, HAT Score, MSS, SITS-ICH, SEDAN and SPAN-100. Univariate logistic regression was performed using each HT score as an independent variable and discharge mRS≥5 or discharge mRS≥4 as the dependent variable. R...
Variability in mortality following caesarean delivery, appendectomy, and groin hernia repair in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and analysis of published data

Summary Background Surgical interventions occur at lower rates in resource-poor settings, and complication and death rates following surgery are probably substantial but have not been well quantified. A deeper understanding of outcomes is a crucial step to ensure that high quality accompanies increased global access to surgical care. We aimed to assess surgical mortality following three common surgical procedures—caesarean delivery, appendectomy, and groin (inguinal and femoral) hernia repair—to quantify the potential risks of expanding access without simultaneously addressing issues of quality and safety. Methods We collected demographic, health, and economic data for 113 countries classified as low income or lower-middle income by the World Bank in 2005. We did a systematic review of Ovid, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Scopus from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 15, 2015, to identify studies in these countries reporting all-cause mortality following the three commonly undertaken operations. Reports from governmental and other agencies were also identified and included. We modelled surgical mortality rates for countries without reported data using a two-step multiple imputation method. We first used a fully conditional specification (FCS) multiple imputation method to establish complete datasets for all missing variables that we considered potentially predictive of surgical mortality. We then used regression-based predictive mean matching imputation methods, specified within the multiple imputation FCS method, for selected predictors for each operation using the completed dataset to predict mortality rates along with confidence intervals for countries without reported mortality data. To account for variability in data availability, we aggregated results by subregion and estimated surgical mortality rates. Findings From an initial 1302 articles and reports identified, 247 full-text articles met our inclusion criteria, and 124 provided data for surgical mortality for at least one of the three selected operations. We identified 42 countries with mortality data for at least one of the three procedures. Median reported mortality was 7·9 per 1000 operations for caesarean delivery (IQR 2·8–19·9), 2·2 per 1000 operations for appendectomy (0·0–17·2), and 4·9 per 1000 operations for groin hernia (0·0–11·7). Perioperative mortality estimates by subregion ranged from 2·8 (South Asia) to 50·2 (East Asia) per 1000 caesarean deliveries, 2·4 (South Asia) to 54·0 (Central sub-Saharan Africa) per 1000 appendectomies, and 0·3 (Andean Latin America) to 25·5 (Southern sub-Saharan Africa) per 1000 hernia repairs. Interpretation All-cause postoperative mortality rates are exceedingly variable within resource-constrained environments. Efforts to expand surgical access and provision of services must include a strong commitment to improve the safety and quality of care. Funding None.
Covalent Modification of Diruthenium Alkynyl Compounds: Novel Application of Click Reactions in Organometallic Chemistry

Diruthenium alkynyl compounds containing one or two 1,2,3-triazoles were prepared via the Cu(I)-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction (click reaction). Electrochemical, magnetic, and molecular structural features of the click products indicate that peripheral modification with the 1,2,3-triazole substituent induces minimal changes in both the molecular structure and electronic properties of Ru2 alkynyl compounds.
The impact of a capstone farm management course on critical thinking abilities

Current research demonstrates a need to explore the effects of specific course designs or directed activities on higher education students’ critical thinking abilities. Specifically, such research on the effect of an experiential learning-based capstone course is limited. All students (N = 54) enrolled in a capstone farm management course completed a critical thinking assessment test through a pretest–posttest design, and 25 of the paired tests were analyzed using t tests. Although there were no statistically significant increases for overall critical thinking scores, there was a significant increase in one subskill: Summarize a pattern of results in a graph. The capstone course in this study may emphasize only certain subskills of critical thinking development while negating to address others. The key implication for instructors of similar capstone courses is to be intentional in targeting development of the wide array of specific skills shown to affect overall critical thinking abilities.
Effects of Inbreeding on Reproduction and Sex Ratio of Rattus villosissimus

A retrospective study of the breeding records of a laboratory colony of an Australian rodent, Rattus villosissimus , demonstrated significant inbreeding depression in the number of young bom per litter, with a 3.4% decrease for each 10% increase in the inbreeding coefficient. This inbreeding depression showed no evidence of amelioration as the laboratory population became highly inbred over 25 generations. Inbreeding had no effect on survival or growth rate of juveniles. There was a significant relationship between the number of young and the sex ratio of a litter, with larger litters having a higher proportion of females. Inbreeding, while decreasing the number of young per litter, did not result in a significant shift in the sex ratio.
Reported Blood and Body Fluid Exposures in Employees at a Level I Trauma Center

(related communication) Baseline, % highly rated (n) Intervention, % highly rated (n) p Value n1⁄426 n1⁄411 Fire risk assessment 23.1 (6) 63.6 (7) 0.09 (ns) Implants/equipment 26.9 (7) 81.8 (9) 0.04 Critical steps/continencies 42.3 (11) 90.9 (10) 0.02 EBL/blood products needed 57.7 (15) 100 (11) 0.02 Anesthesia concerns 19.2 (5) 72.7 (8) 0.08 (ns) Beta blocker review 38.5 (10) 81.8 (9) 0.08 (ns) S110 Surgical Forum Abstracts J Am Coll Surg
AGGRESSION, DENSITY, AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN CHERNETID PSEUDOSCORPIONS (ARACHNIDA: PSEUDOSCORPIONIDA).

The determinants of sexual dimorphism in a family of false scorpions (Pseudoscorpionida: Chernetidae) were investigated experimentally and with a literature analysis of comparative morphometric and habitat data. Species vary in the extent to which males and females differ in size of the pedipalps, and, in particular, in size of the pedipalpal chelae. A statistical analysis of dimorphism patterns within the Chernetidae suggests that dimorphism is a highly variable condition, relatively unconstrained by phylogenetic influences. The evolution of species with enlarged male pedipalps appears to be associated with a change from nonpairing to pairing sperm-transfer behavior and with aggressive mate acquisition by males. Experiments with Dinocheirus arizonensis demonstrate a strong correlation between male combat ability and chela size. Manipulations also suggest that superior combat ability of large males results in increased mating success only under high-density conditions. The greater success in spermatophore transfer among large males can be attributed to increased opportunity at high density for large males to interrupt matings and aggressively displace smaller males. Comparative analysis showed a positive correlation between density and enlarged male chela size across chernetid species.