cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of psychosis in patients with epilepsy treated with lamotrigine: Report of six cases and review of the literature

Lamotrigine (LTG) is a generally well-tolerated antiepileptic drug (AED) with broad-spectrum efficacy in several forms of partial and generalized epilepsy and is also licensed for use in bipolar disorder in several countries. We describe six patients who developed a psychotic disorder--in most, but not all, cases schizophrenia-like in character--under treatment with LTG, within a group of about 1400 patients treated with this drug in our center. This indicates that psychosis is a rare adverse event under LTG treatment. On the background of available drug serum levels, we suggest, in particular, an intrinsic or toxic psychotogenic effect of LTG. Possible risk factors seem to be psychiatric comorbidity and temporal lobe pathology. The described phenomenon is discussed within the context of possible psychotogenic effects of other AEDs.
Restriction of qualitative models to ensure more specific behaviour

This paper discusses methods for applying restrictions to qualitative models of physical systems in order to ensure more specific behaviour. Restriction is performed by adding constraints; directly on exogenous parameters, and indirectly on non-exogenous or dependent parameters. The former are called primary restrictions, and the latter are called derived restrictions. We show the connection between primary and derived restrictions, and how to determine the consistency of multiple restrictions. Examples are given of how a specific model is augmented using restrictions.
Patrick Sharkey, Stuck in Place: Urban Neighborhoods and the End of Progress Toward Racial Equality

Editor: LOUISE K. COMFORTUniversity of Pittsburgh, USAStuck in Place is a remarkable book that provides a meticulous and comprehensive picture of why African Americans in the nation’s poorest ghett...
Patterns of Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk in Low-Income, Urban African American Girls.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between violence exposure and sexual risk-taking among low-income, urban African American (AA) adolescent girls, considering overlap among different types and characteristics of violence. METHODS: AA adolescent girls were originally recruited from outpatient mental health clinics serving urban, mostly low-SES communities in Chicago, IL as part of a two-year longitudinal investigation of HIV-risk behavior. A subsequent follow-up was completed to assess lifetime history of trauma and violence exposure. The current study (N=177) included violence exposure and sexual risk behavior reported at the most recent interview (ages 14-22). Multiple regression was used to examine combined and unique contributions of different types, ages, settings, and perpetrators or victims of violence to variance in sexual risk. RESULTS: More extensive violence exposure and cumulative exposure to different kinds of violence were associated with overall unsafe sex, more partners, and inconsistent condom use. The most significant unique predictors, accounting for overlap among different forms of violence, were physical victimization, adolescent exposure, neighborhood violence, and violence involving dating partners. CONCLUSIONS: These findings put sexual risk in the context of broad traumatic experiences but also suggest that the type and characteristics of violence exposure matter in terms of sexual health outcomes. Violence exposure should be addressed in efforts to reduce STIs among low-income, urban African American girls. Language: en
A New Operative Approach for Type I Choledochal Cysts

To present a novel modification of the surgical technique for open excision of type I choledochal cysts. The treatment of choice for choledochal cyst is surgical excision because such cysts are associated with an increased incidence of cancer. The commonly used operative technique provides poor access to the structures posterior to the cyst, principally the portal vein, and poor visibility of the junction of the cyst with the hepatic ducts and the pancreatic duct. The modification reduces these problems. The key operative step involves early transection of the choledochal cyst near its midpoint. This provides improved access to the back of the cyst. Slitting the sides of the cyst allows clear visibility from within the cyst of the union of the hepatic ducts with the cyst, and the entrance of the pancreatic duct, thus protecting them. Excision of type I choledochal cysts using the described method was completed in 11 adult patients between 2003 and 2012. One patient (9 %) was found to have a concurrent gallbladder cancer and underwent an R0 resection at the time of choledochal cyst excision. No patients experienced any intraoperative complications. One patient (9 %) developed a portal vein thrombosis postoperatively. The described technique is a safe and feasible method for the excision of extrahepatic choledochal cysts, and provides an advantage in allowing the surgeon to visualize the hepatic and pancreatic ducts from within the cyst and thus protect them during cyst excision.
Genetic injury in hybrid male mice exposed to low doses of 60C γ-rays or fission neutrons I. Response to single doses☆

Young adult male B6CF1 mice were exposed to single whole body doses of fission neutrons or 60Co γ rays. Postspermatogonial dominant lethal injury, incidence of reciprocal chromosome translocations induced in spermatogonia, incidence of abnormal epididymal sperm 4–6 weeks after exposure, and testis weight loss 3–6 weeks after exposure were all measured. Emphasis is on response to neutron doses between 1 and 40 rad, and γ-ray doses between 22.5 and 145 rad, although more limited data from a 4-fold higher dose range were integrated into the analysis. Significant effects were seen at 1 and 2.5 rad of neutrons consistent with extrapolation from higher doses, with the exception of dominant lethal mutations, which occurred in significant excess of expectation. Dose-response functions were linear or linear-quadratic, depending upon end point, radiation quality, and dose range. For translocation frequencies, the D2 term was negative for neutron and positive for γ-ray irradiations. RBE values varied with dose and end point. For testis weight loss and abnormal sperm over the full dose range, the RBEs were between 5 and 6. They were between 7 and 9 at lower doses (< 10 rad) for translocations. RBEs for postimplantation and total dominant lethal rates were 5–6 above 10 rad and 10–10 below 10 rad. The RBEs for preimplant losses were between 15 and 25 above 10 rad and possibly higher below 10 rad, although the data are statistically “noisy”. The tentative interpretations of unusual results at lowest doses involve variation in cell sensitivity, cell selection, probability of neutron traversal per cell, variance of magnitude of the energy deposition events, dose rate, and DNA repair.
Testbed for Evaluation of Vehicular Detection Systems

Reliable and robust detection systems are the cornerstone in the efficient and proper functioning of vehicle infrastructure integration. This paper presents the design and implementation of a testbed for evaluating vehicular detection systems. The development of the testbed involved design of the hardware setup required for real-time monitoring of the sensors, programming the devices for data capture, and development of algorithms to automate the analysis of the recorded data. The methodology used to calibrate and validate the algorithms to automate the analysis of the data is presented as well. Although the testbed is presented in the context of evaluation of video detection systems at signalized intersections, it can be used for evaluating any vehicular detection systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EFFECT OF OXYRASETM ON THE METABOLIC PROCESSES OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA IN FROZEN YOGURT MIX1

The effect of OxyraseTM (a bacterial cell material containing oxygen-reducing membrane fractions) on the metabolic processes of lactic acid bacteria during fermentation of a frozen yogurt mix was studied. Frozen yogurt mixes that were treated with 0.5 units of OxyraseTM per gram were inoculated with commercial culture organisms of Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and a mixed culture of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and incubated at 40C for 8 h. Results showed that OxyraseTM significantly affected the development of titratable acidity (TA) and pH as well as the rates of bacterial growth. The TA increased from 0.23 to 0.87% with OxyraseTM during 8 h, whereas it increased only to 0.52% without OxyraseTM In the same period, pH decreased from 6.8 to 5.15 with OxyraseTM but only to 6.12 without OxyraseTM. In all cultures, OxyraseTM enhanced the bacterial growth rate (μ) and reduced generation time (g) (P < 0.05). The greatest effect of OxyraseTM on growth was observed with B. bifidum, followed by the mixed yogurt culture and L. acidophilus.
Perinatal development of hepatic microsomal mixed function oxidase activity in swine

Abstract Hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450, cytochrome b5, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase levels were measured in fetal (107-days gestation), newborn and 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-week-old swine. Cytochrome P-450 levels and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activities increased in near parallel with ethylmorphine demethylase (Vmax) activity between the first and the sixth postnatal week. The activities or levels of all parameters measured appeared to plateau between the fourth and sixth week post-partum. The only qualitative change observed after 1 week of age was a slight increase in the Km for ethylmorphine demethylation. NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity of fetal liver was relatively high, being approximately 40 per cent of the values attained at 6 weeks of age. This was in contrast to very low levels of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activity and cytochrome P-450 content of fetal liver. Clearly the activity of the flavoprotein NADPH-cytochrome c reductase does not limit the rate of reduction of cytochrome P-450 in the microsomal fraction of fetal liver. The possibility that cytochrome P-450 exists in a different form, or ratio of forms, in fetal liver could not be ascertained from carbon monoxide (CO) or ethylisocyanide (EtCN) difference spectra of fetal microsomal preparations. However, the dithionite difference CO spectra of cytochrome P-450 did not change with age.
Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 is required for agonist-induced Ca2+ sensitization of contraction in vascular smooth muscle.

Abstract Excitatory agonists can induce significant smooth muscle contraction under constant free Ca2+ through a mechanism called Ca2+ sensitization. Considerable evidence suggests that free arachidonic acid plays an important role in mediating agonist-induced Ca2+-sensitization; however, the molecular mechanisms responsible for maintaining and regulating free arachidonic acid level are not completely understood. In the current study, we demonstrated that Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) is expressed in vascular smooth muscle tissues. Inhibition of the endogenous iPLA2 activity by bromoenol lactone (BEL) decreases basal free arachidonic acid levels and reduces the final free arachidonic acid level after phenylephrine stimulation, without significant effect on the net increase in free arachidonic acid stimulated by phenylephrine. Importantly, BEL treatment diminishes agonist-induced Ca2+ sensitization of contraction from 49 ± 3.6 to 12 ± 1.0% (p< 0.01). In contrast, BEL does not affect agonist-induced diacylglycerol production or contraction induced by Ca2+, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (a protein kinase C activator), or exogenous arachidonic acid. Further, we demonstrate that adenovirus-mediated overexpression of exogenous iPLA2 in mouse portal vein tissue significantly potentiates serotonin-induced contraction. Our data provide the first evidence that iPLA2 is required for maintaining basal free arachidonic acid levels and thus is essential for agonist-induced Ca2+-sensitization of contraction in vascular smooth muscle.
Identification of Cardiac Masses and Abnormal Blood Flow Patterns with Harmonic Power Doppler Contrast Echocardiography

Power Doppler is an ultrasound technique that color-encodes the change in amplitude of the ultrasound signal, which reflects changes in the position of scatterers between ultrasound pulses. Power Doppler can be used with echocardiographic contrast agents in a harmonic imaging mode to opacify a cardiac chamber. The opacification of a cardiac chamber can aid in visualizing the silhouette of intracardiac masses and displaying blood flow patterns. Four cases are presented that demonstrate the use of harmonic power Doppler to aid in the identification of a left ventricular apical thrombus, a left atrial thrombus, and a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 1999;12:871-5.)
The genetic epidemiology of cannabis use, abuse and dependence.

Aims The genetic etiology of cannabis use, abuse and dependence has elicited significant interest from genetic epidemiologists. Methods Genetically informative studies, including family, twin and adoption studies that have examined the role of genetic and environmental influences on the various stages of cannabis involvement, and the genetic relationship between cannabis, licit drugs and other hard drugs, are reviewed. Results Findings across a number of such studies have indicated that there is a genetic basis to each stage of cannabis involvement although a proportion of the genetic factors influencing individual stages may be specific to that stage. Multivariate analyses that explore the association between cannabis and licit (alcohol and tobacco) as well as hard drugs (e.g. cocaine, opioids), using multiple methodological strategies, suggest the role of common genetic and environmental influences influencing the liability to cannabis and other drug involvement. Conclusions The substantial evidence for the heritability of cannabis use, abuse and dependence underscore the importance of linkage and association studies that aim to find genes of etiologic significance.
Linkage and association analysis of obesity traits reveals novel loci and interactions with dietary n-3 fatty acids in an Alaska Native (Yup'ik) population.

Objective To identify novel genetic markers of obesity-related traits and to identify gene-diet interactions with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) intake in Yup’ik people.
Comparative efficiencies of C-terminal signals of native glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proproteins in conferring GPI-anchoring.

Every protein fated to receive the glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor post-translational modification has a C-terminal GPI-anchor attachment signal sequence. This signal peptide varies with respect to length, content, and hydrophobicity. With the exception of predictions based on an upstream amino acid triplet termed omega-->omega + 2 which designates the site of GPI uptake, there is no information on how the efficiencies of different native signal sequences compare in the transamidation reaction that catalyzes the substitution of the GPI anchor for the C-terminal peptide. In this study we utilized the placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) minigene, miniPLAP, and replaced its native 3' end-sequence encoding omega-2 to the C-terminus with the corresponding C-terminal sequences of nine other human GPI-anchored proteins. The resulting chimeras then were fed into an in vitro processing microsomal system where the cleavages leading to mature product from the nascent preproprotein could be followed by resolution on an SDS-PAGE system after immunoprecipitation. The results showed that the native signal of each protein differed markedly with respect to transamidation efficiency, with the signals of three proteins out-performing the others in GPI-anchor addition and those of two proteins being poorer substrates for the GPI transamidase. The data additionally indicated that the hierarchical order of efficiency of transamidation did not depend solely on the combination of permissible residues at omega-->omega + 2.
Anonymous daemon conversion in self-stabilizing algorithms by randomization in constant space

We propose a generalized scheme that can convert any algorithm that self-stabilizes under an unfair central daemon into a randomized one that self-stabilizes under a distributed daemon, using only constant extra space and without IDs. If the original algorithm is anonymous the resulting self-stabilizing algorithm is also anonymous. We provide a detailed complexity analysis that show that the expected slowdown is upper bounded by O(n3).
Recovery from sports concussion in high school and collegiate athletes

Introduction: Neuropsychological testing is a valuable tool in concussion diagnosis and management. ImPACT, a computerized neuropsychological testing program, consists of eight cognitive tasks and ...
On quasiperiodic boundary condition problem

The paper raises the question of posing the quasiperiodic boundary condition in the Cauchy problem of partial differential equations. Using the one-dimensional cubic nonlinear Schrodinger as a simple example, we illustrated the various types of questions including global well-posedness, spectra of linear operators, and foliations.
First Steps in Understanding Engineering Students' Growth of Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge in an Interactive Learning Context

The development of procedural knowledge in students, i.e., the ability to effectively solve domain problems, is the goal of many instructional initiatives in engineering education. The present study examined learning in a rich learning environment in which students read text, listened to narrations, interacted with simulations, and solved problems using instructional software for thermodynamics. Twenty-three engineering and science majors who had not taken a thermodynamics course provided verbal protocol data as they used this software. The data were analyzed for cognitive processes. There were three major findings: (1) students expressed significantly more cognitive activity on computer screens requiring interaction compared to text-based screens; (2) there were striking individual differences in the extent to which students employed the materials; and (3) verbalizations revealed that students applied predominantly lower-level cognitive processes when engaging these materials, and they failed to connect the conceptual and procedural knowledge in ways that would lead to deeper understanding. The results provide a baseline for additional studies of more advanced students in order to gain insight into how students develop skill in engineering.
Analysis of nonlinear stochastic systems with wide-band inputs

A general method for approximating systems with wide-band inputs by diffusion processes is discussed. The input noise itself can be processed nonlinearly by elements of the system. One particular case is examined in detail, that of a hard limiter just after the input. The results suggest that the limiter can actually improve performance if the noise intensity is small. The development illustrates how tricky, but potentially useful, nonlinearities can be handled when the system input is wide-band noise.
Can the parieto-frontal integration theory be extended to account for individual differences in skilled and expert performance in everyday life?

Performance on abstract unfamiliar tasks used to measure intelligence has not been found to correlate with individual differences in highly skilled and expert performance. Given that cognitive and neural structures and regions mediating performance change as skill increases, the structures highlighted by parieto-frontal integration theory are unlikely to account for individual differences in skilled cognitive achievement in everyday life.
Production, Price and Risk Factors in Channel Catfish Farming

The effects of several production/management, price and risk factors upon channel catfish profitability are analyzed with a multiperiod mixed-integer linear programming model. Factors analyzed include pond size and optimal stocking rates, alternate levels and trends in catfish prices, pond production losses and level of family consumption withdrawals. Model results indicate that channel catfish offer the potential to significantly increase farm rates of return while providing an avenue of intensive farm growth, without expanding the land base of the farm. However, the long range financial success of the firm was very sensitive to several of the management and risk factors examined.
Participation of water in hin recombinase‐DNA recognition

The participation of water molecules in the interaction between the Hin recombinase and its operator DNA has been detected by analysis of the dissociation constant in the presence of varying concentrations of neutral solutes and cosolvents. The dissociation constant as measured by gel mobility shift assays increased as the concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, sucrose, or polyethylene glycol was increased. Osmotic pressure is the only property that correlates with the change in the dissociation constant for all compounds. This data indicates that binding of a small population of water molecules accompanies formation of the Hin-DNA complex, and points to a novel role for solvent molecules in assisting site specific interaction between DNA-binding proteins and their cognate DNA sequence.
Young adult stimulant users' increased striatal activation during uncertainty is related to impulsivity.

Abstract Background: Young adults who use stimulants (e.g., cocaine, amphetamines) are at particular risk of transitioning to dependence. Previously, we demonstrated increased risk-taking in young adults who had used stimulants (Leland, D.S., Paulus, M.P., 2005. Increased risk-taking decision-making but not altered response to punishment in stimulant-using young adults. Drug. Alcohol Depend. 78, 83-90). Since outcome uncertainty is a critical element of risk, we investigated whether such individuals have different neural responses to uncertainty than their stimulant-naive peers. Method: Eleven young adults (age 18–25) who had used stimulants were compared with 11 age- and education-matched stimulant-naive controls using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a card prediction task with relatively certain/uncertain outcome conditions. Results: The caudate, an area involved in processing salient events, was among those regions more active in users than controls in response to uncertainty. Personality measures revealed that users were more impulsive than controls, and that neural response to uncertainty in a number of areas, including the thalamus/caudate, was positively correlated with impulsivity. Conclusions: These results are consistent with the idea that young adults who have used stimulants find uncertainty particularly salient, due in part to preexisting differences in impulsivity, and may be subject to more “action pressure” when making decisions under uncertainty. This neural and personality profile may constitute a marker for increased risk of stimulant use.
A New Filter for Osseous Coagulum Collection

A filter which can be used for the collection of osseous coagulum is described. The filter is a stainless steel screen in a plastic housing which does not require the addition of cloth or membrane filters. It is compact, autoclavable, and reusable.
Control landscapes for observable preparation with open quantum systems

A quantum control landscape is defined as a function(al) of the system control variables that are to be optimized, and it was introduced to understand the successes in quantum control experiments. This paper explores the control landscape for observable preparation under the circumstance where the environment has an influence on the quantum system to be controlled. Provided that the open system is fully controllable, the analysis proves that there are no false traps to be encountered on the way to finding the absolute landscape maximum. This provides theoretical support for the observed ease of obtaining high quality controls in the laboratory, and opens up perspectives to develop more efficient quantum control algorithms.
Time, foreknowledge, and alternative possibilities

In this article we respond to arguments from William Hasker and David Kyle Johnson that free will is incompatible with both divine foreknowledge and eternalism (what we refer to as isotemporalism). In particular, we sketch an Anselmian account of time and freedom, briefly defend the view against Hasker's critique, and then respond in more depth to Johnson's claim that Anselmian freedom is incompatible with free will because it entails that our actions are ‘ontologically necessary’. In defending Anselmian freedom we argue that our ordinary intuitions do not support Johnson's case and that Anselmian freedom is compatible with deliberation.
Effect of body colour of Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) on predation by largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède)

. Fifty each of F2-generation gold (gg), bronze (Gg), and black (GG) Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) and either zero, four or eight largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, (Lacepede) were stocked in 20-m2 concrete tanks. After 7 days, water in all tanks was drained, and fish in each tank were censused. Largemouth bass ate 18% of the tilapia in the four-bass treatment (1 tilapia/bass/day) and 60% of the tilapia in the eight-bass treatment (1·6 tilapia/bass/day); the difference was significant (P=0–05). In the four-bass treatment there was a greater observed mean predation rate on gold than that on black or on bronze tilapia, but the difference was not significant: largemouth bass ate 25% of the gold tilapia, 16% of the bronze tilapia, and 13% of the black tilapia. In the eight-bass treatment, predation on the gold tilapia was significantly greater than that on both bronze (P=0·05) and on black (P=0·06) tilapia; predation on bronze and black tilapia was similar: largemouth bass ate 80% of the gold tilapia, 48% of the bronze tilapia, and 51% of the black tilapia. Overall average total predation (both treatments combined) on gold tilapia was significantly (P=0·06) greater than that on both bronze and on black tilapia, which did not differ: largemouth bass ate 52% of the gold tilapia, 32% of the bronze tilapia, and 32% of the black tilapia. The increased vulnerability of gold tilapia to predation was a negative pleiotropic effect of the gg genotype.
The Evolving Intellectual Structure of the Health Informatics Discipline: A Multi-Method Investigation of a Rapidly-Growing Scientific Field

Scientific disciplines are self-defined and self-evolving to a large extent, but acknowledging that disciplines develop organically does not diminish the continuing need to more fully understand the underlying dynamics of their intellectual structures. Intellectual structures bespeak the topics (including paradigms) that a discipline selects, the sub-disciplines and sub-communities that emerge, the thought leaders who direct the efforts of its various research programs, and the relationships between these various structural components. One such discipline, the discipline of health informatics (HI), is not only a vitally important discipline for societies worldwide, but is also an enormous field that manifests itself in the natural and social sciences as well as in the management sciences and applied disciplines including professionals such as physicians, nurses, paramedics, and so forth.A subset of the HI field especially important to management scholars is identified here as health information technology (HIT). The current study analyzes the intellectual underpinnings of the field of HI and, in particular, focuses on its sub-discipline HIT. Using the multiple statistical methods including citation and co-citation analysis, social network analysis (SNA), and latent semantic analysis (LSA), we show how HIT research has emerged in management journals and distinguished itself from the larger HI context. The research themes, intellectual leadership, cohesion of these themes and networks of researchers, and journal presence revealed in our longitudinal intellectual structure analyses foretells how, in particular, these HI and HIT fields have evolved to date and also how they could evolve in the future. Our findings identify which research streams are central (versus peripheral) and which are cohesive (as opposed to disparate). Suggestions for vibrant areas of future research emerge from our analyses.
Sequential Electron Microscopic Healing Study of Grafted Palatal Mucosa

At the ultrastructural level, regeneration of frozen and thawed human palatal autogenic grafts is almost complete 30 days posttransplantation. A sequential study of the regenerative process, which is effected via the basal cell layer, as well as a description of newly formed structures observed in the tissue are discussed.
FDTD-PLRC Technique for Modeling of Anisotropic-Dispersive Media and Metamaterial Devices

The goal of this paper is to develop a versatile computational engine based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique to comprehensively demonstrate the broadband behaviors of devices designed utilizing anisotropic-dispersive metamaterials. In this regard, the frequency-dependent behavior of dispersive materials is incorporated into the FDTD equations with the use of a piecewise linear recursive convolution (PLRC) approach. The FDTD domain is effectively terminated utilizing convolutional perfectly matched layered (CPML) absorbing walls, which are derived from the complex frequency-shifted (CFS) formulation. The CPML has the advantage that it operates only on the filed intensities and has nothing to do with the and constitutive relationships. The CPML is also highly absorptive to both propagating and evanescent waves. Therefore, it would be of great interest for terminating metamaterials having complex constitutive parameters. The developed method is also capable of characterizing periodic configurations illuminated by normal incident plane waves. The FDTD engine is successfully validated through the analyses of several complex metamaterials. The design and characterization of novel devices such as a patch antenna printed on metasubstrate with anisotropic epsiv (omega) - mu (omega)parameters, an electrically small antenna embedded in negative permittivity resonator, and an anisotropic-dispersive self-biased hexagonal ferrite-coupled line (FCL) circulator are highlighted.
APOE ε variants increase risk of warfarin-related intracerebral hemorrhage

Objective: We aimed to assess the effect of APOE e variants on warfarin-related intracerebral hemorrhage (wICH), evaluated their predictive power, and tested for interaction with warfarin in causing wICH. Methods: This was a prospective, 2-stage (discovery and replication), case-control study. wICH was classified as lobar or nonlobar based on the location of the hematoma. Controls were sampled from ambulatory clinics (discovery) and random digit dialing (replication). APOE e variants were directly genotyped. A case-control design and logistic regression analysis were utilized to test for association between APOE e and wICH. A case-only design and logistic regression analysis were utilized to test for interaction between APOE e and warfarin. Receiver operating characteristic curves were implemented to evaluate predictive power. Results: The discovery stage included 319 wICHs (44% lobar) and 355 controls. APOE e2 was associated with lobar (odds ratio [OR] 2.46; p p = 0.04), whereas e4 was associated with lobar (OR 2.09; p p = 0.35). The replication stage (63 wICHs and 1,030 controls) confirmed the association with e2 ( p = 0.03) and e4 ( p = 0.003) for lobar but not for nonlobar wICH ( p > 0.20). Genotyping information on APOE e variants significantly improved case/control discrimination of lobar wICH (C statistic 0.80). No statistical interaction between warfarin and APOE was found ( p > 0.20). Conclusions: APOE e variants constitute strong risk factors for lobar wICH. APOE exerts its effect independently of warfarin, although power limitations render this absence of interaction preliminary. Evaluation of the predictive ability of APOE in cohort studies is warranted.
The effect of the interruption of agitation on platelet quality during storage for transfusion.

Background A considerable amount of data and the CFR suggest that platelet concentrates (PCs) should be stored with continuous, gentle agitation before transfusion. However, there are only limited data concerning the mechanisms of platelet damage that may occur when agitation is interrupted, and there are no CFR guidelines concerning shipment between periods of storage. Study design and methods PCs were prepared by the platelet-rich plasma method and stored for 5 days at 20 to 24 degrees C; agitation was interrupted for 1 to 3 days either by simply stopping the agitator or by placing the PCs in a stationary shipping container. Measurements of platelet metabolism and quality were made during storage and on Day 5. Results With interruption on the agitator, the production of lactic acid was increased during the interruption in proportion to the number of platelets in the PC and the duration of the interruption. The pO(2) was increased during agitation interruption, which suggested a decline in oxygen utilization. With the use of the hypotonic shock response and the extent of shape change as reflections of platelet quality, there was no evidence of platelet damage unless the pH fell to or below 6.5. No PC reached this level after an interruption of agitation for only 1 day, irrespective of which day was chosen for interruption. PCs whose agitation was interrupted for 2 and 3 days were at risk of having a pH less than 6.5 if their contents were greater than 1.25 x 10(11) and 0.75 x 10(11) platelets, respectively. Interruption of agitation for 1 day in the shipping container produced results essentially identical to those produced by interruption on the agitator. Conclusion Interruption of agitation of PCs for 1 day, either on the agitator or in the shipping container, produces no platelet damage measurable by these in vitro techniques. However, an interruption of agitation for 2 days can result in significant damage in some components. Further studies will be required to learn more about the mechanisms that lead to the metabolic changes described and to determine if the same generalizations apply to apheresis PCs and PCs prepared from pooled buffy coats.
LIFETIME REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS OF FEMALE EASTERN KINGBIRDS (TYRANNUS TYRANNUS): INFLUENCE OF LIFESPAN, NEST PREDATION, AND BODY SIZE

Abstract I report on the lifetime reproductive success (LRS) of female Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) in central New York. I investigated the major correlates of LRS and specifically tested the hypothesis that small body size yields reproductive benefits. Lifetime reproductive success varied widely: 15–20% of females failed to fledge young over their life, whereas 50% of young were fledged by 20% of females. Female lifespan varied between one and eight years, and females that died after one breeding season tended to be smaller-bodied than long-lived females (≥2 seasons). I therefore conducted analyses of LRS for the entire sample and for longer-lived females separately. As in other species, lifespan was the strongest predictor of LRS, followed by the proportion of eggs laid that resulted in fledged young (P). Lifetime reproductive success varied positively with clutch size and, as predicted, inversely with body size (i.e., tarsus length) of females. However, variance partitioning indicated that mos...
Spectral Efficiency Self-Optimization through Dynamic User Clustering and Beam Steering

This paper presents a novel scheme for spectral efficiency (SE) optimization through clustering of users. By clustering users with respect to their geographical concentration we propose a solution for dynamic steering of antenna beam, i.e., antenna azimuth and tilt optimization with respect to the most focal point in a cell that would maximize overall SE in the system. The proposed framework thus introduces the notion of elastic cells that can be potential component of 5G networks. The proposed scheme decomposes large-scale system-wide optimization problem into small-scale local sub- problems and thus provides a low complexity solution for dynamic system wide optimization. Every sub- problem involves clustering of users to determine focal point of the cell for given user distribution in time and space, and determining new values of azimuth and tilt that would optimize the overall system SE performance. To this end, we propose three user clustering algorithms to transform a given user distribution into the focal points that can be used in optimization; the first is based on received signal to interference ratio (SIR) at the user; the second is based on received signal level (RSL) at the user; the third and final one is based on relative distances of users from the base stations. We also formulate and solve an optimization problem to determine optimal radii of clusters. The performances of proposed algorithms are evaluated through system level simulations. Performance comparison against benchmark where no elastic cell deployed, shows that a gain in spectral efficiency of up to 25% is possible depending upon user distribution in a cell.
EUS and EUS-Guided Interventions Alter Clinical Management in Children With Digestive Diseases.

ABSTRACTObjectives:Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) ± fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a useful tool to evaluate gastrointestinal tract disorders in adults because of its established feasibility and safety. Its role in children has not been well established and continues to evolve. Our objective was to ev
Inside the Home, Outside the Family: Wet Nurses in Republican China

In Republican Beijing matchmakers (mei) not only arranged marriages, but also acted as brokers in domestic labor. Finding and helping a family to keep a suitable wet nurse often proved contentious. Changes to the legal environment from the 1910s to the 1930s made the task even more challenging. Previously Chinese society may have treated wet nurses as part of a household with stakes in the overall well-being of the family and a paternal guarantee of food and shelter, but the emphasis on contract as the mode of engagement in the early twentieth century altered wet nurses’ status. For some women contracts became a device through which to confront their employers, while for others the loss of constructed family obligation proved devastating. This article draws upon police records to expose rivalries between servants and the precarious nature of domestic employment in this transitional period. The experience of wet nurses also reveals competing ideas about what constituted a family at the beginning of the twentieth century, as eventually co-sanguinal prevailed over co-residential conceptions of the household unit.
Studies on Growth. Growth Factors in Liver.

Recent investigations have emphasized the value of liver as a dietary supplement in diets apparently adequate with respect to vitamins A and D. No definite information is available, however, concerning the nature of the water soluble substances also present in liver.1 This is a preliminary report of a study of the nutritional factors concerned with the growth of young white rats, and particularly of the presence of such growth factors in liver.Young male and female rats, 4 to 5 weeks of age, were used. The basal diet was the fat-free diet of Evans and Burr2 (purified casein, 25; commercial sucrose, 75; Osborne and Mendel salt mixture, 4). In every case this diet was supplemented daily with 9 drops of cod liver oil. The rats were kept in individual raised cages.Rats placed upon this basal diet failed to survive. The addition of 0.15 gm. of dried yeast permitted survival but not growth. Growth occurred with the further addition of autoclaved liver or yeast. Rats fed the basal diet plus 0.5 gm. of dried live...
Cost-Effectiveness of the Hepatitis C Self-Management Program

Background. Despite the emergence of new hepatitis C virus (HCV) antiviral medications, many people with chronic HCV know little about their disease, are at risk for transmitting HCV to others, and/or are not considered good treatment candidates. Self-management interventions can educate HCV-infected persons, improve their quality of life, and prepare them for treatment. Purpose. A cost-effectiveness analysis of the HCV Self-Management Program is presented. Method. Effectiveness data in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were derived from the previously published prospective, randomized controlled trial (n = 134). Health care utilization was abstracted from medical records in 2011 for the 12 months before and after study enrollment. Intervention costs were tracked from the payer’s perspective and combined with health care costs. Sensitivity analyses were used to examine assumptions. Data were analyzed in 2014. Results. Estimated intervention costs including organizational overhead were $1,760 per 6-week ...
Allogeneic bone in the treatment of tumors, trauma, and congenital anomalies of the hand.

SUMMARY Because autogenous bone grafts are his-tocompatible by definition and because the hand does not require massive bone grafts, one may question the indications for using allogeneic bone in the hand. Although humans have been shown to develop donor-graft specific antibodies following large osteochondral allografts, these antibodies have not yet been noted after smaller bone grafts nor is the clinical significance of these antibodies clear. The use of allogeneic bone better satisfies the architectural and strength requirements for reconstruction when there is a need for osteochondral grafts, strong cortical grafts to allow secure fixation and early motion, and small tubular grafts that meet the demands of minimizing bulk in the hand. For the repair of osteochondral defects, autogenous grafts (ie, fibular head or metatarsal head) impose donor site deficits that can be clinically significant. In addition, grafts such as the fibular head do not provide reconstruction of a congruent joint surface. Strong cortical bone is an asset in metacarpal reconstruction; it enhances the quality of internal fixation, which in turn allows hand therapy to be started early, an essential treatment following hand injuries. A stiff hand after reconstruction will result despite excellent bony reconstruction if the fixation does not allow early motion. Autogenous cortical grafts donor sites (eg, ulna or tibia) can cause donor site morbidity, including fracture of weakened bone. The need for small tubular grafts is especially important in pediatric patients. Strong autogenous corticocancellous grafts are difficult to obtain in children, and these grafts are bulky and difficult to insert. In addition, for adults and children, the lack of a donor site means a much shorter hospital stay.
Clinical and physiological significance of borderline hypertension at youth.

Marginal blood pressure elevation at youth is widely prevalent. Clinically such patients represent a dilemma, since they are at highest risk to develop hypertension and its sequelae, but the risk is not sufficiently strong to mandate antihypertensive medication. The decision as to whether to treat is examined.
Modification of epithelial permeability by cationic polypeptides.

It has been demonstrated that protamine sulfate (PS; a cationic polypeptide composed of 70% arginine) increases the apical membrane conductance of the mammalian urinary bladder. In this report, synthetic cationic polypeptides (CpP; e.g., polyarginine) were used to determine whether the response of the bladder to PS was due to its cationic nature (i.e., its arginine content). We demonstrate that CpP induce a large increase in the cation and anion conductance of the apical membrane of the rabbit urinary bladder epithelium. The modulation of the membrane conductance by CpP is dependent upon a number of parameters. 1) The magnitude of the conductance change was voltage dependent. 2) An increase in the total charge per molecule increased the rate of conductance change. 3) An increase in the charge density (ratio of charged amino acids to total amino acids) increased the rate of change of conductance. 4) La3+ inhibited the ability of CpP to alter the membrane conductance. 5) The rate of reversal of the CpP-induced conductance was dependent upon the total charge per molecule as well as the charge density. 6) The level of self-inhibition (ability of solution CpP to inhibit the CpP-induced membrane conductance) was inversely correlated with the charge density and was also concentration dependent, with less inhibition occurring at low mucosal CpP concentrations. These data are consistent with a model developed to describe the effect of PS on the conductive properties of the urinary bladder epithelium.
Advances in SAGD Drilling in Western Canada Using Innovative Bit Technology

Western Canada's massive oil sands are being exploited at deeper levels by steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). Carefully geosteered parallel pairs of large diameter horizontal wellbores are drilled for concurrent steam injection into the upper well and oil production from the lower. The bitumen cemented sands of the McMurray Formation have challenged both operational and engineering personnel responsible for drilling these difficult wells. Bits of all designs have required custom features to combat the highly abrasive sands with sloughing and hole cleaning problems, while delivering an optimally steered well path through tight reservoir tolerances. A cross-functional team of operator engineers and drilling personnel, together with field engineers, bit designers and office personnel from the bit manufacturer, joined together to analyze the challenges and fast track fit-for-purpose solutions for all SAGD projects in Alberta. Steel tooth roller cone bits require extensive extra thick layers of hard facing to resist tooth wear. Sand washing through the cones causes high levels of erosion which is hindered by extensive hard facing. The gauge areas of the bits are rotated and/or slid through a cuttings bed of coarse abrasive sand particles, resulting in rounded gauge (RG) and shirttail damage (SD), which again require tungsten carbide and hard facing wear pads and shirttail protection. Elastomer or metal-faced seals have been enhanced to prevent sand encroachment on the bearings during motor drilling. Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) bits were also faced with significant erosional problems drilling horizontally, which have required special wear pads and updrill features to ensure hole gauge, steer ability and the ability to back ream through the cuttings bed. Depth-of-cut (DOC) features for build rates of 9 degrees per 30 m, ensure steer ability when linked to wear-resistant cutters, especially when placed on the gauge. Spiral gauge features work like an auger to clean sand away from the bit, while customized gauge lengths ensure a match between bit and motor for optimized steerability. Collectively, these PDC and steel tooth bits have become the enabling technology for drilling and completing SAGD wells, especially now that bits can be re-run on future wells, further reducing cost per metre.