cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National Survey of Extended-Interval Aminoglycoside Dosing

A random sample survey of 500 acute care hospitals in the United States was conducted to evaluate the adoption of extended-interval aminoglycoside dosing (EIAD). The survey revealed that EIAD has been adopted in 3 of every 4 acute care hospitals, a 4-fold increase since 1993. Of the 74.7% of hospitals reporting EIAD, 64% had written guidelines. Equal or less toxicity (87.1%), equal efficacy (76.9%), and cost-savings (65.6%) were common rationales. There has been a trend toward higher adult dosages of gentamicin (e.g., >5 mg/kg/dose) and an increase in the adoption of EIAD across all age groups (neonatal, 11%, and pediatric, 23%). Monitoring of aminoglycoside concentrations has shifted to a single determination of concentration, at 6-18 h after drug administration. The most common methods of dosage adjustment for declining renal function were an interval extension with the same dose (47%) or use of the Hartford nomogram (32%).
MATING SYSTEM AND THE EVOLUTION OF QUANTITATIVE TRAITS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MIMULUS GUTTATUS

The mating system of a population profoundly influences its evolution. Inbreeding alters the balance of evolutionary forces that determine the amount of genetic variation within a population. It redistributes that variation among individuals, altering heritabilities and genetic correlations. Inbreeding even changes the basic relationships between these genetic statistics and response to selection. If populations differing only in mating system are exposed to the same selection pressures, will they respond in qualitatively different ways? Here, we address this question by imposing selection on an index of two negatively correlated traits (flower size and development rate) within experimental populations that reproduce entirely by outcrossing, entirely by self-fertilizing, or by a mixture of outcrossing and selfing. Entirely selfing populations responded mainly by evolving larger flowers whereas outcrossing populations also evolved more rapid development. Divergence occurred despite an equivalent selection regime and no direct effect of mating system on fitness. The study provides an experimental demonstration of how the interaction of selection, genetic drift, and mating system can produce dramatic short-term changes in trait means, variances, and covariances.
A visual environment for designing and simulating execution of processor arrays

NOVIS, a visual environment which supports the interactive development and animated simulation of special-purpose parallel architectures, is presented. NOVIS lets users design networks at an abstract level by placing processing elements into a connected grid of arbitrary (user-selected) shape. The environment's underlying philosophy of maximal information hiding makes intimate familiarity on the part of the user with the details of low-level issues (such as process schedule maintenance and event dispatching) unnecessary. Layout violations and exceptions detected during execution simulation (e.g., deadlock) are automatically reported to the user. An overview of NOVIS's features is followed by examples that show the environment's capabilities in a variety of useful applications. >
A Conceptual Framework for the Study of Rural Places

Three attributes of rural America reflect its fundamental nature: (a) a relatively sparse population, (b) its interdependence with urban and global systems, and (c) its enormous diversity. These attributes are frequently neglected in rural studies work; when they are not recognized, conclusions pertaining to rural places are seldom reliable. The 1990 census reports that 97% of the land area of the forty-eight contiguous states is rural and about 80% is nonmetropolitan. This vast area provides residence for 22.5% and 24.8% of the population, respectively. Sparsity of population is of value to some people most of the time, and other people part of the time, as well as for certain space-using activities such as farming and forestry. Nevertheless, space equates to distance, and overcoming distance requires a sacrifice of time and other resources (Crosson, Fuguitt, Hart). Farming occupies about one-half the land area of rural America. Farming and agricultural services provide less than 10% of the total employment in nonmetropolitan places. Further, there is a remarkable similarity in the sectoral shares of employment between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties (Mills). Thus, there is little factual basis for the common practice of treating agricultural and rural as synonymous. Great interdependence exists between rural and urban systems, rural fundamentalist rhetoric to the contrary (Weber). It is difficult to imagine a single significant rural social problem that can be understood or addressed in isolation from urban or global systems (Jacobs).
The HOPS/class C Vps complex tethers membranes by binding to one Rab GTPase in each apposed membrane

Many Rab GTPase effectors are membrane-tethering factors, that is, they physically link two apposed membranes before intracellular membrane fusion. In this study, we investigate the distinct binding factors needed on apposed membranes for Rab effector-dependent tethering. We show that the homotypic fusion and protein-sorting/class C vacuole protein-sorting (HOPS/class C Vps) complex can tether low-curvature membranes, that is, liposomes with a diameter of ∼100 nm, only when the yeast vacuolar Rab GTPase Ypt7p is present in both tethered membranes. When HOPS is phosphorylated by the vacuolar casein kinase I, Yck3p, tethering only takes place when GTP-bound Ypt7p is present in both tethered membranes. When HOPS is not phosphorylated, however, its tethering activity shows little specificity for the nucleotide-binding state of Ypt7p. These results suggest a model for HOPS-mediated tethering in which HOPS tethers membranes by binding to Ypt7p in each of the two tethered membranes. Moreover, because vacuole-associated HOPS is presumably phosphorylated by Yck3p, our results suggest that nucleotide exchange of Ypt7p on multivesicular bodies (MVBs)/late endosomes must take place before HOPS can mediate tethering at vacuoles.
Edge embedding of two-dimensional grids in hypercubes with dilation two and congestion three

Various algorithms have been proposed for embedding two-dimensional grids into optimal hyper-cubes with unit load and dilation two. All the algorithms that we have learned so far considered only node-to-node mapping. One problem with node-to-node embedding algorithms is that in congestion evaluation, one must consider all the shortest paths corresponding to guest edges that could possibly be routed through a host edge. It has been shown that two-dimensional grids can be imbedded into optimal hyper-cubes with dilation 2 and congestion 5. We present in this paper an edge embedding algorithm that maps grid edges into specific paths in an optimal hypercube. This edge embedding yields dilation 2 and congestion 3.
Analogue models for T and CPT violation in neutral-meson oscillations

Analogue models for $\mathrm{CP}$ violation in neutral-meson systems are studied in a general framework. No-go results are obtained for models in classical mechanics that are nondissipative or that involve one-dimensional oscillators. A complete emulation is shown to be possible for a two-dimensional oscillator with rheonomic constraints, and an explicit example with spontaneous T and $\mathrm{CPT}$ violation is presented. The results have implications for analogue models with electrical circuits.
A coordinate geometry learning environment with game-like properties

Although educational games can be engaging and motivating for students, the game aspects tend to take up time that could have been used for instruction, and they add to the cognitive load of the students Therefore, instead of completely integrating educational content into a game framework, we instead choose to start with a computer tutor and selectively incorporate those features of games that are engaging but do not overly detract from learning Following this approach, we created a learning environment for coordinate geometry with game-like properties We define game-like properties as the elements of games such as visual representation, cover story, and animated feedback, which are responsible for their engaging nature While there have been many attempts to use game-like environment in tutors (e.g Wayang Outpost), our approach differs by using an iterative process in a space of ITS and games, within the framework of stimulation and overload.
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MATERNAL AND FETAL SERUM LEVELS OF IMMUNE ACTIVATION MARKERS AND FETAL GROWTH

During pregnancy, signs of maternal immunologic sensitization to fetal HLA and other fetoplacental alloantigens are often detectable in peripheral blood. Presumbly, this in part reflects immune activity at the maternal-fetal interface. This response may involve activation of maternal T cells, which stimulate placental growth via lymphokine production. To shed light on this mechanism, data on placental weight, neonatal anthropometry, gestational age, fetomaternal HLA relationships (reflecting a potential for HLA allosensitization), and serum levels of three immune activation markers in maternal and cord blood were collected in a sample of 61 primiparous women and their neonates. The activation markers were soluble CD8 antigen (sCD8), interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), and beta-2 microglobulin (β2 m). Mean fetal and maternal sCD8 and β2 m levels, and mean fetal sIL-2R levels were significantly higher than published norms. Fetal means for all three markers exceeded maternal means, and both sIL-2R and β2 m were highly correlated between mother and fetus. This suggests that fetal sIL-2R and β2 m levels result in part from transport or diffusion from the maternal compartment. No associations were found between fetomaternal HLA relationships, activation markers, and placental weight. The difference between the fetal and maternal β2 m value was significantly correlated with birth weight, controlling for chest circumference and crown-heel length. Associations between birth weight and fetomaternal HLA relationships could not be interpreted with certainty. These findings suggest that maternal immune activation and diffusion or transport of β2 m into fetal compartment enhances fetal growth in fat-free body mass. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Changes in children's perception-action tuning over short time scales: Bicycling across traffic-filled intersections in a virtual environment

This investigation examined short-term changes in child and adult cyclists' gap decisions and movement timing in response to general and specific road-crossing experiences. Children (10- and 12-year-olds) and adults rode a bicycle through a virtual environment with 12 intersections. Participants faced continuous cross traffic and waited for gaps they judged were adequate for crossing. In the control condition, participants encountered randomly ordered gaps ranging from 1.5 to 5.0s at all intersections. In the high-density condition, participants encountered high-density intersections sandwiched between sets of control intersections. These high-density intersections were designed to push participants toward taking tighter gaps. Participants in both conditions were more likely to accept 3.5-, 4.0-, 4.5-, and 5.0-s gaps at the last set of intersections than at the first set of intersections, whereas participants in the high-density condition were also more likely to accept very tight 3.0-s gaps at the last intersections than at the first intersections. Moreover, individuals in the high-density condition who waited less and took shorter gaps at the middle intersections were also more likely to take very tight 3.0-s gaps at the last intersections. The 10-year-olds in both conditions had more time to spare when they cleared the path of the oncoming car at the last intersections, whereas the 12-year-olds and adults showed no change in time to spare across intersections. The discussion focuses on linking short-term change in perceptual-motor functioning to longer term perceptual-motor development.
Safety of benzodiazepines in the geriatric population.

Benzodiazepines are the most frequently prescribed antianxiety drugs in the elderly. Despite their usefulness and safety in the younger population, there is concern about the rationale for their us...
Social Dominance Orientation and Group Context in Implicit Group Prejudice

We tested the joint influence of individual difference and situational factors on implicit group prejudice. Participants in Experiments 1 and 2 were briefly shown in-group or out-group pronouns prior to evaluating good or bad trait adjectives. Under standard conditions (Experiment 1), there was no difference between participants with high and low social dominance orientation (SDO), but when the intergroup context was made more salient (Experiment 2), high-SDO participants alone showed implicit group prejudice. Implications for the malleability and consensuality of implicit prejudice are discussed.
Development and validation of a theory of human operator behavior in a multitask environment

An intelligent operator-system interface (IOSI) is defined as an entity that not only transmits information between operator and system, but also shares the responsibilities of information processing and decision making with the human operator. A discussion is presented of a basic human-factors issue regarding IOSI design, namely how a human operator behaves in a complex system, and a composite theory is presented of human operator behavior in the control of complex systems. Functional requirements for an IOSI are outlined. Issues for future research concerning the implementation and evaluations of designs based on this theory are addressed. >
Skin Electroporation: Rapid Measurements of the Transdermal Voltage and Flux of Four Fluorescent Molecules show a Transition to Large Fluxes Near 50 V

Large molecular fluxes and tight control are highly desired for transdermal drug delivery, which motivated this study of molecular transport due to high voltage pulsing. We used a flow-through sampling system (time resolution of approximately 14 s) to measure the response of human skin in vitro to a series of exponential pulses (time constant of 1 ms; peak transdermal voltages [Uskin,0] of 0 V to approximately 300 V, one pulse every 5.6 s). Four negatively charged, hydrophilic fluorescent tracer molecules were employed: sulforhodamine, lucifer yellow, cascade blue, and calcein (molecular weights of 450 to 625 Da). Although differences in their molecular transport profiles were observed, all four molecules exhibited a transition from small to large fluxes at Uskin,0 approximately 50 V. This behavior may reflect a transition from electroporation of the skin's appendages to electroporation of the multilamellar bilayer membranes within the stratum corneum.
Capital formation by expenditures on formal education, 1880 and 1890

This study has been concerned with the estimation and analysis of expenditures on formal education. The United States has always been considered a world leader in the educational attainment of the mass of its populace. These beliefs are confirmed at the aggregate level as it is shown that $314 million and $515 million of explicit and implicit expenditures were made on all levels of formal schooling in 1880 and 1890, respectively, in current prices. The 1880 estimate is 3.3 percent of Gallman's GNP estimate, and 19 percent of gross capital formation; and the 1890 estimate is 4.2 percent of GNP and 20 percent of gross capital formation. However, a major contention of this work is that exclusive attention to the impressive aggregate commitment to schooling in the United States neglects the fact that there were huge state-by-state and regional variations in this commitment. Much of this thesis has been devoted to developing an economically sound framework for calculating the costs of schooling. Then data from the censuses, various wage surveys, and Reports of the Commissioner of Education were applied to the framework to obtain cost estimates on a state-by-state basis. The two main components of schooling costs which were estimated were foregone earnings (opportunity costs of students while attending school), and direct resource costs of schooling (operating costs as well as implicit interest and depreciation). Data were available for education in cities of over 7500 in 1880 and over 8000 in 1890; and all education not carried out in these cities was placed in the rural category. Elementary school students aged 10 and older were assumed to be potentially in the workforce had they not been in school. To the individual, the earnings sacrificed because of school attendance are the major cost influencing his decision whether or not to enroll. It is this cost which has been measured here. Hence, the input of time into the production of human capital made by students who attended when they could not have been earning income by spending their time working elsewhere has not been valued. Opportunity costs are defined as "what income was foregone" rather than "what time was put in" by the students. Opportunity costs were included for a state's agricultural sector only where the length of the school year relative to the number of days when work was available on the farms implied that students were foregoing earnings while attending school. However, the earnings foregone aspect of costs of schooling still comprised 58.2 percent of total costs in 1880 and 56.8 percent of total costs in 1890.
Versatile electronic timer for synchronous switching of multiple electrical devices

An electronic timer consisting of CMOS integrated circuits is described that synchronously switches multiple electrical devices on and off on either circadian or noncircadian cycles. Precision is attained to within 1 min when used in the circadian mode or to within 16.7 msec when used at the highest speed (60 Hz). The electronic timer is useful for behavioral studies, control of environmental chambers, and control of general laboratory appliances.
Remédiation cognitive et thérapie occupationnelle dans le traitement ambulatoire du patient souffrant de schizophrénie

Dans cet article, les auteurs decrivent un programme de rehabilitation comportementale pour patients souffrant de schizophrenie. Le programme combine la rehabilitation occupationnelle a l’entrainement cognitif, s’attaquant ainsi a deux des deficiences marquantes de ce trouble chronique. En plus de cibler ces deux types de deficiences, les auteurs ont aussi examine l’impact de l’une sur l’autre. En effet, des recherches suggeraient que les deficiences cognitives peuvent indiquer une limite a la rehabilitation psychosociale de ces patients. L’intention des auteurs etait d’examiner si le fait de remedier specifiquement a ces deficits cognitifs menerait la rehabilitation occupationnelle a des resultats superieurs. Apres une description detaillee du programme, ils presentent des donnees a l’appui de l’efficacite de ce type d’approche, a la fois pour ameliorer les fonctions cognitives et mener a de meilleurs resultats fonctionnels.
Self-Checking Cell-Based Assays for GPCR Desensitization and Resensitization:

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play stimulatory or modulatory roles in numerous physiological states and processes, including growth and development, vision, taste and olfaction, behavior and learning, emotion and mood, inflammation, and autonomic functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. GPCRs constitute the largest protein superfamily in the human and are the largest target class for prescription drugs, yet most are poorly characterized, and of the more than 350 nonolfactory human GPCRs, over 100 are orphans for which no endogenous ligand has yet been convincingly identified. We here describe new live-cell assays that use recombinant GPCRs to quantify two general features of GPCR cell biology-receptor desensitization and resensitization. The assays employ a fluorogen-activating protein (FAP) reporter that reversibly complexes with either of two soluble organic molecules (fluorogens) whose fluorescence is strongly enhanced when complexed with the FAP. Both assays require no wash or cleanup steps and are readily performed in microwell plates, making them adaptable to high-throughput drug discovery applications.
Scalable security for petascale parallel file systems

Petascale, high-performance file systems often hold sensitive data and thus require security, but authentication and authorization can dramatically reduce performance. Existing security solutions perform poorly in these environments because they cannot scale with the number of nodes, highly distributed data, and demanding workloads. To address these issues, we developed Maat, a security protocol designed to provide strong, scalable security to these systems. Maat introduces three new techniques. Extended capabilities limit the number of capabilities needed by allowing a capability to authorize I/O for any number of client-file pairs. Automatic Revocation uses short capability lifetimes to allow capability expiration to act as global revocation, while supporting non-revoked capability renewal. Secure Delegation allows clients to securely act on behalf of a group to open files and distribute access, facilitating secure joint computations. Experiments on the Maat prototype in the Ceph petascale file system show an overhead as little as 6--7%.
CTH15-3: Performance of Distributed Space-Time Cooperative Schemes for Underwater Acoustic Communications

In resource limited, large scale underwater sensor networks, cooperative communication over multiple hops offers opportunities to save power when intermediate nodes between source and destination act as cooperative relays. Herein, protocols coupled with space-time block code (STBC) strategies are analyzed for distributed cooperative communication in underwater channels. Amplify-and-forward type protocols are considered, in which the relays do not attempt to decode the information. The Alamouti-based cooperative scheme proposed by Hua et al (2003) for flat-fading channels is modified in order work in the presence of multipath. A time-reversal distributed space-time block code (TR-DSTBC) is employed, which extends the classical TR-STBC approach from Lindskog and Paulraj (2000) to a cooperative communication scenario. Furthermore, the performance of the scheme employing a DFE equalizer at the destination is analytically investigated in terms of bit error rate (BER) bounds and achievable spatial diversity.
The Development of Gelasinospora Reticulospora

The developmental morphology of Gelasinospora reticulospora has been studied utilizing plastic embedding and freeze-substitution fixation. Perithecia develop from initials composed of an ascogonial coil surrounded by an envelope. Both envelope hyphae and cells of the ascogonial coil contribute to paraphyses and pseudoparenchyma of young perithecia. The pseudoparenchymatous layer becomes compressed by developing asci; the paraphyses swell, giving then a pseudoparenchyma-like appearance at maturity. No cavity forms during development. Gelasinospora reticulospora is representative of the Sordaria centrum type which is discussed briefly in relation to the Diaporthe and Xylaria types.
Baseline distance optimization for SQUID gradiometers

We optimized the baseline length of SQUID-based symmetric axial gradiometers using a computer simulation. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was used as the optimization criteria. We found that in most cases the optimal baseline is not equal to the depth of the primary source, rather it has a more complex dependence on the gradiometer balance and the ambient magnetic noise. We studied both first and second order gradiometers in simulated shielded environments and second order gradiometers in a simulated unshielded environment. The noise source was simulated as a distant dipolar source for the shielded case. We present optimal gradiometer baseline lengths for the various simulated situations.
Positive youth development: Thriving as the basis of personhood and civil society.

Theoretical issues pertinent to a dynamic, developmental systems understanding of positive youth development and the thriving process in such development are discussed. Thriving involves relative plasticity in human development and adaptive regulations of person-context relations. An integrated moral and civic identity and a commitment to society beyond the limits of one's own existence enable thriving youth to be agents both in their own, healthy development and in the positive enhancement of other people and of society. Thriving youth become generative adults through the progressive enhancement of behaviors that are valued in their specific culture and that reflect the universal structural value of contributing to civil society.
The Intermediate Region of Helicobacter pylori VacA Is a Determinant of Toxin Potency in a Jurkat T Cell Assay

Colonization of the human stomach with Helicobacter pylori is a risk factor for peptic ulceration, noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric lymphoma. The secreted VacA toxin is an important H. pylori virulence factor that causes multiple alterations in gastric epithelial cells and T cells. Several families of vacA alleles have been described, and H. pylori strains containing certain vacA types (s1, i1, and m1) are associated with an increased risk of gastric disease, compared to strains containing other vacA types (s2, i2, and m2). Thus far, there has been relatively little study of the role of the VacA intermediate region (i-region) in toxin activity. In this study, we compared the ability of i1 and i2 forms of VacA to cause functional alterations in Jurkat cells. To do this, we manipulated the chromosomal vacA gene in two H. pylori strains to introduce alterations in the region encoding the VacA i-region. We did not detect any differences in the capacity of i1 and i2 forms of VacA to cause vacuolation of RK13 cells. In comparison to i1 forms of VacA, i2 forms of VacA had a diminished capacity to inhibit the activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and suppress interleukin-2 (IL-2) production. Correspondingly, i2 forms of VacA bound to Jurkat cells less avidly than did i1 forms of VacA. These results indicate that the VacA i-region is an important determinant of VacA effects on human T cell function.
The synergetic effect of lithium polysulfide and lithium nitrate to prevent lithium dendrite growth

Lithium dendrite growth is a serious hazard in battery operations. Here, the authors show that when using lithium polysulfide and lithium nitrate as additives in ether-based electrolyte, a stable and uniform solid electrolyte interphase forms on the lithium surface, which prevents dendrite growth.
Weather and road geometry impact on longitudinal driving behavior: Exploratory analysis using an empirically supported acceleration modeling framework

The objective of this paper is to quantify and characterize driver behavior under different roadway geometries and weather conditions. In order to explore how a driver perceives the rapidly changing driving surrounding (i.e. different weather conditions and road geometry configurations) and executes acceleration maneuvers accordingly, this paper extends a Prospect Theory based acceleration modeling framework. A driving simulator is utilized to conduct 76 driving experiments. Foggy weather, icy and wet roadway surfaces, horizontal and vertical curves, and different lane and shoulder widths are simulated while having participants driving behind a yellow cab at speeds/headways of their choice. After studying the driving trends observed in the different driving experiments, the extended Prospect Theory based acceleration model is calibrated using the produced trajectory data. The extended Prospect Theory based model parameters are able to reflect a change in risk-perception and acceleration maneuvering when receiving different parameterized exogenous information. The results indicate that drivers invest more attention and effort to deal with the roadway challenges compared to the effort to deal with the weather conditions. Moreover, the calibrated model is used to simulate a highway segment and observe the produced fundamental diagram. The preliminary results suggest that the model is capable of capturing driver behavior under different roadway and weather conditions leading to changes in capacity and traffic disruptions.
Improved Surface Layer Wind Modeling for Autonomous Parafoils in a Maritime Environment

This paper investigates the use of atmospheric boundary layer theory to produce more accurate wind estimates for guiding an autonomous parafoil during the last portion of its flight before touchdown. The problem of wind estimation for a prototype autonomous parafoil aerial delivery system is first explained, followed by the simple assumptions for wind estimation that its guidance algorithm makes. A logarithmic wind profile model in the atmospheric surface layer is then introduced. The parameters and limitations of this model are discussed, along with the characteristics of this model that make it especially useful over the surface of the ocean. Finally, the incorporation of this model into the guidance algorithm of the prototype aerial delivery system is discussed, and subsequently evaluated in flight tests against the original algorithm that did not include the logarithmic surface layer wind model.
Two-Step Nucleation and Growth of InP Quantum Dots via Magic-Sized Cluster Intermediates

We report on the role of magic-sized clusters (MSCs) as key intermediates in the synthesis of indium phosphide quantum dots (InP QDs) from molecular precursors. Heterogeneous growth from the MSCs directly to InP QDs was observed without intermediate sized particles. These observations suggest that previous efforts to control nucleation and growth by tuning precursor reactivity have been undermined by formation of these kinetically persistent MSCs prior to QD formation. The thermal stability of InP MSCs is influenced by the presence of exogenous bases as well as choice of the anionic ligand set. Addition of a primary amine, a common additive in previous InP QD syntheses, to carboxylate-terminated MSCs was found to bypass the formation of MSCs, allowing for homogeneous growth of InP QDs through a continuum of isolable sizes. Substitution of the carboxylate ligand set for a phosphonate ligand set increased the thermal stability of one particular InP MSC to 400 °C. The structure and optical properties of the ...
EARLY CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT LEFT VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Cardiac allograft dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after transplantation. Multiple etiologies can account for graft dysfunction in the early postoperative period. A 26 year old female with double inlet left ventricle/L-transposition of the great arteries and failing Fontan
Mammalian Myocardial Regeneration

The heart has been traditionally viewed as among the least regenerative organs, and as a result treatment of heart failure has largely focused on protecting and optimizing function of existing cardiomyocytes, rather than on stimulating myocardial repair. Recent research has overturned the dogma that the heart lacks regenerative ability, although the extent of the myocardial turnover in the normal and diseased heart remains controversial. Here we review current knowledge on the extent of adult mammalian heart regeneration and its underlying cellular mechanisms.
Cancer Vaccines: A Brief Overview

Vaccine approaches for cancer differ from traditional vaccine approaches for infectious disease in tending to focus on clearing active disease rather than preventing disease. In this review, we provide a brief overview of different types of vaccines and adjuvants that have been investigated for the purpose of controlling cancer burdens in patients, some of which are approved for clinical use or in late-stage clinical trials, such as the personalized dendritic cell vaccine sipuleucel-T (Provenge) and the recombinant viral prostate cancer vaccine PSA-TRICOM (Prostvac-VF). Vaccines against human viruses implicated in the development and progression of certain cancers, such as human papillomavirus in cervical cancer, are not considered here. Cancers express "altered self" antigens that tend to induce weaker responses than the "foreign" antigens expressed by infectious agents. Thus, immune stimulants and adjuvant approaches have been explored widely. Vaccine types considered include autologous patient-derived immune cell vaccines, tumor antigen-expressing recombinant virus vaccines, peptide vaccines, DNA vaccines, and heterologous whole-cell vaccines derived from established human tumor cell lines. Opportunities to develop effective cancer vaccines may benefit from seminal recent advances in understanding how immunosuppressive barricades are erected by tumors to mediate immune escape. In particular, targeted ablation of these barricades with novel agents, such as the immune checkpoint drug ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) approved recently for clinical use, may offer significant leverage to vaccinologists seeking to control and prevent malignancy.
Hypertension research perspective in the United States.

Hypertension affects 30% of the U.S. adult population or 58 million Americans. A comprehensive national research effort has been developed for attacking this problem on multiple fronts including basic research, applied research and development, clinical research, clinical trials, demonstration and education research, and technology transfer through the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. As a result, important new insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of hypertension and advances in its control have been realized, but this momentum needs to be sustained to meet the many challenges presented by this disease.
Running Joke: Criticism of Italian American Culture through Comedy in The Sopranos

Often read as tragic realism, The Sopranos has rarely been seen in the light of the comedy created in every episode. While a number of television critics and commentators have compared the series to the tragedies of Shakespeare (Bushby, Macintyre, Varble), none have focused on the comic elements, which, as I will show, are descendants of Italian Commedia dell Arte and Shakespearean comedies. The best way of seeing this is to focus on the character Paulie Walnuts, whom I see as an Italian American version of the zanni of the Commedia or the fool/clown of Shakespeare. In this article, I present David Chase’s serial narrative as a comedy that serves not only to create laughter but also to criticize U.S. and especially Italian American culture through the character Paulie Walnuts. Before I launch into this reading I want to present a few words on just how we might read the seriality of Chase’s narrative. Through Paulie Walnuts, the writers of the show are able insert a running joke throughout the entire series that enables them to poke fun at traditional notions of Italian immigrant culture, and at the same time, show that those notions also serve as viable criticisms of U.S. capitalist culture. Paulie, who is certainly more reactionary than revolutionary, reflects the many Italian Americans who assimilated quickly into American culture, in spite of holding on to traditions and superstitions of Italian folk culture.
CONTEXTS OF COLONIALISM

The contributions to the collection under review offer a wide range of treatments of ways in which German colonialism intersected with aspects of domestic German culture and politics, with particular attention to the larger global setting in which the German colonial empire existed between 1884 and 1918—or was remembered up to 1945. The review situates and critiques the contributions in interpretive contexts based on general suggestions by one of the editors, Geoff Eley. These include a context in which “colonialism” and “imperialism” are recognized as specific discursive constructions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, another in which the causal focus in interpreting colonial phenomena is placed on exchanges that constituted an accelerating globality with which available conceptual modes (including colonialism and imperialism) could not keep pace, a third that complicates the categorical distinctions usually made between types of imperial program, and a fourth that aims at replicating on a much broader and more flexible basis something like the concept of “social imperialism” that forty years ago dominated interpretations of German imperialism. The essay ends with a view of how such an interpretive framework might be constructed.
Spontaneous amplified emission of a UV Na2 bound-free transition

We report observations of a diffuse UV sodium molecular emission in the 369-382-nm region. It is ascribed to a Na2 bound-free (3Λs′-a3Σu+) transition. This band system is very similar to the Na2 violet band (λ = 416-457 nm)1-3 and the K2 yellow band (λ = 560-580 nm).4 It has been suggested that such bound-free bands might be useful in the production of tunable high-power lasers.5 In fact, observations of spontaneous amplified emission2 and gain3 have recently been reported in the Na2 violet bands. Thus the presently observed band system could be potentially attractive for laser action in the UV region.
Geographic origins and post-introduction hybridization between strains of Trioxys pallidus introduced to western North America for the biological control of walnut and filbert aphids

Abstract Strains of the exotic parasitoid wasp Trioxys pallidus were introduced on multiple occasions to the western United States resulting in successful classical biological control of aphids in walnut and filbert orchard systems. However, breakdowns in biological control services have been reported in recent years in both orchard systems. To aid in potential plans to stabilize these important biological control programs we investigated the individual origins of each strain that was introduced to and established in the western United States, and examined whether post-introduction hybridization between strains has occurred. We collected individuals from the native and introduced ranges of T. pallidus, performed genetic clustering analyses using 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci, and reconstructed a phylogeny and estimated haplotype networks based on the mitochondrial (mtDNA) locus cytochrome oxidase I (COI). Based on microsatellite loci we find that T. pallidus individuals can be assigned to one of three distinct genetic clusters, and based on mtDNA haplotypes, to one of two distinct clades/networks. The majority of individuals from California were assigned to the same genetic cluster as individuals collected in Iran, also with shared mtDNA haplotypes, while the majority of individuals from Oregon were assigned to a genetic cluster represented by only a single individual collected near Bordeaux, France. Although we found some evidence of hybridization between the strains, the rates were so low that hybrid-breakdown is unlikely to be responsible for recent failures of biological control services in the western United States. We did find elevated levels of inbreeding within established populations, however, suggesting that inbreeding depression may have played an important role in these recent breakdowns.
Surgery of the Forestomach

Indications for rumen surgery include rumen tympany (bloat), toxic plant ingestion, to provide enteral nutrition, to perform elective cannula placement, and to access other forestomach compartments (reticulum/omasum). The rumen is a highly contaminated viscus and special care should be taken to avoid peritoneal contamination from rumen contents. Diseases causing forestomach dysfunction and surgical procedures on the forestomach compartments are discussed here.
Enhanced and preferential optical trapping in a slot-graphite photonic crystal(Conference Presentation)

Optical trapping serves as a powerful tool for the manipulation of matter on the nanoscale and ultra-precise measurement of weak forces. However, the applicability of these tools is limited by the available laser power and trap efficiency. We utilized the strong confinement of light in a slot-graphite photonic crystal to develop high-efficiency parallel trapping over a large area. The stiffness is several orders of magnitude higher than conventional optical tweezers and two orders of magnitude higher than our previously demonstrated on-chip, near field traps. We demonstrate the ability to trap both dielectric and metallic nanoparticles of sub-micron size. We find that the growth kinetics of nanoparticle arrays on the slot-graphite template depends on particle size. Smaller particles diffuse more, more readily occupying the available trap sites and inhibiting the trapping of larger particles. Smaller particles also sink more into the holes in the photonic crystal, resulting in stronger mechanical confinement and a deeper potential well. We use these differences to selectively trap one type of particle out of a binary colloidal mixture, creating an efficient optical sieve. This technique has rich potential in the fields of trace analysis, optical diagnostics, and enrichment and sorting of microscopic entities and molecules.
Resistance of Several Members of the Cupressaceae to the Cypress Tip Miner, Argyresthia cupressella

Thirteen species and cultivars of Cupressaceae were evaluated outdoors at Berkeley, CA, for resistance to the cypress tip miner, Argyresthia cupressella Walsingham. This insect causes browning of foliage as a result of larval mining in the tips of susceptible plants. Plant resistance varied from highly resistant to highly susceptible. Unsightliness caused by larval mining was significantly correlated with the number of insects present, as determined by counts of cocoons.
Place of Birth and Sleep Duration: Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

While sleep disturbance has been related to a number of negative health outcomes, few studies have examined the relationship between place of birth and sleep duration among individuals living in the US. Data for 416,152 adult participants in the 2000-2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), who provided self-reported hours of sleep and place of birth were examined. Associations were explored between healthy sleep (7-8 h), referenced to unhealthy sleep ( 8 h), and place of birth using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The mean age of the sample was 47.4 ± 0.03 years; 56% were female. Of the respondents, 61.5% reported experiencing healthy sleep, 81.5% reported being born in the US and 18.5% were foreign-born adults. Descriptive statistics revealed that Indian Subcontinent-born respondents (71.7%) were more likely to report healthy sleep compared to US-born respondents (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.37-1.71, p < 0.001), whereas African-born respondents (43.5%) were least likely to report healthy sleep (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.70-0.87, p < 0.001). These findings suggest that place of birth should be considered in the assessment of risk factors for unhealthy sleep.
Biodistribution of 99mTc-MAA on SPECT/CT performed for 90Y radioembolization therapy planning: a pictorial review.

To evaluate the frequency of 99mTc-MAA uptake in extrahepatic organs during 90Y-radioembolization therapy planning. This retrospective case series of 70 subjects who underwent 99mTc-MAA hepatic artery perfusion studies between January 2014 and July 2016 for 90Y-radioembolization therapy planning at our institution involved direct image review for all subjects, with endpoints recorded: lung shunt fraction, extrahepatic radiotracer uptake, time from MAA injection to imaging. Combined planar and SPECT/CT imaging findings in the 70 subjects demonstrated lung shunt fraction measurements of less than 10% in 53 (76%) subjects and greater than 10% in 17 (24%) subjects. All patients demonstrated renal cortical uptake, 23 (33%) demonstrated salivary gland uptake, 23 (33%) demonstrated thyroid uptake, and 32 (46%) demonstrated gastric mucosal uptake, with significant overlap between these groups. The range of elapsed times between MAA injection and initial imaging was 41–138 min, with a mean of 92 min. There was no correlation between time to imaging and the presence of extrahepatic radiotracer uptake at any site. During hepatic artery perfusion scanning for 90Y-radioembolization therapy planning, extrahepatic uptake is common, particularly in the kidney, salivary gland, thyroid and gastric mucosa, and is hypothesized to result from breakdown of 99mTc-MAA over time. Given the breakdown to smaller aggregates and ultimately pertechnetate, this should not be a contraindication to actual Y-90 microsphere therapy. Although we found no correlation between time to imaging and extrahepatic uptake, most of our injection-to-imaging times were relatively short.
A fractal dual-band polarization diversity antenna for 5G applications

In this paper, a dual-band dual polarized antenna for 5G applications is presented. The proposed antenna has a compact size of 7.5×8 mm2 and consists of a fractal patch with rectangular slot etched in it. The fractal patch is fed by two 50-Ω microstrip transmission lines to achieve dual polarization operation. The antenna presents two common 10dB impedance bandwidths of 3.6GHz (25.7–29.3 GHz) and 2.7GHz (37.740.4GHz). Furthermore, it possesses stable broadside radiation patterns and high gain with in both operating bands.
Border crossings: joining a multidisciplinary conversation about medical humanities.

This March’s issue offers us a chance to think critically about dialogue across boundaries. While not a themed issue, the articles featured here do represent a trend—and in many ways, this trend offers a promising future. I’ll begin with the shortest piece, our last brief report (the category has been subsumed under commentaries for the future): ‘The Cultural Crossings of Care. An Appeal to the Medical Humanities’ ( see page 55 ). In this account, we have a call to action from Julia Kristeva, Marie Rose Moro, John Odemark and Eivind Engebretsen. Kristeva has long problematised the biomedical concept of health, and in this report the authors reflect on consequences of too stringently drawing the line of demarcation between biomedicine and nature and culture. Medical humanities can, in these considerations, end up ‘reduced’ to a kind of repair job, ‘fixing’ biomedical enterprise. That necessarily limited perspective does not capture the full possibility of a dynamic field. As is reflected in the new mission of MH journal, …
Biological agents in rheumatoid arthritis

New potential therapies using molecular biology technology are under development. The initial trials in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with interferon gamma were disappointing. Cytokine inhibitors such as interleukin-1 receptor antagonist are beginning clinical trials. Growth factors have been used to treat isolated complications associated with RA. Monoclonal antibodies to target active cell lines or receptors are also under study with preliminary results available from several studies. This technology offers a hope lf more selective interventions for many systemic rheumatic diseases.
An improved method for in vitro susceptibility testing of Trichomonas vaginalis.

In vitro susceptibility testing of Trichomonas vaginalis has been performed by many authors.1–10 Most have adapted the classical broth macrodilution methodology to test tubes or microwell plates. However, Lossick11 has criticized susceptibility testing of T. vaginalis for its failure to predict treatment outcome in patients and for lack of standardized practical procedures. For example, some investigators employed an incubation time period that did not correlate with the growth curve of the protozoan,4,10 had no negative growth control,1–10 did not use a standardized inoculum8,10 and/or required an additional subculturing for determination of Minimum Lethal Concentration (MLC). 2,3,5,6,9,10