cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metaplastic Carcinoma of the Breast Is More Aggressive Than Triple-negative Breast Cancer: A Study From a Single Institution and Review of Literature.

Abstract We aimed to describe our experience with metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC), evaluate its clinical outcome compared with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and provide a through and comprehensive review of the literature to date. We reviewed MBC cases (n=46) from our institution. The following variables were recorded, tumor histologic subtype, Nottingham grade, tumor size, lymph node status, TNM-stage, biomarkers profile, patient's age and race, therapy modality (chemotherapy and radiation), and survival [disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS)]. The clinical and pathological data for TNBC (n=508) cases was extracted from the BC database. In order to compare the survival between MBC and TNBC, a subgroup of MBC (n=40) were matched with TNBC (n=40) cases based on known prognostic confounders. There were 17 of 46 (37%) cases with mesenchymal differentiation, 12 (26.1%) squamous cell carcinoma, 14 (30.4%) spindle cell carcinoma, and 3 (6.5%) mixed type. MBC presented at a more advanced stage than TNBC (p=0.014) and was more likely to recur 34% vs. 15.5% (p= 0.004). More MBC patients died from disease than TNBC, 29% vs. 16% (p= 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, MBC had about twice the risk of local recurrence than TNBC (95% CI 1.01-3.83, p=0.05). MBC patients had worse DFS and OS than the matched TNBC patients (p
IN-SITU REMOVAL OF IRON AND MANGANESE FROM GROUNDWATER: NUMERICAL MODEL

ABSTRACT A commercial process (Vyredox) to remove iron and manganese in solution from groundwater at the source is analyzed in terms of a numerical model. The process is based on oxidation of soluble Fe(II) and Mn(II) to insoluble Fe(III) and Mn(IV) before the water is drawn from a well. Aerated water is injected into an aquifer, and after a waiting period, more high quality water can be withdrawn from the well than was used for the injection. The basic mechanisms of the process are chemical and biochemical oxidation caused by oxygen entering the aquifer through advection and diffusion, carried with the injection water. The mathematical model was formulated based on steady-state hydraulics and time dependent advection-diffusion equations for oxidant, iron and manganese. A one-dimensional cylindrical finite difference technique was used. Chemical and biochemical reaction terms were included based on available data. The efficiency of the process was measured in terms of the ratio between the amount of high quality water withdrawn and the amount of water injected. High quality water is considered to be that with concentrations of iron and manganese less than one-tenth of the initial concentrations. Using an injection time of 1 day, a waiting time of 0.5 day, and injection and withdrawal flow rates of 50 m2/day, the efficiency found after five complete cycles was 3.12 for iron removal and 1.55 for manganese removal.
Adaptive Finite Element Solution of Variational Inequalities with Application in Contact Problems

Summary. In this chapter, we perform a posteriori error analysis for the adaptive finite element solution of several variational inequalities, including elliptic variational inequalities of the second kind and corresponding quasistatic variational inequalities. A general framework for a posteriori error estimation is established by using duality theory in convex analysis.We then derive a posteriori error estimates of residual type and of recovery type, through particular choices of the dual variable present in the general framework. The error estimates are guaranteed to be reliable. Efficiency of the error estimators is theoretically investigated and numerically validated. Detailed derivation and analysis of the error estimates are given for a model elliptic variational inequality. Extensions of the results can be made straightforward in solving other elliptic variational inequalities of the second kind, and we present such an extension for a problem arising in frictional contact. Moreover, we use a quasistatic contact problem as an example to illustrate how to extend the a posteriori error analysis in solving time-dependent variational inequalities. Numerous numerical examples are included to illustrate the effectiveness of the a posteriori error estimates in adaptive solutions of the variational inequalities.
Care Wounds: Precarious Vulnerability and the Potential of Exposure

What does it mean to offer care when the act of caring is wounding to its giver? For peer specialists-individuals with lived experience as patients in the psychiatric system-this question shapes how they use their own histories to provide support for individuals experiencing psychiatric crisis. Peer support is unique in the way it draws on empathetic resonance and depends on carefully deployed vulnerability; where one connects with others through the recognition of shared experience and mutual hurt. For peers, care works when this guidance, reassurance, and "being with"-all of which draw upon their own stories of traumatic history and variegated suffering-mitigate the present crisis being experienced by another. Drawing on twenty-eight months of fieldwork with a peer-staffed crisis respite center in the eastern United States, I argue that the peer specialist becomes the embodiment of a novel intersection of intimacy and compensation; one that poses vulnerability not as a consequence, casualty, or risk factor in the commodification of care, but as its principle vector of resonance and the assumption on which it is based. For peers, care that works-in that it creates a mutual resonance for the recipient-becomes simultaneously care that wounds its giver.
Finite element modeling of the human kidney for probabilistic occupant models: Statistical shape analysis and mesh morphing

Statistical shape analysis was conducted on 15 pairs (left and right) of human kidneys. It was shown that the left and right kidney were significantly different in size and shape. In addition, several common modes of kidney variation were identified using statistical shape analysis. Semi-automatic mesh morphing techniques have been developed to efficiently create subject specific meshes from a template mesh with a similar geometry. Subject specific meshes as well as probabilistic kidney meshes were created from a template mesh. Mesh quality remained about the same as the template mesh while only taking a fraction of the time to create the mesh from scratch or morph with manually identified landmarks. This technique can help enhance the quality of information gathered from experimental testing with subject specific meshes as well as help to more efficiently predict injury by creating models with the mean shape as well as models at the extremes for each principal component.
Hazardous Chemical Releases Occurring in School Settings, 14 States, 2008–2013

Children are considered to be a vulnerabletion when it comes to exposures to hazardous substances. Schools, where children spend about one third of their day, are expected to be a safe environment. Yet, there are many hazardous substances in schools that can be inadvertently or intentionally released and harm the health of students and teachers alike. The purpose of this analysis is to characterize acute chemical release incidents in school settings and identify prevention practices. The acute chemical incident surveillance programs of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) captured 24,748 acute chemical release incidents from 14 states that participated during 2008-2013. We examined 335 of these incidents that occurred at schools. While only 1.3% (n = 335) of all chemical incidents reported to ATSDR occurred in schools, these incidents represented a larger part of the total impacts, including 8.5% of incidents with persons injured, 5.7% of evacuations ordered, and 31.1% of people evacuated. Natural gas (21.8%) and mercury (18.2%) were the chemicals most frequently released. Collecting and analyzing data on acute school chemical releases allows stakeholders to target prevention initiatives and provide a school environment safe from these chemical exposures.
Response of Oxide Fuel to Simulated Thermal Transients

Direct electrical heating (DEH) experiments have been analyzed to study the fuel and fission gas response to simulated thermal transient conditions in unirradiated UO/sub 2/ and irradiated mixed-oxide fuels. The results indicate that both fission gas and fuel melting strongly influence the fuel response behavior during transients. The information obtained from the DEH tests has been used to draw a preliminary fuel response diagram that contributes to an understanding of such macroscopic fuel behavior as gross fuel swelling and fuel failure as functions of the transient time and heating rate. A comparison of these test results and the trend depicted by the fuel response diagram with results obtained from experiments performed in the transient reactor test treat facility indicates that certain aspects of fuel behavior during transients can be reasonably simulated by the DEH technique.
Regulating Entities and Activities: Complementary Approaches to Nonbank Systemic Risk

The recent financial crisis demonstrated that, contrary to longstanding regulatory assumptions, nonbank financial firms — such as investment banks and insurance companies — can propagate systemic risk throughout the financial system. After the crisis, policymakers in the United States and abroad developed two different strategies for dealing with nonbank systemic risk. The first strategy seeks to regulate individual nonbank entities that officials designate as being potentially systemically important. The second approach targets financial activities that could create systemic risk, irrespective of the types of firms that engage in those transactions. In the last several years, domestic and international policymakers have come to view these two strategies as substitutes, largely abandoning entity-based designations in favor of activities-based approaches. This Article argues that this trend is deeply misguided because entity- and activities-based approaches are complementary tools that are each essential for effectively regulating nonbank systemic risk. Eliminating an entity-based approach to nonbank systemic risk — either formally or through onerous procedural requirements — would expose the financial system to the same risks that it experienced in 2008 as a result of distress at nonbanks like AIG, Bear Stearns, and Lehman Brothers. This conclusion is especially salient in the United States, where jurisdictional fragmentation undermines the capacity of financial regulators to implement an effective activities-based approach. Significant reforms to the U.S. regulatory framework are necessary, therefore, before an activities-based approach can meaningfully complement domestic entity-based systemic risk regulation.
Brimonidine tartrate for the treatment of glaucoma.

Introduction: Brimonidine tartrate is a commonly used eyedrop for short- and long-term lowering of intraocular pressure. Its use has been popularized due to its effects on aqueous suppression and u...
Revolution and Development

The likelihood “that there will be ten to fifteen revolutions a year for the foreseeable future in the less developed societies” is often asserted (Black 1966: 166; Julien 1969). The purpose of this article is to show that such an occurrence is improbable, and, in the process of so demonstrating, to draw some useful analytical distinctions within the concept of revolution. In brief, it is the thesis of this analysis that the anticolonial revolution has sapped the political energies necessary for a national revolution, and that at best (and then only rarely) revolutions in developing countries are truncated revolutions, limited to the first stage of revolutionary overthrow but presently incapable of undertaking a revolutionary transformation of society. National revolution, to be sure, lurks in the background, but at a distant date, when the frustrations of the truncated revolution have been fully felt and new energies and blockages accumulated.
Biological control of powdery mildew on Cornus florida using endophytic Bacillus thuringiensis

Powdery mildew (Erysiphe pulchra) is a devastating disease in nursery production of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.). Disease management relies heavily on season-long use of chemical fungicide...
Effect of urea fertilizer application on soluble protein and free amino acid content of cotton petioles in relation to silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii) populations.

The impact of urea nitrogen fertilization on silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, population dynamics was examined in field-grown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Five urea nitrogen treatments were tested, consisting of soil applications of 0, 112, 168, and 224 kg nitrogen per hectare, and a combined soil–foliar application of 112:17 kg nitrogen per hectare. A positive response was observed between N application rates and the measured levels of nitrate N in petioles from mature cotton leaves. Similarly, a positive response was observed between N application rates and the numbers of adult and immature whiteflies appearing during population peaks. To determine whether these positive responses were related, we measured the levels of dietary N compounds (proteins and free amino acids) that would be available for insect nutrition in cotton petioles at the different N application rates. Sampling dates and N application treatments affected levels of soluble proteins in cotton petioles, and interactions between sampling dates and treatments were significant. Across all sampling dates, the relationship between N application rates and levels of soluble proteins was linear. Sampling dates also affected levels of total and individual free amino acids. Fertilizer treatments only affected levels of total amino acids, aspartate, asparagine, and arginine plus threonine. Levels of aspartate or asparagine and the N application rates were linearly correlated. No significant correlations were observed between levels of dietary N compounds in cotton petioles and numbers of whiteflies, either adults or immatures, on the cotton plants.
Transcriptomic and Proteomic Approaches to Finding Novel Diagnostic and Immunogenic Candidates in Pneumocystis.

ABSTRACT Pneumocystis pneumonia is the most common serious opportunistic infection in patients with HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, Pneumocystis pneumonia is a feared complication of the immunosuppressive drug regimens used to treat autoimmunity, malignancy, and posttransplantation rejection. With an increasing at-risk population, there is a strong need for novel approaches to discover diagnostic and vaccine targets. There are multiple challenges to finding these targets, however. First, Pneumocystis has a largely unannotated genome. To address this, we evaluated each protein encoded within the Pneumocystis genome by comparisons to proteins encoded within the genomes of other fungi using NCBI BLAST. Second, Pneumocystis relies on a multiphasic life cycle, as both the transmissible form (the ascus) and the replicative form (the trophozoite [troph]) reside within the alveolar space of the host. To that end, we purified asci and trophs from Pneumocystis murina and utilized transcriptomics to identify differentially regulated genes. Two such genes, Arp9 and Sp, are differentially regulated in the ascus and the troph, respectively, and can be utilized to characterize the state of the Pneumocystis life cycle in vivo. Gsc1, encoding a β-1,3-glucan synthase with a large extracellular domain previously identified using surface proteomics, was more highly expressed on the ascus form of Pneumocystis. GSC-1 ectodomain immunization generated a strong antibody response that demonstrated the ability to recognize the surface of the Pneumocystis asci. GSC-1 ectodomain immunization was also capable of reducing ascus burden following primary challenge with Pneumocystis murina. Finally, mice immunized with the GSC-1 ectodomain had limited fungal burden following natural transmission of Pneumocystis using a cohousing model. IMPORTANCE The current report enhances our understanding of Pneumocystis biology in a number of ways. First, the current study provided a preliminary annotation of the Pneumocystis murina genome, addressing a long-standing issue in the field. Second, this study validated two novel transcripts enriched in the two predominant life forms of Pneumocystis. These findings allow better characterization of the Pneumocystis life cycle in vivo and could be valuable diagnostic tools. Furthermore, this study outlined a novel pipeline of -omics techniques capable of revealing novel antigens (e.g., GSC-1) for the development of vaccines against Pneumocystis.
Hydronium ion at the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface: Structure, thermodynamics, and dynamics of ion transfer.

Molecular dynamics simulations including umbrella sampling free energy calculations are used to examine the structure, thermodynamics, and dynamics that accompany the transfer of the classical hydronium ion (H3O+) across the water/1,2-dichloroethane interface. The calculated free energy of transfer (17 ± 1 kcal/mol) is somewhat larger than the experimental value (14 kcal/mol). A detailed examination of the hydration structure is provided, and several dynamical properties as a function of the distance along the interface normal are calculated. In particular, it is shown that the hydronium ion is transferred as an Eigen species, and while the three hydration shell water molecules’ average structure is conserved during the transfer, they may be exchanged with nearby water molecules with a rate that decreases as the ion enters the organic phase.
A Hybrid Procedural/Deductive Executive for Autonomous Spacecraft

The New Millennium Remote Agent (NMRA) will be the first AI system to control an actual spacecraft. The spacecraft domain places a strong premium on autonomy and requires dynamic recoveries and robust concurrent execution, all in the presence of tight real-time deadlines, changing goals, scarce resource constraints, and a wide variety of possible failures. To achieve this level of execution robustness, we have integrated a procedural executive based on generic procedures with a deductive model-based executive. A procedural executive provides sophisticated control constructs such as loops, parallel activity, locks, and synchronization which are used for robust schedule execution, hierarchical task decomposition, and routine configuration management. A deductive executive provides algorithms for sophisticated state inference and optimal failure recovery planning. The integrated executive enables designers to code knowledge via a combination of procedures and declarative models, yielding a rich modeling capability suitable to the challenges of real spacecraft control. The interface between the two executives ensures both that recovery sequences are smoothly merged into high-level schedule execution and that a high degree of reactivity is retained to effectively handle additional failures during recovery.
Does pre-planning explain why predictability affects reference production?

How does thematic role predictability affect reference production? This study tests a planning facilitation hypothesis – that the predictability effect on reference form can be explained in terms of the time course of utterance planning. In a discourse production task, participants viewed two sequential event pictures, listened to a description of the first picture (depicting a transfer event between two characters), and then provided a description of the second picture (continuing with one thematic role character, either goal or source). We replicated previous findings that goal continuations lead to more reduced forms of reference and shorter latency to begin speaking than source continuations. Additionally, we tracked speakers’ eye movements in two periods of utterance planning, early vs. late. We found that 1) early pre-planning supports the use of reduced forms but is not affected by thematic role; 2) thematic role only affects late planning; and 3) in contrast with our hypothesis, planning does not account for predictability effects on reduced forms. We then speculate that discourse connectedness drives the thematic role predictability effect on reference form choice.
Selected aspects of nanotoxicology

Abstract Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary science and technology that involves the integration of chemistry and physics to develop and apply materials and structures from 1 to 100 nm. When some materials are produced at the nanoscale their behaviors can change resulting in unique and novel properties. For example, many metallic particles adsorb light differently as particle size decreases resulting in changes in colors, other materials that typically serve as insulators can become conductive. However, these unique and novel behaviors that allow for new innovations also have drawn questions regarding the potential health impacts different from those anticipated from their chemical composition alone. It remains to be determined whether human exposures to nanoparticles through the usual pathways (oral, dermal, and inhalation) result in different outcomes when compared to those encountered by exposures to larger, nonnano “fine-sized” particles. This chapter contributes a brief overview of selected fundamental aspects of nanotoxicology including (1) relevant routes of exposure; (2) the basic but important concepts of hazard versus risk; (3) an overview of physicochemical properties of nanomaterials relevant to particle toxicology; (4) emerging definitions and regulatory relevant considerations for nanomaterials; (5) a brief discussion of the NanoRisk Framework; and (6) an example of a subchronic inhalation toxicity study with carbon nanofibers in rats.
Abstract 95: The Mobile Interventional Stroke Team (MIST) Model Improves Early Outcomes in Elvo Stroke: The NYC Mist Trial

Introduction: Endovascular therapy (EVT) has become the standard of care for treatment of emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO) in ischemic stroke. It is a time sensitive procedure that has previo...
ICU Telemedicine Implementation and Risk-Adjusted Mortality Differences Between Daytime and Nighttime Coverage.

Background ICU telemedicine augmentation has been associated with improvements in clinical and financial outcomes in many cases, but not all. Understanding this discrepancy is of interest given the clinical impact and intervention cost. A recent meta-analysis noted an association with mortality reduction and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) before ICU telemedicine implementation of > 1. Research Question Does ICU telemedicine implementation affect adjusted mortality outcomes? If so, in what context? Study Design and Methods We performed a retrospective pre-post analysis comparing before vs after ICU telemedicine implementation on the outcome of risk-adjusted ICU mortality during am vs pm admissions as well as other objective measures of ICU telemedicine involvement. Results One thousand five hundred eighty-one patient-stays and 14,584 patient-stays were available for analysis in the implementation period before vs after ICU telemedicine implementation, respectively. The average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IVa score was 46.6 vs 54.8 (P am group before ICU telemedicine implementation vs the am group after ICU telemedicine implementation, respectively. The average APACHE IVa score was 47.2 vs 56.3 (P pm group before ICU telemedicine implementation vs the pm group after ICU telemedicine implementation, respectively. Overall, the risk-adjusted ICU mortality was 8.7% before ICU telemedicine implementation vs 6.5% (P am and pm admission groups, no significant difference in risk-adjusted ICU mortality was seen in the am stratum. In the pm stratum, risk-adjusted mortality was 10.8% before ICU telemedicine implementation vs 7.0% (P am admission stratum was 0.95 vs 1.30 in the pm stratum. Interpretation We found a reduction in risk-adjusted ICU mortality with implementation of ICU telemedicine driven predominantly within the pm admission group. The pm admission SMR was 1.30, which may suggest an association with SMR of > 1 before ICU telemedicine implementation and mortality reduction. Future studies should seek to confirm this finding and should explore other important ICU telemedicine outcomes in the context of observed-to-expected ratios.
Expression of CCR6 and CXCR3 by activated CD8+ T lymphocytes following immunotherapeutic vaccination correlates with enhanced survival

1409 Immunotherapy based on the induction of antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses has generated inconsistent results in multiple clinical trials. An understanding of the phenotypic characteristics of effector and memory T cells induced by vaccination may provide insights into the mechanisms of success or failure of immunotherapies. Because multiple studies have demonstrated the role of chemokine receptors in determining T cell migration characteristics and functionality, we evaluated the expression of select CCR molecules on activated CD8+ T-cells derived from tumor-involved lymph node or peripheral blood of forty melanoma patients with stage III or stage IV disease. CCR gene expression was evaluated by multiplex RT-PCR using gene-specific primers, and surface protein expression was assessed by flow cytometry using specific monoclonal antibodies. Regardless of disease stage or prior therapy, the molecules CCR1, CCR3, CCR7, and CXCR4 were consistently expressed by CD8+CD45RO+ cells. In twenty patients with stage III and IV disease who received no immuntherapy, variable expression of CCR2, CCR4, CCR5, CCR6, and CXCR3 was observed; however, there was no correlation between receptor expression pattern and survival post-diagnosis. In all melanoma patients with stage III disease who were vaccinated with melanoma-associated peptides in combination with GM-CSF, two distinct clusters of CCR expression emerged. CCR6 and CXCR3 message constructs and surface protein were absent in CD8+CD45RO+ T cells from five patients, with mean survival post-vaccination of 14.4±3.1 months. In contrast, five patients with CD8+CD45RO+ T cells that maintained expression of CCR6 and CXCR3 exhibited enhanced post-vaccination survival (22.6±3.3 months, P 0.1). Therefore, vaccination strategies that induce antigen-specific effector CCR6+CXCR3+CD8+ T cells may offer an advantage in the control of early or moderate-stage disease.
Does 1-minute walk test predict results of 6-minute walk test in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?

Background The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a readily available tool used to evaluate functional capacity in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, it is often logistically challenging to perform in the context of a busy clinical practice. We sought to investigate if the 1MWT distance (1MWD) predicts the 6MWT distance (6MWD), and if an abbreviated walk could accurately predict outcomes in IPF patients. Methods Baseline demographics and pulmonary function testing of IPF patients evaluated at a tertiary referral center between 2010 and 2017 were collected. 6MWT variables at baseline as well as 1 and 6 minutes were collected. Time to death, lung transplantation, or most recent follow-up was ascertained. Results There were 177 patients, the majority of whom (80%) were male. The mean age was 67 ± 9 years and mean FVC was 64 ± 18% predicted. Forty eight (27%) patients used oxygen supplementation during the 6MWT. The median 6MWD was 366 meters (IQR: 268-471) while the median 1MWD was 65 meters (IQR: 46-81). Stratified by the median, 89 patients were "High Walkers" based on the 6MWD ≥ 366m (HW6) and 88 patients were "Low Walkers" (LW6). HW6 had a higher FVC% (70 ± 15 vs 57 ± 18, p= 0.001), higher DLCO% (45 ± 12 vs 34 ± 14, p= 0.001) and higher 1MWD (83 ± 28 vs 47 ± 16, m p= 0.001). Median transplant-free survival was better in HW6 vs LW6 (27 ± 16 vs 22 ± 18 months, log rank p= 0.018). There was a strong correlation between the 1MWD and the 6MWD (r= 0.91, Spearman's correlation, p < 0.0001). Also, the transplant-free survival curves stratified by 1MWD were very similar to the curves for 6MWD, showing a lower survival in the LW1 cohort (log rank p= 0.009). Conclusion The 1MWD obtained during the first minute of a 6MWD shows a strong correlation to total 6MWD and retains its ability to predict transplant-free survival. 1MWT may serve as a practical substitute for the more cumbersome 6MWT. Our findings require further validation prospectively in larger cohorts of IPF patients.
Bystander training for faculty: A promising approach to tackling microaggressions in the academy

Abstract Microaggressions present significant barriers to entry and advancement for faculty from traditionally marginalized groups, yet workplace interventions to stymy them remain undocumented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of bystander training to deal with subtle expressions of bias in the academic workplace. We developed a 2-h interactive bystander training workshop that specifically addressed intervening in microaggressions university faculty experience; approximately 21% of the full-time faculty participated in the training. Results indicate that post workshop, participants endorsed higher levels of likelihood of bystander intervention and higher levels of bystander efficacy to deal with microaggressive events (compared to pre-test 4 days before the workshop); scores on these measures remained significantly greater than pre-test at both 6-week and 12-week follow-up. Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that both likelihood of bystander intervention and bystander efficacy scores predicted self-reported bystander behavior at both 6 and 12 week follow up. These findings suggest that bystander training may be a promising approach to tackling microaggressions faculty experience in higher education.
Determining the Advantages, Costs, and Trade-Offs of a Novel Sodium Channel Mutation in the Copepod Acartia hudsonica to Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PST)

The marine copepod Acartia hudsonica was shown to be adapted to dinoflagellate prey, Alexandrium fundyense, which produce paralytic shellfish toxins (PST). Adaptation to PSTs in other organisms is caused by a mutation in the sodium channel. Recently, a mutation in the sodium channel in A. hudsonica was found. In this study, we rigorously tested for advantages, costs, and trade-offs associated with the mutant isoform of A. hudsonica under toxic and non-toxic conditions. We combined fitness with wild-type: mutant isoform ratio measurements on the same individual copepod to test our hypotheses. All A. hudsonica copepods express both the wild-type and mutant sodium channel isoforms, but in different proportions; some individuals express predominantly mutant (PMI) or wild-type isoforms (PWI), while most individuals express relatively equal amounts of each (EI). There was no consistent pattern of improved performance as a function of toxin dose for egg production rate (EPR), ingestion rate (I), and gross growth efficiency (GGE) for individuals in the PMI group relative to individuals in the PWI expression group. Neither was there any evidence to indicate a fitness benefit to the mutant isoform at intermediate toxin doses. No clear advantage under toxic conditions was associated with the mutation. Using a mixed-diet approach, there was also no observed relationship between individual wild-type: mutant isoform ratios and among expression groups, on both toxic and non-toxic diets, for eggs produced over three days. Lastly, expression of the mutant isoform did not mitigate the negative effects of the toxin. That is, the reductions in EPR from a toxic to non-toxic diet for copepods were independent of expression groups. Overall, the results did not support our hypotheses; the mutant sodium channel isoform does not appear to be related to adaptation to PST in A. hudsonica. Other potential mechanisms responsible for the adaptation are discussed.
Zinc compound air releases from Toxics Release Inventory facilities and cardiovascular disease mortality rates.

Abstract Background Inhaled zinc has been found in association with cardiopulmonary toxicity. However, limited human epidemiologic studies are available. This study analyzed the association between covariate-adjusted cardiovascular (CVD) mortality rates and zinc compound air releases in the United States. Methods We conducted an ecological analysis on the association between zinc compound air releases for 1991–2000 using the Toxics Release Inventory database and average age-adjusted CVD mortality for 2006–2010, adjusting for race/ethnicity composition and several health and socioeconomic factors. Models were estimated for males and females and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Results Zinc compound air releases were positively associated with increased adjusted CVD mortality rates in all four models ( β =0.0085, p β =0.0093, p 0.0001 for males in metropolitan counties; β =0.0145, p β =0.0098, p Conclusion This study provides epidemiological evidence for possible CVD health impacts of inhaled zinc in the United States. Although the strongest effect was found for females in nonmetropolitan counties, the associations were consistent in nonmetropolitan or metropolitan counties for both genders.
Implanted Medical Devices and End-of-Life Decisions

If competent patients request that physicians participate in the deactivation of total artificial hearts and left ventricular assist devices, should physicians always comply? Patients and physicians currently have unsettled attitudes towards this question. I maintain that this issue is unsettling largely because the prospect of deactivation seems to give rise to a conflict between two deeply entrenched commitments of medical ethics: a commitment to the moral equivalency of withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, and a commitment to the prohibition on physicians’ harming patients. I examine this apparent conflict and look at different ways of resolving it. I argue that the moral equivalency of withholding and withdrawing provides a decisive reason for physicians to participate in deactivation when a competent patient requests it, and that the prohibition on harming patients does not constitute a reason for physicians not to participate in deactivation. I also argue that an understanding of why it is acceptable for physicians to participate in deactivation reveals why physician-assisted death is morally acceptable in certain kinds of cases.
Web and wireless site usability: understanding differences and modeling use

Recent research has presented a conceptualization, metric, and instrument based on Microsoft Usability Guidelines (MUG; see Agarwal and Venkatesh 2002). In this paper, we use MUG to further our understanding of web and wireless site use. We conducted two empirical studies among over 1,000 participants. In study 1, conducted in both the United States and Finland, we establish the generalizability of the MUG conceptualization, metric, and associated instrument from the United States to Finland. In study 2, which involved longitudinal data collection in Finland, we delved into an examination of differences in factors important in determining web versus wireless site usability. Also, in study 2, based on a follow-up survey about site use conducted 3 months after the initial survey, we found support for a model of site use that employs the MUG categories and subcategories as predictors. The MUG-based model outperformed the widely employed technology acceptance model both in terms of richness and variance explained (about 70 percent compared to 50 percent).
In-hospital complications of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for lymphoid malignancies: clinical and economic outcomes from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

BACKGROUND. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto HSCT) is standard of care therapy for multiple myeloma and Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas in front-line and salvage settings, respectively. Complications remain common, but population-based estimates of their frequency and relative contribution to cost are not available. METHODS. A retrospective cohort comprised of 8891 patients with multiple myeloma and lymphoma admitted to US hospitals for auto HSCT over a 2-year period (2000-2001) was extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Patient characteristics, vital status, and total hospital charges were obtained directly from the NIS. Transplant characteristics and outcomes were identified by ICD-9-CM codes. Mean hospital charges were examined by outcome and transformed into cost by using Medicare cost-to-charge ratios. Factors associated with hospital cost, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality were explored by using multivariate regression. RESULTS. The mean hospital cost for auto HSCT during this period was $51,312. Significant complications were documented for >50% of admissions. Infectious complications (∼ 60%) and stomatitis (∼ 40%) were the most frequent, and both were associated with increased hospital costs (range, $15,000 to $50,000). In-hospital mortality was rare (<5%) but was associated with markedly increased cost when it occurred. Pretransplant conditioning with total body irradiation was strongly associated with infectious complications, higher cost, and death. CONCLUSIONS. Adverse events are both common and costly after auto HSCT. Strategies to minimize complications could significantly reduce not only morbidity and mortality but also the cost of the procedure. Administrative data can be profitably exploited to investigate outcomes in this population. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Chronic Erythrocytic Hypoplasia Following Pernicious Anemia

A case of chronic erythrocytic hypoplasia of the bone marrow following Addisonian pernicious anemia, treated for 30 years, is reported. Treatment with different erythropoietic agents was completely unsuccessful. The possibility of a causal relationship is suggested.
Randomized Trial of Taurine Supplementation for Infants \g=le\1,300-Gram Birth Weight: Effect on Auditory Brainstem-Evoked Responses

Taurine may be important to the developing eye and brain of the small preterm infant. A blinded randomized trial was conducted to determine whether taurine supplementation of healthy infants of less than or equal to 1,300 g birth weight until their discharge from the hospital increases their growth rate, neurobehavioral development, electroretinographic development, or maturation of auditory brainstem-evoked responses. Infants were fed with Similac Special Care as desired, which was prepared to contain less than 5 mg/L of taurine or 45 mg/L of taurine, a concentration similar to that of human milk. Infants who did not receive taurine supplementation (n = 19) and those who did (n = 18) were similar with respect to condition at study entry, caloric intake, and growth rates throughout the study, and electroretinographic findings and scores on the Brazelton Behavioral Assessment Scale at 37 weeks' postmenstrual age. Infants who received taurine supplementation had greater overall plasma taurine concentrations. The group receiving taurine supplementation also had more mature auditory-evoked responses at 37 weeks' postmenstrual age with a modest (0.2 to 0.5 ms) but consistent reduction (P less than .05) in the interval between stimulus and response at two different stimulation rates. Although further study is needed, taurine intake appears to influence auditory system maturation of preterm infants.
Market-based Network Formation for an Ad Hoc P2P Wireless Network

In an ad hoc, arbitrarily formed peer to peer (P2P) network system, each user can select one of the services offered by multiple neighbor stations to have an access to the network. Every user has a preference function to determine a service to use, which is described as a total willingness to pay based on the bandwidth and the duration of using a service. In our study, we developed a market-based model for a user to determine a service in order to maximize the user’s surplus. Our model allows a station to connect another station without reconnection as long as it wants or possible. By employing our model, stations of providing a service can offer a competitive pricing based on durations of connections such as a discount for their users to use it longer. The pricing of this kind is also preferable for both users and providers. In addition, based on our model, we developed an algorithm for a station to determine a way of making a connection to the network. We simulated some scenarios of ad hoc P2P wireless networks by using the algorithm. We found that the formed network is more efficient than former ceaselessly reconnecting networks in terms of the connectivity to get a certain QoS.
Consenting to Heteronormativity: Assumptions in Biomedical Research

The process of informed consent is fundamental to basic scientific research with human subjects. As one aspect of the scientific enterprise, clinical drug trials rely on informed consent documents to safeguard the ethical treatment of trial participants. This paper explores the role of heteronormative assumptions within this process, postulating the ways in which the biomedical texts that make up the informed consent process may render gay, lesbian, and non-binary gender-identifying participants discursively invisible. We argue that trial criteria and informed consent practices may reproduce a binary sex and gender system in which ‘male’ and ‘female’ subjects are presumed to identify as heterosexual and engage in procreative sex. This binary is not one of equivalence as female subjects who are able to have children may be wholly excluded or excessively controlled in studies while male subjects are merely admonished to use medically sanctioned birth control methods. Furthermore, we claim that the assumption of procreative heterosexual behaviors may pervade the informed consent process and the mundane practices of biomedical research more broadly. Given that these assumptions have important implications for risk and inclusivity in clinical trials, in the last part of this paper we outline directions for future research on the reproduction of heteronormativity in scientific discourse and practice. Keywords : heteronormativity, biomedical research, clinical trials, gender binary, scientific discourse.
Chapter 12 The total synthesis of amphibian alkaloids using the intramolecular schmidt reaction

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the total synthesis of amphibian alkaloids using the intramolecular Schmidt reaction. It describes the synthesis of two alkaloids, (–)-indolizidine and (–)-indolizidine. The intramolecular Schmidt reaction is significant because it allows an extremely straightforward route to bicyclic ring systems. Further, nitrogen ring expansion reactions such as the classical Schmidt or Beckmann rearrangements, have found utility in natural product synthesis. A typical example of this strategy utilized by LaLonde and coworkers, in this case, ring expansion of the ketone affords the lactam bearing the nitrogen that will eventually end up in one of the ring-fusion positions of the natural product. This necessitates a second ring closure via nitrogen alkylation. One main potential advantage of the intramolecular Schmidt is that the replacement of hydrazoic acid with an azide allows both rings to be constructed in a single step. Furthermore, the typical Schmidt reaction can typically lead to two regioisomeric products.
Modelling size effects in micro/nano-systems by including interfacial effects in a gradient plasticity framework

The effect of the material microstructural interfaces increases as the surface-to-volume ratio increases. It is shown in this work that interfacial effects have a profound impact on the scale-dependent plasticity encountered in micro/nano-systems. This is achieved by developing a physically-based higher-order gradient-dependent plasticity theory that enforces microscopic boundary conditions at interfaces and free surfaces. These non-standard boundary conditions relate the micro traction stress at the interface to the interfacial energy. Application of the proposed framework to size effects in biaxial tension of a thin-film on an elastic substrate is presented. Three film-interface conditions are modelled: soft, intermediate, and hard interfaces.
Joint parameter estimation and demodulation of superimposed convolutional coded signals

A method of jointly estimating the parameters of a number of superimposed convolutional coded communication signals incident on an antenna array and demodulating these signals is presented. The method would allow simpler arrays to be designed due to the threshold extension obtained by this method. It also has the potential to increase the throughput of current multiple access channel systems, for example, satellite communications and digital mobile cellular phones, by using an antenna array. The concept is based on the use of sequence estimation combined jointly with parameter estimation in array processing problems. In the simulations it is shown that a significant improvement in the accuracy of the demodulated signals and in the estimation of the signals angle of arrivals is obtained compared to a deterministic maximum likelihood estimation method.
Early social environment may alter the development of attachment and social support : two case reports

Abstract Two bonnet monkey infants experienced a 7-day maternal separation after rearing in a social environment designed to increase tension, reduce allomaternal care, and restrict social networks. Neither infant was adopted during separation, and both infants exhibited more depression than typically observed. This suggests that systematic manipulation of the early social environment may alter the development of the mother—infant bond, affect development of attachment to other adults, and diminish social support available during separation, thus affecting response to separation.
Penetrating Radiation and de Broglie Waves

BOTHE and Kolhorster have recently published a preliminary account of an experiment on the absorption coefficient of the penetrating radiation (NATURE, April 27, p. 638). They conclude that this radiation is of corpuscular rather than of gamma type. The purpose of this note is to show that their experiment may be inconclusive.
Statistical tools for determining appropriate selection of regression models for analysis of environmental fate datasets.

BACKGROUND: In the NAFTA regulatory community, a currently consistent methodology used to estimate dissipation times for environmental fate data is not applied. RESULTS: This work demonstrates through a case study that the inappropriate use of pseudo-first-order regression models can result in inaccurate estimates of soil degradation rates, and it proposes some statistical tools that can be used to identify an appropriate statistical model to fit a particular environmental fate dataset. Diagnostic procedures have been proposed to identify the appropriate scale, and statistical testing procedures have been proposed to select the appropriate model within that scale. CONCLUSION: Results from this work demonstrate that, unless the proposed diagnostic and statistical procedures are used, inaccurate estimates of dissipation times may result. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry
On Interpretation of ESCA Spectra with Application to Thymine and Other Molecules

1s binding energies are calculated for nitrogen atoms in thymine, pyrrole, adenine, and pyridine and for carbon atoms in thymine, adenine, pyrrole, and furan, and compared with experimental values. Calculations are performed in the framework of a perturbational model using CNDO molecular wave functions. Interactions of the 1s electron with its own atom are calculated exactly whereas interactions with neighbor atoms are calculated according to two levels of approximation: (1) Point charge approximation. (2) Rigorous calculations of integrals. Magnitudes of the different interactions and integrals are analysed. The questions of assignments of ESCA shifts and the errors inherent in the calculations are discussed.