cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychotropic Medication and Competence to Stand Trial

At any given time, as many as 15,000 persons are hospitalized for study or treatment regarding their competence to stand trial. Although most of the defendants found incompetent to stand trial “could rapidly be returned to competence and so maintained were the facilities and treatments of modern psychiatry made available to them”, the impact of recent advances in psychiatry—particularly drug therapy—has not been fully absorbed by the legal system. Defendants restored to competence by psychotropic drugs frequently require ongoing medication. Some courts, mistakenly assuming that psychotropic drugs produce a “chemical sanity” that is unacceptable for participation in a trial, have adopted a practice—the “automatic bar rule”—of automatically prohibiting the return for trial of defendants under the influence of such drugs. A lack of statutory, regulatory, or judicial guidance leaves the question largely to the discretion of individual trial judges. This article critically examines the automatic bar rule in light of the effects of various psychotropic drugs and of the consequences of the rule both to defendants and to the state.
Suppression of the bimC4 mitotic spindle defect by deletion of klpA, a gene encoding a KAR3-related kinesin-like protein in Aspergillus nidulans

To investigate the relationship between structure and function of kinesin-like proteins, we have identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) a new kinesin-like protein in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, which we have designated KLPA. DNA sequence analysis showed that the predicted KLPA protein contains a COOH terminal kinesin-like motor domain. Despite the structural similarity of KLPA to the KAR3 and NCD kinesin-like proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Drosophila melanogaster, which also posses COOH-terminal kinesin-like motor domains, there are no significant sequence similarities between the nonmotor or tail portions of these proteins. Nevertheless, expression studies in S. cerevisiae showed that klpA can complement a null mutation in KAR3, indicating that primary amino acid sequence conservation between the tail domains of kinesin-like proteins is not necessarily required for conserved function. Chromosomal deletion of the klpA gene exerted no observable mutant phenotype, suggesting that in A. nidulans there are likely to be other proteins functionally redundant with KLPA. Interestingly, the temperature sensitive phenotype of a mutation in another gene, bimC, which encodes a kinesin-like protein involved in mitotic spindle function in A. nidulans, was suppressed by deletion of klpA. We hypothesize that the loss of KLPA function redresses unbalanced forces within the spindle caused by mutation in bimC, and that the KLPA and BIMC kinesin-like proteins may play opposing roles in spindle function.
Design considerations for a background limited 350 micron pixel array using lumped element superconducting microresonators

Future submillimeter telescopes will demand arrays with ~ 10^6 pixels to fill the focal plane. MAKO is a 350 µm camera being developed to demonstrate the use of superconducting microresonators to meet the high multiplexing factors required for scaling to large-format arrays while offering background-limited single-pixel sensitivity. Candidate pixel designs must simultaneously meet many requirements. To achieve the desired noise equivalent powers it must efficiently absorb radiation, feature a high responsivity, and exhibit low intrinsic device noise. Additionally, the use of high resonator quality factors of order ~ 10^5 and resonant frequencies of order f_(res) ≈ 100 MHz are desirable in order to reduce the per-pixel bandwidth to a minimum set by telescope scan speeds. This allows a maximum number of pixels to be multiplexed in a fixed electronic bandwidth. Here we present measurement results of the first MAKO prototype array which meets these design requirements while demonstrating sufficient sensitivity for background-limited operation at ground-based, far-infrared telescopes.
Chaos and the continuum limit in the gravitational N-body problem. II. Nonintegrable potentials.

This paper summarizes a numerical investigation of the statistical properties of orbits evolved in "frozen," time-independent N-body realizations of smooth, time-independent density distributions corresponding to integrable potentials, allowing for 10(2.5) 0, the value of the largest Lyapunov exponent chi does not decrease systematically with increasing N, so that, viewed in terms of the sensitivity of individual orbits to small changes in initial conditions, there is no sense in which chaos "turns off" for large N. However, it is clear that, for any finite epsilon, chi will tend to zero for sufficiently large N. (2) Even though chi does not decrease for an unsoftened kernel, there is a clear, quantifiable sense in which, as N increases, chaotic orbits in the frozen-N systems remain "close to" integrable characteristics in the smooth potential for progressively longer times. When viewed in configuration or velocity space, or as probed by collisionless invariants like angular momentum, frozen-N orbits typically diverge from smooth potential characteristics as a power law in time, rather than exponentially, on a time scale approximately equals N(p)t(D), with p approximately 1/2 and t(D) a characteristic dynamical, or crossing, time. For the case of angular momentum, the divergence is well approximated by a t(1/2) dependence, so that, when viewed in terms of collisionless invariants, discreteness effects act as a diffusion process that, presumably, can be modeled by nearly white Gaussian noise in the context of a Langevin or Fokker-Planck description. For position and velocity, the divergence is more rapid, characterized by a nearly linear power-law growth, t(q) with q approximately 1, a result that likely reflects the effects of linear phase mixing. The inference that, pointwise, individual N-body orbits can be reasonably approximated by orbits in a smooth potential only for times < N(1/2)t(D) has potential implications for various resonance phenomena that can act in real self-gravitating systems.
Iteration bounds of single-rate data flow graphs for concurrent processing

Single-rate data flow graphs (DFGs) are often used for modeling iterative concurrent activities. A DFG and its iteration bound are equivalent to a marked graph and cycle time of a Petri net, respectively. Ramamoorthy and Ho (1980) developed an efficient algorithm for checking the minimum cycle time against a predetermined performance requirement. This work presents a systematic procedure to find the iteration bound and the critical loop with time complexity O(n/sup 3/ log n) (n being the number of nodes), memory requirements of O(n/sup 2/), and subcritical loops with time complexity O(n/sup 3/). The next-critical loops are also studied because they may become the new critical loop if the look-ahead technique is used. The above procedure has been implemented in the C programming language which interfaces with a Petri net X-window tool to display the performance results. >
Status of Lake Trout Rehabilitation in the Northern Refuge of Lake Michigan

Abstract The Northern Refuge in Lake Michigan was established in 1985 as part of a rehabilitation program to stock yearling lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in areas with the best potential for success. Stocking of hatchery-reared lake trout within the refuge began in 1986 at three reefs: Boulder Reef, Gull Island Reef, and Richards Reef. On each reef from 1991 to 1997 we conducted gill-net surveys during the fall spawning season to evaluate performance of adult lake trout, and we conducted beam trawl surveys for naturally reproduced age-0 lake trout in the spring. Criteria to evaluate performance included spawner density, growth, maturity, and mortality. We found no evidence of natural reproduction by lake trout from our surveys. Nevertheless, density of spawning lake trout on Boulder Reef (69 fish/305 m of gill net/night) and Gull Island Reef (34 fish/305 m of gill net/night) appeared to be sufficiently high to initiate a self-sustaining population. Growth and maturity rates of lake trout in the Northern...
CN-05DO PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR SURVIVORS SUFFER AN INCREASED RISK OF OVARIAN/ENDOCRINE DYSFUNCTION AS COMPARED TO NON-BRAIN TUMOR SURVIVORS?

OBJECTIVE: Various treatments of brain tumors may affect ovarian and endocrine function, resulting in a plethora of disorders. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of brain tumors on ovarian health and endocrine function in female childhood survivors. STUDY DESIGN: Ovarian and endocrine function in 222 childhood cancer survivors diagnosed with brain tumors at a tertiary comprehensive cancer center between 1997-2008 was retrospectively analyzed and compared. RESULTS: An equal proportion of childhood survivors of brain tumors (N = 39) and survivors of non-brain tumors (N = 183) developed ovarian dysfunction. Of those children older than 13 years, menstrual cycle irregularity (36% of brain tumor survivors vs. 21% of non-brain survivors, p = 0.3), amenorrhea (22% vs. 22% respectively, p = 0.9), and elevated FSH levels (40% vs. 50%, p = 0.9) were not statistically significant between the two groups. Brain tumor survivors experienced increased risk of endocrine disorders, such as precocious puberty (13% vs. 2%, P = 0.005), delayed puberty (8% vs. 1%, P = 0.0178), and hypopituitarism (10% vs. 1%, P = 0.01). Furthermore, children with brain tumors were significantly more likely to develop multiple endocrine disorders at the same time (31% vs. 7%, P = 0.001 for two endocrine disorders and 23% vs. 2%, P= 0.0001 for three or more endocrine disorders) and were more likely to visit with an endocrinologist (46% vs. 14%, p = 0.0001), when compared to non-brain tumor cancer survivors. While all brain tumor patients were seen at the multi-specialty neuroncology clinic, they were less likely to attend survivor clinic (4% vs. 28%, p = <0.003), and more likely to receive assistance from survivor clinic staff (97% vs. 57%, p = 0.001), when compared to non-brain tumor cancer survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Female pediatric brain tumor survivors are equally likely to experience ovarian insufficiency when compared to non-brain tumor survivors, but were significantly more likely to suffer coexistence of multiple endocrine problems.
Hyperandrogenism in female athletes with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea: a distinct phenotype

OBJECTIVE To compare the reproductive, metabolic, and skeletal profiles of young athletic women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) as well as clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism (FHA-EX+HA) with body mass index matched women with FHA due to exercise (FHA-EX) or anorexia nervosa (FHA-AN) alone. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Tertiary care teaching hospital. POPULATION Adolescents and young women, 15-30 years of age, diagnosed with FHA along with concurrent signs of hyperandrogenism (n=22) and body mass index matched control groups consisting of 22 women in each group of FHA-EX and FHA-AN. MAIN OUTCOMES 1) Reproductive hormone profile: luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone, pelvic ultrasound features. 2) Metabolic function and skeletal health markers: fasting glucose, cholesterol, number of stress fractures and bone mineral density as assessed by spine dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry z scores. RESULTS FHA-EX+HA group was older at diagnosis compared to the other groups with a median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 22 (18.75-25.25) years versus (vs) 17.5 (15.75-19) for FHA-EX; (P<0.01) and 18 (16-22.25) years for FHA-AN (P=0.01). There were no differences among the groups based on number of hours of exercise per week, type of physical activity or duration of amenorrhea. Median (IQR) LH/FSH ratio was higher in FHA-EX+HA than both other groups, 1.44 (1.03-1.77) vs 0.50 (0.20-0.94) for FHA-EX and 0.67 (0.51-0.87) for FHA-AN (P<0.01 for both). Total testosterone concentrations were not different among the groups. Median (IQR) fasting serum glucose concentration was higher in FHA-EX+HA vs FHA-EX, 88.5 mg/dL (82.8-90 mg/dL) vs 83.5 mg/dL (78.8-86.3 mg/dL) (P=0.01) but not different from FHA-AN (P=0.31). Percentage of women with stress fractures was lower in FHA-EX+HA (4.5%) as compared to both FHA-EX (27.3%) and FHA-AN (50%); P=0.04 and 0.01 respectively. The LH/FSH ratio was weakly positively associated with serum glucose (adjusted r (2)=0.102; P=0.01) as well as with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry spine score (adjusted r (2)=0.191; P=0.04) in the entire cohort. CONCLUSION In a small cohort of female athletes with hyperandrogenism, a distinct reproductive hormone profile consisting of higher LH to FHS ratio may be associated with adverse metabolic health markers but improved skeletal health.
Age-Associated Defect in Human TLR-1/2 Function

The effects of aging on human TLR function remain incompletely understood. We assessed TLR function and expression in peripheral blood monocytes from 159 subjects in 2 age categories, 21–30 and >65 years of age, using a multivariable mixed effect model. Using flow cytometry to assess TLR-induced cytokine production, we observed a substantial, highly significant defect in TLR1/2-induced TNF-α ( p = 0.0003) and IL-6 ( p p p p = 0.003) after stimulation by N -palmitoyl- S -[2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2 R,S )-propyl]-Cys-[ S ]-Ser1-[ S ]-Lys(4) trihydrochloride was strongly associated with TLR1 surface expression. Diminished TLR1/2 signaling may contribute to the increased infection-related morbidity and mortality and the impaired vaccine responses observed in aging humans.
Effects of Alternative Molting Programs and Population on Layer Performance: Results of the Thirty-Fifth North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Test

SUMMARY A study involving 7 white-egg and 3 brown-egg commercial layer strains was conducted at the North Carolina Piedmont Research Station to assess the effects cage population 3-bird vs. 4-bird cages and alternative molt programs on performance through 113 wk of age (791 d). The flock was divided into 3 groups; not molted (NM), maintained in continuous production; molted using feed restriction (FR), an industry-type 14-d feed withdrawal molting program initiated at 463 d of age; and molted using a nonfasted/anorexic program (NF), in which an ad libitum supply of a low protein, low energy molt feed was provided. Productivity, egg size, and egg quality were monitored at 28-d periods throughout the test providing the performance data for the white-egg and brown-egg strains with regard to these management factors. Detailed results by strain are available on the following Web site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_info.html#layer. The performance for the 3-bird or 4-bird cage groups for either type of layer was similar, except that birds in 4-bird cages had higher feed consumption in the first production phase than did the birds in 3-bird cages. In the same time period the white-egg birds in the 3-bird cages had a greater percentage of cracked eggs and a smaller percentage of Grade A large eggs than those in 4-bird cages. No differences were observed in egg income for the 2 population sizes for either type of layer. However, due to their higher feed consumption, the white egg birds in the 4-bird cages had higher feed cost per hen for the first cycle, which was offset by the egg income component due to their increased production rate. The molted layers outperformed the nonmolted layers for both types of layers in terms of overall income over feed costs. The FR molted hens, under a program thathastraditionallybeenusedbycommercialproducers,outperformedNF-moltedhens,indicating that further refinements are needed to make the NF program economically competitive with the FR molting program.
The role of thymic stromal lymphopoietin in CD8+ T cell homeostasis.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a cytokine produced by stromal cells, epithelial cells, and basophils that acts on dendritic cells, mast cells, and CD4+ T cells. The receptor for TSLP contains a TSLP-specific receptor chain (TSLPR) and the IL-7R α-chain. Although IL-7 critically controls the expansion and survival of naive and memory CD8+ T cells, an action for TSLP on CD8+ T cells has not been reported. We now demonstrate that CD8+ T cells express TSLPR and that TSLP activates both STAT5 and Akt and induces Bcl-2 in these cells. Correspondingly, TSLP increases CD8+ T cell survival in vitro as well as in wild-type and T-depleted mice in vivo, without altering the homeostatic proliferation of these cells. Moreover, TSLP can maintain CD8+ T cells even in the absence of IL-7. Thus, our data reveal that TSLP contributes to CD8+ T cell homeostasis in both normal and lymphopenic conditions.
350 Head-Space Analysis of Bile for Early Diagnosis of Cholangiocarcinoma in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis-a Single Blinded Pilot Study

350 Head-Space Analysis of Bile for Early Diagnosis of Cholangiocarcinoma in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis-a Single Blinded Pilot Study Udayakumar Navaneethan*, Amit Bhatt, Mansour a. Parsi, Norma G. Gutierrez, Madhusudhan R. Sanaka, Sunguk Jang, Jeffrey Hammel, David Grove, Frank Cikach, Raed a. Dweik Gastroenterology, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; Pathobiology, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH Background: Differentiating benign and malignant strictures in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) may be challenging. Breath testing is an ideal non-invasive test that detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which diffuse from the body into the lungs. Our aim was to identify potential VOCs in the headspaces (gas above the sample) of bile from patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and PSC. Methods: In this prospective single-blinded study, bile was obtained in 20 patients (12 with PSC and 8 with CCA) undergoing ERCP for the diagnosis and management of biliary strictures. Bile samples were frozen (70 C) within 30 minutes of collection until time of analysis. The samples were heated to 40 C to allow the VOCs in the headspace to come into equilibrium with the sample. 20 milliliters of headspace was removed from the samples and analyzed with a selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (VOICE200R SIFT-MS instrument, (Syft Technologies Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand). Our selected ion monitoring (SIM) analysis focused on 22 preselected compounds that are most commonly found in breath. Logistic regression analysis was performed to build a predictive model for CCA. Results: The headspaces from 20 bile samples were analyzed. We identified 7 compounds (acetonitrile, acetaldehyde, benzene, carbon disulfide, dimethyl sulfide, pentane and 3-methylhexane) whose levels were significantly different in patients with CCA compared with PSC. (P!.05) [Table 1] Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, we developed a model for the diagnosis of CCA based on VOC levels of acetaldehyde, acetonitrile and carbon disulfide. The model [0.4154 * log (acetaldehyde) + 0.4150 * log (acetonitrile) + 0.7963 * log (carbon disulfide)] identified the patients with CCA (AUCZ0.83), with 100% sensitivity and 62.5% specificity. [Figure 1] There was no significant difference in the median age at diagnosis of strictures in patients with CCA, or PSC. Conclusions: The measurement of VOCs in biliary fluid helps to distinguish CCA from PSC. Measurement of these products in bile may enhance the endoscopic diagnosis of indeterminate biliary strictures in PSC patients. Comparison of Volatile Organic Compunds in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Cholangiocarcinoma
Assessment of Heart Rate Variability and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia via Doppler Radar

An investigation of heart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) indices using data obtained from Doppler radar cardiopulmonary remote sensing is presented in this paper. High accuracy in extracting the HRV and RSA indices was achieved using a direct-conversion quadrature radar system with linear demodulation method. This method was validated using data obtained from 12 human subjects in seated and supine positions. For supine position measurements, all standard deviation of normal beat-to-beat interval indices from Doppler radar and electrocardiogram reference differed less than plusmn9 ms of each other, while all the root mean square of differences of successive normal beat-to-beat interval indices differed less than plusmn76 ms. The measurements from subjects in seated and supine positions with normal RSA demonstrated that the results from radar correlated well with both respiratory piezoresistor chest belts. Higher level of HRV and RSA was detected in seated position, as expected.
Perceptions of informed decision making about cancer screening in a diverse primary care population

Promoting cancer prevention through screening tests is an important part of primary care. Interactions between patients and physicians to discuss cancer screening tests are common events in primary care settings, as evidenced by national screening rates. The National Health Interview Survey reported screening rates for the year 2005 for insured patients. The rates of screening were 85.6% for Papanicolaou smears in the past 3 years in women aged 18–64 years, 72.6% for mammography in the past 2 years in women aged 40 to 64, and 45.7% for ever having a colorectal scope procedure in patients aged 50 and older.1 An analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey database for trends in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in visits to primary care providers by healthy men aged 35 years or older showed that PSA testing increased from 4.7% of all visits in 1995 to 7.0% of all visits in 2004, despite lack of conclusive evidence that benefits of screening outweigh harms.2 In response to recommendations from the Institute of Medicine3 and the US Preventive Services Task Force,4 primary care practices are expected to promote informed decision making so patients are informed of the risks and benefits of screening5 and facilitate shared decision making so patients can participate in making decisions to the extent they desire.4 The Institute of Medicine considers these practices to be part of patient-centered care, ie, providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.3 A 2004 analysis of national survey data from Veteran’s Administration Hospital patients found that two components of patient-centered care—improved communication between patients and providers and continuity of care—were associated with improved preventive care delivery.6 However, other evidence suggests these markers of quality medical care are commonly not met in some settings.7,8 The patients’ sex,9 age,10,11 and race12 may influence their perceptions of informed decision making. The goal of our study was to describe primary care patients’ perceptions of informed and shared decision making around cancer screening. We conducted a survey of 725 patients aged 50 years and older in seven primary care practices participating in a statewide primary care practice-based research network in North Carolina. Because women discuss more types of cancer screening tests with their primary care physicians beginning at a younger age compared to men, we hypothesized women would report greater perceptions of informed decision making about cancer screening tests. We also explored potential differences in perceptions with regard to race because these have not been well described in primary care populations with substantial representation of non-white participants.
Risk and Recovery in Complex Medical Domains: Computational and Graphical Models of Performance

Medicine is a complex, safety-critical and highly interactive system. Despite efforts to provide safe, effective care, adverse events still occur — clinicians make diagnostic and therapeutic errors, system constraints impact the coordination and delivery of care and patients suffer unexpected complications and injuries. Our current understanding of the nature of medical adverse events, and our ability to develop durable preventative or mitigating strategies has been hampered by somewhat out-dated and inadequate models of clinical risk, which focus almost exclusively on patient factors, provider factors or the specific clinical procedure being performed. Absent from such models are the interactions and inter-dependencies between different system components (staffing, instrumentation, protocols, procedures, access to and quality of information, communication modes, and scheduling cycles, system-wide volume and acuity, throughput pressures), an understanding of the reliability of such components under differ...
Facebook and Twitter in the Newsroom: How and Why Local Television News is Getting Social With Viewers?

This article examines the role social media is playing in local television newsrooms. The authors used a web-based national survey of news managers at network affiliated stations to look at what forms of social media are being used in the newsroom, who is using it and how it is being applied. The results show stations are embracing social media as a means of connecting with news consumers and raising their newsrooms’ profile in the community, and are encouraging their news staff members to have an individual social media presence. Stations also report their news staff are using social media as a newsgathering tool, but the value and reliability of information gathered through this means is up for debate.
The Management Internship

This article levels a finger at the lack of uniform practice requirements in management education. The author questions the current practice whereby a large percentage of new Ph.D.'s and DBA's ente...
Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2: what's a spine surgeon to do?: commentary on an article by J. Michielsen, MD, et al.: "The effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in single-level posterior lumbar interbody arthrodesis".

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 20021. Many U.S. spine surgeons rapidly embraced this product, more often than not in an off-label fashion, without site-specific data on dosage, safety, or efficacy1. Spinal applications of rhBMP-2 are well attested to in the medical literature. Michielsen et al. make a worthy addition with their article. It is a well-designed and well-executed prospective, randomized, single-blinded study. It is sufficiently powered to detect clinically important differences in visual analog scale pain scores and Short Form-36 scores. Each group is one patient shy of the twenty necessary for detecting such a difference in the Oswestry Disability Index. Their data support the null hypothesis that there was no difference in the clinical outcomes between the study and control groups. The second hypothesis, that there is slower trabeculation with BMP, was substantiated. The use of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, uniform implants and technique, along with a single surgeon yields high-quality evidence. Of course, these same factors limit generalizability. A spine surgeon performing a single-level posterior …
Studies into the farnesylated analogs of key intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway of Coenzyme Q: Synthesis and metabolism

Coenzyme Q (ubiquinone or Q) is a redox active lipid molecule, with a fully substituted benzoquinone ring and a polyisoprenoid tail, containing up to ten isoprene units. Q is an essential component...
Technical Parameters Design for Impact Test Transformer

An impact test transformer is a kind of non-standard transformer used for short-circuit test and there are great differences between its technical parameters,structure and use and normal power transformer.Aiming at ordering technical conditions of a transformer to be used in a test station,this paper discussed and appraised technical parameters and structural design for the type of transformer,having set the design principle and its rated capacity,and related calculation and analysis were made.After test running,the technical parameters of the transformer manufactured according to the plan reached design requirements.
Role of Dietary Protein in Bone Growth and Bone Loss

Publisher Summary Peak bone mass is achieved for most parts of the skeleton by the end of the second decade of life. In males, some bone consolidation, particularly in the peripheral cortical bone compartment, could take place during the third decade. Puberty is the period during which the sex difference in bone mass observed in adult subjects becomes fully expressed. The important gender difference in bone mass that develops during pubertal maturation appears to result from a greater increase in bone size, a characteristic associated with a larger increment in the cortical shell in males as compared to females. There is no sex difference in the volumetric trabecular density at the end of the period of maturation, i.e. in young healthy adults in their third decade. During puberty, a small increase in cancellous bone volumetric density is ascribed to a thickening of the trabeculae. Thus, puberty appears to be the critical period during which gender differences in bone mass become expressed. The significantly greater mean areal bone mineral density (BMD) values observed in young healthy adult males as compared to females in the lumbar spine and at the level of the midfemoral or midradial diaphysis appear to be essentially due to a more prolonged period of pubertal maturation rather than a greater maximal rate of bone accretion.
Microbial Community Responses to Increased Water and Organic Matter in the Arid Soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

The soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica are an extreme polar desert, inhabited exclusively by microscopic taxa. This region is on the threshold of anticipated climate change, with glacial melt, permafrost thaw, and the melting of massive buried ice increasing liquid water availability and mobilizing soil nutrients. Experimental water and organic matter (OM) amendments were applied to investigate how these climate change effects may impact the soil communities. To identify active taxa and their functions, total community RNA transcripts were sequenced and annotated, and amended soils were compared with unamended control soils using differential abundance and expression analyses. Overall, taxonomic diversity declined with amendments of water and organic matter. The domain Bacteria increased with both amendments while Eukaryota declined from 38% of all taxa in control soils to 8% and 11% in water and OM amended soils, respectively. Among bacterial phyla, Actinobacteria (59%) dominated water-amended soils and Firmicutes (45%) dominated OM amended soils. Three bacterial phyla (Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes) were primarily responsible for the observed positive functional responses, while eukaryotic taxa experienced the majority (27 of 34) of significant transcript losses. These results indicated that as climate changes in this region, a replacement of endemic taxa adapted to dry, oligotrophic conditions by generalist, copiotrophic taxa is likely.
New Role of Antiphospholipid Antibodies (APLA)? Correlations with Disease Activity in Non-Thrombotic and Thrombotic Autoimmune and Hematologic Disorders.

BACKGROUND. Although APLA are a known risk factor for thrombosis, clear understanding of this association remains elusive. In recent years our laboratory has conducted surveys of APLA by ELISA of several immune, inflammatory and other disorders, here compared. METHODS. IgG and IgM to six target antigens (B2GP1, FVII, CL, PE, PS, PC) were measured. In most cases, platelet activation (by CD62P), endothelial activation (by endothelial microparticles, EMP) and lupus anticoagulant (LAC) were also measured. Patient groups compared were: 124 autoimmune disorders (40 ITP, 80 APLA, 24 multiple sclerosis, MS) and 54 hematologic disorders (35 thrombocytosis, 19 TTP). RESULTS. (1) ITP (n=40, of which 19 were remission, 14 stable, 7 acute). Although APLA are known to be common in ITP, no relation to symptoms was identified. We discovered that APLA rise with onset of acute ITP, and decline or disappear in remission, p=0.007 [Br J Haem 128:366, 2005]. APLA was associated with bleeding, not thrombosis. (2) Multiple sclerosis (MS) (n=24, of which 7 were in remission, 24 exacerbation). APLA were known to be common in MS but no clinical correlations had been shown. We found that APLA in MS arise mainly in exacerbations, p=0.002, suggesting a link to the pathology. [Neurology 2005, 64(6, supl 1):A194.]. APLA in MS were exclusively IgM. (3) TTP (n=19). A role of APLA in TTP had been conjectured but evidence was equivocal. We found that 42% of acute cases were APLA+, and these had higher frequency of recurrence, p CONCLUSIONS. These findings, together with work from others, point increasingly to a link between APLA and pathology in a wider range of inflammatory and hemostatic disorders than usually considered, not limited to thrombosis (TB). In autoimmune disorders such as ITP, MS and TTP, APLA tend to arise in exacerbation and remit in remission, suggesting role of APLA in exacerbation of autoimmunity and inflammation. Also of interest is our frequent finding of association between APLA and activated platelets and/or endothelium. Patterns appear disease-specific but specificity of the APLA involved may be subtle and beyond routine methods. Our findings suggest role of APLA in pathology is not limited to preponderately thrombotic disorders, but extends to other manifestations of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Clear understanding of meaning of APLA in these widespread associations could be of potentially great significance.
Los usos del psicoanálisis en el derecho: la fuerza del ejemplo de Jay Katz

This article samples possible uses of psychoanalysis in law from the academic work of Joseph Goldstein and Jay Katz. Both start to recognize the importance of psychoanalysis to provide a serious and courageous attention to the non-rational dimensions of the human being, we should be aware in the world of law. Starting from this premise, the author explores two possible uses of psychoanalysis in law: one represented by Goldstein, focuses on using «psychoanalytic premises to resolve legal disputes», for example by providing psychoanalytic information to determine the best interests of the child in cases of custody, while the other, represented by Katz, who seeks to «create an awareness of conflict where all of the actors had previously been locked in a mutually reinforcing fantasy that no conflict existed», as it occurs in doctor-patient relationship, in order to rethink standards that had been set by law under an illusion of objectivity and rationality. The article explores these two approaches through examples, linking two perspectives adopted by Freud throughout his academic work and taking a preferred position by the position of Katz.
Clinical Positioning Accuracy for Multisession Stereotactic Radiotherapy With the Gamma Knife Perfexion.

Multisession stereotactic radiation therapy is increasingly being seen as a preferred option for intracranial diseases in close proximity to critical structures and for larger target volumes. The objective of this study is to investigate the reproducibility of the Extend system from Elekta. A retrospective review was conducted for all patients treated with multisession Gamma Knife between July 2010 and June 2015, including both malignant and benign lesions. Eighty-four patients were treated in this 5-year span. The average residual daily setup uncertainty was 0.48 (0.19) mm. We compare measurements of setup uncertainty from the Extend system to measurements performed with a linac-based approach previously used in our center. The Extend system has significantly reduced setup uncertainty for fractionated intracranial treatments at our institution. Positive results were observed in a small population of edentulous patients. The Extend system compares favorably with other approaches to delivering intracranial...
Role of 92 gene cancer classifier assay in neuroendocrine tumor of unknown primary.

e15696Background: Neuroendocrine tumor of unknown primary constitutes about 10-15 % of all neuroendocrine tumors. Identification of primary site can helps alter the management. Sunitinib is FDA approved for management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, everolimus is approved for gastroenteropancreatic and bronchial NETs, immune checkpoint inhibitors are active in Merkel cell carcinoma and MIBG treatment is standard of care for pheochromocytoma. Methods: Patients with neuroendocrine tumor with unknown primary were identified from Markey Cancer Center database over a five-year period (2012-2016). Patient who underwent 92-gene reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction cancer classification assay (BioTheranostics Tissue Type ID) were analyzed. IRB approval was obtained. Results: 56 patients with neuroendocrine tumors with unknown primary were identified. Median age of cohort was 61 years. 28/56 patients were males. 92 gene cancer ID assay was used in 38 out of 56 patients. Primary site of tumor was id...
Assessment of quality indicators among nurse practitioners performing upper endoscopy.

Background and study aims Limited international data have shown that non-physicians can safely perform upper endoscopy, but no such study has been performed in the United States. Our aim was to assess the quality of outpatient upper endoscopies performed by nurse practitioners (NPs). Patients and methods Retrospective chart review of upper endoscopies performed by 3 NPs between 2010 and 2013 was performed. Comparisons among all NPs performing upper endoscopy and assessment of individual NP performance over time with respect to quality indicators were performed. Results Three NPs performed 333 upper endoscopies (distribution of 166, 44, and 123, respectively). Of the cases, 98.2 %s were successfully completed to the second portion of the duodenum. In most cases, photo-documentation of required anatomical landmarks was performed: GE junction (84.2 %), GE junction in retroflexed view (84.2 %), antrum (82.1 %) and duodenum (80.9 %). Photo-documentation improved with increasing experience. NPs appropriately performed biopsies for specific medical conditions: 10/11 (90.9 %) gastric ulcers were biopsied and 63/66 (95.5) of patients with iron deficiency had duodenal biopsies performed for celiac disease. A physician endoscopist was required during the procedure 22.5 % of the time. Important parameters such as documenting informed consent (100 %) and documenting a discharge plan (99.4 %) in the procedure reports were overwhelming present. There was a single adverse event during the study period. Conclusion In the first US study of NPs performing upper endoscopy, they were able to perform high-quality and safe upper endoscopies. These findings support incorporation of non-physicians alongside physicians to help meet the growing demand for endoscopic services across the United States.
Paleoindian bison remains from the 12 Mile Creek Site in Western Kansas

In 1895, H. T. Martin and T. R. Overton of the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History excavated a bison bone bed along the bank of 12 Mile Creek in Logan County Kansas. In the 100 years since its discovery, archaeologists have mostly been concerned with the age of the site and the typological classification of a now-lost projectile point. Little interest has been expressed in the remains of 12 bison (Bison antiquus) also recovered Faunal remains suggest much regarding herd demography and site formation processes. Preliminary data suggest that about 10,400 years ago a group of hunters killed the bison along the bank of a small stream. Analysis of the formational history suggests that butchery of the carcasses was limited to the removal of limbs and filleting of large muscle masses.
OP0148 Impact of a cardiovascular event on dmard treatment among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or psoriasis

Background Chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and psoriasis (PsO) increase the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. However, a gap in knowledge exists regarding detailed information on changes in immunosuppressive (DMARD) treatments after a CV event. Objectives We describe treatment patterns among patients with RA, PsA, or PsO who were being treated with DMARDs prior to a CV event. Methods Patients with RA, PsA, or PsO, who experienced a CV event (acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiac revascularization) between 1/1/2006 and 6/30/2015 were identified in an administrative claims database. Index date was defined as the hospital discharge date for the first CV event during the study period. Patients were required to: be continuously enrolled for 12 months prior to index date; have ≥1 TNFi claim, or a conventional synthetic (cs)DMARD claim, or another biologic DMARD claim within 6 months prior to the index date; and have ≥30 days of follow-up after index date. Treatment patterns were assessed after index date and patients were classified as remaining on (“persistent”), switching, or discontinuing pre-index DMARD medication. Results We identified 9,529 patients with RA, PsA, or PsO; prior to the index date, 3,274 (34.4%) patients were on TNFi, 5,177 (54.3%) were on only csDMARDs as monotherapy or combination, and 1,078 (11.3%) were on non-TNFi biologics. Patients on csDMARDs at index date were older (69.4 yrs) than those on TNFi (64.1 yrs) or other biologic DMARDs (66.0 yrs). Approximately 73% of patients were persistent on their pre-CV event treatment, with higher persistence among csDMARD alone (76.0%) and TNFi + csDMARD combo (76.7%) groups and lower in the non-TNFi biologic + csDMARD combo group (60.8%, Table 1). Across all treatment groups, 95% of persistent patients resumed treatment within 90 days after the index CV event. Combination therapy users switched their pre-CV event treatment more than monotherapy users, with non-TNFi biologic users more likely to discontinue all therapy after index CV event. Patients that discontinued all therapy after an index CV event tended to be slightly older females (68.7 yrs vs 67.1 yrs), with a history of PsO (24.4% vs 16.1%), and stroke as index event (49.3% vs 41.3%) compared to those that continued therapy. Conclusions In a large US database reflective of typical clinical practice, nearly one-quarter of patients with RA, PsA, or PsO discontinued or switched the pre-event DMARD treatment after a CV event. Further research is needed on whether these DMARD treatment patterns after initial CV event affect risk of repeat CV event. Disclosure of Interest J. Sparks Grant/research support from: Amgen, Inc., T. Lesperance Consultant for: Amgen, Inc., N. Accortt Shareholder of: Amgen, Inc., Employee of: Amgen, Inc., D. Solomon Grant/research support from: Amgen, Inc.
A Comparison of Daily Temperature Averaging Methods: Spatial Variability and Recent Change for the CONUS

AbstractTraditionally, the daily average air temperature at a weather station is computed by taking the mean of two values, the maximum temperature (Tmax) and the minimum temperature (Tmin) over a 24-hour period. These values form the basis for numerous studies of long-term climatologies (e.g., 30-year normals) and recent temperature trends and changes. However, many first-order weather stations-- such as those at airports-- also record hourly temperature data. Using an average of the 24 hourly temperature readings to compute daily average temperature has been shown to provide a more precise and representative estimate of a given day’s temperature. This study assesses the spatial variability of the differences in these two methods of daily temperature averaging (i.e., [Tmax + Tmin]/2, average of 24 hourly temperature values) for 215 first-order weather stations across the conterminous United States (CONUS) the 30-year period 1981-2010. A statistically significant difference is shown between the two method...
Chemical Acetylation and Deacetylation

Lysine acetylation is an important posttranslational modification known to alter protein structure and function. Understanding the mechanisms involved in regulating protein acetylation remains a key factor in elucidating what role this modification plays in numerous disease pathologies. Here, we describe an in vitro strategy to examine the site-specific deacetylation of proteins utilizing the chemical acetylation of protein lysine residues via acetic anhydride. The impact of chemical acetylation on protein lysine residues is characterized by native gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Acetyl-Lys modifications are then examined for deacetylation using a SIRT3 deacetylase activity assay and followed by stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Theories of Aging

“Gerontology” refers to the application of the various scientific disciplines to the study of aging. Aging manifests itself in most organisms as a gradual decline in the capacity to maintain anabolic processes or to respond to environmental change. Degenerative changes in both the physical structure and the functional capacity of organs and tissues are the clinical characteristics of human aging. In all species, regardless of how aging makes itself apparent, the implied consequence of aging is an increased probability of death as a function of time.
The role of the kappa-opioid receptor on age-specific behaviors induced from co-administration of alcohol and nicotine

The two most concurrently used recreational drugs are EtOH and tobacco. Adolescence is the age of onset for use of both these drugs. We have previously found concurrent self-administration of EtOH ...
A New Technique for Measurement of Carrier Thallium

Manufacturers of thallium-201 use the Rhodamine-B spot test for detection of ''carrier'' or elemental thallium. A more exacting and simpler quantitative technique for measuring carrier thallium is described and this spectrophotofluorometric technique takes advantage of thallium's fluorescence.
An RRT-Based Algorithm for Testing and Validating Multi-Robot Controllers

Abstract : We address the problem of testing complex reactive control systems and validating the effectiveness of multi-agent controllers. Testing and validation involve searching for conditions that lead to system failure by exploring all adversarial inputs and disturbances for errant trajectories. This problem of testing is related to motion planning, with one main difference. Unlike motion planning problems, systems are typically not controllable with respect to disturbances or adversarial inputs and therefore, the reachable set of states is a small subset of the entire state space. In both cases however, there is a goal or specification set consisting of a set of points in state space that is of interest, either for demonstrating failure or for validation. In this paper we consider the application of the Rapidly exploring Random Tree algorithm to the testing and validation problem. Because of the differences between testing and motion planning, we propose three modifications to the original RRT algorithm. First, we introduce a new distance function which incorporates information about the system's dynamics to select nodes for extension. Second, we introduce a weighting to penalize nodes which are repeatedly selected but fail to extend. Third we propose a scheme for adaptively modifying the sampling probability distribution based on tree growth. We demonstrate the application of the algorithm via three simple and one large scale example and provide computational statistics. Our algorithms are applicable beyond the testing problem to motion planning for systems that are not small time locally controllable.