cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inflammatory Profiles Are Different in Heart Failure Patients with and without COPD

Background: Inflammation is an important feature in the development and trajectory of both heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines and cytokine receptors are independent predictors of mortality in patients with HF and are significantly correlated with changes in dyspnea and FEV1 in patients with COPD. Up to 1/3 of patients with HF also exhibit some degree of COPD. There are no studies that compare inflammation in HF patients with and without COPD. Purpose: The purpose of this preliminary analysis was to compare the inflammatory profiles of HF patients with and without COPD. Methods: One hundred ten patients with HF (67% male, 85% Caucasian, 57% NYHA class III-IV, EF 35 6 14%, age 61 6 12 years) completed spirometric evaluation of pulmonary function and provided blood samples for evaluation of inflammatory profiles. Pro-inflammatory (TNF-a, sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and anti-inflammatory cytokines and cytokine receptors (IL-1ra, ILl-4, IL-10) were measured using ELISA and Luminex techniques. Raw data were log transformed prior to statistical analysis to normalize the distributions. Results: Slightly more than a third (36%) of patients demonstrated some degree of COPD based on spirometric evaluation (Gold stage I 5 8%, stage II 5 23%, stage III 5 2%). Patients with COPD exhibited significantly lower concentrations of IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 (p ! 0.05). Other inflammatory mediators and receptors were similar between those HF patients with COPD and those without. Conclusions: Patients with concomitant HF and COPD had significantly lower concentration of anti-inflammatory cytokines and cytokine receptors, while concentrations of pro-inflammatory measures were similar between the groups. Patients with HF and COPD demonstrated a blunted anti-inflammatory response compared to HF patients without COPD suggesting that the combination of these co-morbid conditions produced a further shift in the balance of pro and anti-inflammatory responses in favor of inflammation.
Pseudomyxoma peritonei:: a rare disease and a disease model in peritoneal surface oncology

Peritoneal dissemination of abdominal and pelvic-based malignancies has attracted the clinical and scientifi c interest of surgical oncologists in the last two decades. Unprecedented survival results have been reported by the knowledgeable use of cytoreductive surgery combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy and systemic chemotherapy in patients suffering from peritoneal carcinomatosis of various origins [1]. As more and more sound scientifi c data in this direction are produced and published, peritoneal disease treatment centres have been established in almost every country around the world. Peritoneal surface oncology is a reality. Not every patient with peritoneal carcinomatosis or a primary peritoneal neoplasm is a candidate for a radical combined treatment. Careful patient selection by a dedicated multidisciplinary team is the fi rst requirement for success [2]. The whole justifi cation for a radical locoregional treatment lies in the presumed absence of tumour dissemination beyond the peritoneal cavity, a fact that is frequently observed at a given time point in the natural history of gastrointestinal or gynaecological cancers. And that is the moment at which patients may be considered for a curative-intent treatment. Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a fascinating disease characterised by mucinous peritoneal implants and/ or mucinous ascites, originating in the vast majority of cases from a ruptured mucinous appendiceal neoplasm. It is a rare disease, with a reported incidence of one case per million per year. Therefore, it is unlikely that colleagues working in population-based healthcare centres will gain any but anecdotal experience on its diagnosis and treatment. Subsequently, an educational effort to avoid feeding misconceptions on the disease and errors in its appropriate
ACE I/D polymorphism modulates response to antiarrhythmic drug therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation

SESSION 34: CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY/PHARMACOLOGY V: Cardiac Arrhythmia Genomics Friday, May 6, 2005 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Native American business strategy: a survey of northwest US firms

This study seeks to examine the nature of enterprises owned by Native American tribes or individuals. An original survey is utilised, using a convenience sample of Native American-owned retail, construction and service firms located primarily in the northwest USA. Likert-type questions involving tribal support and cultural issues are analysed. While the firms are not entrepreneurial by some researchers' definitions, within the Native American community small business strategies are entrepreneurial.
Impact of the Economic Recession on Companion Animal Relinquishment, Adoption, and Euthanasia: A Chicago Animal Shelter's Experience

This study investigated how the current economic recession (since December 2007) has affected dog and cat relinquishment, adoption, and euthanasia at the Anti-Cruelty Society animal shelter in Chicago, Illinois. The study compared temporal patterns of the investigated statistics before (2000–2007) the start of the current recession with the patterns after the start of the recession (2008–2010). The results showed that once the guardianship (ownership) of a nonhuman animal had been established, the recession did not greatly affect the owner's decision on relinquishment—except for the relinquishment of senior dogs, which may be associated with increased costs of care. However, an unfavorable economic environment may have reduced adoption of animals. The consequences of a decline in adoptions might be reflected in an increase in the proportion or number of sheltered animals euthanized. This study demonstrated how monitoring changes in temporal patterns in these shelter statistics can help guide animal shelte...
Ligand functionalization as a deactivation pathway in a fac-Ir(ppy)3-mediated radical addition

Knowledge of the kinetic behavior of catalysts under synthetically relevant conditions is vital for the efficient use of compounds that mediate important transformations regardless of their composition or driving force. In particular, these data are of great importance to add perspective to the growing number of applications of photoactive transition metal complexes. Here we present kinetic, synthetic, and spectroscopic evidence of the mechanistic behavior of fac-Ir(ppy)3 in a visible light-mediated radical addition to 3-methylindole, demonstrating the instability of fac-Ir(ppy)3 under these conditions. During the reaction, rapid in situ functionalization of the photocatalyst occurs, eventually leading to deactivation. These findings demonstrate a conceivable deactivation process for catalytic single electron reactions in the presence of radicophilic ligands. Attempts to inhibit photocatalyst deactivation through structural modification provide further insight into catalyst selection for a given system of interest.
Congenital Bony Syngnathia: A Proposed Classification

Congenital bony syngnathia is an extremely rare condition characterized by bony fusion of the jaws. Five new cases are described and the existent literature is reviewed. A classification system is proposed and treatment recommendations based on this classification are presented.
Intoxication of normal and virus-transformed cells by diphtheria toxin.

Abstract Trypsinization causes Schmidt-Ruppin Rous sarcoma virus (SR-RSV)-transformed chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) and polyoma-transformed BHK-21 cells to be more sensitive to intoxication than their respective normal cell lines by reducing the toxin sensitivity of the normal cells but not affecting the transformed cells. Protection from trypsin is dependent on transformation but not virus production. The selective effect of trypsin on toxin sensitivity is specific. A low concentration of CRM 197 protein (0.5 μg/ml) inhibits diphtheria intoxication in trypsinized CEF but does not protect nontrypsinized CEF from intoxication.
Public Perception and Sustainable Management Strategies for Roadside Vegetation

Sustainable management strategies for roadside vegetation limit the amount of nonnative turf grass and include masses of native shrubs and trees and meadows of native, warm season grasses, flowering perennials, or both. Sustainably managed roadsides can contribute to a matrix of economically conservative, environmentally responsible, and aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Implementation of sustainable strategies may result in cost savings, better water quality and hydraulic conductivity, improved safety measures, increased biodiversity, benefits to the socioeconomic health of the state, and adherence to state and federal policy. Sustainable strategies provide optimal cost savings and enhancement of environmental stewardship only when implemented consistently. Aesthetically, sustainable landscapes often represent a departure from the traditional expectation of how a roadside landscape should appear. Lacking an awareness of the inherent values present in sustainably managed roadsides, the public is often he...
An analysis of the superplastic forming of a circular sheet diaphragm

Abstract A general method of analysis has been formulated for the study of superplastic forming of a sheet diaphragm into a circular cavity. In this analysis, the bulge shape is assumed to be ellipsoidal, whereas most of the previous analyses have assumed that the bulge surface remains spherical during forming. Results suggest that a low strain-rate sensitivity (m) value of the forming material gives rise to a prolate shape, which is consistent with experimental observations. Stress and strain distributions and pressurization profiles during forming at a constant strain rate at the pole were examined for materials with different m values and for ellipsoidal bulges with various aspect ratios. Experimental work has also been done to assess the validity of the model.
Effect of structure and thermodynamic stability on the response of lanthanide stannate pyrochlores to ion beam irradiation.

The lanthanide stannates, Ln2Sn2O7, Ln = La−Lu and Y, have the isometric pyrochlore structure, A2B2O7, and their structural properties have been refined by Rietveld analysis of powder neutron and s...
Low testosterone must explain diminished physical performance in the elderly--right?

Physicians and the lay public have long been fascinated by the relationship between testosterone and muscle mass,strength,andphysicalperformance.Allassumethat testosterone increases these parameters. Many athletes, from grammar school students to professionals, take testosterone and other androgens to enhance their performance, and the governing bodies for many sports, assuming that these drugs do increase performance and give theseathletesacompetitiveadvantage,havebannedthem. Only a few studies, however, document that higher than normal amounts of testosterone or other androgens actually do increase muscle strength (1), and none document improvement in athletic performance. It is also commonly assumed that a lower than normal serum testosterone concentration in an adult male will result in less muscle mass and lower muscle strength and physical performance than in a normal adult male. The evidence is quite good, in fact, that when men develop testosterone deficiency due to pituitary or testicular disease, theirmusclemassdecreases,andwhenthesemenaretreated with testosterone, their muscle mass increases (2, 3). Some studies also show that testosterone treatment of frankly hypogonadalmenincreasestheirmusclestrength(4),butothers do not (3). No studies show that testosterone treatment of hypogonadal men improves physical performance. Geriatricians have recently wondered whether the fall in testosterone with aging might contribute to the major public health problem of diminished physical function in theelderly.Documentationofsucharelationshiphasalso been inconsistent, as illustrated by two papers in this month’sissueofJCEM.Krasnoffetal.(5)describeastudy in which they determined the relationship between the serumtestosteroneconcentrationandphysicalfunctionin men participating in the Framingham Offspring Study. In a cross-sectional analysis of 1445 men of average age 61 yr, they found a significant association between the serum free testosterone concentration and walking speed and short performance physical battery, but not between the total testosterone concentration and those physical parameters and not between total or free testosterone and self-reported mobility limitation. In a longitudinal analysis, they found a significant association between the free, butnottotal,testosteroneandsubsequentdevelopmentof self-reportedmobilitylimitation.Inshort,therewassome associationbetweenfreetestosteroneandphysicalperformanceinthispopulation,butnoassociationbetweentotal testosterone and physical performance.
How designers design and program interactive behaviors

Designers are skilled at sketching and prototyping the look of interfaces, but to explore various behaviors (what the interface does in response to input) typically requires programming using Javascript, ActionScript for Flash, or other languages. In our survey of 259 designers, 86% reported that the behavior is more difficult to prototype than the appearance. Often (78% of the time), designing the behavior requires collaborating with developers, but 76% of designers reported that communicatin1g the behavior to developers was more difficult than the appearance. Other results include that annotations such as arrows and paragraphs of text are used on top of sketches and storyboards to explain behaviors, and designers want to explore multiple versions of behaviors, but todaypsilas tools make this difficult. The results provide new ideas for future tools.
Building code compliance checking using BIM technology

Building code compliance checking is a challenging task in building design, which needs to be monitored and maintained throughout the design and construction process. Existing BIM software tools are unable to explicitly rationalize how a building component or system selected by a designer affects the overall project with respect to building codes and regulations. This makes it difficult for the designer to determine when and how to adjust the design object in the case of design changes so that the overall project complies with the building codes. This paper outlines a framework for a collaborative building design environment where all project participants, during the design process, are able to keep track of the status of code compliance of their designs using BIM technology. The tool will assist designers in ensuring the code compliance in their designs and in exploring alternative building code-based designs during the design process.
“The Reality of American Life Has Strayed From Its Myths”: Barack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope and the Discourse of the American Reclamation Jeremiad

This article argues that Barack Obama’s restoration rhetoric in The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream functions as the American reclamation jeremiad, in which he employs political discourse to restore a positive vision of America’s democratic mission and warns Americans of the dangers of not fulfilling that mission. While Obama combines this ideological warning to his positive vision of America, he constructs a message that is unifying while at the same time indicative of a risk in not challenging the destructive path of the American political system. In the classic jeremiadic fashion, Obama calls Americans to political repentance, an innovative kind of political system that builds on the communal understandings that will unite all Americans.
ICT Enabled Smart Rural Aggregation Platform

In the emerging markets like India, there is a clear need to provide accessibility of rural markets to multiple service providers and make multiple options available to rural consumers at affordable prices. In this paper, we analyze various requirements on such a platform that provide accessibility to rural people in emerging markets. The objective of the platform is to facilitate the emergence of a vibrant ecosystem of rural businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations to offer various services, including collaboration, for the rural masses. We refer to this platform as a Smart Rural Aggregation Platform (SRAP). SRAP aims to have three key functionalities: 1) Allow businesses and service providers to register and expose their services, 2) Enable service consumers to access these services through multiple end points such as kiosks and mobile phones, and 3) Enable rural masses and service aggregators to channelize these services and facilitate collaboration between them.
Memory Management for Real-Time Java: State of the Art

The real-time specification for Java extends the Java platform to support real-time processing and introduces a region-based memory model, called scoped memory, which side-steps the Java garbage collector. While scoped memory succeeds in protecting real-time tasks from execution time jitter, practical experience points to shortcomings. This paper takes stock of the state of the art in memory management for RTSJ programs.
Online News Consumption Research: An Assessment of Past Work and an Agenda for the Future

This article assesses the main findings and dominant modes of inquiry in recent scholarship on online news consumption. The findings suggest that the consumption of news on the internet has not yet differed drastically from the consumption of news in traditional media. The assessment shows that the dominant modes of inquiry have also been characterized by stability rather than change (because research has usually drawn on traditional theoretical and methodological approaches). In addition, these modes of inquiry exhibit three systematic limitations: the assumption of a division between print, broadcast, and online media; the notion that the analysis should treat media features and social practices separately; and the inclination to focus on ordinary or extraordinary patterns of phenomena but not on both at the same time. On the basis of this assessment, this article proposes an integrative research agenda that builds on this scholarship but also contributes to solve some of its main limitations.
Identifying Numerically Abundant Culturable Bacteria from Complex Communities: an Example from a Lignin Enrichment Culture

Culturable bacteria that were numerically important members of a marine enrichment community were identified and characterized phylogenetically. Selective and nonselective isolation methods were used to obtain 133 culturable bacterial isolates from model marine communities enriched with the high-molecular-weight (lignin-rich) fraction of pulp mill effluent. The culture collection was screened against community DNA from the lignin enrichments by whole-genome hybridization methods, and three marine bacterial isolates were identified as being numerically important in the communities. One isolate was in the alpha-subclass of Proteobacteria, and the other two were in the gamma-subclass of Proteobacteria. Isolate-specific 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes designed to precisely quantify the isolates in the lignin enrichment communities indicated contributions ranging from 2 to 32% of enrichment DNA, values nearly identical to those originally obtained by the simpler whole-genome hybridization method. Two 16S rRNA sequences closely related to that of one of the isolates, although not identical, were amplified via PCR from the seawater sample originally used to inoculate the enrichment medium. Partial sequences of 14 other isolates revealed significant phylogenetic diversity and unusual sequences among the culturable lignin enrichment bacteria, with the Proteobacteria, Cytophaga-Flavobacterium, and gram-positive groups represented.
Photon-pairs generation in micro-structured fiber

We demonstrate correlated photon-pair generation using four-wave mixing in micro-structured fiber. The anomalous group dispersion just above the zero-dispersion point ensures phase-matching. We obtained coincidence-counting rate significantly over the accidental counting rate.
Transition Metal Oxides as Reconfigured Fuel Cell Anode Catalysts for Improved CO Tolerance: Polarization Data

We are developing a fuel-cell-integrated approach for enhancing the effectiveness of air-bleed for CO tolerance of hydrogen and reformate polymer exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), called the "reconfigured anode" (RCA) [F. A. Uribe, J. A. Valerio, F. H. Garzon, and T. A. Zawodzinski, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett., 7, A376 (2004)]. It consists of a small modification to the backing cloth placed on the anode side of each membrane electrode assembly in a stack. A catalyst layer is placed on the gas-feed side of the cloth to catalyze oxidation of CO, utilizing the oxygen introduced in a small air-bleed. The purpose is to enhance the effectiveness of the air-bleed to achieve a high CO tolerance. We synthesized model RCA catalysts based on transition metal oxides, which were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller techniques. Here we present performance data from polarization curves measured on fuel cells with air bleed using these model RCA catalysts. The results indicate that by using an RCA and air-bleed it is possible to raise the CO tolerance of a Pt/C anode to the same level as that of an anode with a Pt-Ru/C catalyst with similar platinum loading and without other means of CO mitigation. The RCA represents a built-in safety net for CO transients, which could be applied to PEMFCs destined to operate on a reformer-derived, hydrogen-rich fuel stream.
A distributed recovery block approach to fault-tolerant execution of application tasks in hypercubes

An approach to fault-tolerant execution of real-time application tasks in hypercubes is proposed. The approach is based on the distributed recovery block (DRB) scheme and does not require special hardware mechanisms in support of fault tolerance. Each task is assigned to a pair of processors forming a DRB computing station for execution in a dual-redundant and self-checking mode. Assignment of all tasks in an application in such a form is called the full DRB mapping. The DRB scheme was developed as an approach to uniform treatment of hardware and software faults with the effect of fast forward recovery. However, if the system developer is concerned with hardware fault possibilities only, then forming DRB stations becomes a mechanical process not burdening the application software designer in any way. A procedure for converting an efficient nonredundant task-to-processor mapping into an efficient full DRB mapping is presented. >
HIV-Related Stigma in a Sample of HIV-Affected Older Female African American Caregivers

Older women of color increasingly act as informal caregivers for adults and children with HIV disease. Nineteen older female (mostly African American) informal caregivers of HIV-infected individuals participated in qualitative interviews to explore their experiences with HIV-related stigma. Perceived and directly experienced stigma were examined in the context of disclosure of the presence of HIV disease. Overt HIV-related stigma was rarely experienced by these respondents, primarily because they had not widely disclosed the presence of HIV in the family and therefore had not given anyone the opportunity to ostracize or judge them. HIV-related stigma was internalized, so that disclosure decisions were based on their anticipation of censure. There also was evidence of associative stigma and of stigma management. The findings suggest the need for social work practitioners to increase awareness of the needs of stigmatized, isolated HIV-affected caregivers. Practitioners should conduct aggressive outreach and strive to provide more support to this often invisible population of caregivers to HIV-infected people.
Neuronal basis of sequential foraging decisions in a patchy environment

Deciding when to leave a depleting resource to exploit another is a fundamental problem for all decision makers. The neuronal mechanisms mediating patch-leaving decisions remain unknown. We found that neurons in primate (Macaca mulatta) dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, an area that is linked to reward monitoring and executive control, encode a decision variable signaling the relative value of leaving a depleting resource for a new one. Neurons fired during each sequential decision to stay in a patch and, for each travel time, these responses reached a fixed threshold for patch-leaving. Longer travel times reduced the gain of neural responses for choosing to stay in a patch and increased the firing rate threshold mandating patch-leaving. These modulations more closely matched behavioral decisions than any single task variable. These findings portend an understanding of the neural basis of foraging decisions and endorse the unification of theoretical and experimental work in ecology and neuroscience.
Not yet human: Implicit knowledge, historical dehumanization, and contemporary consequences.

Historical representations explicitly depicting Blacks as apelike have largely disappeared in the United States, yet a mental association between Blacks and apes remains. Here, the authors demonstrate that U.S. citizens implicitly associate Blacks and apes. In a series of laboratory studies, the authors reveal how this association influences study participants' basic cognitive processes and significantly alters their judgments in criminal justice contexts. Specifically, this Black-ape association alters visual perception and attention, and it increases endorsement of violence against Black suspects. In an archival study of actual criminal cases, the authors show that news articles written about Blacks who are convicted of capital crimes are more likely to contain ape-relevant language than news articles written about White convicts. Moreover, those who are implicitly portrayed as more apelike in these articles are more likely to be executed by the state than those who are not. The authors argue that examining the subtle persistence of specific historical representations such as these may not only enhance contemporary research on dehumanization, stereotyping, and implicit processes but also highlight common forms of discrimination that previously have gone unrecognized.
In vivo protection of photoreceptors from light damage by pigment epithelium-derived factor.

PURPOSE. To determine whether pigment epithelium‐ derived factor (PEDF) exhibits neurotrophic and neuroprotective activities in vivo for photoreceptor cells. METHODS. Sprague-Dawley albino rats were injected intravitreally with 2 mg PEDF or a mixture of 1 mg basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)/1 mg PEDF in a volume of 1 ml phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Animals were exposed to constant light for different periods at an illuminance level of 1200 to 1500 lux. The electroretinogram (ERG) waveforms of both eyes in the same animal were simultaneously recorded to evaluate functional protection. The morphologic protection was evaluated by quantitative histology. RESULTS. Intravitreal injection of PEDF before exposure to constant light resulted in significant morphologic and functional protection of photoreceptor cells in the retina of light-damaged rats. This protection depended on the duration and severity of light damage. The protection was eliminated by extending the light exposure to 10 days. Injection of PEDF at 0, 1, and 2 days after constant light exposure did not provide significant protection above that seen in PBS-injected eyes. Combination of PEDF with bFGF improved functional protection of photoreceptor cells. CONCLUSIONS. The data demonstrate that PEDF protected photoreceptor cells against light damage. This is significant, because it may open new avenues for the study of molecular mechanisms underlying degenerative processes. This, in turn, may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of degenerative diseases of the retina. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001;42:1646 ‐1652)
Evidence that MSL-mediated dosage compensation in Drosophila begins at blastoderm

In Drosophila equalization of the amounts of gene products produced by X-linked genes in the two sexes is achieved by hypertranscription of the single male X chromosome. This process, dosage compensation, is controlled by a set of male-specific lethal (msl) genes, that appear to act at the level of chromatin structure. The properties of the MSL proteins have been extensively studied in the polytene salivary gland chromosomes where they bind to the same set of sites along the male X chromosome in a co-dependent manner. Here we report experiments that show that the MSL proteins first associate with the male X chromosome as early as blastoderm stage, slightly earlier than the histone H4 isoform acetylated at lysine 16 is detected on the X chromosome. MSL binding to the male X chromosome is observed in all somatic tissues of embryos and larvae. Binding of the MSLs to the X chromosome is also interdependent in male embryos and prevented in female embryos by the expression of Sex-lethal (Sxl). A delayed onset of binding of the MSLs in male progeny of homozygous mutant msl-1 or mle mothers coupled with the previous finding that such males have an earlier lethal phase supports the idea that msl-mediated dosage compensation begins early in embryogenesis. Other results show that the maleless (MLE) protein on embryo and larval chromosomes differs in its reactivity with antibodies; the functional significance of this finding remains to be explored.
790: Expectations for the second stage of labor in women undergoing trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC)

undergoing trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) Anna Graseck, Anthony Odibo, Methodius Tuuli, Kimberly Roehl, George Macones, Alison Cahill Washington University in St. Louis, Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Louis, MO OBJECTIVE: Little is known to guide labor management of TOLAC. While a prior cesarean delivery does not appear to alter the progress in the first stage of labor, effects on the second stage of labor are unknown. We compared second stage labor duration in spontaneously laboring women undergoing TOLAC to those without a prior cesarean section. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all consecutive term, vertex singletons from 2004-2008 who reached the second stage of labor. All analyses compared women undergoing TOLAC to those without a history of cesarean delivery and were stratified by history of a vaginal delivery. The median length of the second stage was compared with the Mann-Whitney-U test. The proportions with a second stage longer than 30 minutes and 60 minutes were assessed with the Fisher exact test. Multivariate regression, both linear and logistic, was used to control for significant maternal and fetal characteristics. RESULTS: Of 2,021 spontaneously laboring women, 93% (1,881) had no prior cesarean delivery and 7% (140) were undergoing TOLAC. Of those without a prior vaginal delivery, TOLAC women had a shorter second stage compared to non-TOLAC women (27.5 vs. 40 minutes, p 0.04). There was no difference in the proportions of women with second stage longer than 30 or 60 minutes. Multivariate regression, controlling for race, operative vaginal and cesarean delivery, and fetal macrosomia, showed a shorter second stage and fewer with a second stage duration longer than 30 minutes. No differences were seen among those with a prior vaginal delivery except in the median length of the second stage. CONCLUSION: Among women without a prior vaginal delivery, TOLAC women have a shorter second stage of labor. The second stage was short in those with a prior vaginal delivery, regardless of TOLAC status. The second stage standard for progress, and thus management, should be the same for women attempting TOLAC and women without a uterine scar. 791 WITHDRAWN
Introduction to the Special Issue: Power and Positioning in Purposeful Community Change

Our dilemma: How do we tell the story of a community-wide change initiative where political intrigue, personal stories of activism and struggle, successes and ultimate failures of similar initiatives weave together into a complex tale? This special issue is our first attempt to do so. But this issue represents an academic version; we still have much work to do to tell the community residents’ story. The story we tell in this issue begins at a presentation at the editors’ graduate school of education on what we now call the Community for the Children of Lakeview (CCL). Larson realized with excitement that doing an ethnography of this initiative would be an incredible opportunity to both deeply understand urban community efforts at transformation generally and to document that effort for the community itself more specifically. At another administrative meeting with the city school leader of the initiative, she made an immediate connection with that leader. Julie, 1
A physical model of shear-wave propagation in a transversely isotropic solid

It is now understood that seismic anisotropy is a comparatively common phenomenon in sedimentary layers. The elastic properties of most sedimentary rocks have been shown to be anisotropic. (Anisotropy means that the physical property of the material is a function of the measuring direction). Seismologists are generally concerned with velocity variation with the direction of propagation.
Timing-dependent priming effects of tDCS on ankle motor skill learning

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has gained increasing interest in neurorehabilitation with its ability to modulate cortical excitability, and thereby influence neural plasticity and functional recovery. While the beneficial effects of tDCS on motor learning and function have been recognized, there is no clear consensus regarding the timing of the tDCS priming protocol in relation to the intervention especially with respect to lower limb motor learning. Depending on the time of priming in relation to the training task, the neural mechanisms of priming (gating vs. homeostatic plasticity) are different and thereby subsequently affect motor learning. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the interaction of tDCS with subsequent vs. concurrent motor learning using an ankle visuomotor skill learning paradigm. Twelve healthy participants were tested under three stimulation conditions: (1) anodal tDCS prior to the motor task (tDCS-before), (2) anodal tDCS during the motor task (tDCS-during) and (3) sham tDCS during the motor task (tDCS-sham). Results revealed that tDCS application during practice of a skilled motor task increased motor performance compared to tDCS applied prior to motor practice. Both tDCS groups demonstrated enhanced motor learning when tested 24 hours after practice. We conclude that the priming effects of tDCS are timing dependent, and maybe a critical regulatory feature in determining outcomes of priming with tDCS.
Neutrinos from Active Galactic Nuclei

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are predicted to be intense sources of neutrinos of energies as high as 1000 TeV. The combined neutrinos from all AGNs are estimated to produce a flux of muons in the earth that exceeds the cosmic ray background for muon energies above 300 GeV. The DUMAND II array, currently under construction, would see thousands of these events per year. Such observations would not only provide a glimpse of the interior of active galaxies, but allow the study of neutrino interactions at energies two orders of magnitude higher than available at accelerators. At these energies, attenuation in the earth is appreciable and the core of the earth could be seen.
HIV Incidence Prior to, during, and after Violent Conflict in 36 Sub-Saharan African Nations, 1990-2012: An Ecological Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the association between violent conflict and HIV incidence within and across 36 sub-Saharan Africa countries between 1990 and 2012. METHODS: We used generalized linear mixed effect modeling to estimate the effect of conflict periods on country-level HIV incidence. We specified random intercepts and slopes to account for across and within country variation over time. We also conducted a sub-analysis of countries who experienced conflict to assess the effect of conflict intensity on country-level HIV incidence. All models controlled for level of economic development, number of refugees present in the country, and year. RESULTS: We found that, compared to times of peace, the HIV incidence rate increased by 2.1 per 1000 infections per year (95%CI: 0.39, 3.87) in the 5 years prior to conflict. Additionally, we found a decrease of 0.7 new infections per 1000 people per year (95%CI: -1.44, -0.01) in conflicts with 25 to 1000 battle-related deaths and a decrease of 1.5 new infections per 1000 people per year (95%CI:-2.50, -0.52) for conflict with more than 1000 battle-related deaths, compared to conflicts with less than 25 battle-related deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that HIV infection rates increase in the years immediately prior to times of conflict; however, we did not identify a significant increase during and immediately following periods of violent conflict. Further investigation, including more rigorous data collection, is needed, as is increased aid to nations at risk of violent conflict to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Language: en
A 28-year-old man with chest and joint pains

Clinical introduction A 28-year-old man with extensive travel history to developing countries was hospitalised for intermittent sharp chest pains, worst when supine and with inspiration. Two weeks prior to presentation, he had suffered a flu-like illness with a sore throat, which was resolving. Physical examination was notable for mild fever and tachycardia with cervical lymphadenopathy and painful bilateral knee and wrist effusions. Cardiac auscultation was remarkable for a soft early-peaking systolic murmur over the aortic area with a decrescendo early diastolic murmur along the left sternal edge. There was mild leucocytosis, elevation of serum troponin and acute-phase reactants with an ECG showing sinus tachycardia. Echocardiographic windows were extremely limited but suggested the presence of pericardial effusion and aortic regurgitation. Cardiac MRI was performed (figure 1). Viral, microbiological and autoimmune testing was remarkable only for significant elevation of antistreptolysin-O titres (1450 IU rising to 1940 IU, normal Question The most appropriate next step is? Coronary angiography Endomyocardial biopsy Treatment with colchicine for 3 months Treatment with corticosteroids Treatment with high-dose salicylates and long-term penicillin For the answer see page 808 For the question see page 769
Gene–Environment Interactions in Health and Well-Being

Gene–environment interactions represent an important frontier in science and play an increasingly important role in forging interdisciplinary research. This article outlines what gene–environment interactions are, illustrates the different types of gene–environment interactions, distinguishes gene–environment interactions from gene–environment correlations, and reviews the findings of a number of exemplary studies. It also discusses some of the difficulties in studying gene–environment interactions and some of the reasons for lingering uncertainty in the empirical literature.
Licensed to Speak: The Case of Vanity Plates

Vanity license plates qualify as protected speech under the First Amendment, and denying plate requests because of their content contradicts traditional principles of free speech. State motor vehicle departments are almost as creative as applicants when it comes to ferreting out offensive license plate requests through the use of computer programs and linguists. Offensiveness, however, remains an elusive concept to capture and often lies in the eyes of a single viewer. When the government takes on the role of arbiter of good taste, it leads to arbitrary decision making and chaotic results. Under traditional First Amendment doctrine, vanity license plates do qualify as speech by the plate owner, and government regulation of plate requests is a content-based and viewpoint-based abridgement of speech. Although the government may have an interest in regulating some of the most offensive plates, it does not justify the wholesale regulation of vanity plates under an offensiveness standard. If states choose to open up license plates for speech, society must tolerate some of the offensive speech rather than distort First Amendment doctrine to resolve the problem. The free speech principles honored in Cohen v. California should be preserved here despite the perceived offensiveness of the speech.
Degradation of hepatic zinc-thionein after parenteral zinc administration

A low-molecular-weight protein, zinc-thionein, a metallothionein, was implicated as having a regulatory function in zinc metabolism. The half-life (t 1/2) of hepatic zinc-thionein was determined by pulse-labelling with either L-[35S] cystine and/or 65Zn. In two experiments with L-[35S]cystine, the t 1/2 of zinc-thionein was 18h and 19h. Most of the soluble 35S-labelled hepatic proteins had a t 1/2 of 4 days. The t 1/2 of zinc-thionein calculated by using 65Zn was 20h. The close similarity between the calculated and measured t 1/2 values for zinc-thionein suggests that release of Zn2+ from zinc-thionein probably occurs simultaneously with degradation of the protein moiety.
Abstract P605: Liver-specific Antisense Inhibition Of Angiotensinogen Reduced BP In A Hypertensive Rat Model Resistant To Standard RAS Inhibitors

Uncontrolled hypertension is an important contributor to cardiovascular disease. Despite the armamentarium of antihypertensive therapeutics, there remains a need for a novel agent effective in individuals with treatment-resistant hypertension who cannot reach their target BP. Pharmacological agents targeting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) are widely used but may not optimally inhibit RAAS. Experiments were conducted to characterize a series of angiotensinogen (Agt) oligonucleotides (ASOs) and compare their efficacy in a model of malignant hypertension. Agt ASOs which targeted all systemic sites of Agt (e.g. liver, fat and kidney) versus LICA-conjugated Agt ASOs (Agt-LICA ASOs) that preferentially target the liver were evaluated in normotensive and hypertensive rats. Liver, adipose and kidney Agt RT-PCR were performed and revealed Agt ASO treatment reduced liver, adipose and kidney Agt expression by 93%, 96% and 82%, respectively. Agt-LICA ASO treatment resulted in 93%, 10% and 11% reductions of Agt mRNA in liver, adipose and kidney, respectively, thus demonstrating specific liver targeting with LICA. Plasma Agt, measured by ELISA, revealed no significant differences between the Agt and Agt-LICA ASO treatments. For example, after a single administration of the ASOs, plasma Agt was reduced 15-18%, 41-48%, 84-89% and 92% at 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively, after ASO administrations. Radiotelemetry was used to compare the BP lowering efficacy in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) fed an 8% NaCl diet, a model of malignant hypertension resistant to standard RAAS inhibitors for BP control. Treatments of a control ASO or captopril or captopril plus losartan had a modest effect on BP whereas treatments with either the Agt or Agt-LICA ASOs resulted in similar MAP reductions of 30 - 40 mm Hg. These data demonstrate that the effects of global vs. liver-specific Agt inhibition result in similar reductions of plasma Agt or blood pressure. Additionally, ASO treatments produced superior BP efficacy relative to the standard of care in a model resistant to RAAS blockage. Such improvements could be desirable in individuals not at their BP goal with existing RAS therapeutics.
A Population Test of Distribution Assumptions in Mean-Variance Models for the Years 1925-2013

It has been in the literature since 1963 when Mandelbrot published The Variation of Certain Speculative Prices that returns on equity securities have heavy tails. In a 2014 article, Harris derives a mathematical reason these tails must be heavy. This proof in turn excludes mean-variance finance as either a model or as an approximation of reality. This paper tests the two competing sets of models treating the model itself as a parameter. Following the work of Alan Turing and IJ Good, this paper does a population study of all annual returns in the CRSP universe of securities from 1925-2013 and excludes mean-variance based models with a probability sufficiently close to unity that further discussion of mean-variance models is no longer necessary.
Differences Between First and Fourth Year Medical Students in their Attitudes Toward Primary Care

A 29 item“attitudes toward primary care” scale was administered to 392 first year (2 classes) and 183 fourth year medical students. The responses of the groups were compared using Chi Square analysis with a Bonferroni adjustment for multiple analyses (alpha = .05/29 - .0017). Statistically significant differences in the responses were found for 11 of the 29 items. Post hoc analysis indicated that the two first year classes did not differ in their responses. Items for which a significant difference was found tended to cluster in three general areas. Fourth year medical students were more likely to indicate that they were interested in treating the patients’ medical problems than their emotional or psychological problems than were first year students. Senior students were less interested in health maintenance and prevention than were first year students. The role of consultants and physician extenders was viewed differently by the two groups. The attitude scale is being administered longitudinally to matriculants in an attempt to further study the relationship between specific experiences and attitude change.
Cutaneous manifestations of primary and secondary syphilis.

Early syphilis is an infectious disease. Although the cutaneous manifestations often resemble those of other diseases, early syphilis can be diagnosed accurately by demonstrating the causative organism by dark-field examination. The prognosis is excellent if adequate treatment is given in the early stages.
America’s Founding Economic Rights Today: Modern Government

This chapter interrelates the American founders’ assumptions of basic economic rights with those of John Quincy Adams, Jackson, Lincoln, the populist progressives, Theodore Roosevelt, Perkins, FRD, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Also examines the New Deal’s unrealized legacy in terms of economic rights in the 1960’s and afterwards.
Flaps and Grafts

A variety of techniques can be implemented for facial reconstruction. Each defect is unique and a unique solution is often necessary. The reconstructive ladder may serve as a guide for repair, but often the ideal method is site specific. Adjacent tissue transfer with local flaps may provide skin that more closely matches the surrounding skin color, texture, and thickness; however, more complex defects will often require regional or free flap reconstruction. The skin is not the only concern, as the three-dimensional structure of the face, ears, and nose also requires attention in order to restore premorbid appearance and function. This chapter outlines the various common techniques utilized in facial reconstruction and provides site-specific guidelines for repair.