cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Air Quality Index and air quality awareness among adults in the United States.

Abstract Background Information about local air quality is reported across the United States using air quality alerts such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index. However, the role of such alerts in raising awareness of air quality is unknown. We conducted this study to evaluate associations between days with Air Quality Index ≥101, corresponding to a categorization of air quality as unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy, or hazardous, and air quality awareness among adults in the United States. Methods Data from 12,396 respondents to the 2016–2018 ConsumerStyles surveys were linked by geographic location and survey year to daily Air Quality Index data. We evaluated associations between the number of days in the past year with Air Quality Index ≥101 and responses to survey questions about awareness of air quality alerts, perception of air quality, and changes in behavior to reduce air pollution exposure using logistic regression. Results Awareness of air quality alerts (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15, 1.31), thinking/being informed air quality was bad (PR = 2.02; 95% CI = 1.81, 2.24), and changing behavior (PR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.94, 2.67) were higher among respondents living in counties with ≥15 days with Air Quality Index ≥101 than those in counties with zero days in the past year with Air Quality Index ≥101. Each aspect of air quality awareness was higher among adults with than without asthma, but no differences were observed by heart disease status. Across quintiles of the number of days with Air Quality Index ≥101, air quality awareness increased among those with and without selected respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusions Among U.S. adults, air quality awareness increases with increasing days with alerts of unhealthy air. These findings improve our understanding of the extent to which air quality alerts prompt people to take actions to protect their health amidst poor air quality.
Non-toxic fragment of botulinum neurotoxin type A and monomethyl auristatin E conjugate for targeted therapy for neuroendocrine tumors

Surgical resection is the only cure for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). However, widespread metastases have already occured by the time of initial diagnosis in many cases making complete surgical removal impossible. We developed a recombinant heavy-chain receptor binding domain (rHCR) of botulinum neurotoxin type A that can specifically target synaptic vesicle 2 (SV2), a surface receptor abundantly expressed in multiple neuroendocrine tumors. Expression of neuroendocrine differentiation markers chromogranin A (CgA) and achaete-scute complex 1 (ASCL1) were signficantly reduced when treated with rHCR. rHCR conjugated to the antimitotic agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) significantly suppressed proliferation of pancreatic carcinoid (BON) and medullary thyroid cancer cells (MZ) at concentrations of 500 and 300 nM respectively, while no growth suppression was observed in pulmonary fibroblasts and cortical neuron control cell lines. In vivo, rHCR-MMAE significantly reduced tumor volume in mouse xenografts with no observed adverse effects. These data suggest recombinant HCR (rHCR) of BoNT/A preferentially targets neuroendocrine cancer without the neurotoxicity of the full BoNT/A and that SV2 is a specific and promising target for delivering drugs to neuroendocrine tumors.
Chapter 24 – Cardiovascular System

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the toxic insults to the heart or blood vessels and defines the specific examples of experimentally induced lesions. Where possible, the chapter summarizes the underlying mechanisms of cellular injury to cardiovascular tissue. It outlines the details of some of the typical, or classic experimental procedures that are used by investigators to induce pathologic alterations in cardiovascular tissues. Because each of the toxic injuries addressed is itself a complex topic, this chapter can only scrape the surface of the large body of literature that exists concerning cardiovascular toxicology. However, an effort is made to be as organized and as comprehensive as possible with regard to the various types of toxic injuries that are discussed, and to include a rudimentary bibliography, so that the readers can go more deeply into the areas of their choice.
Chapter 19 – Idiopathic Osteoporosis in Men

Publisher Summary In a biomedical world that has invested its investigative resources in the gender affected most by osteoporosis, progress has previously been limited to insights gained about women. One has not learned much about how the same disorder may affect men. The mind set of studying osteoporosis in women rather exclusively, because women are most often affected by osteoporosis, has led not only to a paucity of information about osteoporosis in men but also to a tendency to assume that what is the case for women is necessarily also the case for men. In addition, the rather exclusive focus on women has undoubtedly led to an underreporting of the problem in men. Despite the dearth of information about osteoporosis in men, a cohort has emerged in whom no clear-cut etiologies are evident. Osteoporosis in such men is termed "idiopathic."
Potent antiviral activity of novel multi-substituted 4-anilinoquin(az)olines.

Abstract Screening a series of 4-anilinoquinolines and 4-anilinoquinazolines enabled identification of potent novel inhibitors of dengue virus (DENV). Preparation of focused 4-anilinoquinoline/quinazoline scaffold arrays led to the identification of a series of high potency 6-substituted bromine and iodine derivatives. The most potent compound 6-iodo-4-((3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)amino)quinoline-3-carbonitrile (47) inhibited DENV infection with an EC50 = 79 nM. Crucially, these compounds showed very limited toxicity with CC50 values >10 µM in almost all cases. This new promising series provides an anchor point for further development to optimize compound properties.
Scalable Security-Constrained Unit Commitment Under Uncertainty via Cone Programming Relaxation

This paper is concerned with the problem of Security-Constrained Unit Commitment (SCUC) which is a long-standing challenge in power system engineering faced by system operators and utility companies on a daily basis. We consider a detailed variant of this problem that suffers from complexities posed by the presence of binary variables, the uncertainty of renewable sources and security constraints. A convex relaxation is formulated which is capable of finding feasible solutions within a provable distance from global optimality. We demonstrate the performance of this approach on detailed and challenging instances of SCUC with IEEE and PEGASE benchmark cases from Matpower . The proposed approach is able to handle over 12,000 binary variables and 2 million continuous variables with significant improvement in solution quality over commonly-used off-the-shelf solvers and other methods of convex relaxation.
Comparison of clinician and model estimates of risk for hospitalization during systemic therapy for advanced cancer.

1530Background: Patients receiving treatment for advanced cancer are at substantial risk for unplanned hospitalization. A validated two-variable risk model can identify patients at increased risk f...
Multi-Band Parity-Time-Symmetric Wireless Power Transfer Systems

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate the multi-band wireless power transfer (WPT) systems based on quantum-inspired symmetries. A non-Hermitian quantum system satisfying the parity-time $(PT)$-symmetry (space-time reflection symmetry) can have multiple real eigenfrequencies that depend on the coupling strength and non-Hermiticity index. By analogy, the PT-symmetric WPT system can provide multimodal or even wideband operations with high transmission efficiencies through adjustment of the effective quality-factor of resonantly coupled oscillators (analogous to non-Hermiticity) and their mutual inductive/capacitive coupling. We present here basic theory and experimental validations for achieving dual-band and (b) tri-band PT-symmetric WPT systems with engineerable operating frequencies.
Lack of correlation between the SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold (Ct ) value and clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

PROBLEM: The utility of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle threshold (Ct ) values in the management of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains controversial. METHODS: We assessed the correlation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Ct values in nasopharyngeal swab samples with the oxygen requirements at the time of sample collection. Specimens were tested with the Simplexa PCR platform, which targets the SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab and S genes. RESULTS: We identified 23 COVID-19 patients with 49 Ct values available. While Ct values from ORF1ab and S genes were highly correlated for a given specimen, there was no correlation between Ct values for any of these target genes and the oxygen requirements of the patient at the time of sample collection. We found no differences in the initial nor the nadir Ct values between survivors and non-survivors or mild/moderate versus severe/critical illness at the maximum point of illness. CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 Ct values have limited value in the management of COVID-19.
Understanding and exploiting mobility in wireless networks

Le degre de penetration du marche des appareils intelligents tels que les smartphones et les tablettes avec les technologies de communication embarquees comme le WiFi, 3G et LTE a explose en moins d’une decennie. En complement de cette tendance technologique, les applications des reseaux sociaux ont virtuellement connectees une grande partie de la popula- tion, en generant une demande croissante de trafic de donnees vers et depuis l’infrastructure de communication. Les communications pervasives ont aussi acquis une importance dans l’industrie automobile. L’emergence d’une gamme impressionnante d’appareils intelligents dans les vehicules a permis des services tels que : l’assistante au conducteur, l’infotainment, le suivi a distance du vehicule, et la connectivite aux reseaux sociaux meme en deplacement La demande exponentielle de connectivite a encore defie les fournisseurs de services de tele- communications pour repondre aux attentes des utilisateurs.L’objectif de cette these est de modeliser et comprendre la mobilite dynamique des utilisateurs a grande vitesse et leurs effets sur les architectures de reseau sans fil. Compte tenu de l’ importance du developpement de notre etude sur une representation real- iste de la mobilite des vehicules, nous etudions tout d’abord les approches les plus populaires pour la generation de trafic routier synthetique et discutons les caracteristiques des ensem- bles de donnees accessibles au public qui decrivent des mobilites vehiculaires. En utilisant l’information des deplacements de la population dans une region metropolitaine, les donnees detaillees du reseau routier et les modeles realistes des conduites microscopiques, nous pro- posons un jeu de donnees de mobilite vehiculaire original qui redefinit l’etat de l’art et qui replie la circulation routiere de facon realiste dans le temps et dans l’espace. Nous etudions ensuite l’impact des dynamiques des mobilite du point de vue de la couverture cellulaire en presence d’un deploiement reel des stations de base. En outre, en examinant les effets de la mobilite des vehicules sur les reseaux autonomes, nous voyons des possibilites pour les futurs paradigmes de reseaux heterogenes. Motives par l’evolution dynamique dans le temps, de la mobilite des vehicules observee dans notre jeux de donnees, nous proposons egalement une approche en ligne pour predire les flux de trafic macroscopiques. Nous analysons les parametres affectant la prediction de la mobilite en milieu urbain. Nous devoilons quand et ou la gestion des ressources reseaux est la plus cruciale pour accueillir le trafic genere par les utilisateurs a bord. Ces etudes revelent de multiples opportunites de gestion intelligente des transports, soit pour construire de nouvelles routes, soit pour l’installation de bornes de recharge electriques, ou pour la conception de systemes de feux de circulation intelligents, contribuant ainsi a la planification urbaine.
Carbon-13 NMR Spectroscopy of Steroids

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on chemical-shift reagents and on relaxation studies, discusses the techniques of line assignments and other facets of steroid behavior. It lays the background for predicting steroid 13 C chemical shifts and interactions of substituents with the steroid framework. The chapter also discusses the use of 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to solve problems in steroid stereochemistry. All chemical shift data are reported on the delta scale. For steroids, 13 C relaxation is almost entirely due to interactions (dipole–dipole) with attached or nearby protons. The relaxation process is kinetically first-order, characterized by a rate constant T 1 - 1 . For steroids, at most accessible NMR frequencies, T 1 = T 2 and T 2 -1 controls the line width. As the concentration increases, both T 1 and T 2 decrease. Eventually a point is reached where T 2 is so small that line broadening in excess of that due to field inhomogeneity occurs.
Urothelial Defects from Targeted Inactivation of Exocyst Sec10 in Mice Cause Ureteropelvic Junction Obstructions.

Most cases of congenital obstructive nephropathy are the result of ureteropelvic junction obstructions, and despite their high prevalence, we have a poor understanding of their etiology and scarcity of genetic models. The eight-protein exocyst complex regulates polarized exocytosis of intracellular vesicles in a large variety of cell types. Here we report generation of a conditional knockout mouse for Sec10, a central component of the exocyst, which is the first conditional allele for any exocyst gene. Inactivation of Sec10 in ureteric bud-derived cells using Ksp1.3-Cre mice resulted in severe bilateral hydronephrosis and complete anuria in newborns, with death occurring 6–14 hours after birth. Sec10FL/FL;Ksp-Cre embryos developed ureteropelvic junction obstructions between E17.5 and E18.5 as a result of degeneration of the urothelium and subsequent overgrowth by surrounding mesenchymal cells. The urothelial cell layer that lines the urinary tract must maintain a hydrophobic luminal barrier again urine while remaining highly stretchable. This barrier is largely established by production of uroplakin proteins that are transported to the apical surface to establish large plaques. By E16.5, Sec10FL/FL;Ksp-Cre ureter and pelvic urothelium showed decreased uroplakin-3 protein at the luminal surface, and complete absence of uroplakin-3 by E17.5. Affected urothelium at the UPJ showed irregular barriers that exposed the smooth muscle layer to urine, suggesting this may trigger the surrounding mesenchymal cells to overgrow the lumen. Findings from this novel mouse model show Sec10 is critical for the development of the urothelium in ureters, and provides experimental evidence that failure of this urothelial barrier may contribute to human congenital urinary tract obstructions.
Thermal conductivity variation of graphene with patterned double-side hydrogen doping

Using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the thermal conductivity variation of graphene with different hydrogen doping coverage and doping orientation. It shows that the thermal conductivity of graphene decreases with increasing hydrogen doping coverage. The decreasing rate, however, depends on the doping orientation. Based on the kinetic theory of lattice thermal transport, we study the effect of doping coverage and orientation on the phonon density of states, phonon dispersion relation, phonon relaxation time, and the specific heat. While hydrogen doping has little effect on the specific heat, it decreases the phonon group velocity and increases phonon-phonon scattering in graphene. The phonon group velocity reduction is only due to the increment of doping coverage and is independent of doping orientation. A larger angle between the doping stripe orientation and the heat flux direction leads to smaller relaxation times, i.e., stronger phonon-phonon scattering, resulting in a lower thermal conductivity.
Percutaneous Clinical T1a Renal Mass Ablation in the Octogenarian and Nonagenarian: Oncologic Outcomes and Morbidity

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate outcomes of percutaneous ablation of small renal tumors in the elderly population. Patients and Methods: Using our tumor ablation database, we searched for percutaneous ablation procedures for clinical T1a renal masses in octogenarians and nonagenarians between June 2001 and May 2012. Altogether, 105 tumors from 99 procedures among 95 patients (mean age 84.0±3.0 years, range 80–92) were identified. Oncologic outcomes and major complications were evaluated. Assessment also included patient hospital stays and renal functional outcomes. Results: Technical success was achieved in 60/61 (98.4%) tumors managed with cryoablation and 43/44 (97.7%) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Of 87 renal tumors with at least 3 months imaging follow-up, 2 (5.4%) tumors progressed at 1.2 and 2.2 years after RFA. None recurred after cryoablation. Estimated progression-free survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years after ablation were 99%, 97%, and 97%, respectively. Thirty-four patients died at a mean...
Managed care and its impact on American urology

America's health care is undergoing a revolution. A previous private, fee-for-service, delivery system chiefly centered around hospital specialty care is rapidly being replaced by a commercialized system of managed care, controlled by businessmen whose prime motive is profit. Increasing emphasis of these managed care organizations is upon primary physicians who function as gatekeepers. While this new commercialized method of health care has been attended with reductions in the previous omnipresent health care inflation our country has experienced for the past several decades, its impact on quality of care and patient choice of physician remain a great concern. Especially vulnerable in this new system are our nation's academic centers, which, burdened with responsibility for education and research, are at a disadvantage in the competitive cost-based bidding for managed care contracts. Urology work force issues and the number of urologists in our nation remain another concern for urologists as they compete for access to patients in this new highly competitive environment. In a 1995 survey of a cohort of urologists in seven states, the respondents reported 35.8% of gross income came from managed care contracts, 86% reported the need for preservice approval for many diagnostic and therapeutic undertakings, 87% reported an inability to refer complex cases outside the Managed Care Organization (MCO) network, and 23% reported they were required to retain patients for treatment who they would have otherwise referred to a more qualified urologist. The majority of American urologists are reporting dropping gross revenues and increasing overhead in their dealings with managed care contracts. The advent of managed care is being attended with dropping gross revenues, increasing overhead costs and interference with the practice patterns of American urologists.
Early Aggressive Nutrition in Very Preterm Infants

Despite numerous advances in the nutrition of preterm infants, the increasing survival at lower birth weights is resulting in a new frontier of extrauterine nutritional support of these vulnerable infants. The extremely low birth weight infant has endogenous energy to maintain energy balance for only 3-4 days without an exogenous energy supply. Nevertheless, many clinicians are still hesitant to introduce substrates at high rates early in life secondary to concerns of intolerance and toxicity. Current feeding practices appear to be resulting in significant postnatal growth failure in very preterm neonates. Optimizing nutritional support in these infants is critical to avoiding adverse growth and neurological outcomes. There is a need for scientifically based feeding strategies to achieve normal in utero growth rates postnatally. Important areas for research include determination of safe and efficacious upper limits of energy and amino acid intake, identification of markers for protein toxicity, better characterization of the effect of various neonatal illnesses and the neonatal stress response on nutritional metabolism, development of enteral feeding strategies that will allow for more rapid enteral feeding advance while reducing the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, and understanding the benefits and risks of both over- and undernutrition in the extremely low birth weight infant.
Maximum likelihood mean and covariance matrix estimation constrained to general positive semi-definiteness

Maximum likelihood estimation of a mean and a covariance matrix whose structure is constrained only to general positive semi-definiteness is treated in this paper. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the local optimality of mean and covariance matrix estimates are given. Observations are assumed to be independent. When the observations are also assumed to be identically distributed, the optimality conditions are used to obtain the mean and covariance matrix solutions in closed form. For the nonidentically distributed observation case, a general numerical technique which integrates scoring and Newton's iterations to solve the optimality condition equations is presented, and convergence performance is examined.
Longitudinal Analysis of State Patterns and Related Variables among Infants and Children with Significant Disabilities

Behavior states and related developmental and medical variables were observed during all or part of the first 4 years of life for 34 infants identified with severe cognitive and multiple disabiliti...
Exploiting gauge and constraint freedom in hyperbolic formulations of Einstein's equations

We present many-parameter families of strongly and symmetric hyperbolic formulations of Einstein's equations that include quite general algebraic and live gauge conditions for the lapse. The first system that we present has $30$ variables and incorporates an algebraic relationship between the lapse and the determinant of the three metric that generalizes the densitized lapse prescription. The second system has $34$ variables and uses a family of live gauges that generalizes the Bona-Masso slicing conditions. These systems have free parameters even after imposing hyperbolicity and are expected to be useful in 3D numerical evolutions. We discuss under what conditions there are no superluminal characteristic speeds.
Normal variants in the electrocardiogram leading to cardiac invalidism.

Abstract 1. 1. Five patients are presented whose electrocardiograms showed “abnormalities” in the S-T segment and T wave. 2. 2. The electrocardiographic pattern remained unchanged over periods of observation ranging from 1 to 3 years. 3. 3. In no patient were there other clinical signs of heart disease. 4. 4. Two patients were made cardiac invalids, and one patient was subjected to thoracotomy and pericardial biopsy solely on the basis of an unchanging electrocardiographic pattern. 5. 5. Correlation of the electrocardiogram with clinical evaluation of the patient is essential for correct diagnoses.
Perturbations of flows on Banach spaces and operator algebras

For automorphism groups of operator algebras we show how properties of the difference ‖αt − α't‖ are reflected in relations between the generators δα, δ′α. Indeed for a von Neumann algebraM with separable predual we show that if ‖αt − α't‖ ≦ 0.28 for smallt, then δα = γ0(δ′α+δ′)°γ-1 where γ is an inner automorphism ofM and δ is a bounded derivation ofM. If the difference ‖αt − α't‖=O(t) ast →; 0, then δα = δ′α + δ and if ‖αt − α't‖ ≦ 0.28 for allt then δα=. We prove analogous results for unitary groups on a Hilbert space andC0,C0* groups on a Banach space.
Synthesis and phosphorylation of an extracellular polypeptide reacting with anti-MYC antisera in primary rat hepatocyte cultures.

Summary Primary hepatocytes stimulated with appropriate growth factors enter into S phase and it is believed that c-myc and other cell cycle-related genes play an important role in the GO-Gl/S phase transition. Four polypeptides reacting with anti-MYC antisera were detected in normal primary rat hepatocyte lysates,showing a pattern of 55–67 KDa on SDS-PAGE.A 67 KDa polypeptide was detected in the extracellular medium of the hepatocyte culture capable of undergoing phosphorylation. Both extracellular and intracellular polypeptides reacting with MYC-specific antisera exhibited an unusually long half life.It is believed that the intracellular MYC polypeptides may represent degradation products or species undergoing at present unknown post-transcriptional modification(s). We suggest that the extracellular MYC polypeptide(s) may be involved in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation.
Trypanosoma cruzi: Colony formation and clonal growth in agar

Abstract Trypanosoma cruzi exhibited colonial growth when incorporated into 0.5–0.6% agar. Colonies were established from a single organism and clones readily derived. The plating efficiencies were variable depending on the original inoculum but were consistently over 50% when 10 4 to 10 5 parasites were added. The use of this technique for evaluation of an antitrypanosomal agent, nifurtimox, was demonstrated, making possible large-scale testing of potential antitrypanosomal agents and assessment of microbicidal and microbio-static drug levels.
Metal Binding and Oxidation of Amyloid-β within Isolated Senile Plaque Cores: Raman Microscopic Evidence†

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid plaques in the parenchyma and vasculature of the brain. Although previous analytical studies have provided much information about the composition and structure of synthetic amyloid-beta fibrils, there is, surprisingly, a dearth of data on intact amyloid plaques from AD brain. Therefore, to elucidate the structure and detailed composition of isolated amyloid plaque cores, we utilized a high-resolution, nondestructive technique, Raman microscopy. The data are of very high quality and contain detailed information about protein composition and conformation, about post-translational modification, and about the chemistry of metal binding sites. Remarkably, spectra obtained for senile plaque (SP) cores isolated from AD brain are essentially identical both within and among brains. The Raman data show for the first time that the SP cores are composed largely of amyloid-beta and confirm inferences from X-ray studies that the structure is beta-sheet with the additional possibility that this may be present as a parallel beta-helix. Raman bands characteristic of methionine sulfoxide show that extensive methionine oxidation has occurred in the intact plaques. The Raman spectra also demonstrate that Zn(II) and Cu(II) are coordinated to histidine residues in the SP cores, at the side chains' N(tau) and N(pi) atoms, respectively. Treatment of the senile plaques with the chelator ethylenediaminetetraacetate reverses Cu binding to SP histidines and leads to a broadening of amide features, indicating a "loosening" of the beta-structure. Our results indicate that Abeta in vivo is a metalloprotein, and the loosening of the structure following chelation treatment suggests a possible means for the solubilization of amyloid deposits. The results also reveal a direct chemical basis for oxidative damage caused by amyloid-beta protein in AD.
Intra-arc extension and magmatic evolution in the central Aleutian arc, Alaska

New geologic, petrologic, and Sr isotope data from Seguam Island, Alaska, reveal substantial variation in the composition of magmas of the central Aleutian arc. The data indicate that variable magmatic processes occur along the strike of the arc. Seguam is situated on extended arc crust and has erupted voluminous basalt and dacite. In contrast to basalt from adjacent volcanic centers atop unextended crust, which evolved by polybaric open-system crystallization, Seguam lavas crystallized at shallow levels under closed-system conditions. Seguam basalt therefore better reflects the character of its source materials than basalt erupted through unextended arc crust. The authors conclude that along-arc differences in the nature of crystallization were facilitated by changes in the thermal and density structure of the subarc lithosphere caused by intra-arc extension.
Phenylalanine metabolites in treated phenylketonuric children

Phenylketonuria (PKU, McKusick 26160) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by deficient activity of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. As a result of this enzyme deficiency, phenylalanine levels rise in the blood and other body fluids. The organic acid derivatives of phenylalanine - phenylacetate, phenyllactate, and phenylpyruvate - also increase due to the enzymatic block in the normal pathway of phenylalanine metabolism. The levels of phenylethylamine (PEA), which is an endogenous amine, increase because of this enzyme deficiency. In the treatment of PKU, blood phenylalanine is used as the only parameter to monitor compliance. The therapeutic range of blood phenylalanine has varied from 2 to 15mg/dl, with some clinics allowing up to 20mg/dl, although early phases of the national collaborative study for PKU in the United States recommended therapeutic levels of 2-10 mg/dl (Dobson et al., 1977). More recently, reports of behavioural disorders (Michals et al., 1985 and Waisbren et al., 1980) and learning disabilities (Brunner et al., 1983) have surfaced, requiring more careful evaluation of these standards of treatment. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine whether the metabolites of phenylalanine can be used to further adjust the PKU diet and prevent these difficulties.
ESTIMATING SOCIAL EFFECTS IN MATCHING MARKETS: EXTERNALITIES IN SPOUSAL SEARCH

This paper investigates the hypothesis that individuals are less willing to marry when there are more potential partners to search amongst, and thus when others are also less prone to marry. To do this, it develops a reduced-form method [a variation on Manski's (1993) model] that allows identification of such spillovers in two-sided matching markets. Estimates from this method are internally consistent, unbiased, robust to different definitions of the marriage market, and large enough to warrant attention. Additional evidence suggests that the effect works via the proposed search mechanism.
Information storage and retrieval — Dogs, cats and indexing

The advent of data-processing equipment, combined with the recognition of the theoretical, engineering, and operating problems associated with information storage and retrieval have attracted individuals with diverse backgrounds from many professional fields. This article concerns one of the most controversial problems in this area: indexing.
Obtaining information about susceptibility from the epidemiological literature.

Abstract Whether people become ill after encountering environmental pollutants depends on the magnitude of their exposure and their capacity to respond. Exposure and intrinsic response capabilities vary within the population. Those that become ill when the general population remains largely unaffected are considered to be highly susceptible. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), responsible for protecting the public from environmental pollutants, has developed risk assessment procedures to assist in evaluating the likelihood of health effects. However, the Agency's ability to evaluate the risk faced by highly susceptible populations is often hindered by the paucity of adequate health effects data. Response variability can be assessed with animal models and human epidemiological studies. Although animal models are useful when evaluating the effect of gender and developmental stage on susceptibility, inbred rodent strains underestimate the genetic and lifestyle-induced variability in susceptibility found in human populations. Epidemiological approaches are the preferred source of information on variability. This paper reviews the epidemiological literature from the perspective of a risk assessor seeking data suitable for estimating the risk to highly susceptible populations. Epidemiological approaches do not measure the full range of population response variability. Rather, “susceptibility factors” are evaluated either as risk factors or by focusing on the susceptible population, e.g. children. Susceptibility factors due to genetics, developmental stage, gender, ethnicity, disease state and lifestyle are most frequently encountered. Often, the information describing the health impact of the susceptibility factor is incomplete due to, (1) a failure to consider factors modifying susceptibility; (2) inadequate exposure data; (3) a failure to evaluate the health impact of the susceptibility factor. In addition, for a given exposure agent, several susceptibility factors may be relevant. While incomplete data describing susceptibility factors limits the opportunity for quantitative estimations of risk, available information can supplement qualitative evaluations and risk management.
The Two-Midnight Rule: A Review

Many years ago, The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) created a system where patients who did not meet specific criteria were determined to be ‘outpatients’ and placed under observation status in the hospital. This status was intended as enhanced outpatient treatment to rule out a diagnosis. The original definition of observation status has, however, transformed to a system where ‘outpatients’ are regularly placed in a hospital bed, taken care of by inpatient physicians and receive the same hospitalized care as ‘inpatients’. The financial impact to patients placed under observation status is burdensome compared to an inpatient admission. Furthermore, patients placed in observation status do not qualify for Skilled Nursing Facility Medicare coverage (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/bp102c08.pdf). In an attempt to clarify the difference between observation status and inpatient status and to decrease the number of prolonged observation stays, CMS has enacted a new set of regulations, The Final Rule, CMS 1599-F (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-08-19/pdf/2013-18956.pdf). This set of regulations has made the differentiation between observation status and inpatient admission anything but straightforward: the regulations are quite complicated and nuanced and have required major changes in hospital systems as well as physician thinking, increased risk of reimbursement denial and increased administrative costs.
Imaging of intrasellar, suprasellar, and parasellar tumors

The complex anatomy and multiple functions of the structures involved in the sella, suprasellar, and parasellar spaces present a challenge for the imager in identifying an etiology when symptoms are present. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and arteriography all play roles depending upon the localization of the process. In this area, as in others, care must be exercised, as nonneoplastic masses may mimic those that are neoplasms. Studies must be tailored to answering questions posed by the differential diagnosis.
Rapid formation of rock varnish and other rock coatings on slag deposits near Fontana, California

Manganiferous rock varnish, silica glaze and iron skins have formed on 20- to 40-year-old slag piles near Fontana, southern California. Rapid rock-varnish formation is associated with an unidentified cocci bacterium that grows rapidly in culturing experiments, combined with the likelihood that Mn-rich solutions flow over slag surfaces. A new model is proposed for the formation of silica glaze, involving soluble Al-Si complexes and the nature of wetting films. Iron skins occur where runoff is concentrated, and where iron bacteria grow. Observations indicate: (i) substrate can be important in supplying Mn, as well as maintaining a stable surface and channelling runoff to microspots where varnish grows; (ii) ignorance of boundary layer pH/Eh conditions makes chemical-physical models of varnish formation speculative; (iii) the balance between cementation of recently nucleated varnishes and erosional shear stresses is poorly understood, but is probably an important limiting factor on varnish growth rates; and (iv) there must be at least two steps in biotic varnishing-accretion of Mn-Fe in casts, followed by cementation of clays by either in situ cast residue or Mn-Fe remobilized from casts. Varnish accretion may be limited by the rate at which both steps occur. Rapid development of readily distinguishable manganiferous rock varnishes at this post-1952 site highlights the danger of speculation on the ages of landforms based solely on the appearance of rock-varnish coatings.
Lateralized Facial Muscle Response to Positive and Negative Emotional Stimuli

Facial electromyography (EMG) was recorded from left and right zygomatic and corrugator muscle regions in response to reflective questions and during voluntary facial expressions. Both muscle regions showed consistent responses to five emotions (happiness, excitement, neutral, sadness, and fear) evoked in the involuntary condition (i.e. reflective questions) and four emotional facial expressions (happiness, excitement, sadness, and fear) self-generated in the voluntary condition. Lateralized responses were found for the zygomatic muscle in the involuntary condition: positive emotion questions elicited relatively greater right muscle activity than left muscle activity, while negative emotion questions elicited relatively greater left muscle activity than right muscle activity. Lateralized responses were found for the corrugator muscle in the voluntary condition, but were not significantly related to type of emotional expression. Sex differences indicating greater lateralization for females were found in some of the measures. The results are consistent with the hypothesized specialization of the left and right cerebral hemispheres for the mediation of positive and negative emotions, respectively.
Rosuvastatin prevented major cardiovascular events in persons with elevated C-reactive protein

Source Citation Ridker PM, Danielson E, Fonseca FA, et al. Rosuvastatin to prevent vascular events in men and women with elevated C-reactive protein. N Engl J Med. 2008;359:2195-207. 18997196
Higher order topological actions

In classical mechanics, an action is defined only modulo additive terms which do not modify the equations of motion; in certain cases, these terms are topological quantities. We construct an infinite sequence of higher order topological actions and argue that they play a role in quantum mechanics, and hence can be accessed experimentally.
The Classroom Boundary Questionnaire: An Instrument to Measure one Aspect of Teacher Leadership in the Classroom

Two studies were done to operationalize the concept of social system boundaries as applied to teacher control in classrooms. In Study 1 a multiple choice Classroom Boundary Questionnaire (CBQ) was developed to measure teacher preference for boundary control. The 25 items were found to load primarily on one factor and to have adequate split-half reliability (corrected r = .85). In Study 2, observations in 32 4th through 6th grade classrooms found that observational measures of teacher boundary control behavior could be reliably recorded and were correlated with teachers' CBQ scores. Degree of boundary control preferred by the teacher on CBQ and the frequency of child-initiated boundary crossing events allowed in the classroom were negatively correlated (r = -.48, p < .01).
The exact Mean Squared Error of Stein-rule estimator in linear models

Abstract The exact Mean Squared Error (MSE) of the Stein Rule estimator for a linear combination of the regression vector is obtained. Further, the inadmissibility of the usual least squares estimator within an ellipsoid is investigated.
Forward imaging for obstacle avoidance using ultrawideband synthetic aperture radar

In support of the Army vision for increased mobility, survivability, and lethality, we are investigating the use of ultra-wideband (UWB) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology to enhance unmanned ground vehicle missions. The ability of UWB radar technology to detect objects concealed by foilage could provide an important obstacle avoidance capability for robotic vehicles. This would improve the speed and maneuverability of these vehicles and consequently increase the probability of survivability of U.S. forces. This technology would address the particular challenges that confront robotic vehicles such as large rocks hidden in tall grass and voids such as ditches and bodies of water. ARL has designed and constructed an instrumentation-grade low frequency, UWB synthetic aperture radar for evaluation of the target signatures and underlying phenomenology of stationary tactical targets concealed by foilage and objects buried in the ground. The radar (named BoomSAR) is installed in teh basekt of a 30-ton boom lift and can be operated while the entire boom lift is driven forward slowly, with the boom arm extended as high as 45 m to generate a synthetic aperture. In this paper, we investigate the potential use of the UWB radar in the forward imaging configuration. The paper describes the forward imaging radar and test setup at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. We present imagery of "positive" obstacles such as trees, fences, wires, mines, etc., as well as "negative" obstacles such as ditches. Imagery of small targets such as plastic mines is also included. We provide eletromagnetic simulations of forward SAR imagery of plastic mines and compare that to the measurement data.
Bone biopsy derived marrow stromal elements rescue chronic lymphocytic leukemia B-cells from spontaneous and drug induced cell death and facilitates an "angiogenic switch".

A novel bone biopsy technique was used to generate a robust stromal cell system to study how stroma modulates CLL B-cell apoptosis and how the leukemic cell–stromal interaction influences secretion of vascular factors. Marrow stromal elements (MSE) rescued CLL B-cells from both spontaneous and drug induced apoptosis, partly due to soluble factors. When CLL B-cells were added to the MSE cultures, a dramatic increase in the secretion of basic fibroblast growth factor and decrease in the secretion of thrombospondin was observed. These results indicate the interaction between CLL B-cells and marrow stromal elements regulates angiogenic switching and may be linked to disease progression.
Hepatic Glycogen in Acute Radiation Death.

ConclusionsIn both warm-blooded animals and in cold-blooded amphibia, the liver responds to acute x-radiation by a drastic depletion in liver glycogen, as determined both by histochemical and microchemical tests.
Prostaglandin production in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis

Peripheral blood monocytes have been implicated in the immune reactions that accompany demyelination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We measured prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) release from peripheral monocytes exposed in vitro to complement. Our studies suggest that there is a significantly higher production of PGE2 in monocytes from patients with chronic progressive MS than in those with exacerbation or remitting MS and healthy controls. No significant differences in TxB2 release were noted between the three groups.
Micro-sample gas-chromatographic technique for the analysis of barbiturates

Abstract A procedure for determining barbiturate levels in micro-samples is described. The method takes advantage of a newly available, sensitive nitrogen-phosphorus detector therby permitting a simplified analytic procedure.
Molecular pathways of oligodendrocyte apoptosis revealed by mutations in the proteolipid protein gene.

A decade after the genetic link was established between mutations in the proteolipid protein gene and two leukodystrophies, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease and spastic paraplegia, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis are beginning to come to light. Data from animal models of these diseases suggest that the absence of proteolipid protein gene products in the central nervous system confers a relatively mild phenotype while missense mutations in and duplications of this gene give rise to mild or severe forms of disease. Previously, we have interpreted the disease process in terms of the accumulation of the mutant proteins in the secretory pathway and, herein, we review the evidence in favor of such a cellular mechanism. Furthermore, on the basis of recent data we suggest that the unfolded protein response may be involved in the pathogenesis of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease and spastic paraplegia through a kinase signaling cascade that links the accumulation of mutant proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum of oligodendrocytes with changes in gene regulation, protein synthesis, and possibly apoptosis. Microsc. Res. Tech. 52:700–708, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hemolysis during filtration through micropores: a scanning electron microscopic and hemorheologic correlation.

Abstract The resistance of normal human erythrocytes to mechanical hemolysis was studied by filtration (pressure gradient up to 74 cm Hg) through polycarbonate sieves with mean pore diameters of 2.2–4.4 μ. Hemolytic release of hemoglobin and potassium increased with an elevation of filtration pressure and a reduction in pore size. In 2.2-μ sieves, half-maximum release of intracellular content occurs at a filtration pressure of approximately 12 cm Hg. Under a given sieving condition, the release of hemoglobin was approximately one-half that of potassium, suggesting membrane holes of approximately 100 A in diameter. Hemolytic release of intracellular content was accompanied by reduction in resistance of the erythrocyte suspension during filtration. The changes in erythrocytes during and after filtration have been studied with scanning and transmission electron microscopes. With an elevation of pressure or with a reduction in pore size, increasing numbers of RBC become microspherocytes and spur cells with membrane protrusions. These changes in RBC shape due to mechanical stress during passage through small pores are the same as those observed in human hemolytic anemia of the microangiopathic type.
Comparison of single- versus double-balloon assisted-colonoscopy for colon examination after previous incomplete standard colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy fails to achieve cecal intubation in 5–10 % of cases. Many of these cases can be completed using balloon-assisted colonoscopy, either with the single-balloon colonoscopy (SBC) or the double-balloon colonoscopy (DBC) techniques. To compare the completion rates of SBC and DBC in patients with previous incomplete conventional colonoscopy. Between August 2009 and July 2011 either SBC or DBC was performed in 53 patients in whom previous conventional colonoscopy did not achieve cecal intubation. The medical records of these 53 patients were reviewed retrospectively for details regarding (1) indication for the initial colonoscopy, (2) patient characteristics, (3) data from the initial colonoscopy, and (4) details on both SBC and DBC. SBC was successful in intubating the cecum in 100 % (26/26) of patients and DBC was successful in 93 % (25/27) of patients. The median (range) time to reach the cecum was 17 (9–43) min in the SBC group and 20 (7–58) min in the DBC group (P = 0.37). The presence of polyps was an entirely new finding in 35 % (9/26) of patients in the SBC group and 30 % (8/27) of patients in DBC group. Therapeutics were performed in 73 % (19/26) of patients in SBC group and 67 % (18/27) of patients in DBC group. For patients with incomplete conventional colonoscopy, SBC and DBC offer high cecal intubation rates as well as detection of additional polyps and therapeutic capability. Either SBC or DBC can be considered after incomplete conventional colonoscopy.