cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management and Outcomes of HIV-Associated Primary Effusion Lymphoma: A Single Center Experience.

Abstract Background Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare malignancy usually associated with HIV infection. Management and outcomes are poorly understood. Methods The medical records of all patients diagnosed with HIV-associated PEL at our institution between 1999 and 2014 were reviewed. Patients were followed till death, treatment failure or loss of follow-up. Results Twelve patients with PEL were identified during the 15 year study period; 9 had HIV infection. All 9 were male; median age was 45 years. All presented with local symptoms and were diagnosed with PEL a median of 11 years after HIV diagnosis. Location was pleural (3), pericardial (3), peritoneal (1) and extracavitatory (2). By definition, all had Ann Arbor stage 4 at diagnosis. Median follow-up was 34 months. Two patients had poor performance status and were unable to get chemotherapy. Seven patients had a complete remission (CR) and two died within 1 month of diagnosis. The median CD4 levels at PEL diagnosis in patients with poor versus good outcomes were 54 cells/mm3 (range, 26-82 cells/mm3) and 211 cells/mm3 (range, 73-800 cells/mm3). In contrast, the median lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels at PEL diagnosis with poor versus good prognosis were 1074 U/L (range, 703-1445 U/L) and 283 U/L (range, 156-760 U/L). Conclusions Given its rarity, our knowledge of PEL relies solely on case reports and case series. Prompt HAART and chemotherapy may be effective in HIV- associated PEL and good outcomes are possible. LDH and CD4 may be possible prognostic factors in PEL.
The accuracy of a death certificate checkbox for diabetes: early results from New Jersey.

Objectives. The rapid growth in diabetes prevalence has increased interest in measuring the burden of this disease. One response has been to add a checkbox for diabetes status to the death certificate, which New Jersey did in 2004. This study assessed the accuracy of the diabetes checkbox and its effect on cause-of-death coding. We analyzed whether a diabetes checkbox is a useful addition to the death certificate. Methods. We examined the trend in cause-of-death coding for diabetes as an underlying and contributing cause of death by analyzing New Jersey mortality data between 1990 and 2005. We assessed the accuracy of the checkbox by examining inconsistencies between cause-of-death coding and checkbox status, and assessed sensitivity by analyzing linked hospital and death data for a cohort of decedents with diabetes. Results. Between 2003 and 2005, there was approximately a 15% increase in the number of deaths listing diabetes as a contributing cause. The number of deaths where diabetes was listed as an underlying cause changed little. Approximately 10% of death certificates had an inconsistency between cause of death and checkbox status. The sensitivity analysis showed that approxi- mately 40% of diabetic decedents had the appropriate checkbox status. Conclusion. The addition of the checkbox was accompanied by a change in the reporting of diabetes as a contributing cause of death. Results from the sensitivity analysis raise questions about the accuracy of the checkbox as a measure of the diabetic status of decedents.
Earnings management surrounding M&A: Role of economic development and investor protection

Abstract We examine accruals based earnings management by acquiring firms surrounding merger and acquisition events from thirty countries for the period 2004–2015. We find that the acquiring firms do manage earnings surrounding mergers when the method of payment is acquirer's stock, but there is no such evidence when the method of payment is cash. We also examine whether level of economic development and country-specific institutional characteristics play any role in acquiring firms' earnings manipulation. Using two groups of countries based on the level of economic development and nine different institutional variables we find evidence that acquirers' accrual manipulation differs based on such characteristics.
Photoelectrochemical NADH Regeneration using Pt-Modified p-GaAs Semiconductor Electrodes

Cofactor regeneration in enzymatic reductions is crucial for the application of enzymes to both biological and energy-related catalysis. Specifically, regenerating NADH from NAD+ is of great interest, and using electrochemistry to achieve this end is considered a promising option. Here we report the first example of photoelectrochemical NADH regeneration at the illuminated (λ >600 nm), metal-modified p-type semiconductor electrode Pt/p-GaAs. Although bare p-GaAs electrodes produce only enzymatically inactive NAD2, NADH was produced at the illuminated Pt-modified p-GaAs surface. At low overpotential (-0.75 V vs. Ag/AgCl), Pt/p-GaAs exhibited a seven-fold greater Faradaic efficiency for the formation of NADH than Pt alone, with reduced competition from the hydrogen evolution reaction. Improved Faradaic efficiency and low overpotential suggest the possible utility of Pt/p-GaAs in energy-related NADH-dependent enzymatic processes.
The Link Between Cerebrovascular Hemodynamics and Rehabilitation Outcomes After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to assess the relation between cerebrovascular function early after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage onset and functional and rehabilitation outcomes.DesignObservational cohort study of subarachnoid hemorrhage patients (n = 133) admitted to rehabilitation (n = 49)
Risk and crisis communication narratives in response to rapidly emerging diseases

The uncertainty inherent in crises can create a narrative space that is often filled by multiple interpretations about both what is happening and what steps should be taken to resolve the crisis. A...
Pontic-Caspian Mesolithic and early Neolithic societies at the time of the Black Sea flood; a small audience and small effects

Even if the Black Sea rose catastrophically and flooded the North Pontic plain about 7600-7300 calBC following Ryan and Pitman's revised chronology, only 100 to 150 individual foraging bands of 50-75 people each would have been forced out of the drowned North Pontic plains over a front more than 1000 km wide. We might be able to detect faint signs of their movements in some of the changes in distribution and types of flint tool kits in the Early Mesolithic, but there were no massive migrations outward from a flooded Black Sea basin. A review of Mesolithic and early Neolithic archaeological data in Ukraine provides little or no archaeological support for a sudden shift in human behavior at the time of the proposed flood.
DIFFERENTIAL ACTIONS OF AMPHETAMINE ISOMERS ON A9 AND A10 DOPAMINE NEURONS: CORRELATION WITH PSYCHOTOGENIC EFFECTS

ABSTRACT Schizophrenic symptoms have been elicited in man by similar doses of the l- and d-isomers of amphetamine (AMP). Recent electrophysiological data indicate that l- and d-AMP are equipotent in decreasing norepinephrine (NE) neuronal impulse flow in the locus coeruleus, but l- is considerably less potent than d-AMP in decreasing dopamine (DA) neuronal impulse flow in the substantia nigra (nucleus A9) (Bunney et al. , 1975). Because of the relative lack of effect of l-AMP on DA neurons and its potent effect on NE neurons, the DA hypothesis of schizophrenia has been questioned. However, because there is considerable evidence for a DA role in schizophrenia, and in particular for the DA cells in the ventral tegmental area (nucleus Al0), we compared the effects of these AMP isomers on impulse flow in nuclei Al0 and A9. Our data indicate that while d-AMP is of comparable potency in Al0 and in A9, l-AMP is an order of magnitude more potent in Al0 than in A9. These data may explain, by a DA mechanism, the finding that both isomers of AMP are potent in inducing schizophrenic symptoms.
Is It Unethical to Evade the Social Security Tax

The accounting and philosophical literature on tax evasion has been scant, at least until recently. The few articles that have discussed the ethics of tax evasion have usually taken either a generalist approach or have focused their attention on the ethics of evading income taxes. This article is the first to address the issue of whether it is unethical to evade the Social Security tax.
Clinical and Laboratory Predictors of Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli Infection in Children With Bloody Diarrhea

Objectives Children with acute bloody diarrhea are at risk of being infected with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and of progression to hemolytic uremic syndrome. Our objective was to identify clinical and laboratory factors associated with STEC infection in children who present with acute bloody diarrhea. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study of consecutive children younger than 18 years who presented with acute ( Results Of the 135 eligible patients, 108 were enrolled; 27 declined consent. The median patient age was 3 years, and 56% were male. Ten (9%) patients tested positive for STEC (E coli O157:H7, n = 8; E coli O111, n = 1; E coli O103, n = 1), and 62 had negative stool culture results. Children infected with STEC were older (8.5 vs 3 years, respectively) (P Conclusion Clinical assessment and laboratory data cannot reliably exclude the possibility that children with bloody diarrhea have an STEC infection and are at consequent risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome. Abnormal D-dimer concentrations (>0.5 μg/mL) were insufficiently sensitive and specific for distinguishing patients with STEC from those with another bacterial cause of bloody diarrhea. However, this marker might be useful in identifying children whose bloody diarrhea is caused by a bacterial enteric pathogen.
Anti-silencing factor Epe1 associates with SAGA to regulate transcription within heterochromatin

Heterochromatin is a highly condensed form of chromatin that silences gene transcription. Although high levels of transcriptional activities disrupt heterochromatin, transcription of repetitive DNA elements and subsequent processing of the transcripts by the RNAi machinery are required for heterochromatin assembly. In fission yeast, a JmjC domain protein, Epe1, promotes transcription of DNA repeats to facilitate heterochromatin formation, but overexpression of Epe1 leads to heterochromatin defects. However, the molecular function of Epe1 is not well understood. By screening the fission yeast deletion library, we found that heterochromatin defects associated with Epe1 overexpression are alleviated by mutations of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex. Overexpressed Epe1 associates with SAGA and recruits SAGA to heterochromatin regions, which leads to increased histone acetylation, transcription of repeats, and the disruption of heterochromatin. At its normal expression levels, Epe1 also associates with SAGA, albeit weakly. Such interaction regulates histone acetylation levels at heterochromatin and promotes transcription of repeats for heterochromatin assembly. Our results also suggest that increases of certain chromatin protein levels, which frequently occur in cancer cells, might strengthen relatively weak interactions to affect the epigenetic landscape.
(154) Preoperative Physical Activity in Pediatric Posterior Spinal Fusion: An Observational Feasibility Study

Pediatric surgeries and postoperative pain interventions with opioids pose risks for functional recovery and analgesic dependence. Prehabilitation, optimizing of physical functioning prior to surgery, is a possibly efficacious intervention with minimal adverse effects not yet assessed among children. Little is known about typical physical activity patterns of children undergoing orthopedic surgeries, or whether measurement with commercial accelerometry is feasible. This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of actigraphy assessment in children undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF) and assess the variability of their pre-operative activity. Children and adolescents undergoing PSF (n=15) wore a Fitbit Flex for approximately two weeks between their preoperative clinic appointment and surgery date, with no instructed change to activity level. Daily step counts were obtained from the Fitbit account for each participant. Of 15 participants, two dropped out (surgery or postoperative visit canceled). Overall, 73% of data was obtained from the pre-surgical period. The median number of data points per day was 11 [IQR:4-13]. The median average steps per day was 5,423 [IQR:4222-8060], the median maximum was 11,513 [IQR:6862-16142] and the median difference between highest and lowest step counts was 10,680 [IQR:4,886-15,662]. Four participants had consistently lower counts, defined as ≥50% of the recorded day total th percentile of the population average (4,222 steps). No participants had consistently higher counts preoperatively, defined as ≥50% of the recorded day total >75 th percentile of the population average (8,060 steps). Results demonstrate that assessing children's physical activity preoperatively is feasible and provides a description of the typical patterns of physical activity among children undergoing posterior spinal fusion. These findings support the possibility for implementation of prehabilitation in children. Prehabilitation can help prevent poor post-surgical outcomes among adults undergoing orthopedic surgeries and holds promise for possible preventative intervention for children to reduce risks associated with surgeries and opioid use.
Non-operative management of rectal cancer

Abstract Despite advances in technique, surgical resection of rectal cancer remains a morbid procedure that can lead to a profound decrease in a patient's quality of life. A novel method of management, termed “Non-operative management” (NOM), mirrors the management of anal carcinoma. Patients undergo definitive treatment with only chemotherapy and radiation, with resection reserved only for salvage. Current data is encouraging- both in reduction in morbidity and similar, if not superior oncologic results. However, there are a number of barriers to the wide adoption of this practice. This manuscript seeks to describe the rationale and execution of NOM as well as present the current data and pitfalls of the approach.
Window Shopping: Fashioning a Scholarship of Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning

This essay proposes the practice of window shopping, systematically switching between various modes of inquiry to understand and evaluate evidence of student learning in interdisciplinary courses. Because interdisciplinarity by nature is epistemologically flexible and often yields fluid subject matter content, it can complicate (and dissuade) scholars from undertaking SoTL. This essay addresses this problem, particularly in respect to the issue of ‘novice-stry’. In addition, it offers window shopping as a practice that can support instructors grappling with what constitutes actual ‘data’ of substantive interdisciplinary learning intimately connected to local contexts and pedagogic reasoning.
Regulating Through Recourse: Rediscovering Tort As Regulation

Most scholars hold that tort has little or no power to effectively or legitimately regulate complex risks such as environmental pollution. This consensus has spurred a broad skepticism about tort’s regulatory capacity within the judiciary, altering the contours of tort law itself. This Article challenges such skepticism by presenting a case study of farmers who used tort to manage the risk of air pollution from a nearby aluminum plant. The scope of their success suggests that features of tort adjudication such as equitable powers, discovery and procedure, settlement, and community have been overlooked by tort theorists. By reintegrating these features into theoretical visions of tort law, we can rediscover tort’s potential as a powerful tool within what might be called society’s ‘ecosystem’ of risk regulation.
Self-controlled amount and pacing of practice facilitate learning of a sequential timing task

Allowing learners to control the number of practice trials has been shown to facilitate motor learning (Lessa & Chiviacowsky, 2015; Post et al., 2011; 2014). However, it is uncertain the extent to ...
A novel graph theoretical approach for modeling microbiomes and inferring microbial ecological relationships.

Microbiomes play vital roles in shaping environments and stabilize them based on their compositions and inter-species relationships among its species. Variations in microbial properties have been reported to have significant impact on their host environment. For example, variants in gut microbiomes have been reported to be associated with several chronic conditions, such as inflammatory disease and irritable bowel syndrome. However, how microbial bacteria contribute to pathogenesis still remains unclear and major research questions in this domain remain unanswered. We propose a split graph model to represent the composition and interactions of a given microbiome. We used metagenomes from Korean populations in this study. The dataset consists of three different types of samples, viz. mucosal tissue and stool from Crohn’s disease patients and stool from healthy individuals. We use the split graph model to analyze the impact of microbial compositions on various host phenotypes. Utilizing the graph model, we have developed a pipeline that integrates genomic information and pathway analysis to characterize both critical informative components of inter-bacterial correlations and associations between bacterial taxa and various metabolic pathways. The obtained results highlight the importance of the microbial communities and their inter-relationships and show how these microbial structures are correlated with Crohn’s disease. We show that there are significant positive associations between detected taxonomic biomarkers as well as multiple functional modules in the split graph of mucosal tissue samples from CD patients. Bacteria Moraxellaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were detected as taxonomic biomarkers in CD groups. Higher abundance of these bacteria have been reported in previous study and several metabolic pathways associated with these bacteria were characterized in CD samples. The proposed pipeline provides a new way to approach the analysis of complex microbiomes. The results obtained from this study show great potential in unraveling mechansims in complex biological systems to understand how various components in such complex environments are associated with critical biological functions.
Exploring the Effects of Power Mobility Training on Parents of Exploratory Power Mobility Learners: A Multiple-Baseline Single-Subject Research Design Study

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of power mobility training provided to exploratory power mobility learners with cerebral palsy (CP; Gross Motor Function Classification System Level V) ...
Toroidal Excitations in Metamaterials

Thus far, we showed that toroidal excitations exist in free space as spatially and temporally confined electromagnetic pulses propagating at the velocity of light and interacting with matter. In this Chapter, we presented an exhaustive study on the theoretical and experimental observation of toroidal excitations in both bulk and quasi-infinite artificially structured media, also known as metamaterials. Using the established framework to analyze the toroidal electrodynamics, we discussed the strategies that have been utilized to efficiently excite toroidal modes in well-engineered subwavelength architectures. We initially argued the formation of the toroidal resonances in 3D metamaterials, and later, we revealed that how the flatland metaphotonics successfully addressed the fabrication, simulation, and inherent losses in bulk metastructures.
Short-term catheter management options for urinary retention following pelvic surgery: a cost analysis.

Background Several studies have compared short-term catheterization approaches and have demonstrated no difference in patient satisfaction, but no study has evaluated their costs. Objective To evaluate the costs of 3 pathways for short-term catheter management in patients diagnosed with urinary retention following pelvic surgery. Study Design We utilized a Markov decision tree to model costs from the society’s perspective. In pathway 1, patients have an indwelling catheter and return to the office for a voiding trial. In pathway 2, patients have an indwelling catheter and discontinue the catheters at home. In pathway 3, patients are taught clean intermittent catheterization postoperatively. We accounted for office visits, emergency department visits, urinary tract infection testing and treatment, transportation, caregiver time, teaching time, and supplies. Results Clean intermittent catheterization is the least costly catheterization method at $79 per patient, followed by self-removal of the catheter ($128) and office voiding trial ($185). One-way sensitivity analyses showed that the distance between the patient and office and the rates of spontaneous voiding following catheterization had the greatest impact. When patients need to travel >5 miles to the office for catheter removal, self-removal of a catheter is less costly than an office voiding trial. Once it has been determined that patients have urinary retention and require catheterization, clean intermittent catheterization is the most cost-saving option only if the patients are taught clean intermittent catheterization postoperatively. If all patients were to be taught clean intermittent catheterization routinely before surgery, it becomes the most costly option. Based on annual surgical volume, if even $30 were saved per patient with postoperative urinary retention, the estimated total societal savings would be $420,000 to $7.2 million. Conclusion Clean intermittent catheterization as initial management of urinary retention following pelvic surgery is the most cost-saving option when it is only taught postoperatively to patients after determining the need for catheterization. When this is not possible, self-removal of an indwelling catheter is the most cost-saving option, especially as the distance between the patient and provider increases. Choosing the optimal management guided by patient and provider factors can lead to substantial cost savings annually in the United States.
A Framework for Coupled Estimation of Evapotranspiration and Recharge Flux by Assimilating Remotely Sensed Land Surface Temperature and Soil Moisture Observation

The evapotranspiration and recharge fluxes are the link between the land's water and energy cycles. In-situ measurements of these fluxes are not suitable for large scale studies. The advancement of remote-sensing platform enables us to access different remotely sensed soil moisture (SM) (top 5cm) and land surface temperature (LST) products with good spatial and temporal coverage. These land surface state observations have implicit information on the partitioning of precipitation between evapotranspiration and recharge fluxes. A framework for coupled estimation of evapotranspiration and recharge fluxes using variational data assimilation (VDA) technique was introduced in this study. LST and top SM observations were assimilated into a coupled water energy balance model. The conceptual modelling framework was tested against synthetic dataset generated using Hydrus 1D model. The results show improvement in estimating evapotranspiration and recharge fluxes following the proposed data assimilation technique.
Role of PET in Detection of Cerebral Dysgenesis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses role of positron emission tomography (PET) in the detection of cerebral dysgenesis. Functional neuroimaging with PET can provide invaluable information with regard both to the extent of malformation and to guide surgical treatment. About 20% of infants with cryptogenic infantile spasms will have only a single cortical focus of abnormal glucose metabolism on the PET scan. The application of fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET) scanning has led to the recognition of another childhood epilepsy syndrome for which hemispherectomy is an effective treatment. The patterns of glucose metabolism in contralateral hemispheric regions in eight children with hemimegalencephaly, seven of whom underwent hemispherectomy, is evaluated. PET scanning of glucose metabolism revealed the expected, severe interictal hypometabolism or ictal hypermetabolism of the affected hemisphere. It is found that FDG-PET scanning often shows focal or multifocal areas of cortical hypometabolism in the patients with agenesis of the corpus callosum. The cortical abnormalities presumably represent foci of cortical microdysgenesis known to be present to various degrees in these patients. It is suggested that as other PET tracers become available, more specific characterization of cerebral dysgeneses will become possible.
Implementation and analysis of respiration-rate estimation using impulse-based UWB

Previous work has shown that UWB systems can be used for remote vital-signs monitoring, with the major applications of these systems being in health monitoring and rescue scenarios. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of impulse-based UWB signals in the robust detection of chest-cavity motion and the accurate estimation of respiration and heart-beat rates, even in the presence of physical obstructions between the subject and the UWB antennas. The main contribution of this paper is an analytical framework for the development of signal processing algorithms to estimate respiration and heart rates and corroboration of the techniques with measurements. The analogy between the bandwidth of narrowband phase-modulated (PM) systems and the estimation problem is recognized through this analysis and is used to determine optimal parameters such as pulse width and sampling frequency for future experiments. We also present the results of several real-time experiments conducted under different scenarios to demonstrate the accuracy of our techniques in determining respiration and heart-rates.
Hypnosis, Psychiatry of

In its various incarnations, hypnosis is among the oldest of the clinical techniques in medicine and it has been the subject of research and theory by most major figures in psychiatry and psychology from Sigmund Freud to the present. History reveals a series of cycles of ascent and decline in popularity for hypnosis along with outlandish claims of cures balanced by serious scholarly investigation. Individuals with a variety of medical and psychological ailments have been assisted by hypnotic interventions. However, despite its seniority as a treatment modality, numerous methodological and definitional issues plague those who study this area. This article will define the topic, review some of the history and evolution of the technique, outline some of the areas in which hypnosis is thought to be an effective adjunct to clinical care, and present some of the methodological complexities and limitations in the general application of hypnosis.
LAUGHING OUT OF PLACE

This essay looks closely at the rhetorical tools of the postcolonial trade by examining humourous passages from Amitav Ghosh's In an Antique Land – a work which itself combines scholarship and literary non-fiction – in order to ask how we might read writing that plays with the fixed, static binaries of postcolonial relation we so regularly critique. I apply recent insights in cultural translation regarding the politics of figurative location to offer a more complex understanding of the ways we might read geographical relation in ironic first-person accounts. I consider Neelam Srivastava's suggestion that we read Ghosh's book as ‘a more complex literary genre’ against Gauri Viswanathan's charge that the writing is ‘politically ineffectual’. I argue that the debate reveals something more fundamental about our own interests and strategies in engaging with issues of postcoloniality, and thus should be part of a broader enquiry into the ideological – as rhetorical – positionings of essayists and other cultural...
Self-reported financial conflicts of interest during scientific presentations in emergency medicine.

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:977–980 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: This study was a review of the scientific abstracts presented at a national conference for the required conflict of interest (COI) disclosure both before the meeting and during presentation. Methods: All presenters were given specific instructions regarding COI reporting at the time of abstract acceptance. All poster presentations were required to have a COI statement. Three physicians using standardized data abstraction forms reviewed abstracts accepted for poster presentation at the 2010 annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM). Posters were reviewed for the presence of a required COI disclosure statement, and these results were compared to the mandatory continuing medical education (CME) disclosure form that was sent by the presenters to the SAEM central office before the meeting. Results: There were 412 posters accepted for presentation at the 2010 SAEM annual meeting. The reviewers observed 382 (93%) of the total posters for the conference. Sixty-nine abstracts (18%) reported a COI. Only 26 (38%) of these were actually reported to the SAEM office on the CME disclosure form before the meeting; the remaining 62% were found on the poster alone. COI that were reported on the CME disclosure form were found on the poster 46% of the time. The remaining posters without a COI actually displayed the mandatory disclosure statement only 14% of the time. Conclusions: This review of presentations at a national meeting found a lack of compliance with printed guidelines for COI disclosure during scientific presentation. Efforts to increase uniformity and clarity may result in increased compliance.
Mesozoic metasedimentary framework and gabbroids of the Early Cretaceous Sierra Nevada batholith, California

Petrologic, structural, geochronologic, and geochemical data from rocks exposed in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada batholith just south of the western Foothills metamorphic belt (the Stokes Mountain region) provide new insight regarding several poorly understood aspects of the development of the compound Sierra Nevada arc. Exposures of three different metasedimentary packages together document transitions in the depositional environments present along the outboard edge of this arc segment throughout the Mesozoic Era, culminating in the emergence of the Cretaceous continental margin arc. Exposures of mafic cumulates and associated differentiates of the Early Cretaceous batholith permit investigation into the earliest stages of differentiation of depleted-mantle–derived arc magmas. Together with the surrounding Kings-Kaweah ophiolite belt, these Mesozoic plutonic and metasedimentary rocks are proposed to form an analog for the crystalline basement underlying much of the eastern half of the Great Valley forearc basin.
Development of thyroid disease during therapy of chronic viral hepatitis with interferon alfa.

Abstract Six of 237 (2.5%) patients with chronic viral hepatitis who were treated with recombinant interferon alfa developed thyroid disease while on treatment. Three patients developed hyperthyroidism, two of whom developed detectable levels of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin; three patients developed hypothyroidism in association with high titers of antithyroglobulin and/or antimicrosomal antibodies. The thyroid disease did not remit when interferon therapy was stopped, and all six patients required definitive therapy for the thyroid disease. These findings suggest that a small proportion of patients treated with interferon alfa develop autoimmune reactions and can develop autoimmune thyroid disease.
Prevalence of and factors that influence board certification among pharmacy practice faculty at United States colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Board certification is a means of demonstrating expertise above the minimum licensing standards. For many health care professionals, this credential is a necessity. As pharmacists become involved in more advanced patient care services, board certification becomes an essential component to ensuring quality care. The prevalence of United States pharmacy practice faculty members who are board certified, however, is unknown. In addition, to our knowledge, factors that serve to motivate or discourage faculty from obtaining board certification have not been previously described; thus, 900 pharmacy practice faculty members listed in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) online directory were invited to complete an online survey regarding motivators and barriers for board certification. In addition, a list of board-certified pharmacists, obtained from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, was used to check the board certification status of all pharmacy practice faculty members listed in the AACP directory. In 2011, the prevalence of board certification among the 2867 pharmacy practice faculty members was 37% (1063 pharmacists), with the highest prevalence found among assistant professors (39.4%). A total of 322 faculty members (36% response rate) completed the survey; of these, 308 self-identified as pharmacy practice faculty, and their responses were included in the analysis. Current board certification in pharmacy specialties was reported by 163 respondents (52.9%); 14 (4.5%) were previously certified. Among the 308 respondents, the most common perceived reason why pharmacy practice faculty become board certified was the desire to be recognized as an expert in the field (71.5%). Those who were currently board certified indicated personal growth as the most important reason (60.1%). Those previously certified indicated no perceived benefit as the most common reason for not recertifying (71.4%). Among those never certified, no perceived need (52.0%) or benefit (44.8%) were the most common reasons for not becoming certified; however, a majority of those never certified (68%) stated that they would become board certified if there was no associated cost and they were confident they would pass. To increase the prevalence of board certification in pharmacy practice faculty at U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy, the benefits of this credential must be addressed at each institution. Steps should be taken to assist and encourage board certification.
Activation-induced deaminase-mediated class switch recombination is blocked by anti-IgM signaling in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent fashion

Activation-induced deaminase (AID) is expressed in activated B lymphocytes and initiates somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination. To determine if different stimuli affect the expression and function of AID, we monitored AID activity in murine B cells stimulated ex vivo with various ligands. AID was rapidly expressed at both the RNA and protein levels following stimulation with LPS, LPS plus IL-4, and anti-CD40 plus IL-4, but was delayed after stimulation with anti-IgM plus IL-4. By day 4, AID was expressed in all groups; however, cells stimulated with anti-IgM plus IL-4 did not undergo switch recombination. These cells expressed normal levels of γ1 germline transcripts, implying that the γ1 switch region was accessible. Furthermore, switching was suppressed by the addition of anti-IgM to cells stimulated with LPS plus IL-4 or anti-CD40 plus IL-4, even though AID was expressed. The lack of class switch recombination could be reversed by inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). This suggests that activation through the B cell receptor induces PI3K, which interferes with the function of AID.
Enzymes in the Fine Chemicals Industry: Dreams and Realities

Article faisant le point sur les applications des enzymes comme biocatalyseurs en chimie fine: passage en revue des potentialites du marche des enzymes, et des couts de l'utilisation des biocatalyseurs
Secondary electron imaging in the variable pressure scanning electron microscope

Secondary electron imaging is not possible in the variable pressure scanning electron microscope because the mean free path of the secondaries in the gas is too short to permit them to reach the detector. This paper therefore investigates an alternative strategy for producing an image containing significant amounts of secondary electron contrast. This involves modifying the microscope by the addition of a biased electrode above the sample and then collecting a specimen current signal. This system, originally described by Farley and Shah (1988), is found to produce true secondary electron detail over a wide range of conditions.
The Fund Agreement in the Courts: V

In White v. Roberts, decided by the Hong Kong Supreme Court on November 3, 1949,1 the plaintiff and a partnership of the defendant and one Baeten had been foreign exchange brokers in Shanghai. The plaintiff, on behalf of his clients, had entered into numerous contracts with the partnership in Shanghai under which the plaintiff paid Chinese currency in return for payment by the partnership of specified foreign currency to a named person in another country. In January 1948, the plaintiff and defendant, fearing that their dealings in foreign exchange had been discovered by the Chinese authorities, removed themselves to Hong Kong, where the plaintiff brought an action on twelve of the contracts made in Shanghai under which the partnership had defaulted by failing to provide the stipulated foreign currency. The contracts had called variously for the payment of U.S. dollars in the United States, sterling in the United Kingdom, or Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong. The plaintiff claimed to recover from the defendant approximately one million Hong Kong dollars, with an alternative claim of damages for breach of contract. The parties agreed that the contracts were governed by Chinese law. The defendant denied that he had been in partnership with Baeten during the period when the contracts were made, and pleaded that they had been made with
High-temperature evaluation of solid lubricant coatings in a foil thrust bearing

Abstract PS304 and Korolon™ 1350A foil bearing coatings were evaluated in startup/shutdown testing of compliant thrust pads against thrust runner disks. Tests were conducted at 540 °C, with pads loaded at a constant 3.44 kPa pressure while disk speed cycled between 0 and 19 m/s. As opposed to the case of uncoated Inconel X750 pads against uncoated Inconel 718 disks, PS304 disk coatings allowed hydrodynamic conditions to be more readily attained, as indicated by reduced speeds at which pad liftoff and touchdown occurred and lower coefficients of friction that existed at full speed. During low-speed portions of the cycle where direct sliding occurred, the PS304 disk coatings also lowered friction. PS304 disk coatings that were high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF)-deposited attained these improved tribological performances following fewer required run-in cycles than those that were plasma-sprayed, as a result of lower attainable levels of as-finished roughness. HVOF deposition required reduced-size feed powder, with which PS304 disk coatings could be deposited using conventional propylene-fueled in addition to hydrogen-fueled HVOF systems. HVOF-deposited PS304 additionally possessed higher as-deposited strength than plasma-sprayed PS304. If instead the thrust pad was coated, with K1350A, even better hydrodynamic performance was attained with substantial further reductions in liftoff and touchdown speeds and coefficients of friction at full speed. When coupled with a PS304-coated disk the K1350A pad coating immediately provided this better hydrodynamic performance, with very few run-in cycles required before attainment. However, one drawback of K1350A pad coatings appeared to be an increased level of friction during low-speed sliding conditions where direct sliding contact with the disk occurred.
The monophyly of Susisuchidae (Crocodyliformes) and its phylogenetic placement in Neosuchia

Eusuchian crocodyliforms, which include all living crocodylians, have historically been characterized by two anatomical specializations: a ball-in-socket vertebral joint and an extensive secondary hard palate with a pterygoid-bound internal choana. The Early Cretaceous neosuchian clade Susisuchidae is typically regarded as phylogenetically near Eusuchia. The putative susisuchid Isisfordia duncani was initially described as a transitional form exhibiting incipient versions of these eusuchian traits. Here we examine aspects of the morphology of Isisfordia and comment on the morphology of its putative sister taxon Susisuchus. Our reexamination supports the notion of Isisfordia possessing transitional vertebral morphology but we present a new interpretation of its palate construction that shows it to be more plesiomorphic than previously thought. The secondary choana of Isisfordia is not pterygoid bound. Instead, long palatines expand distally lapping under the pterygoid to form the anterior border of the choana as is common among many advanced neosuchians. Incorporation of these observations into an expanded phylogenetic dataset of neosuchian crocodyliforms results in a new phylogenetic hypothesis for Susisuchidae. Isisfordia and Susisuchus form a monophyletic Susisuchidae that sits near the base of Neosuchia, and is not the sister taxon of Eusuchia.
Melatonin hype hard to swallow

Melatonin is being touted as the latest cure-all. But in their eagerness to explain to the public the possible health benefits of this natural hormone, the mass media as well as some scientists have misrepresented the scientific data.
Depletion of brain catecholamines: failure of ocular dominance shift after monocular occlusion in kittens

Monocularly deprived kittens were compared with littermates that had had their eyelids sutured for the same time but that had, in addition, been treated with 6-hydroxydopamine to deplete their forebrains of catecholamines. The visual cortices of all the catecholamine-depleted kittens showed high proportions of binocular neurons, in contrast to the control group, most of whose visual cortical neurons were driven exclusively by the nondeprived eye. Catecholamines may play an important role in the maintenance of cortical plasticity during the critical period.
Homodyne interferometer for basilar membrane measurements

Abstract Techniques available for measuring the mechanical response of the inner ear are compared. These include capacitive probe, Mossbauer and interferometric methods. The theory of a homodyne interferometer utilized for inner ear measurements is given. Experimental apparatus built to test the interferometer performance is described. Experimental results show that the measuring system can detect vibrations as low as 3 × 10 −12 cm. Its frequency response is flat within 1 dB from 0.1 to 40 kHz. It has a linear dynamic range of over 90 dB. Immunity of the interferometer to various disturbances is demonstrated.
Comparison of backscatter cross sections for composite rough surfaces with different mean square slopes

Abstract The like polarized and the depolarized backscatter cross sections for composite rough surfaces are evaluated using the full wave approach as well as a perturbed physical optics approach. The full wave approach which accounts for both specular point and Bragg scattering in a self-consistent manner is expressed as a weighted sum of two cross sections associated with the large-scale and small-scale spectral components of the rough surfaces, respectively. Provided that the assumed condition for deep phase modulation is satisfied, the full wave solution for the total backscatter cross section is insensitive to the precise choice of the wavenumber where spectral splitting is assumed to occur. The solution based on the perturbed-physical, optics approach is shown to be suitable even for moderately large mean square slopes provided that the angle of incidence is larger than 30°.
Multidetector CT of the Abdomen

Revolutions and evolutions in scientific endeavors have occurred throughout medical history, but the greatest number and most notable in radiology have occurred in the past 30 years with the advent of new electronics, computers, detectors, and contrast agents. When crystal technology and radiographic tube design were primitive, there were theoretical questions posed about the feasibility of real time or fluoroscopic CT. The conclusion in the early years was that it was impossible to have sufficient photon production and unlikely that crystals could scintillate/reduce afterglow enough to achieve such speed. And now the multidetector CT (MDCT) revolution has begun! Current MDCT scanners have crystal detectors that are 99% efficient and have favorable afterglow properties such that thousands of slices with superior spatial resolution can be achieved. Acquisition, display, and processing of three-dimensional datasets are routine with separation of different vascular phases during contrast administration. It is ironic that earlier technologies such as DSA were once promoted as a replacement for CT, because the MDCT scanners can now totally replace catheter angiography for evaluation of the vasculature for many parts of the body, including the lungs and heart. This is the subject of this issue of the Radiologic Clinics of North America. We are proud to have assembled a group of talented, innovative, well-recognized authors to con-
Future Systems Development: Limits on Vision

What we know about the rationale for the requirements for the new design is limited by the imperfect understanding of the current system and our inability to divorce ourselves from that past. This provides the basis for a conundrum. How can we become sufficiently knowledgeable and avoid the biases inherent in the process of acquiring that knowledge simultaneously? Consider carefully the lessons of history and evaluate whether the legacy of the previous system and its predecessors accelerates or retards progress toward the future. To capitalize on our experience we need to recognize facts and mythology in our understanding of the way things are and need to be. The most important question to ask is “Why?”. Without a true understanding of why, we can't develop effective, user-centered alternatives to the current system and our efforts will reduce to mere technology replacement.
WAVE-PACKET REVIVALS FOR QUANTUM SYSTEMS WITH NONDEGENERATE ENERGIES

Abstract The revival structure of wave packets is examined for quantum systems having energies that depend on two nondegenerate quantum numbers. For such systems, the evolution of the wave packet is controlled by two classical periods and three revival times. These wave packets exhibit quantum beats in the initial motion as well as new types of long-term revivals. The issue of whether fractional revivals can form is addressed. We present an analytical proof showing that at certain times equal to rational fractions of the revival times the wave packet can reform as a sum of subsidiary waves and that both conventional and new types of fractional revivals can occur.
Possible monitor for the plasma lens experiment

We discuss the upcoming Plasma Lens experiment at SLAC and speculate on the possibility that some type of scintillating fiber telescope can be used for a beam monitor.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Determination of sulfur as barium sulfate in the presence of ferric iron

Abstract A procedure is recommended for the determination of sulfur as bariumsulfate in the presence of ferric iron. Iron present in quantities greater than 200 mg gives contamination.
German-Polish Migration: The Elusive Search for a German Nation-State

This article examines past and present migrations to Germany from the perspective of nation-state formation....Focusing on the many experiences with the Polish minority (ranging from the eighteenth century to the present) this essay suggests that Germans have never discovered an acceptable and workable approach for dealing with large non-German minorities in the German nation-state. Rather different regimes at different times have vacillated between an exclusive approach founded on nationalist principles and practices and an inclusive one founded on liberal principles and practices....The confusion over the two approaches produces not only a confused immigration policy but also reflects deep-seated confusion over the definition of the new German state and identity of the newly united German nation. (EXCERPT)