cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hospital utilization and consequences of readmissions after liver transplantation

Background: Preventable readmissions have become a focal point for controlling cost and improving quality in medicine. The frequency and causes of readmissions after liver transplantation (OLT) at 30 days and 1 year have not been described. We aimed to determine the risk factors, rate, and outcomes of readmissions within the first year after OLT and its potential impact on patient and graft survival. Methods: Medical records of 239 consecutive patients who underwent OLT from 2007 to 2012 at University of Cincinnati Medical Center were reviewed. Fifteen patients were excluded owing to death (n = 11) or retransplantation (n = 4) within the same hospital stay. Transplant- and non-transplant-related factors were collected during the index admissions and potential readmissions. This database was then linked to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients to link donor- and recipient-related data. Results: One hundred fifty-four patients (69%) were readmitted within 1 year after OLT, for a total of 413 readmissions (average, 2.7 readmissions per patient) and a median hospital length of stay of 4 days. There were 118 readmissions within the first 30 days in 41% of patients (92/224). Sixty-five percent of patients readmitted within 30 days after discharge (69/92) were hospitalized again at least once within the year. Twenty-nine percent of patients (64/224) were discharged to a rehabilitation center after OLT; if discharged to a rehabilitation center, these patients had a 53% and 81% risk of readmission in 30 days and 1 year, respectively, compared with patients discharged home (36% and 64%, respectively; P = .02). The most common reasons for readmission within the first 30 days after discharge were infection (19.5%), renal insufficiency (9.3%), vomiting/diarrhea (8.5%), and pulmonary edema/effusion (7.6%). The most common reasons for readmission after 1 month were infection (24.8%), acute cellular rejection (8.5%), and biliary complications (7.1%). Risk factors for readmission included presence of diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2-4.6) and albumin <2.5 g/dL at OLT (OR, 2.3; 95%, CI 1.1-5.1). Readmissions within 30 days or 1 year were associated with decreased long-term graft and patient survival. Conclusion: Readmissions after OLT represent a significant health care burden, with 41% of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge and 69% at 1 year. Readmittance is associated with worse long-term outcomes and significantly reduced patient and graft survival. These data confirm that further efforts are needed to predict and circumvent treatable causes for readmission to improve health care costs, quality, and ultimately survival after OLT.
NMR Determination of the Torsion Angle Ψ in α-Helical Peptides and Proteins: The HCCN Dipolar Correlation Experiment

Several existing methods permit measurement of the torsion angles phi, psi and chi in peptides and proteins with solid-state MAS NMR experiments. Currently, however, there is not an approach that is applicable to measurement of psi in the angular range -20 degree to -70 degree, commonly found in alpha-helical structures. Accordingly, we have developed a HCCN dipolar correlation MAS experiment that is sensitive and accurate in this regime. An initial REDOR driven (13)C'--(15)N dipolar evolution period is followed by the C' to C(alpha) polarization transfer and by Lee--Goldburg cross polarization recoupling of the (13)C(alpha)(1)H dipolar interaction. The difference between the effective (13)C(1)H and (13)C(15)N dipolar interaction strengths is balanced out by incrementing the (13)C--(15)N dipolar evolution period in steps that are a factor of R(R approximately omega(CH)/omega(CN)) larger than the (13)C--(1)H steps. The resulting dephasing curves are sensitive to variations in psi in the angular region associated with alpha-helical secondary structure. To demonstrate the validity of the technique, we apply it to N-formyl-[U-(13)C,(15)N] Met-Leu-Phe-OH (MLF). The value of psi extracted is consistent with the previous NMR measurements and close to that reported in diffraction studies for the methyl ester of MLF, N-formyl-[U-(13)C,(15)N]Met-Leu-Phe-OMe.
Narrow bandwidth coherent VUV spectroscopy of the Kr 123.58 nm line

Abstract Coherent VUV light has been generated with a bandwidth of 0.02−0.04 cm -1 at 80917 cm -1 (123.6 nm) using four-wave sum frequency mixing of a pulse amplified, cw ring dye laser and a single longitudinal mode, pulsed dye laser. This VUV light was used to study the isotope structure of the Kr 123.58 nm line.
Use of VSV-G Pseudotyped Retroviral Vectors to Target Murine Osteoprogenitor Cells

Marrow stromal cells (MSC) and neonatal calvarial cells have the potential to differentiate and express markers of mature osteoblasts. Furthermore, MSCs can generate multiple differentiated connective tissue phenotypes. These properties and their ability to be expanded ex vivo make them good models for ex vivo gene therapy. In this study we examined the ability of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-G) pseudotyped retroviral vectors to transduce osteoprogenitor cells derived from bone marrow and from neonatal calvaria. Retrovectors encoding either beta-galactosidase or green fluorescent protein (eGFP) were used for transduction of primary murine marrow stromal and primary neonatal calvarial cell cultures. High infection efficiency was demonstrated by fluorescence-activated cell analysis when GFP was used as a marker or by estimating the number of beta-galactosidase-positive cells. Expression of markers of differentiated bone cells, including Col1a1, bone sialoprotein, and osteocalcin mRNA and alkaline phosphatase activity was not impaired by retroviral transduction. Our data suggest that VSV-G pseudotypes retroviral vectors are suitable for introducing genes into osteoprogenitor cells without affecting osteoprogenitor lineage progression.
Cognitive Complexity and Conformity: Effects on Performance in a Turbulent Environment

A study exploring the effects of cognitive complexity and conformity on managers' adaptive performance in a turbulent environment is reported. Traditionally treated separately, complexity and conformity were examined jointly for 8 top managers of 6 different business units in the consumer banking industry. The results support an over-all positive effect of cognitive complexity on performance. Importantly, this effect is directly and also indirectly mediated by a lack of conformity. These results point out the criticality of hiring and promoting business-unit-level managers with high cognitive complexity and low conformity to achieve adaptive performance. They also suggest that business-unit-level managers who lack these characteristics are better suited to more stable environments.
Speaking to the people : the rhetorical presidency in historical perspective

Americans today expect their president to speak directly to them on the issues of the day -- to address their concerns, to ask for their support, even to feel their pain. Yet, as the essays in this volume make clear, this was not always the case. During the early years of the republic, such behavior would have been deemed beneath the president's office, undignified at best, demagogic at worst. How, then, did the practice of "speaking to the people" evolve from the icy reserve of George Washington to the effusive empathy of Bill Clinton? This book explores how the "rhetorical presidency" became a central feature of American politics. Beginning with a fresh look at the framing of the Constitution, the essays examine the role of rhetoric in a variety of nineteenth-century presidencies, as well as in the crucial turn-of-the-century presidencies of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. Viewed against this historical backdrop, the "modern" presidencies of Franklin Roosevelt and his successors appear less a break with the past than a culmination of developments in popular leadership and rhetorical practice that began more than a century before.
Software Production Process for Safety Critical Software

A software production model is developed that integrates process and product and is designed to identify bottlenecks in the production process. Choke points can occur either from process deficiencies or failure to identify and correct extant software defects. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center satellite defect data is used in the analysis because the primary aim is to apply the model to safety critical software. The model applies feedback control to correct anomalies in process and product that may occur. Both predictions and actual defect data are used to identify process and product behavior that do not meet expectations. I. Introduction A CCORDING to, 1 software systems come and go through a series of passages that account for their inception, initial development, productive operation, upkeep, and retirement from one generation to another. We focus on the development and production phases and introduce something different in this research compared with articles about software development process that correctly relate the effectiveness of the process to the quality of the product. We go a step further and introduce the concept of the reliability of the process, both current and future. We perform this analysis by using software defect data from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center satellite project known as JM1. These data are shown in Table 1. Our goal, recognizing the importance of integrating process and product, 2 is to identify production bottlenecks in the process that cause product delivery to be delayed. In addition, we identify deficiencies in the defect removal process that can lead to product unreliability and delivery schedule delay. The principal features of the production system are defined using process flow charts illustrated in Fig. 1 for a software production and quality control operation. The flow of software modules is from left to right. Each phase has a processing time measured in days and a defect rate. Our model assumes that defects introduced by a process step may pass through downstream steps undetected until an inspection is performed. 3
Investigation of a single-photon source based on quantum interference

We report on an experimental investigation of a single-photon source based on a quantum interference effect first demonstrated by Koashi, Matsuoka and Hirano (1996 Phys. Rev. A 53 3621). For certain types of measurement-based quantum information processing applications this technique may be useful as a high rate, but random, source of single photons.
Development of early age shrinkage stresses in reinforced concrete bridge decks

This paper describes the instrumentation and data analysis of a reinforced concrete bridge deck constructed on 3-span continuous steel girders in Evansville, West Virginia. An instrumentation system consisting of 232 sensors is developed and implemented specifically to measure strains and temperature in concrete deck, strains in longitudinal and transverse rebars, the overall contraction and expansion of concrete deck, and crack openings. Data from all sensors are automatically collected every 30 minutes starting at the time of placing the concrete deck. Measured strain and temperature time-histories were used to calculate the stresses, which were processed to attenuate the thermal effects due to daily temperature changes and isolate the drying shrinkage component. The results indicated that most of concrete shrinkage occurs during the first three days. Under the constraining effects from stay-in-place forms and reinforcement, early age shrinkage leads to elevated longitudinal stress, which is the main factor responsible for crack initiation.
Inhibition by Retinoic Acid of Albumin and DNA Synthesis in Adult Rat Hepatocytes.

RA down-regulated albumin and DNA synthesis of adult rat hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner at dose ranges of 10−9–10−5 m. 10−5 m of RA decreased albumin synthesis as well as growth factors EGF, aFGF, bFGF, and HGF-induced DNA synthesis to half of the control. These inhibitory effects of RA were not a consequence of the toxicity of RA to hepatocytes.
DQDB simulation and MAC protocol analysis

The distributed queue dual bus (DQDB) metropolitan area network (MAN) is currently being standardised by IEEE 802.6. The author reports on a characteristic of the DQDB MAC protocol, found using simulation, which causes the end stations to experience higher delays than the middle stations under certain conditions. One mechanism is described to explain the phenomenon along with a modification to improve the protocol's behaviour. >
Why Forecasts Fail: The Limits and Potential of Forecasting in International Relations and Economics

A forecast is a prediction based on knowledge of past behavior. The forecaster must consider to what extent past trends will continue in the future. In linear forecasts, the past is prologue, and forecasting amounts to linear extrapolation of the past trend into the future. When conditions are propitious and behavior over time is approximately linear, the linear forecast will fit the data tolerably well. But forecasts ultimately fail because no technique has been developed that allows the forecaster to predict, prior to the event itself, when a nonlinearity will occur. This essay argues that a nonlinearity is a critical point at which expectations (predictions) induced by the prior trend suddenly confront a profound alteration in that trend, indeed, an abrupt inversion. A nonlinearity is a total break from the past trend, a discontinuity. The theory of relative power (systemic structure) dynamics known as power cycle theory provides both a thorough, graphic explanation of this discontinuity in expectations that occurs at critical points in the process, and the reason why nonlinearities are impossible to derive from prior trends. Theoretical and empirical assessment of a process and its dynamics makes possible an explanation of the conditions that give rise to such nonlinearity. Hence such dynamical analysis can predict that such a nonlinearity will occur, but in all but a closed system it still cannot predict when the nonlinearity will occur.
Spontaneous Cervical Epidural Hematoma as a Complication of Oral Anticoagulant Therapy

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematomas, an infrequent cause of neck pain, are more common in patients with vascular malformations or coagulation disorders. Treatment usually involves emergent surgical decompression. A 65-year-old woman on warfarin because of right lower extremity deep venous thrombosis and history of myelofibrosis, presented to the emergency department with neck pain, weakness and numbness of her right arm. Cervical spine films were negative. MRI of the spine showed a hyperintense lesion on T1 weighted images, extending from C3-T1, consistent with an epidural hematoma. INR was 1.8. Her neck pain, weakness and numbness improved slowly over two weeks time. She recovered without surgery.
Xenon in the Inclusions of Canyon Diablo and Toluca Iron Meteorites

Abstract The concentration and isotopic composition of xenon is reported in two samples of Canyon Diablo graphite and in three coexisting mineral phases from a silicate inclusion of Toluca. The existence of large 129r Xe anomalies in iron meteorites is confirmed. Formation intervals of about 200 m.y. after an initial 129 I/ 127 I = 3 × 10 −3 are calculated. Within the limits of experimental error the xenon appears to be a mixture of atmospheric and average-carbonaceous-chondrite-type xenon. No fissiogenic xenon could be identified.
Sloth: being lazy is a virtue (when issuing database queries)

Many web applications store persistent data in databases. During execution, such applications spend a significant amount of time communicating with the database for retrieval and storing of persistent data over the network. These network round-trips represent a significant fraction of the overall execution time for many applications (especially those that issue a lot of database queries) and, as a result, increase their latency. While there has been prior work that aims to eliminate round-trips by batching queries, they are limited by (1) a requirement that developers manually identify batching opportunities, or (2) the fact that they employ static program analysis techniques that cannot exploit many opportunities for batching, as many of these opportunities require knowing precise information about the state of the running program.In this article, we present Sloth, a new system that extends traditional lazy evaluation to expose query batching opportunities during application execution, even across loops, branches, and method boundaries. Many such opportunities often require expensive and sophisticated static analysis to recognize from the application source code. Rather than doing so, Sloth instead makes use of dynamic analysis to capture information about the program state and, based on that information, decides how to batch queries and when to issue them to the database. We formalize extended lazy evaluation and prove that it preserves program semantics when executed under standard semantics. Furthermore, we describe our implementation of Sloth and our experience in evaluating Sloth using over 100 benchmarks from two large-scale open-source applications, in which Sloth achieved up to a 3 × reduction in page load time by delaying computation using extended lazy evaluation.
Language Abilities of Preschool-Age Children Living with Cocaine-Using Mothers

Language abilities were assessed in 21 preschool-age children (ages 29 to 70 months) from a day-care center affiliated with a drug treatment program for pregnant and postpartum cocaine-dependent women. All children were living with a cocaine-dependent mother and 60% had also been exposed to cocaine prenatally. Three findings are notable: 1) Sixty percent of the children in the sample showed serious language delays, and the severity of delay was greater for older children. Only 3 of the 21 children showed minimal to no language delay. 2) In contrast to the expected pattern of language comprehension preceding language production, children in this sample showed more impairment in receptive than expressive skills. 3) The severity of language impairment was not associated with prenatal cocaine exposure. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of considering special intervention needs of children from substance-abusing homes and implications for future research.
Is Germany's xenophobia qualitatively different from everybody else's?

This paper grapples with a fundamental question that emerged repeatedly during the conference from which all of these papers are derived: is German antipathy to foreigners qualitatively different from that of other nations and ethnic groups? The paper provides an historical perspective on German immigration policy and on the recurrence of state-sanctioned killings from the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the Holocaust. This paper concludes that there is evidence to support that xenophobia and hostility to ethnic minorities may be more dangerous in Germany than in other Western nations.
Probes of the Catalytic Site of Cysteine Dioxygenase

The first major step of cysteine catabolism, the oxidation of cysteine to cysteine sulfinic acid, is catalyzed by cysteine dioxygenase (CDO). In the present work, we utilize recombinant rat liver CDO and cysteine derivatives to elucidate structural parameters involved in substrate recognition and x-ray absorption spectroscopy to probe the interaction of the active site iron center with cysteine. Kinetic studies using cysteine structural analogs show that most are inhibitors and that a terminal functional group bearing a negative charge (e.g. a carboxylate) is required for binding. The substrate-binding site has no stringent restrictions with respect to the size of the amino acid. Lack of the amino or carboxyl groups at the α-carbon does not prevent the molecules from interacting with the active site. In fact, cysteamine is shown to be a potent activator of the enzyme without being a substrate. CDO was also rendered inactive upon complexation with the metal-binding inhibitors azide and cyanide. Unlike many non-heme iron dioxygenases that employ α-keto acids as cofactors, CDO was shown to be the only dioxygenase known to be inhibited by α-ketoglutarate.
Diagnostic Surgical Pathology in Lung Cancer: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (2nd Edition)

Objective The objective of this study was to provide evidence-based background and recommendations for the development of American College of Chest Physicians guidelines for the diagnosis and management of lung cancer. Methods A systematic search of the medical and scientific literature using MEDLINE, MDCONSULT, UpToDate, Cochrane Library, NCCN guidelines, and NCI/NIH search engines was performed for the years 1990 to 2006 to identify evidence-based and consensus guidelines. The search was limited to literature on humans and articles in the English language. Results The pathologic assessment of lung cancers is based on a set of well-accepted findings, including histologic type, tumor size and location, involvement of visceral pleura, and extension to regional and distant lymph nodes and organs. Bronchial-based incipient neoplasia needs to be recognized both grossly and microscopically because these lesions may be multifocal and represent multistep carcinogenesis and may be amenable to therapy. Cytologic assessment of the individual with no symptoms is, as yet, of insufficient clinical benefit for screening of lung cancer. In challenging situations of pathologic differential diagnosis, additional studies may provide information that enables the separation of distinct tumor types. Pathobiological and molecular biological studies may yield prognostic and predictive information for clinical management and should be considered as part of protocol studies. Enhanced pathologic and molecular techniques may identify the presence of micrometastatic disease within lymph nodes; however, the clinical utility of these approaches is still unresolved. Intraoperative consultations have high diagnostic accuracy and may aid ongoing treatment and management decisions. Conclusions Pathologic assessment is a crucial component for the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of lung cancer. Selective diagnostic techniques and decision analysis will increase diagnostic accuracy. Cytologic screening, molecular characterization of tumors, and micrometastatic analysis are potential but not yet proved modalities for the evaluation of lung cancers.
The Role of the Medical Evaluation in Psychiatric Inpatients

The separate roles of the medical history (MH) and the physical examination (PE) in changing the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric syndromes and concurrent medical illnesses in 224 consecutive admissions to the University of Iowa Psychiatric Hospital were investigated. This setting was chosen because it is one in which the medical evaluation, and specifically the PE, were least expected to change the outcome. Change in the psychiatric diagnosis or treatment occurred in 8.8% of the patients, and 44% required treatment for a concurrent medical illness. Increasing age and the neurologic history, in conjunction with parts of the neurologic exam, were the most important predictors of a change in psychiatric outcome when logistic regression analysis was used. Using a similar model, the investigators found that the PE, with and without confirming MH, was the most important predictor of the need for treatment of concurrent medical problems. While the PE was of less importance in determining the psychiatric outcome, it was crucial to the diagnosis and treatment of concurrent medical illnesses.
Modeling complex manufacturing systems using simulation

This paper presents an approach in simulating complex manufacturing systems. The approach is founded on developing several general purpose simulation generators for an assembly station, a manufacturing cell, and an inventory transfer function. These simulation generators can then be linked together to create a model of a complex manufacturing system. A typical manufacturing system is modeled using these simulation generators and the results summarized.
Intermodal Equivalence of Stimuli in Apes

Orang-utans and chimpanzees can discriminate between two objects on the basis of tactile cues and select the one that matches a visually presented sample.
Optical coherence tomography for imaging the vulnerable plaque

While our understanding of vulnerable coronary plaque is still at an early stage, the concept that certain types of plaques predispose patients to developing an acute myocardial infarction continues to be at the forefront of cardiology research. Intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been developed to both identify and study these lesions due to its distinct resolution advantage over other imaging modalities. We review clinical research conducted at the Massachusetts General Hospital over the past five years to develop, validate, and utilize this technology to improve our understanding of vulnerable plaque. Our results show that intracoronary OCT may be safely conducted in patients and that it provides abundant information regarding plaque microscopic morphology, which is essential to the identification and study of high-risk lesions. Even though many basic biological, clinical, and technological challenges must be addressed prior to widespread use of this technology, the unique capabilities of OCT ensure that it will have a prominent role in shaping the future of cardiology.
Rheological studies on specific ion forms of ι-carrageenate gels

Measurements have been made of the shear modulus for calcium, potassium and sodium ι-carrageenate gels as a function of biopolymer concentration and temperature. The results are discussed in terms of the application of rubber elasticity theory. Calcium ι-carrageenate gels appear to possess a random glass-like structure whereas both sodium and potassium ι-carrageenate gels form a pseudocrystalline structure. These differences are tentatively attributed to differences in the solubility of the salt forms which, through controlling the gelation temperature, moderate the kinetics of the gelation process.
On the Diurnal Variation of Mountain Waves

Abstract The diurnal variation of mountain waves and wave drag associated with flow past mesoscale ridges has been examined using the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) and an analytical boundary layer (BL) model. The wave drag exhibits substantial diurnal variation in response to the change in the atmospheric BL characteristics, such as the BL depth, shape factor, and stability. During daytime, a convective BL develops, characterized by a shallow shear layer near the surface and a deep well-mixed layer aloft, both of which tend to decrease the wave drag. As a result, the convective BL could significantly weaken mountain waves and reduce the momentum flux by up to 90%. Near the surface, the flow pattern resembles a potential flow with a surface wind maximum located near the ridge crest. During nighttime, a shallow stable BL develops, and the modulation of wave drag by the stable nocturnal BL is governed by the BL Froude number (Fr). If the BL flow is supercritical, the drag incr...
Social stimuli interfere with cognitive control in autism.

Abstract Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by cognitive control deficits as well as impairments in social interactions. However, the brain mechanisms mediating the interactive effects of these deficits have not been addressed. We employed event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of processing directional information from faces on activity within brain regions mediating cognitive control. High-functioning individuals with autism and age-, gender-, and IQ-matched neurotypical individuals attended to the direction of a centrally-presented arrow or gaze stimulus with similar flanker stimuli oriented in the same (“congruent”) or opposite (“incongruent”) direction. The incongruent arrow condition was examined to assess functioning of brain regions mediating cognitive control in a context without social–cognitive demands, whereas the incongruent gaze condition assessed functioning of the same brain regions in a social–cognitive context. Consistent with prior studies, the incongruent arrow condition recruited activity in bilateral midfrontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral intraparietal sulcus, and the anterior cingulate relative to the congruent arrow condition in neurotypical participants. Notably, there were not diagnostic group differences in patterns of regional fMRI activation in response to the arrow condition. However, while viewing the incongruent gaze stimuli, although neurotypical participants recruited the same brain regions, participants with autism showed marked hypoactivation in these areas. These findings suggest that processing social–cognitive stimuli interferes with functioning of brain regions recruited during cognitive control tasks in autism. Implications for research into cognitive control deficits in autism are discussed.
The DSM-5 debate over the bereavement exclusion: Psychiatric diagnosis and the future of empirically supported treatment☆

Valid diagnostic criteria support generalizations about treatment effectiveness, allowing progress in developing empirically supported treatments. The DSM-5 revision provides an opportunity to consider whether diagnostic changes are increasing validity. In this paper, I first offer broad suggestions for conceptually advancing diagnostic validity while awaiting greater etiological understanding. These include, for example, improving "conceptual validity" (disorder/nondisorder differentiation); extending diagnosis beyond disorders to include mismatches between normal variation and social demands ("psychological justice"); placing disorder etiology in evolutionary context as harmful failure of biologically designed functioning ("harmful dysfunction"); and taking an integrative theoretical approach to human meaning systems. The paper then examines the DSM-5's controversial decision to eliminate the major depression bereavement exclusion (BE), detailing the evidence and attendant debate. Elimination was defended by citing several hypotheses (e.g., excluded cases are similar to other MDD; exclusions risk missing suicidal cases; medication works with excluded cases), all of which were either empirically falsified or based on faulty arguments. Most dramatically, excluded cases were empirically demonstrated to have no more depression on follow-up than those who never had MDD. I conclude that BE elimination undermined rather than increased conceptual validity and usefulness for treatment research. Finally, I draw some general lessons from the DSM-5 BE debacle.
Continuous versus intermittent display of information.

If information is displayed for a fixed amount of time, it is usually presented continuously rather than intermittently. Although there is some literature to support this practice, it is scarce. This paper suggests that a continuous display is optimal in certain instances only, while in other cases, repeated presentations of the same information leads to a higher retention rate. The paper also proposes an equation relating the number of items reported to the total time the information is displayed and to the number of presentations. To reconcile the apparent contradictionin optimal methods of presentation, the paper identifies three stages in the processing of visually presented information.
Personality profiles of physician extenders.

Summary.-Objective psychological measurements and personal historical data were taken on 67 physician extenders in 5 consecutive classes at a southeastern universiry over 18 mo., October 1972 to April 1974. The findings describe certain psychological characteristics associated with physician-extender students and compare these profiles with various similar groups. The physician extender's general personality type resembles that of the general practice physician. Comparisons with medical students show them to be more concerned with pragmatic matters and implies preferences which most likely favor a technological occupation. All of these measurements are not, however, necessarily associated with academic or occupational success. Future studies should concern relationships between these measurements and criteria of academic and occupational success. Traditional criteria predicting success in higher education have been oriented toward the evaluation of scores earned on scholastic achievement and aptitude entrance examinations. The assumption has been that past academic performance is a good predictor of future academic performance when academic achievement is the measure of success. In a survey of studies of the use of psychological tests in selecting students Eysenck (6) concluded that such measurements can significantly contribute to the prediction of academic success. It seems reasonable to assume that success, particularly occupational success, depends not only on cognitive ability but also on character, temperament, and interest, as well as other personality factors. Physician extenders are new health practitioners trained to perform many of the routine tasks traditionally done by physicians. The purpose of the study reported here was to determine the personality profiles of physician-extender candidates and compare them with profiles of similar populations. The study also has implications for student counseling and admissions and undertaking predictive studies of future academic and occupational success. METHOD
Two precursors of the heat-stable enterotoxin of Escherichia coli: evidence of extracellular processing.

Summary Expression of the gene of the methanol-soluble, heat-stable enterotoxin of Escherichia coli (STA) allowed the identification by SDS-PAGE of a cell-associated 7500 Dalton STA-related peptide; when similar experiments were performed with a phosphate buffer SDS-PAGE system, an additional Mr9800 band became apparent. The 9800 Dalton form, pre-pro-STA, accumulated as an intracellular species when the experiments were performed in the presence of the proton ionophore CCCP (carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone); by pulse-chase experiments, it was shown that pre-pro-STA became a periplasmic Mr 7500 pro-STA and this form was chased to the culture supernatant; periplasmic and extracellular pro-STA showed the same electrophoretic mobility. A short time after the pulse, pro-STA was converted extracellularly to mature STA (Mr 4500). It is proposed that STA is synthesized as pre-pro-STA, a 72-amino-acid peptide that is subsequently cleaved between amino acids 19 and 20as it is translocated across the inner membrane. The resulting 53-amino-acid pro-STA is first detected in the periplasm and is then secreted to the culture supernatant. Pro-STA is cleaved extracellularly to yield mature STA (Mr 4500).
What to do now? How women with breast cancer make fertility preservation decisions

Objectives There has been increased attention paid to cancer-related infertility and fertility preservation. However, how cancer patients decide whether or not to pursue fertility preservation has not been fully examined. Methods The data come from 34 interviews with women in the USA diagnosed with breast cancer prior to 40 years of age who contemplated fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment. Fully transcribed interviews were coded through a three-staged inductive process. Results Three sets of factors that shaped the decision-making process of the respondents regarding fertility preservation treatment options were identified: perceived benefits (e.g. ability to use ‘younger’ eggs in the future), inhibiting concerns (e.g. success rates) and influential relationships (e.g. physicians, parents and partners). Conclusions Respondents saw their main fertility preservation decision as choosing whether or not to pursue egg/embryo banking. The decision-making process was complicated and included both health-related and personal considerations, with many respondents reporting a lack of support services for fertility issues. Findings suggest that greater attention needs to be placed on presenting patients with a wider range of options. Those who counsel patients regarding fertility preservation decisions should be aware of the influence of relationship dynamics, broader health care concerns, and fertility histories on these decisions. Key message points While fertility preservation has garnered greater attention, less is known about how cancer patients make fertility preservation decisions. Despite the range of choices for fertility preservation, respondents identified egg/embryo banking as their primary option. Many factors outside of cancer concerns inhibit and facilitate fertility preservation decisions including fertility history and family relationship dynamics.
Nonstationary interference suppression using adaptive overdetermined frame representations

Transform-based interference suppression works well for stationary signals, but when applied to nonstationary interference, it is often beneficial to use a larger overdetermined library of transforms. We propose a scheme which uses the same project/threshold technique used in traditional transform-based excision applied to an overdetermined frame. Such a frame can consist of a variety of elements, including time and frequency invariant sets of wavelets and chirps, to help characterize a larger variety of interferers. For thresholds within certain bounds, the proposed method guarantees improvement in the effective signal-to-interference ratio (SIR). Analytical and simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the technique for a variety of interference types, including combinations of non-orthogonal interferers. The study is of interest in DS-SS communications.
Comparison of Natural Product Use Between Primary Care and Nephrology Patients

BACKGROUND:The use of natural products is increasing, but healthcare professionals may underestimate the use of these agents by patients. It is unknown whether natural product use differs between primary care and specialty clinic patients, such as those in a nephrology clinic.OBJECTIVE:To compare patterns of natural product use between primary care and nephrology clinic patients.METHODS:One thousand adult patients from each clinic were randomly mailed an anonymous questionnaire to determine current and past use of natural products.RESULTS:A total of 491 surveys were returned, for an overall response rate of 26% (25% primary care; 28% nephrology clinic). Current use of natural products was similar between the primary care and nephrology groups (34% vs 29%, respectively; p = NS). Primary care patients were more likely to have taken a natural product in the past (57% vs 45%; p < 0.05); Echinacea was the most common product taken by those patients (26%). Green tea was the most common natural product taken by ...
Challenges in hardening technologies using shallow-trench isolation

Challenges related to radiation hardening CMOS technologies with shallow-trench isolation are explored. It is shown that developing a radiation-hardened CMOS technology with shallow trench isolation is more complex than using a traditional hardened field oxide as the trench insulator. We illustrate the use of device simulations in concert with measurements on test structures to provide detailed physical insight into methods for improving total-dose radiation response. Mechanisms that can limit the total-dose radiation hardness of shallow trench isolation such as high electric fields and ion implantation damage are explored. We demonstrate the successful conversion of a non-radiation hardened technology with LOCOS isolation (Sandia's CMOS6) into a greater than 1 Mrad(SiO/sub 2/) radiation-hardened shallow-trench isolated technology (Sandia's CMOS6r).
Pediatric hospitalization of psychiatric patients: diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Since the hospitalization of children in a psychiatrically oriented children's hospital will often bring about a remission in symptomatology, we have used such hospitalization as a therapeutic and diagnostic tool with emotionally disturbed children. When there is a question whether a symptom is organic or psychogenic, the hospitalization of the child allows for another dimension of observation in clarifying the nature of the illness. Children who are in need of temporary removal from their homes can be hospitalized on a pediatric ward and psychotherapeutic work can then be undertaken to alleviate some of the more serious symptomatology before long-term work in some other setting is begun. This is particularly true of such disorders as psychogenic vomiting, ulcerative colitis and severe bronchial asthma.
The Eighteenth Brumaire of General Wojciech Jaruzelski

Engels once remarked in a letter to Marx, that it really looks as if old Hegel is directing History as World Spirit from his grave, and with the greatest conscientiousness lets everything spin out twice, once as great tragedy, and the second time as running farce, Caussidiere for Danton, Louis Blanc for Robespierre, Barthelemn for Saint-Just, Flocon for Carnot, and Mondkalb with the top dozen most debt-ridden lieutenants for the little corporal and his roundtable of marshals. Thus, as for the 18th Brumaire—we've been there before. 1
The Gauss-Seidel numerical procedure for Markov stochastic games

Consider the problem of value iteration for solving Markov stochastic games. One simply iterates backward, via a Jacobi-like procedure. The convergence of the Gauss-Seidel form of this procedure is shown for both the discounted and ergodic cost problems, under appropriate conditions, with extensions to problems where one stops when a boundary is hit or if any one of the players chooses to stop, with associated costs. Generally, the Gauss-Seidel procedure accelerates convergence.
A Case for Recognizing Unenumerated Powers of Congress

Many federal statutes are justified constitutionally as the regulation of interstate commerce. But it is disingenuous to characterize the Endangered Species Act, anti-discrimination law, and many criminal statues in this way. This article argues that it would be more honest, more straightforward, and better for the nation to recognize explicitly that Congress holds certain unenumerated powers. Using principles developed in the field of unenumerated individual constitutional rights, the article suggests categories for such rights, including fields in which states are discouraged from acting, fields that involve foreign affairs, and fields that implicate national symbols and future ideals. These limits would in turn offer hope for a strengthened system of federalism.
Down-regulation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor by the hepatitis C virus NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

The retinoblastoma tumor-suppressor protein (Rb) plays a critical role in controlling cellular proliferation and apoptosis by regulating E2F transcription factors. Rb is a key target of oncoproteins expressed by DNA tumor viruses, but RNA viruses are not known to regulate Rb function. Here, we show that Rb abundance is negatively regulated in cells containing replicating genomic RNA from hepatitis C virus, a human virus strongly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase NS5B forms a complex with Rb, targeting it for degradation and resulting in reduction of Rb abundance, activation of E2F-responsive promoters, and cell proliferation. NS5B contains a conserved Leu-x-Cys/Asn-x-Asp motif that is homologous to Rb-binding domains in the oncoproteins of DNA viruses. This domain overlaps the polymerase active site, and mutations within it abrogate Rb binding and reverse the effects of NS5B on E2F promoter activation and cell proliferation. These findings suggest a unique link between an oncogenic RNA virus implicated in the development of liver cancer and a critically important tumor-suppressor protein.
Effect of aluminum hydroxide gel and calcium lactate on serum bicarbonate.

ConclusionThe combined oral administration of calcium lactate and aluminum hydroxide gel produced a marked and sustained elevation of serum bicarbonate in young infants with physiologically low kidney function and in older subjects with impaired function. This effect did not occur in subjects with normal kidney function. Given separately, neither drug produced an increase in serum bicarbonate in subjects with normal or reduced kidney function.
Cytochrome P450 3A5 expression in the kidneys of patients with calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity

Background. Nephrotoxicity secondary to calcineurin inhibitors is common in renal transplant recipients, occurring in 76–94% of patients. The role of drug transporters (P-glycoprotein) and drug metabolizing enzymes (cytochrome P450) as predisposing factors toward nephrotoxicity or its prevention has not been thoroughly examined. Methods. The objective of this study was to analyse cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5) expression in kidneys of solid organ recipients by immunohistochemistry to determine if there is an association between expression of this enzyme and calcineurin inhibitor toxicity. Transplant recipients were compared with a control group. Results. Apical tubular plasma membrane staining for CYP3A5 was present in 62% of study and 100% of control biopsies (P ¼ 0.0012). Proximal and distal tubular nuclear staining intensity was similar between groups. Cytoplasmic staining in both the proximal (2.1 � 0.9 vs 1.4 � 0.9) and distal (2.8 � 0.5 vs 1.8 � 1.1) tubules was greater in the control vs study population specimens, respectively (P ¼ 0.0093 and P ¼ 0.0005, respectively). Regression models that controlled for use of CYP3A inhibiting and inducing medications, age, gender, race and glomerular filtration rate did not predict differences between study groups with regard to staining locations and intensity, except for the cytoplasm of the distal tubule, where intensity of staining was significantly lower in the study group (0.9 � 0.3; P ¼ 0.002). Conclusions. This study showed decreased expression of CYP3A5 in nephrotoxic biopsies as compared with a control group. Our data suggest that the relationship between reduced presence of CYP3A5 in the kidney tubules and nephrotoxicity should be further explored to elucidate the role of this enzyme in mediating toxicity.
Activation of Protein Kinase C Triggers Its Ubiquitination and Degradation

Treatment of cells with tumor-promoting phorbol esters results in the activation but then depletion of phorbol ester-responsive protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway has been implicated in regulating the levels of many cellular proteins, including those involved in cell cycle control. We report here that in 3Y1 rat fibroblasts, proteasome inhibitors prevent the depletion of PKC isoforms alpha, delta, and epsilon in response to the tumor-promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Proteasome inhibitors also blocked the tumor-promoting effects of TPA on 3Y1 cells overexpressing c-Src, which results from the depletion of PKC delta. Consistent with the involvement of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in the degradation of PKC isoforms, ubiquitinated PKC alpha, delta, and epsilon were detected within 30 min of TPA treatment. Diacylglycerol, the physiological activator of PKC, also stimulated ubiquitination and degradation of PKC, suggesting that ubiquitination is a physiological response to PKC activation. Compounds that inhibit activation of PKC prevented both TPA- and diacylglycerol-induced PKC depletion and ubiquitination. Moreover, a kinase-dead ATP-binding mutant of PKC alpha could not be depleted by TPA treatment. These data are consistent with a suicide model whereby activation of PKC triggers its own degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.