cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vote for Pastor Paulo: Religious Ballot Names as Heuristics in Brazil

When religious leaders run for office, and identify themselves to voters as such, what is the expected effect on electoral results? I address this question through a study of Brazilian clergy—primarily evangelical Christian pastors—running for city council in 2000‐2008. Most such candidates use a religious title such as ‘Pastor” on the ballot, but others do not. Using matching, I compare groups of clergy candidates who differ in their use of religious ballot names but are otherwise similar. On average, failing to advertise one’s religious leadership leads to an 18% reduction in vote share and 28% drop in the probability of being elected. Similar results are obtained when using other techniques, such as difference-in-differences. The estimated effect does not vary with evangelical population, suggesting that it is driven not by believers voting for fellow believers, but rather by positive stereotypes that all Brazilians associate with religious leaders.
Treatment of lateral neck papillary thyroid carcinoma recurrence after selective lateral neck dissection

BACKGROUND There is a paucity of data regarding optimal treatment options and outcomes for recurrent disease after lateral neck dissection in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma. METHODS Retrospective review of patients who underwent either percutaneous ethanol injection or surgery for first-time ipsilateral recurrences after ipsilateral lateral neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma was performed. RESULTS Follow-up data were available for 54 patients with recurrences in 57 lateral necks treated by either percutaneous ethanol injection (n = 32) or surgery (n = 25). Tumor burden at the time of lateral neck recurrence differed between the groups including the largest lymph node diameter (mean: 13 mm vs 18 mm, P < .01) and the mean number of metastatic lymph nodes identified on ultrasound (1.3 vs 1.9, P = .04). Each modality alone achieved similar estimated rates of disease control at 36 months (75% for percutaneous ethanol injection and 74% for surgery, P = .8) with similar number of reinterventions (1.8 for percutaneous ethanol injection, 1.6 for surgery, P = .6). CONCLUSIONS Both ethanol ablation and surgery can achieve disease control in the majority of patients with recurrences after ipsilateral lateral neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Ethanol ablation, when used for treatment of a single small lymph node, can result in outcomes that are similar to reoperative surgery for larger and multiple lymph nodes.
Modeling Behavioral Response to Vaccination Using Public Goods Game

Epidemics of infectious disease can be traced back to the early days of mankind. Only in the last two centuries vaccination has become a viable strategy to prevent such epidemics. In addition to the clinical efficacy of this strategy, the behavior and public attitudes affect the success of vaccines. This paper describes modeling the efficacy of vaccination considering the cost and benefit of vaccination to individual players. The model is based on the public goods game and is presented as a spatial game on a lattice. Using this model, individuals can contribute to the public health by paying the cost of vaccination or choose to be protected by the public who is vaccinated rather than pay the cost and share the risk of vaccination. Thus, in this model individuals can choose to stay susceptible, can become infected, or choose to vaccinate once in each episode. This paper presents the behavioral changes of the population and the cost to the society as a function of the cost of vaccines, cost of being infected, and the “fear factor” created by the public media.
Associations between ambient temperature and hepatobiliary and renal hospitalizations in California, 1999 to 2009.

Abstract Background High ambient temperature has been linked to a number of types of morbidity, such as cardiovascular disease and dehydration. Fewer studies have explored specifically the relationship between ambient temperature and liver, kidney, and urinary system morbidity despite known biological impacts of extreme high temperatures on those systems. Objective We assessed the relationship between temperature and hospitalizations related to selected renal system (urinary stones, urinary tract infections, septicemia, chronic kidney disease, and a composite of selected kidney diseases) and hepatobiliary (biliary tract disease, other liver diseases [e.g. cirrhosis], non-diabetic pancreatic disorders) ailments. Methods We compiled data on daily hospitalization counts for hepatobiliary and renal system diseases in California for 1999 through 2009, and matched it with meteorological data. Relationships between temperature and admissions during the warm season (May–October) were assessed at the climate zone-level cumulative over 14 days following exposure using distributed lag non-linear models, with adjustment for time trends and relative humidity, then combined using random-effects meta-regression to create statewide estimates. Results Higher mean temperatures in the warm season were associated with significant increases in renal admissions for urinary tract infection [% change per 10 °F: 7.3, 95% CI: 5.6, 9.1], septicemia [% increase: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.5, 4.3], urinary stones [% increase: 15.2; 95% CI: 10.3, 20.4], and composite kidney disease. Additionally, increased temperatures were linked to increased admissions for biliary tract disease, but lower risk of other liver diseases. Some differences in association by race/ethnicity and regional meteorology were observed. Conclusions Exposure to higher temperatures was associated with increased risk of multiple renal system hospitalization types, with additional links to specific hepatobiliary morbidities observed.
Attitudes toward cystic fibrosis carrier and prenatal testing and utilization of carrier testing among relatives of individuals with cystic fibrosis.

A questionnaire and an offer of free carrier testing was mailed to 173 relatives of individuals with CF. The questionnaire addressed their knowledge of clinical and genetic aspects of CF, as well as their attitudes toward carrier testing, prenatal diagnosis, and pregnancy termination for CF. Eighty-one individuals returned the questionnaire (47%) and 50 elected carrier testing (29%). Most respondents underestimated their carrier risk (60%), but overestimated their risk to have a child with CF (63%). Most (93%) indicated they would utilize carrier testing, and 70% would use prenatal testing; however, only 7% would consider terminating a pregnancy for CF. The intention to use prenatal testing was correlated with the perceived health of the proband and whether the respondent was planning to have (more) children. The acceptability of abortion was correlated with the respondent's perceived impact or burden of CF.
Legitimating Reflective Writing in SoTL: "Dysfunctional Illusions of Rigor" Revisited.

In a classic 2010 article, Craig Nelson critiques his own previously held “dysfunctional illusions of rigor” that for years had constrained his teaching. He demonstrates that certain “rigorous” pedagogical practices disadvantage rather than support learners, and he argues for an expansion of what counts as legitimate pedagogical approaches. We evoke Nelson’s assertions to make a parallel argument regarding the traditional conventions of academic discourse. While formal scholarly writing may be well suited to capturing some of the outcomes of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), these genres can also be exclusive; inadequate to the task of conveying the complex, incomplete, and messy aspects of the work; and neither interesting nor accessible to those who are not required to produce or to read publications focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. We propose that reflective writing be legitimated as a form of writing for SoTL, and we use examples from a growing body of reflective writing about pedagogical partnership to illustrate our points. Echoing Nelson, we offer four reasons for this expansion of legitimacy: (1) the process of reflection is an essential component of learning; (2) reflective writing captures the complexity of learning; (3) reflection is an accessible form of writing for both new and experienced SoTL authors; and (4) reflective writing is accessible to a wide range of readers. We conclude by emphasizing the potential of including reflective writing among those modes of analysis valued in SoTL to expand what counts as rigor in the construction and representation of knowledge about teaching and learning.
A Relationship between Free Urate, Protein-Bound Urate, Hyperuricemia and Gout in Caucasians and Maoris

Since clinical gout is characteristically associated with intra-articular urate crystals in hyperuricemic patients, much of the investigation into the pathogenesis of gout has involved studying the causes and effects of urate deposition (1). We have previously demonstrated that approximately 20% of urate in serum is bound to albumin (2). If the serum urate concentration per se is of paramount importance in the pathogenesis of gouty arthritis, then one would expect that in gouty subjects the free urate fraction should be elevated. It thus became of interest to determine the actual free concentration of urate in patients with gout and to compare this to the concentration of free urate in normal subjects and in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia.
Epidemiology of Left Ventricular Assist Device Infections: Findings From a Large Nonregistry Cohort.

Background Infection is a major complication during circulatory support with a left ventricular assist device (VAD). Changes in device characteristics and treatment practices in the last decade can affect the epidemiology of infection. The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) has published recommendations on the prevention and management of VAD infections, but data to support these recommendations remains sparse. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 455 patients who underwent VAD placement from 2009 to 2015. Infection episodes were defined using ISHLT criteria and were also grouped as endovascular or local. Analysis included descriptive statistics. Results There were 174 patients (38.6%) with a VAD infection. Infection incidence was 36.9 cases per 100 person-years of VAD support. The driveline was the most common infection site (67.2%). Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria were not satisfied in 29.2% of patients with endovascular infections, and Computed tomography examinations were normal in 37.7% of cases. Gram positive bacteria caused 65.6 % of infections in patients with an available culture. Antimicrobial suppression was used in 72.3% of patients who survived treatment. Median survival after infection was 35 months for patients with VAD-related infections vs 14 months for patients with VAD-specific infections. Conclusions VAD infections continue to be a major complication after implantation. Clinical criteria alone were not predictive of serious infections, and many patients with confirmed infection had normal CTs. Patients with VAD-specific infections had lower median survival than patients with VAD-related infections.
Acute Kidney Injury in the time of COVID-19

“Wisdom comes to us when it can no longer do any good”. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in Love in the Time of Cholera Those were the concerns in late February and early March, shortly before the surge of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hit the United States. By late March, not only were intensive care unit beds full and respiratory failure rampant in some major cities in the United States, but there was a new enemy lurking. The tsunami started to hit. It was not volume depletion-induced serum creatinine elevations. It was severe AKI with multiple electrolyte derangements. Troops were summoned and dialysis nurses worked around the clock to try to provide clearance to patients all over hospitals. Four-hour dialysis treatments were a thing of the past; 2 hours sometimes had to suffice. While President Trump enacted the Defense Production Act to force companies to make more ventilators, kidneys and life-sustaining dialysis machines were the forgotten resources. How did this happen? By the beginning of June, over 6.9 million patients had been diagnosed worldwide and more than 400,000 people had died. However, the early reports from China noted a relatively low incidence of AKI, some as low as 0.5%, with most studies reporting cumulative incidence in the single digits to the teens (1). Thus, the United States was not expecting an onslaught with regard to kidney disease Now that the initial wave of the pandemic has passed, five studies from centers in the United States have come out documenting a much higher proportion (19%–43%) of AKI in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (Table 1). View this table: Table 1. Reported incidence of AKI and need for RRT in United States centers One of the United States-based studies documented experiences with AKI of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at the …
Exploring the Effects of Violent Video Games on Healthcare Trainees

Background. The prevalence of video game play has continued to increase. Previous literature has suggested negative emotional consequences related to violent video game play, such as an increase in...
Experiential Exercise in Team Formation in the Capstone: Providing Students With the Information to Make Good Team Choices:

Just as there is a tension between business professors’ practice of assigning team projects, especially in capstone courses, and students’ inclination to avoid them, there is also a tension between...
Mothering Identity Experiences: A Backwards Glance:

Aspects of human growth and development have been studied since the inception of psychology as a field of science. The impact of the quality of mothering on children has been highly researched. How...
The Continuing Evolution of AFP Online.

We have been continually working to improve the online and digital experience for our readers. Learn more about AFP's online and app features.
Buckle propagation in pipe-in-pipe systems. Part II. Analysis

Abstract In Part II we examine and evaluate the performance of three levels of models for estimating the two new propagation pressures of pipe-in-pipe systems introduced in Part I (PP2 and PPS). The first type of model involves uniform collapse of the system through a kinematically admissible mechanism resulting from the formation of plastic hinges. Closed-form expressions for PP2 and PPS are derived which provide a valuable qualitative view on how they depend on the main parameters of the problem. The predictions, however, significantly underpredict the measured values. The second type of model also involves uniform collapse but is conducted numerically instead. An energy balance between prebuckling and collapsed configurations obtained from a uniform collapse model yields approximate values of PP2 and PPS. It is demonstrated that such predictions are within acceptable engineering accuracy. The third type of model involves fully three-dimensional numerical simulation of the initiation and steady-state propagation of collapse. It is demonstrated that, provided the geometric and material characteristics of the pipes used are accurately represented in such models, both PP2 and PPS can be predicted to great accuracy. Such models are, however, numerically intensive. Part II finishes with conclusions and design recommendations drawn from both the experimental and analytical parts of the study.
Age-associated changes in glycosylation of CD43 and CD45 on mouse CD4 T cells.

We have recently shown that treatment of T cells from aged mice with an endopeptidase specific for O-linked glycoproteins can restore synapse formation and early activation markers to CD4 cells from aged mice. New data show that the sialidase from Clostridium perfringens, but not from Vibrio cholerae, can increase activation of CD4 cells from both old and young mice as measured by calcium signals, expression of CD25 and CD69, and secretion of IL-2. Lectin binding assays showed alterations with age in the levels, accessibility or conformation of multiple glycoproteins on the surface of CD4 cells. While some alterations were due to the accumulation of memory cells with age, others were age sensitive and found exclusively in the naive subset or both naive and memory subsets. Furthermore, analysis of the sialic acid links α(2,3)Gal/GalNAc and α(2,6)Gal/GalNAc in immunoprecipitated CD43 and CD45 molecules confirm that age alters the glycosylation of specific proteins that regulate TCR interaction with antigen presenting cells. These data support the idea that changes in T cell surface glycosylation could play an important role in immune senescence.
FARMED-OUT: A CASE STUDY OF DIFFERENTIAL OPPRESSION THEORY AND FEMALE CHILD FARM LABOR IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

This paper examines the experiences of rural, female orphans in early 20th century United States. A content analysis was conducted and oral histories collected from which the following themes about rural, female, orphan's lives emerged: non-agency, consummate caretaker, martyrdom, and strength. Regoli and Hewitt's theory of differential oppression was utilized in the analysis. Differential oppression posits that all children are oppressed, that female children are doubly-oppressed based on their status as child and female, and that to adapt to this oppression children employ one or more of four modes of adaptations: passive acceptance of their circumstances, exercise of illegitimate coercive power, manipulation of one's peers, or retaliation. This paper concludes that rural female orphans most commonly utilized the mode of passive acceptance.
Machine Visual Guidance for the Blind

I would like to report some informal observations on the usefulness of a technologically advanced visual guidance system. This system can recognize landmarks, can calculate potential hazards of both stationary and moving obstacles, and can instruct the user directly with highly understandable speech.
Investment in staff development for seeking external grant funds

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to share insightful comments about the importance of librarians participating in external grant process. Design/methodology/approach – Opinion and literature review. Findings – Suggested readings listed. Originality/value – Original column.
Cardiac specific TIMP-4 dictates cardiomyocyte contractility through Serca-2a in cardiac dysfunction: a novel mechanism (868.7)

Although previous studies show MMP9 (Matrix Metalloprotease 9) dysregulation in cardiac disorders, the mechanisms how an MMP9 modulator (TIMP4-Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloprotease 4) regulates contractility and regeneration remain elusive. Providing an insight into this mechanism, we hypothesize that TIMP4 regulates cardiomyocyte contractility by regulating the expression of Serca-2a (Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase) through microRNAs. To check this hypothesis, we overexpressed TIMP4 in cardiomyocytes along with its inhibition through siRNA, to elucidate the contractility profiles and establish regulatory effects of TIMP4. We checked the expression of serca-2a and microRNA 122 with Western, RT-PCR, qRT-PCR. DesRed2 plasmid carrying the TIMP4 gene was used to overexpress TIMP4 in mouse cardiomyocytes while GFP plasmid was used as control to standardize transfections. Contractility measurements were executed by ION OPTIX instrument and transfection studies were done by confocal microscopy. The e...
Algorithms in C

Algorithms in C is a comprehensive repository of algorithms, complete with code. If you're in a pinch and need to code something up fast, this book is the place to look. Starting with basic data structures, Algorithms in C covers an enormous scope of information, with extensive treatment of searching and advanced data structures, sorting, string processing, computational geometry, graph problems, and mathematical algorithms. Although the manual often neglects to provide rigorous analysis, the text surrounding the algorithms provides clear and relevant insight into why the algorithms work.
The Bloodstain: Spirit Possession, Menstruation, and Transgression in Niger

Examining the varied reactions of people to the blood-stained wrapper of a spirit devotee during a bori possession ceremony in Niger, I explore how dirt and disgust are more complex than neat structuralist models of purity and pollution often used to explain them. Understanding menstrual blood in situational terms, and looking at the reactions as shaped more about complex dimensions of agency in the course of possession, secrecy, revealing things known but not spoken, and forms of attention allows us to grasp better the varied kinds of disgust some people expressed after the incident.
Wideband optical elastography of in vivo human skin using geometrically focused surface waves

Viscoelastic models are fit to shear moduli derived from geometrically focused surface waves (GFS) on human skin using viscoelastic wave theory. Unlike in previous studies on the analytical solution and experimental measurement of radially outward traveling surface waves, measurable radially inward traveling GFS waves can be generated over a wider range of frequencies as attenuation is countered by the converging nature of the wavefront. This enables a more accurate and broader assessment of both the shear storage and loss moduli of the material, which are expected to vary with frequency. In the present study, GFS waves are applied to human skin on the posterior side of the forearm using a scanning LASER Doppler vibrometer. Surface wave measurements can then be used to estimate the complex frequency dependent viscoelastic properties of biological tissue, which are affected by numerous pathologies. Using a phantom gel this technique was validated through comparison with other studies. It was found that spring-pot and fractional Voigt models yield a potentially stable model parameter for skin, but more study is needed to confirm. [Work supported by NIH: Grant # EB012142.]
Challenges and opportunities in ultra-wideband antenna-array transceivers for imaging

This paper discusses challenges in the monolithic realization of ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna-array transceivers for radar and imaging. A power-consumption comparison between an all-digital signal-processing approach and approaches that exploit analog pre-processing is provided. Architectures for the implementation of integrated, UWB, antenna-array transceivers for radar and imaging are then discussed.
An economic analysis of the timing of childbirth

Summary In this paper we present a new ‘home economics’ model of the timing of the first birth. The child-timing decision is treated as a multi-period planning problem in which the date of first birth influences both the mean and the dispersion of the household's intertemporal income distribution. Couples are assumed to use capital markets and the timing of childbirth to smooth life-cycle consumption. Optimal timing is shown to depend upon the rate at which job skills depreciate during unemployment, the wife's pre-marital work experience, the opportunity costs of completing a family, and the mean and dispersion of the husband's intertemporal earnings profile. The theory is tested with statistics drawn from the National Longitudinal Surveys. The results strongly support those theoretical hypotheses that can be tested and offer insights into timing patterns. If the upsurge in women's labour force participation and educational involvement continue, our work implies that there will be a marked economic incent...
Proctocolectomy and ileoanal anastomosis.

An account is given of the evolution of proctocolectomy with construction of a pelvic ileal pouch and an ileoanal anastomosis, which has probably become the most popular elective operation at the present time for ulcerative colitis. The technique favored by the author for this procedure is described and the results obtained in 422 cases at the Mayo Clinic are analyzed, with 188 of them analyzed in detail. Outstanding issues regarding technical methods and outcome are discussed.
Results from EXO-200

EXO–200 is a double-beta decay experiment that measures the half-life of the decay of 136Xe. This article describes the result reported by EXO–200 in the summer 2012, with an exposure of 32.5 kgyr, saw no signal for the 0νββ decay. This sets a lower limit for the half-life of the neutrinoless double-beta decay T0νββ1/2)% (136Xe)> 1.6 × 1025yr (90% CL), which sets a limit on the Majorana neutrino mass, depending on which matrix element used, of 140meV–380meV.
Contributions of the amygdala central nucleus and ventrolateral periaqueductal grey to freezing and instrumental suppression in Pavlovian fear conditioning

In Pavlovian fear conditioning animals receive pairings of a neutral cue and an aversive stimulus such as an electric foot-shock. Through such pairings, the cue will come to elicit a central state of fear that produces a variety of autonomic and behavioral responses, among which are conditioned freezing and suppression of instrumental responding, termed conditioned suppression. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey (vlPAG) has been strongly implicated in the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear. However, previous work suggests different roles for the CeA and vlPAG in fear learning maybe revealed when fear is assessed with conditioned freezing or conditioned suppression. To further explore this possibility we gave rats selective lesions of either the CeA or vlPAG and trained them in Pavlovian first-order fear conditioning as well as Pavlovian second-order fear conditioning. We concurrently assessed the acquisition of conditioned freezing and conditioned suppression. We found that vlPAG and CeA lesions impaired both first- and second-order conditioned freezing. VlPAG lesions did not impair, and CeA lesions only transiently impaired, first-order conditioned suppression. However, both vlPAG and CeA lesions impaired second-order conditioned suppression. These results suggest that the CeA and vlPAG are critically important to expressing fear through conditioned freezing but play different and less critical roles in expressing fear through conditioned suppression.
Pregnancy: increased effect of verapamil in human uterine arteries.

Abstract The effect of verapamil on the contractile response to norepinephrine in isolated, suffused uterine arteries from pregnant and nonpregnant humans was investigated. The arteries, obtained after hysterectomy, were dissected free from surrounding tissue and arterial rings were prepared and mounted in tissue chambers filled with Krebs-bicarbonate solution. Isometric tension was recorded. There was no significant difference between arteries from pregnant patients and arteries from nonpregnant patients when maximal contractile response and sensitivity to nonepinephrine were compared. At concentrations of 0.3 and 3 μM, verapamil attenuated the response to norepinephrine in uterine arteries from both pregnant and nonpregnant patients. However, verapamil was significantly more potent in blocking the response to norepinephrine in arteries from pregnant patients.
A preliminary wax up as a diagnostic aid in occlusal rehabilitation

Abstract Herein is described a technique for diagnosing and planning the treatment of patients needing occlusal rehabilitation. Tooth preparations are made on accurately mounted casts and the proposed restorations are “waxed up” on the diagnostic casts before the preparations are made on the teeth in the mouth.
Solution of Linear Fractional Fredholm Integro-Differential Equation by Using Second Kind Chebyshev Wavelet

In the present paper, a numerical method is proposed to solve the fractional Fredholm integro-differential equation. The proposed method is based on the Chebyshev wavelet approximation. Using the approximation of an unknown function, its fractional derivative and its Integral operator in terms of Chebyshev wavelet, the fractional Fredholm integro-differential equation is ultimately reduced to a system of linear equations which can be solved easily. The test examples are given for illustration. The obtained results are compared for various number of basis functions in the Chebyshev wavelet. The proposed method is easy to understand, easy to implement and gives a very good accuracy. The errors are further measured with the help of different norms to show the good accuracy obtained.
Private cloud delivery model for supplying centralized analytics services

Business analytics has become vital for businesses to achieve their near-term and strategic goals. Historically, large enterprises have used a decentralized information technology delivery model to meet reporting and analytics needs within each business unit. Rising demand for analytics, combined with the cost of decentralized delivery, has driven businesses to look at alternative delivery patterns. Chief information officers (CIOs) have a renewed interest in considering centralized, virtualized services--given their desire to reduce expenses without reduced business flexibility. The Chief Information Office of IBM has pioneered a private cloud delivery model for delivering analytics tooling to internal users (IBM employees), providing centralization and standardization of service. Through evaluation of analytics usage patterns, IBM developed a common analytics services strategy to reduce expenses and solution deployment time while improving business agility and insights. IBM deployed a share-all private cloud model (in which users deploy reports on the same instance of the hardware and software) on an extensible Linux® on the IBM System z® infrastructure to deliver ubiquitous analytics service to every business process area. The IBM software-as-a-service analytics delivery model allowed its more than 190,000 business users to maintain user or user-group solution autonomy while providing access to cost-effective ($25 million savings over five years), timely commodity services.
Time-lapse video reveals immediate heterogeneity and heritable damage among human ileocecal carcinoma HCT-8 cells treated with raltitrexed (ZD1694)

Background Cellular heterogeneity in drug response has important clinical implications, and is believed to develop over many generations during clonal evolution in human tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of heterogeneity exhibited by sister cells soon after their birth. Methods Human ileocecal carcinoma cells (HCT-8) were followed up to 11 days in vitro after a 2-h exposure to 1 μM raltitrexed (IC95) in a time-lapse video system. Results Over five experiments, 414 cells were followed after exposure to raltitrexed. Immediate sterility occurred in 74% of treated cells. Only 6% of cells could produce more than two generations of offspring, and heterogeneity in drug response was seen. Comparing sister cells < 24 h old, the more proliferative sibling produced up to 73 times more offspring, with a median ratio of 9.0 (control median = 1.19). Offspring of prolific drug-treated cells had a decreased probability of division (68% compared with 92%) and an increased average interdivision time (19.0 h compared with 15.1 h). Conclusions Short-term exposure to raltitrexed resulted in increased interdivision times and production of sterile offspring extending seven generations. Cellular heterogeneity (difference in proliferation potential comparing drug-treated sister cells) was evident without a period of clonal evolution. Cytometry 41:252–260, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Optimal preservation and pricing of natural public lands in general equilibrium

Abstract The optimal preservation and pricing of a natural environment in a general equilibrium economy, with labor and land the only factors of production, are examined. The natural environment serves as a congestible public good because of recreational visits and as a pure public good because of option and existence values. Efficient long-run land allocation among production, housing, and the natural environment requires that each use generate the economy's land rent. Decentralization of the optimum requires a charge on each recreational visit and a tax price on natural environmental quality. Second-best solutions in which this tax price is not levied are also examined and compared to the first-best in a Cobb-Douglas world. In general, there are four second-best strategies: conservation, a quota on recreation, visitation charges, and a tax on land. In the Cobb-Douglas case a visitation quota and a visitation charge are the only two second-best policy instruments. The results show the stiff pricing of recreation is called for to assure that natural lands generate rents comparable to urban bids. In the absence of such pricing too much land is developed and too little remains in natural preservation.
Kinetic and Thermodynamic Rationale for Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid Being a Preferential Human Histone Deacetylase 8 Inhibitor As Compared to the Structurally Similar Ligand, Trichostatin A

Of the different hydroxamate-based histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of T-cell ly...
Oligonucleotide probes in infectious bronchitis virus diagnosis and strain identification

Abstract Genomic RNA fingerprints of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains M41 and Conn46 were prepared to identify T1 RNase-resistant oligonucleotides ‘unique’ to each of the two IBV strains. Such oligonucleotides were subsequently eluted from the gels and their nucleotide sequences determined. When oligonucleotide probes of those sequences were synthesized and used in a dot-blot hybridization assay, the probes lacked IBV strain-specificity and reacted with the RNAs of homologous as well as heterologous IBV strains. Based on these results, the methods used in this study need to be applied to a large number of oligonucleotide probes, to find one or a few that might be suitable as IBV strain- or serotype-specific oligonucleotide probes.
Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of Roth spots in multiple myeloma.

Sir, We present a case of Roth spots in multiple myeloma and describe optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings that have not previously been published.
Three-dimensional dynamics of the canine mitral annulus during ischemic mitral regurgitation

Background. It has been suggested that ischemic mitral regurgitation results, at least in part, from generalized end-systolic mitral annulus (MA) dilatation, but the role of the MA is incompletely understood and the segmental dynamics of the MA during left ventricular ischemia have not been described. Methods. We used radiopaque markers and simultaneous biplane videofluoroscopy to measure threedimensional in vivo lengths of eight MA segments in 7 sedated dogs before and after induction of ischemic MR (produced by circumflex coronary artery balloon occlusion and verified by Doppler echocardiography). As viewed from the left atrium, the MA segment between markers 1 and 2 (S 12 ) was defined as starting at the posteromedial commissure, and remaining segments were numbered sequentially clockwise around the MA (ie, the posterior MA encompassed S 12 , S 23 , S 34 , S 45 ; the anterior MA included S 56 , S 67 , S 78 , S 81 ). Marker images obtained 7 to 12 days after implantation were used to construct x, y , and z coordinates of each marker at end-diastole and end-systole. Results. During regional (posterolateral walls) left ventricular ischemia, the end-systolic MA area increased (4.9 ± 0.8 cm 2 [control] versus 5.9 ± 0.6 cm 2 ; p = 0.005). End-systolic MA segment lengths were as follows (control, ischemia [mm, mean ± standard deviation]): S 12 = 9 ± 2, 10 ± 3; S 23 = 10 ± 2, 12 ± 3; S 34 = 13 ± 1, 15 ± 1; S 45 = 8 ± 2, 9 ± 2; S 56 = 11 ± 2, 11 ± 2; S 67 = 12 ± 2, 12 ± 2; S 78 = 10 ± 3, 11 ± 2; and S 81 = 11 ± 1, 12 ± 1. Values for S 12 , S 23 , S 34 , and S 81 were significant ( p ≤ 0.05 for control versus ischemia by paired t test). Conclusions. During ischemic mitral regurgitation, the MA enlarged at end-systole, but in an asymmetric manner; most posterior annular segments lengthened, whereas most anterior annular segment lengths did not change. These data suggest that alterations in regional MA mechanics may be important in the pathogenesis of ischemic mitral regurgitation. Further three-dimensional studies of MA dynamics and shape should be conducted so that new knowledge may result in improved mitral valve surgical techniques.
Sophistopolis as Cosmopolis: Reading Postclassical Greek Rhetoric

This article examines the interplay between the Stoic concept of cosmopolis and Greek rhetorical discourses of the polis in the Roman imperial period. D. A. Russell's “Sophistopolis” (from Greek Declamation, 1983) and Doyne Dawson's work on utopian political theory (1992) serve as points of departure for developing a method of reading the political in Second Sophistic rhetoric. The text under examination is a major first-century oration: Dio Chrysostom's Euboean Discourse. Composed around 96 CE, after Dio's return from exile by Domitian, the Euboicus combines a castaway's rural fable with didactic commentary, forcing the utopian pastoral hard up against a lecture on economic and social distress in the imperial city. Dio creates disjunctive moods, city-visions, and speaking personae, performing a rhetorical tour de force while simultaneously constructing a political subject at the limit of creaturely need. A “cosmopolitical” analysis of Second Sophistic rhetoric finds the consummate artistry of the paideia...
Constructing Unit-Specific Empiric Treatment Guidelines for Catheter-Related and Primary Bacteremia by Determining the Likelihood of Inadequate Therapy

This study aimed to determine the feasibility of using likelihood of inadequate therapy (LIT), a parameter calculated by using pathogen frequency and in vitro susceptibility for determination of appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy for primary bloodstream infections. Our study demonstrates that LIT may reveal differences in traditional antibiograms.
Case study: The combined use of imipramine and behavior modification to reduce aggression in an adult male diagnosed as having autistic disorder

The present study examined the behavior decelerative effects of combined imipramine (tofranil) and behavior modification in a severely retarded, depressed autistic man. A simple interrupted time-series design was conducted and the primary data analytic techniques consisted of modified trend analyses and dependent samples t-tests. Consistent with previous theory and scant empirical research, results indicated that combined imipramine and behavior modification significantly reduced daily episodes of self-directed and other-directed aggression. Specifically, controlling for the effects of time, the combined treatment regimen led to significant reductions in both level and slope across three topographies of aggressive behavior. Limitations of the present study and recommendations for future research were discussed. It was concluded that combined imipramine and behavior modification may be an effective strategy for reducing aggression in the developmentally disabled.
Guiding catheter exchange during coronary angioplasty

A new technique to exchange one angioplasty guiding catheter for another with the guide wire in place and across a coronary artery stenosis has been developed to decrease the dangers of having to recross the stenosis with a guide wire. This technique utilizes a regular extended angioplasty guide wire and enables the exchange of guiding catheters during the angioplasty procedure. In 683 consecutive angioplasty procedures by one operator, this technique has been attempted 57 times in 43 patients (6.3%) and has been successful 51 times (90%). The only failures were when the second catheter had a large or open curve (left Amplatz II, 5/22 unsuccessful or multipurpose, 1/3 unsuccessful). There have been no complications. We conclude that exchange of a guiding catheter over a guide wire by the method described is safe and helpful in cases where different guiding catheters are needed for back-up power once the lesion has been crossed with a guide wire.
Tricuspid Atresia and Annular Hypoplasia: Report of a Familial Occurrence

Occurrence of a similar cardiac malformation in multiple family members has been reported for many lesions. Neither tricuspid atresia nor tricuspid annular hypoplasia and tricuspid atresia and one case of tricuspid annular hypoplasia with an atrial septal defect in siblings. The findings in this family suggest an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance for abnormal tricuspid valve morphogenesis.
NRH2 is a trafficking switch to regulate sortilin localization and permit proneurotrophin-induced cell death

Proneurotrophins mediate neuronal apoptosis using a dual receptor complex of sortilin and p75NTR. Although p75NTR is highly expressed on the plasma membrane and accessible to proneurotrophin ligands, sortilin is primarily localized to intracellular membranes, limiting the formation of a cell surface co-receptor complex. Here, we show that the mammalian p75NTR homologue NRH2 critically regulates the expression of sortilin on the neuronal cell surface and promotes p75NTR and sortilin receptor complex formation, rendering cells responsive to proneurotrophins. This is accomplished by interactions between the cytoplasmic domains of NRH2 and sortilin that impair lysosomal degradation of sortilin. In proneurotrophin-responsive neurons, acute silencing of endogenous NRH2 significantly reduces cell surface-expressed sortilin and abolishes proneurotrophin-induced neuronal death. Thus, these data suggest that NRH2 acts as a trafficking switch to impair lysosomal-dependant sortilin degradation and to redistribute sortilin to the cell surface, rendering p75NTR-expressing cells susceptible to proneurotrophin-induced death.
A strategy for global convergence in a sequential quadratic programming algorithm

n a previous work [P. Boggs and J. Tolle, SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 21 (1984), pp. 1146–1161], the authors introduced a merit function for use with the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm for solving nonlinear programming problems. Here, further theoretical justification, including a global convergence theorem, is provided. In addition, modifications are suggested that allow the efficient implementation of the merit function while maintaining the important convergence properties. Numerical results are presented demonstrating the effectiveness of the procedure.
Isolation and characterization of cell cycle-enriched subpopulations of a murine macrophage cell line by centrifugal elutriation☆

The cell cycle of the P388D 1 murine macrophage line was delineated and suspensions of exponentially growing cells were separated by centrifugal elutriation into subpopulations enriched in the various phases of the cycle. Analysis of both growth and labelled mitoses curves disclosed that the doubling and cell-cycle times were essentially identical (18.4 and 18.3 h), indicating that all cells were in cycle. In addition, G1 + 1/2M was 4.3 h, whereas S phase and G2 + 1/2M lasted about 12 and 1.5 h. The most homogeneous subpopulations of phase-enriched cells obtained by elutriation were cells in G1 and S, where purities (estimated by both labelling indices and analyses of DNA histograms obtained by flow cytometry) exceeded 80%. Isolation of G2 + M-phase cells was not as efficient, although the purity of these subpopulations was consistently greater than of 50%, an approx. 10-fold enrichment over unseparated suspensions of cells. Comparison of IgG2a-Fc-receptor-mediated phagocytic activities among the phase-enriched subpopulations showed that cells in G2 had appreciably enhanced activity.
Laser induced resonance energy transfer - A novel approach towards achieving high sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis Part B: Applications for environmental testing

Abstract Capillary electrophoresis with laser induced resonance energy transfer detection is used for direct determination of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), 1,2-diaminopropane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (DPTA) and (±)- trans -1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (DCTA) in aqueous samples. The method involves CZE separation of salicylate-Tb-EDTA, salicylate-Tb-DPTA and salicylate-Tb-DCTA ternary complexes at alkaline pH. The highly efficient transfer of energy from salicylate to terbium in these complexes facilitated a sensitive detection. Detection limits in the 1·10 −7 M range are easily achieved. A 325 nm HeCd laser is used for excitation and terbium luminescence is monitored at 547 nm. The potential application of this method in analyzing these acids in a complex radioactive waste is discussed.
The Use of Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy for Myoclonus in a Patient With Lance Adams Syndrome

Myoclonus is a movement disorder characterized by the sudden onset of jerking, “shock-like” involuntary movements that may be triggered by voluntary movement or sensorystimulation. Lance Adams syndrome (LAS) is a type of myoclonus associated with hypoxicinjury to the brain. It was initially described by Lance and Adams in 1963 in a series of 4patients in whom action myoclonus developed as sequelae of hypoxic encephalopathy [1].Since that initial description, more than 100 cases have been reported in medical literature;however, LAS remains a rare condition.When myoclonus is secondary to hypoxic events, it can occur as 2 variants [2]: (1) acuteposthypoxic myoclonus (PHM), which usually occurs within 24 hours of the insult and ischaracterized by generalized myoclonus and poor prognosis; and (2) chronic PHM or LAS,which begins after a delay of generally a few days to a month and manifests predominatelyas action myoclonus. The presence of LAS adds signiﬁcantly to the functional decline andreduction in quality of life in patients with anoxic brain injury because it causes additionaldifﬁculties with motor control, dexterity, and pain.Therapeutic options for persons with PHM are scarce and usually unsuccessful. Multiplepharmacologic treatments have been suggested, including clonazepam, levetiracetam, andlevodopa [2]. Baclofen also has been used in both experimental models [3] and in humans[4,5] with promising results.Theuseofintrathecalbaclofen(ITB)therapyinpatientswithposthypoxicmyoclonushasnotbeendescribedintheliteraturetoourknowledge.WepresentacaseofPHMthatimprovedwiththe use of ITB therapy.
Chemoattraction enrichment of Thymus-homing bone marrow cells

It has been reported that a population of cells from mouse bone marrow migrates to supernatant made from the incubation of minced fragments of new-born mouse thymuses and that the migrated population is enriched for immature lymphoid cells. In the present study, we show that this method enriches for thymic-homing cells. Migration-enriched cells were labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and were injected into the tail veins of lethally irradiated mice. Cell suspensions of the thymuses from these experimental mice had 8.1 +/- 1.8% fluorescing cells compared to control mice given equal numbers of non-migration-enriched FITC labelled cells which had 2.4 +/- 1.7% positive cells.
Is it Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Poverty? An Examination of Poor Mothers and Their Children

This paper addresses generalized anxiety disorder in poor families and argues that DSM definitions have led to an expansion in the domains of what is considered disorder. Social factors, which are importantly involved in many samples used to study GAD, have been overlooked. This was a secondary analysis of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,898). The findings confirmed that the poorest mothers had greater odds of being classified as having generalized anxiety disorder. We also conducted a structural equation model. Our findings suggest that anxiety in poor mothers is not psychiatric, but a reaction to severe environmental deficits. Thus assessment and interventions should be targeted at the environmental level and diagnostic labels should be used judiciously.