cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of sexually-transmitted infection and African–American race with Streptococcus agalactiae colonization in pregnancy

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) remains a significant cause of neonatal infection, but the maternal risk factors for GBS colonization remain poorly defined. We hypothesized that there may be an association between antibiotic exposure during pregnancy and GBS colonization and/or the presence of inducible clindamycin resistance (iCLI-R) in GBS isolates from GBS-colonized pregnant women. A retrospective cohort study was performed at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Shreveport including demographic and clinical data from 1513 pregnant women who were screened for GBS between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. Among 526 (34.8%) women who screened positive for GBS, 124 (23.6%) carried GBS strains with iCLI-R (GBS-iCLI-R). While antibiotic exposure, race, sexually-transmitted infection (STI) in pregnancy, GBS colonization in prior pregnancy and BMI were identified as risk factors for GBS colonization in univariate analyses, the only independent risk factors for GBS colonization were African–American race (AOR = 2.142; 95% CI = 2.092–3.861) and STI during pregnancy (AOR = 1.309; 95% CI = 1.035–1.653). Independent risk factors for GBS-iCLI-R among women colonized with GBS were non-African–American race (AOR = 2.13; 95% CI = 1.20–3.78) and younger age (AOR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.91–0.98). Among GBS-colonized women with an STI in the current pregnancy, the only independent risk factor for iCLI-R was Chlamydia trachomatis infection (AOR = 4.31; 95% CI = 1.78–10.41). This study identified novel associations for GBS colonization and colonization with GBS-iCLI-R. Prospective studies will improve our understanding of the epidemiology of GBS colonization during pregnancy and the role of antibiotic exposure in alterations of the maternal microbiome.
Abstract 17245: The Ipad Project: Enhancing Patient-Family Communication During COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions

Introduction: As patients, hospitals and scientific communities are struck by rapidly evolving effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, new approaches to achieving high quality care and communication in t...
Visit Frequency and Outcomes for Patients Using Ongoing Chiropractic Care for Chronic Low-Back and Neck Pain: An Observational Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND Chronic spinal pain is prevalent and long-lasting. Although provider-based nonpharmacologic therapies, such as chiropractic care, have been recommended, healthcare and coverage policies provide little guidance or evidence regarding long-term use of this care. OBJECTIVE To determine the relationships between visit frequency and outcomes for patients using ongoing chiropractic care for chronic spinal pain. STUDY DESIGN Observational 3-month longitudinal study. SETTING Data collected from patients of 124 chiropractic clinics in 6 United States regions. METHODS We examined the impact of visit frequency and patient characteristics on pain (pain 0-10 numeric rating scale) and functional outcomes (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI] for low-back pain and Neck Disability Index [NDI] for neck pain, both 0-100 scale) using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) in a large national sample of chiropractic patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and/or chronic neck pain (CNP). This study was approved by the RAND Human Subjects Protection Committee and registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03162952. RESULTS One thousand, three hundred, sixty-two patients with CLBP and 1,214 with CNP were included in a series of HLM models. Unconditional (time-only) models showed patients on average had mild pain and function, and significant, but slight improvements in these over the 3-month observation period: back and neck pain decreased by 0.40 and 0.44 points, respectively; function improved by 2.7 (ODI) and 3.0 points (NDI) (all P < 0.001). Adding chiropractic visit frequency to the models revealed that those with worse baseline pain and function used more visits, but only visits more than once per week for those with CLBP were associated with significantly better improvement. These relationships remained when other types of visits and baseline patient characteristics were included. LIMITATIONS This is an observational study based on self-reported data from a sample representative of chiropractic patients, but not all patients with CLBP or CNP. CONCLUSIONS This 3-month window on chiropractic patients with CLBP and/or CNP revealed that they were improving, although slowly; may have reached maximum therapeutic improvement; and are possibly successfully managing their chronic pain using a variety of chiropractic visit frequencies. These results may inform payers when building coverage policies for ongoing chiropractic care for patients with chronic pain.
One Giant Step for Giant Cell Arteritis: Updates in Diagnosis and Treatment.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), a medium and large vessel vasculitis occurring in the aged, remains a formidable disease, capable of taking both vision and life, through a multitude of vascular complications. Our understanding of the spectrum of its manifestations has grown over the years, to include limb claudication, aortitis, and cardiac disease, in addition to the more classic visual complications resulting from of ischemia to branches of the external and internal carotid arteries. While a clinical presentation of headache, jaw claudication, scalp tenderness, fever and other systemic symptoms and serum markers are together highly suggestive of the disease, diagnosis can be challenging in those cases in which classic symptoms are lacking. The purpose of this review is to update the reader on advances in the diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis and to review our evolving understanding of the immunological mechanism underlying the disease, which have helped guide our search for novel therapies. There is increasing evidence supporting the use of Doppler ultrasound, dedicated post-contrast T1-weighted spin echo MRI of the scalp arteries and PET scan, which can together improve our diagnostic accuracy in cases in which temporal artery biopsy is either inconclusive or not feasible. Advances in our understanding of the immunological cascades underlying the disease have helped guide our search for steroid-sparing treatments for the GCA, the most important of which has been the IL-6 receptor antibody inhibitor tocilizumab, which has been shown to reduce cumulative steroid dose in a large multicenter, placebo-controlled prospective study. Other biologic agents, such as abatacept and ustekinumab have shown promise in smaller studies. GCA is no longer a disease whose diagnosis is based exclusively on temporal artery biopsy and whose complications are prevented solely with the use of corticosteroids. Modern vascular imaging techniques and targeted immunologic therapies are heralding a new era for the disease, in which practitioners will hopefully be able to diagnosis it with greater accuracy and treat it with less ischemic complications and iatrogenic side effects.
Acquired epidermodysplasia verruciformis: clinical presentation and treatment update

Acquired epidermodysplasia verruciformis (AEV) is a form of epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) that is most commonly found in immunocompromised or immunosuppressed patients. EV is commonly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV), which is often found in EV and AEV lesions. Clinical presentation of AEV in patients with organ transplantation, HIV+, congenital HIV+, hematological diseases, and other iatrogenic immunosuppression are reviewed. Treatment options include topical cidofovir, topical retinoids, topical imiquimod, topical glycolic acid, HPV 9-valent vaccine, acitretin, improving cellular immunity, and changing transplant medication to mycophenolate mofetil.
Fiduciary Duties, Corporate Purpose and Stakeholder Interests: What Pre-COVID Sustainability Initiatives Can Teach About a Post-COVID Future

COVID revealed that collective problems that exist at global scale require resources beyond those that can be easily mustered under the current rules for the American economic system. Unless one assumes that current rules governing the economy are adequate to address the need for a durable economy — a risky assumption, given that the economy staved off crashes in 2008 and 2020 only through the injection trillions of dollars of government funds — it is inevitable that those rules will change. The need for such change is already visible, and the call for such change has already begun. COVID exposed a smallness of imagination in the business and investing world respecting sustainability, an undue and undeserved respect for the ability of markets to address systemic risk: Institutional investors can use diversification to address portfolio risk — but not systemic risk like a pandemic. Operating companies can use sustainability strategies to address company-specific risk, which is helpful company by company — but not systemic risk. For “sustainability” to be an effective macro-economic strategy, then the private sector and the public sector will ultimately need to collaborate to rethink at least some of the rules of capitalism. The benefits to individual companies or investors from piecemeal company-by-company efforts can still be undermined by collective risks that exist at global scale.
A practical guide to writing a radiative transfer code

Abstract Using our decades-long experience in radiative transfer (RT) code development for Earth science, we endeavor to reduce the knowledge gap of bringing RT from theory to code quickly. Despite numerous classic and recent literature, it is still hard to develop an RT code from scratch within a few weeks. It is equally hard to understand, not to mention modify, an existing “monster” RT code, for which the developer is either located remotely or has retired. Following the format of “Numerical Recipes” by Press et al., we collocate in this paper small pieces of necessary theory with corresponding small pieces of RT code. These are arranged in an order that is natural for code development, which is often opposite of the natural order for laying out the theoretical basis. We focus on the transfer of unpolarized monochromatic solar radiation in a plane-parallel atmosphere over a reflecting surface . Both the surface and the atmosphere are homogeneous (uniform) at all directions. The multiple scattering is numerically solved using the deterministic method of Gauss-Seidel iterations. Except for the presented Python-Numba open-source RT code gsit , the paper does not report any new scientific results, but rather serves as an academic demonstration. If development time is an issue or the reader is familiar with basic concepts of RT theory, we recommend proceeding directly to Sec. 3 “RT code development”. Program summary Program title: gsit (pronounced “jeezit”) CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/d3zt5zhx49.1 Developer's repository link: https://github.com/korkins/gsit Licensing provisions: MIT Programming language: Python 3 Nature of problem: We present a tutorial code in Python for deterministic (non-stochastic) numerical simulation of multiple scattering of monochromatic solar light in a plane-parallel Earth atmosphere bounded from below by a reflecting surface. The problem is solved in a simplified form (i.e., uniform atmosphere, no polarization, uniform surface reflectance , etc.) to better explain numerical features, rather than physics, of propagation of light in the atmosphere. Solution method: The method of Gauss-Seidel iterations. It relies on the Fourier decomposition of the Radiative Transfer Equation over azimuth, Gauss quadrature for numerical integration over the zenith and iterative process for integration over height (optical depth) with analytical (hence known) single scattering approximation being the starting point. The method is relatively simple to code and does not require any external libraries.
Cranial EMG helps differentiate SBMA from ALS regardless of bulbar symptoms (P3.172)

Objective: We sought to determine if needle EMG had specific utility in distinguishing SBMA from ALS. Background: Spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have overlapping signs and symptoms but markedly divergent prognosis. Definite diagnosis of SBMA is by genetic testing. Low amplitude sensory potentials on nerve conductions may provide a clue to SBMA vs ALS, but these findings are not specific. Studies examining the role needle EMG may play in clinical distinction are lacking. Early confirmation of SBMA alleviates patient worry of a fatal diagnosis. Methods: Genetically confirmed SBMA (n=23) and age-matched male ALS (El Escorial criteria) (n=40) patients who underwent bulbar EMG were retrospectively identified. Clinical and electrophysiologic features were compared by paired t and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: Patients ranged from 29-81 years of age (median, 58 years). Most patients had bulbar symptoms (SBMA-74[percnt]; ALS-55[percnt]). Proximal symmetric muscle weakness occurred in 70[percnt] of SBMA patients compared to asymmetric, distal greater than proximal weakness in 75[percnt] of ALS patients. SBMA patients had longer duration of motor symptoms (median years = 6 vs. 12 months, p<0.01), higher serum CK values (median 830 vs. 255 U/L, p < 0.001), and lower median sensory (median µV = 3 vs. 22, p < 0.001) and sural sensory (median µV = 0 v. 12, p 2+) motor units with moderate to severely reduced recruitment (p < 0.001). This difference was evident both in those with or without bulbar symptoms. Conclusions: Large motor units in bulbar muscles on needle EMG significantly favor SBMA over ALS regardless of bulbar symptoms. Disclosure: Dr. Lahoria has nothing to disclose. Dr. Klein has nothing to disclose. Dr. Young has nothing to disclose. Dr. Staff has received research support from BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics. Dr. Milone has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sorenson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Litchy has nothing to disclose.
The Horizon of Systematic Risk: A New Beta Representation

We show that a business-cycle consumption factor can explain the differences in risk premia across alternative portfolios, including recently-proposed anomalies portfolios. We argue that explicit allowance for a separation between consumption fluctuations with heterogeneous durations is important for interpreting cross-sectional pricing as well as the time-series dynamics of consumption and returns across horizons (i.e., the hump-shaped pricing ability of the covariance between ultimate consumption and returns, the hump-shaped structure of long-run risk premia, the decaying pattern in consumption growth predictability). Using a novel modeling approach relying on a frequency-based decomposition, we formalize the important role that aggregation can play in asset pricing.
Interplanetary Spaceflight Regulatory Environment – Planetary Protection

“Planetary Protection” or “Planetary Quarantine” refers to the practice of reducing or eliminating the potential for biological and organic-chemical interchange between Earth and other bodies of the solar system. This practice is essential to the protection of the scientific exploration of space, especially for astrobiological science, and represents simple prudence with respect to the protection of the Earth from possible life elsewhere. As such, planetary protection is a facet of protecting other solar system bodies from “harmful contamination” and of protecting against “adverse changes in the environment of the Earth resulting from the introduction of extraterrestrial matter” under the UN Space Treaty of 1967. In meeting these treaty obligations, space agencies have developed a variety of implementation techniques that depend on the nature of the mission and target solar-system body, and the requirements for each body/mission type are maintained as an international consensus by COSPAR, the Committee on Space Research of the International Council for Science. Bodies requiring careful control of biological contamination, in both directions, include both Mars and Jupiter's moon Europa, whereas other bodies (including the Earth's moon) may only require control on organic contamination. Other bodies, such as small, rocky asteroids, may not require any controls on organic or biological contamination at all. This chapter describes the development of these requirements, and their implementation on a variety of spaceflight missions. Keywords: solar system exploration; planets; spaceflight missions; contamination control; microbe; extraterrestrial; quarantine; life detection; astrobiology
Stochastic Parabolic Equations of Full Second Order

A procedure is described for defining a generalized solution for stochastic differential equations using the Cameron-Martin version of the Wiener Chaos expansion. Existence and uniqueness of this Wiener Chaos solution is established for parabolic stochastic PDEs such that both the drift and the diffusion operators are of the second order.
The use of environmental media evaluation guides for screening environmental contamination

Abstract In conducting health assessments at hazardous‐waste sites, ATSDR staff must identify environmental chemical contaminants that pose a potential public health hazard. To assist health assessors in this effort, ATSDR has developed environmental media evaluation guides (EMEGs). EMEGs have been developed for water, soil, and air. The EMEG values are expressed as a range to account for the range in exposures in different segments of the population. The use of EMEGs provides health assessors with a consistent strategy for selecting environmental contaminants to be further evaluated in the health assessment process.
A Review of “Regional planning for a sustainable America; How creative programs are promoting prosperity and saving the environment”

In the early 21st century, examples of regional planning in America abound. Even after the significant withdrawal of federal support for regional planning in metropolitan areas, watersheds, and lar...
Crystal structures of FasL:DcR3 and LIGHT:DcR3 complexes reveal the molecular basis for the broad specificity of DcR3 (CCR5P.255)

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) is a secreted TNF receptor discovered in human beings but not in mice. DcR3 is able to neutralize three TNF ligands, LIGHT, FasL and TL1A and further modulate the immune response. For example, neutralization of LIGHT by DcR3 can manipulate the co-stimulatory signal triggered by LIGHT:HVEM interaction or the cell death signal resulted from LIGHT:LTβR interaction. Upon ligation with FasL, DcR3 can block the cell apoptosis pathway commenced by FasL:Fas interaction. Besides, DcR3 binds to TL1A, which can interrupt its interaction with DR3 to boost T cell immunity or induce cell apoptosis in different cell types. Although the remarkable ability of DcR3 to neutralize three different ligands has already been realized, the mechanisms which support the broad specificity of DcR3 remain to be fully defined. Here I present the novel crystal structures of the FasL:DcR3 and LIGHT:DcR3 complexes. Along with the TL1A:DcR3 structure solved in our lab previously, the whole set of the structures of TNF:TNFR complexes engaged by DcR3 was solved. Our results show that the loops of the ligands are the major determinants for the recognition of DcR3. By appropriate conformational alterations of the flexible loops but not the rigid beta-strand sheets, the diverse residues on the loops of different ligands are able to capture the cognate residues on DcR3 by polar contacts and hydrophobic interactions, thus enable the different TNF ligands to bind to the same DcR3.
Hybrid Control Models of Next Generarion AIr Traffic Management

The study of hierarchical, hybrid control systems in the framework of air traffic management (ATM) is presented. The need for a new ATM arises from the overcrowding of large urban airports and the need to more efficiently handle larger numbers of aircraft, without building new runways. Recent technological advances, such as the availability of relatively inexpensive and fast real time computers both on board the aircraft and in the control tower, make a more advanced air traffic control system possible. The benefits from these technological advances are limited by today's Air Traffic Control (ATC), a ground-based system which routes aircraft along predefined jet ways in the sky, allowing the aircraft very little autonomy in choosing their own routes. In this paper we propose a decentralized ATM framework, meaning that much of the current ATC functionality is moved on board each aircraft. Within this framework, we describe our work in on-board conflict resolution strategies between aircraft, and in deriving the flight mode switching logic in the flight vehicle management systems of each aircraft.
Informing the development of employment programs for persons with disabilities: A case study analysis of the definitions, uses and implications of the idea of suitable employment

Persons with disabilities may be involved with a number of public programs that use the idea of "suitable employment" to determine initial eligibility for services, guide service delivery planning, assess program compliance, and/or provide guidelines for case closure. Using documentary and interview data, the author conducts an embedded case study analysis of unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and welfare programs across three states to provide insight into variations in definitions and uses of the idea of suitable employment. The author discusses implications for developing employment programs for persons with disabilities.
Comparison of Hsc70 orthologs from polar and temperate notothenioid fishes: differences in prevention of aggregation and refolding of denatured proteins

Although a great deal is known about the cellular function of molecular chaperones in general, very little is known about the effect of temperature selection on the function of molecular chaperones...
Lack of correlation between reaction speed and analytical sensitivity in isothermal amplification reveals the value of digital methods for optimization: validation using digital real-time RT-LAMP

In this paper, we asked if it is possible to identify the best primers and reaction conditions based on improvements in reaction speed when optimizing isothermal reactions. We used digital single-molecule, real-time analyses of both speed and efficiency of isothermal amplification reactions, which revealed that improvements in the speed of isothermal amplification reactions did not always correlate with improvements in digital efficiency (the fraction of molecules that amplify) or with analytical sensitivity. However, we observed that the speeds of amplification for single-molecule (in a digital device) and multi-molecule (e.g. in a PCR well plate) formats always correlated for the same conditions. Also, digital efficiency correlated with the analytical sensitivity of the same reaction performed in a multi-molecule format. Our finding was supported experimentally with examples of primer design, the use or exclusion of loop primers in different combinations, and the use of different enzyme mixtures in one-step reverse-transcription loop-mediated amplification (RT-LAMP). Our results show that measuring the digital efficiency of amplification of single-template molecules allows quick, reliable comparisons of the analytical sensitivity of reactions under any two tested conditions, independent of the speeds of the isothermal amplification reactions.
A comparison of continuous intravenous insulin and subcutaneous insulin among patients with type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure exacerbation.

Background The study aims to determine whether the route of insulin administration influences glycaemic variability and inflammatory or neurohormonal markers in patients with type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure (CHF) exacerbation. Methods Patients (n = 65) were randomized to intravenous (IV) insulin (duration 48 h) or subcutaneous (SQ) insulin. Inflammatory cytokines and markers of lipid oxidation, high-frequency heart rate variability (n = 27) and cardiac impedance (pre-ejection period, n = 28) were used to estimate parasympathetic and sympathetic tone in patients with valid cardiac data. Glycaemic variability was measured using a continuous glucose monitor. Results Mean glucose was lower (7.7 ± 1.2 vs 9.4 ± 2.7 mmol/L, p = 0.004), coefficient of variation was higher (p = 0.03) and glycaemic lability index was similar on day 1 in the IV group compared with the SQ group, but groups were similar by day 2. The IV group had more confirmed hypoglycaemia (p = 0.005). There were no differences in hospital readmission or hospital length of stay between groups. There were no differences in CHF biomarkers, heart rate variability or pre-ejection period between groups. Increasing log glycaemic lability index was associated with lower on-treatment pre-ejection period (p = 0.03) while increasing coefficient of variation was associated with increasing brain natriuretic peptide (p = 0.004) and paroxonase-1 (p = 0.02). Other univariable analyses were not significant. Conclusions There were modest, transient differences in glucose control between IV and SQ insulin in hospitalized CHF patients. However, the analyses do not support a link between insulin route and inflammatory markers or autonomic tone. Further study is needed to assess outcomes in hospitalized CHF patients. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Germ-cell hyaluronidases: their roles in sperm function

Summary Hyaluronidases (hyases) are a family of enzymes that catalyse the breakdown of hyaluronic acid (HA), which is abundant in the extracellular matrix. Two unlinked gene clusters encode these six proteins: three each in the somatic (or ubiquitous) acid-active subgroup and the neutral-active germ-cell subgroup. This review analyses the data on the expression and role of hyases in gamete biology and fertilization, using electronic databases until October 2010. Evidence indicates that hyases are membrane proteins with multifunctional essential, enzymatic and non-enzymatic, roles (cumulus penetration, zona binding and HA receptor) in fertilization. While sperm adhesion molecule-1 (SPAM1), which has neutral and acidic (bimodal) activity, is the widely conserved mammalian sperm hyase, it co-exists with an acidic hyase in murine and human spermatozoa. Thus, sperm function depends on the concerted activity of both germ cell and ‘somatic’ hyases. Some hyases are in low abundance in the ovary, somatic testicular cells, the male accessory organs and the male and female genital tracts where they are secreted and acquired by spermatozoa. The latter opens up the possibility of treating hyase-deficient spermatozoa via assisted reproductive technology. The findings challenge the existing classification of hyases, and support the notion that hyase activities are polygenic traits controlled by as many as five hyase genes in mice. Multiple sperm hyases may function cooperatively in a quantitative system and/or serve redundant roles. Unsolved problems include functional redundancy, which can be addressed by double gene-knockouts, and identifying the murine hyase(s) involved in zona binding or whether this role shows species specificity.
A method for the determination of serotonin and norepinephrine in discrete areas of rat brain.

Abstract A method for the determination of both serotonin (5HT) and norepinephrine (NE) in small samples of brain is described. After extraction with acidified n-butanol, the amines are returned to an aqueous phase. Determination of 5HT is made by reaction with o-pthalaldehyde; of NE by oxidation with I 2 . The method is applicable to as little as 50 mg of brain tissue.
Nutritional assessment in home care patients

Nutrition, a critical requirement of all living organisms, involves several processes that must be maintained to sustain life. Nutrition consists of ingestion of food and fluid, digestion, absorption, distribution (transportation), utilization (metabolism), and excretion of the end products. Problems arise when the amount of various nutrients ingested is either deficient or excessive or when any of these processes are significantly altered.
Pilot study of topotecan and high-dose cyclophosphamide for resistant pediatric solid tumors.

Background The recommended dosages of topotecan and cyclophosphamide in combination for prior-treated patients—3.75 mg/m2 and 1,250 mg/m2 in children, 5 mg/m2 and 600 mg/m2 in adults, respectively—are well below those of each agent when used singly. We tested the hypothesis that much higher dosing would meet critical goals of salvage therapy: antitumor effect and a lack of toxicity to key organs, so as not to preclude subsequent consolidative treatments needed for cure. Procedure Patients with resistant pediatric solid tumors received cyclophosphamide 4,200 mg/m2 by 48 hr infusion, and topotecan 6 mg/m2 by 72 hr infusion (HD-Cy/Topo). Mesna and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were used. Cycles were repeated when neutrophil counts were >1,000/uL and platelet counts were >75,000/uL. Results Twenty-eight patients, aged 2 to 33 years (median, 14), received one (n = 4), two (n = 15), or ≥3 (n = 9) cycles of HD-Cy/Topo. All patients had previously received ≥6 cycles of other therapy, high-dose alkylator-based chemotherapy, and/or etoposide- and doxorubicin-containing regimens. HD-Cy/Topo was given in an outpatient setting. Profound myelosuppression was the major toxicity, but retreatment was possible by day 28, and preliminary results with peripheral blood stem cell collections showed a sparing effect on hemopoietic stem cells. Mucositis was uncommon. After HD-Cy/Topo, cardiac, renal, hepatic, and pulmonary function remained within the normal range. Partial or minor responses were noted in neuroblastoma, desmoplastic small round-cell tumor, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and osteosarcoma. Conclusions Its antitumor potential and limited toxicity make HD-Cy/Topo an attractive choice for inclusion in aggressive salvage programs aimed at achieving cures of resistant tumors. It may also merit incorporation into frontline treatment protocols. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 35:468–474, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Ethnomethodology as Radical Sociology: An Expansive Appreciation of Melvin Pollner's 'Constitutive and Mundane Versions of Labeling Theory'

Melvin Pollner's article on "Constitutive and Mundane Versions of Labeling Theory" appeared in the very first volume of Human Studies, twenty-five years ago. Even though Pollner packaged his analysis as something of an ethnomethodological intervention in the 'labeling theory' literature of the six? ties and seventies, his analysis nevertheless holds up remarkably well today. Part of its longevity is due to the fact that labeling theory (not to mention the sociology of deviance) is still very much indebted to pre-eighties scholarship. But part of this is because Pollner's engagement with labeling theory was much more than that. It was, in an important sense, nothing less than an engagement between ethnomethodological and conventional-sociological sensibilities about the relationship between (1) accounts of social phenomena, and (2) the social phenomena which are ostensibly 'given,' prior to and independent of their accountability (intelligibility, observability, reportability, etc.). In this respect, as an ethnomethodological engagement with an alternative version of sociological description, reasoning, and heuristics, Pollner's paper holds up very well indeed. Two provisos are necessary, at the start, before pursuing an expansive read? ing and appreciation of this sort. First, Pollner's own discussion is rather modest in scope, in that he only hints at the relevance of his arguments be? yond the topic of deviance in the final footnote (1978, p. 287). Labeling theory is similarly modest in scope, in that its insights about the importance of labeling and procedural explanations could have been pursued well beyond the scope of the sociology of deviance (cf. Becker, 1973, p. 178). But previous limita? tions of scope need not prevent us from looking beyond the immediate topic of deviance in order to appreciate the broader issues implicated in Pollner's engagement with labeling theory. Pollner's paper can be read as an exercise in applied programmatics, a specific and pointed application of the more ab? stract ethnomethodological programme for respecifying sociological topics and sociological description. In accord with this respecification, members' methods of practical reasoning and practical action (or "ethnomethods"), in? cluding members' methods of sense-making, referencing, describing and ex
Hsp90 regulates the phosphorylation and activity of serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase-1

SGK-1 (serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase-1), a member of the AGC protein kinase family, plays an important role in regulating ion channel expression and contributes to malignant epithelial cell proliferation and survival. SGK-1 activity is regulated on three levels: transcriptional induction following a variety of environmental and intracellular stresses, proteasomal degradation, and phosphorylation. Here we report that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent phosphorylation of SGK-1 requires formation of a complex between SGK-1 and heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90). Inactivation of Hsp90 by geldanamycin led to decreased SGK-1 phosphorylation independently of increased proteasomal protein degradation, and inhibition of PI3K activity by LY294002 appeared to eliminate SGK-1 phosphorylation at the same residues as those affected by geldanamycin treatment. Interestingly, geldanamycin-targeted phosphorylation sites were not limited to the known conserved PI3K-dependent sites Thr-256 and Ser-422 in SGK-1 but included additional unknown PI3K-dependent residues. Inhibition of Hsp90 also resulted in a complete loss of SGK-1 kinase activity, suggesting that Hsp90 activity is essential for regulating the PI3K/SGK-1 pathway.
A control system model of organizational motivation: Theoretical development and applied implications

In this paper, a control theory model of human motivation is described. The basic units of this model (goals, sensor, comparator, decision mechanism, and effector mechanism) are explained, system states and boundary conditions are specified, and propositions based on the model are developed. The consequences of controlling different parameters are discussed and extensions of the model to interpersonal tasks are suggested. The practical advantages of this model for understanding the operation of management systems are discussed and areas needing further research are identified.
Effective optimization of magnetic noise for a Metglas/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 magnetoelectric sensor array in an open environment

Abstract The magnetic equivalent noise for a 4×4 Metglas/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 magnetoelectric (ME) sensor array unit has been optimized. Such optimization holds good for practical sensor application in open (unshielded) environments. The self-noise estimation for the array unit was about 15–16.8 pT/√Hz at f=1 Hz, as estimated by the coherence between each unit and their beam. To verify the efficiency of this optimization technique, self-noise tests were also performed in a magnetic shielding chamber and shown to be close to that of units in an open environment. After employing a noise optimization method, the 4×4 array can achieve a 27 dB common mode noise rejection and an equivalent magnetic noise floor of 8.2 pT/√Hz at f=1 Hz.
Robust stability of uncertain linear systems with multiple time delays

AbstractIn this paper, the robust stability of uncertain linear systems with multiple time delays is studied. Sufficient conditions for robust stability of linear time delay systems with convex perturbations are obtained. From these sufficient conditions, a few results on robust stability of systems with other perturbations are derived. Some previously known sufficient conditions are generalized.
A new mode of antiferromagnetic interactions: tris(pyrrolidyldithiocarbamato)iron(III)

Spin delocalisation to a dithiocarbamate ligand, and consequent antiferromagnetic interaction, occurs in the d5(t32ge2g) complex but not in the isomorphous d3(t32g) complex; when these interactions are removed by dilution, a sextet–quartet equilibrium is apparent in the d5 complex.
Single-fraction radiosurgery of benign intracranial meningiomas.

Background Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of benign intracranial meningiomas is an accepted management option for well-selected patients. Objective To analyze patients who had single-fraction SRS for benign intracranial meningiomas to determine factors associated with tumor control and neurologic complications. Methods Retrospective review was performed of 416 patients (304 women/112 men) who had single-fraction SRS for imaging defined (n = 252) or confirmed World Health Organization grade I (n = 164) meningiomas from 1990 to 2008. Excluded were patients with radiation-induced tumors, multiple meningiomas, neurofibromatosis type 2, and previous or concurrent radiotherapy. The majority of tumors (n = 337; 81%) involved the cranial base or tentorium. The median tumor volume was 7.3 cm; the median tumor margin dose was 16 Gy. The median follow-up was 60 months. Results The disease-specific survival rate was 97% at 5 years and 94% at 10 years. The 5- and 10-year local tumor control rate was 96% and 89%, respectively. Male sex (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.5, P = .03), previous surgery (HR: 6.9, P = .002) and patients with tumors located in the parasagittal/falx/convexity regions (HR: 2.8, P = .02) were negative risk factors for local tumor control. In 45 patients (11%) permanent radiation-related complications developed at a median of 9 months after SRS. The 1- and 5-year radiation-related complication rate was 6% and 11%, respectively. Risk factors for permanent radiation-related complication rate were increasing tumor volume (HR: 1.05, P = .008) and patients with tumors of the parasagittal/falx/convexity regions (HR: 3.0, P = .005). Conclusion Single-fraction SRS at the studied dose range provided a high rate of tumor control for patients with benign intracranial meningiomas. Patients with small volume, nonoperated cranial base or tentorial meningiomas had the best outcomes after single-fraction SRS.
Back pain in a pregnant patient.

Dr. Matthew Risken: Today’s case is that of a 20-yearold woman, 38 weeks pregnant, who presented to our institution with complaints of abdominal pain and back pain of 3–4 h in duration. The patient had been well on the day before admission until she was awakened out of sleep by pain. A family member suggested that this may represent early labor, and the patient was able to fall back asleep. Back pain and abdominal pain awakened her again, and the pain was described as more intense than the initial episode. An ambulance was called, and upon arrival, the paramedics found the patient in mild to moderate distress. Vital signs were as follows: blood pressure 110/70 mm Hg, pulse 96 beats per minute, and respiratory rate 16 breaths per minute. The patient was transported to the hospital, where she was triaged directly to the labor and delivery (L&D) suite for presumed labor pain. Upon arrival in the L&D suite, an attempt to listen for fetal heart tones was unsuccessful. An obstetrical ultrasound was rapidly obtained, which revealed a 38-week fetus with no fetal heart activity. Dr. Eric Nadel: Are there any questions about the initial presentation? Dr. Gary Zimmer: Placental abruption should be considered in this case, and is a common cause of abdominal and back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy. Ultrasonography in patients with placental abruption is often insensitive, given the similar echogenicity between fresh clot and placenta, but is still the most appropriate initial test (1). What were the ultrasonographic findings in this case? Also, you did not mention whether there was vaginal bleeding, which is present in 80% of patients with abruption (2). Dr. Risken: The ultrasound revealed a 38-week fetus with no fetal heart activity, and the placenta was not visualized. There was also no report of gross blood within the uterus. There was no vaginal bleeding in the L&D suite, nor was there a report of it prior to presentation to the hospital. Dr. Alan Kumar: Do you think the Emergency Department (ED) triage directly to the L&D suite was appropriate? Often obstetrical patients are seen in the ED and then triaged to L&D. Dr. Stephen Bohan: There was no clinical or historical evidence to suggest that anything more significant than the onset of labor was occurring in this patient. She was in mild to moderate distress on initial presentation and was hemodynamically stable. Even with a possible diagnosis of placental abruption, she was under the direct care of the physicians most skilled at handling that condition. Triage to L&D seemed appropriate given the patient’s initial presentation. Dr. Risken: Shortly after the ultrasound was obtained, the patient began to experience worsening of abdominal and back pain and reported weakness and tingling of her legs. Physical examination showed her to have decreased sensation of the legs. She was rapidly transferred to the ED. Upon arrival in the ED, the patient was awake, complaining of back pain and diffuse ab-
Atomistic models for disordered nanoporous carbons using reactive force fields

Abstract Optimization of disordered nanoporous carbons (DNCs) for specific applications remains a challenge due to the difficulty in accurately characterizing their nanostructures with current experimental methods. We describe how atomistic simulation techniques can be used to build structural models of DNCs and subsequently elucidate the structure–function relationship in these complex porous materials. In particular, two state-of-the-art approaches that use methods based in statistical mechanics to predict the structure of DNCs are described. The quench molecular dynamics method is a pseudo-mimetic approach that captures the effect of synthesis temperature on the structural morphology of disordered carbons, while the hybrid reverse Monte Carlo method is a reconstruction approach that builds realistic replicas of DNCs from experimental diffraction data. Both of these methods use reactive force fields to capture the formation and disassociation of chemical bonds during the simulations, allowing for the structural and porous features of DNCs to be predicted. We describe the principles behind these methods and provide illustrative examples that demonstrate their utility in modeling DNCs. Finally, we also discuss their current limitations and future avenues for improving their predictive capabilities.
Compressive Hyperspectral Imaging of Space Objects

For space objects, because of wavelength-dependent atmospheric turbulence blurring, the coded-aperture snapshot spectral imager (CASSI) multiplexes blurred hyperspectral images in a single snapshot. An algorithm is proposed to solve for true hyperspectral images.
Effects of the 21-aminosteroid, U74389F, on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.

OBJECTIVE To determine if a new class of agents, the 21-aminosteroids, which are reportedly potent inhibitors of iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, could protect rats from bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. SUBJECTS Fifty-five adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. DESIGN Prospective, randomized, blinded, controlled trial. INTERVENTIONS The rats were subjected to intratracheal bleomycin (or saline vehicle), and were then treated with the 21-aminosteroid, U74389F (20 mg/kg/day), or vehicle, for the next 7 days. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS At 21 days after bleomycin administration, pulmonary fibrosis was assessed histologically as percent of lung fields with evidence of fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis was assessed biochemically by measuring pulmonary elastin and hydroxyproline content. To determine if a protective effect of U74389F was linked to the 21-aminosteroid's ability to suppress lipid peroxidation, two products of lipid peroxidation were assayed in the lungs at 7 and 14 days after bleomycin exposure. By histologic assessment, the 21-aminosteroid-treated, bleomycin-exposed animals were found to have significantly decreased the extent of pulmonary fibrosis when compared with the bleomycin control group (mean 48.6 +/- 20.0 [SD] % [n = 9] vs. 68.4 +/- 19.6% [n = 11]; p < .05). In addition, lung elastin was decreased by approximately 75% (p < .05) and hydroxyproline was decreased by approximately 50% (NS) in the 21-aminosteroid-treated group when compared with the bleomycin control group. At 7 and 14 days after bleomycin exposure, all bleomycin-exposed animals had evidence of increased lipid peroxidation (conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances), but the 21-aminosteroid-treated, bleomycin-exposed animals had significantly decreased evidence of lipid peroxidation when compared with bleomycin controls. CONCLUSIONS The 21-aminosteroid can substantially protect animals from bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and may prove useful in other lung diseases where iron-dependent, free-radical reactions and/or lipid peroxidation are presumed mechanisms of toxicity.
N-Methoxyanhydrovobasinediol from Gelsemium elegans

Abstract An extract of the whole plant of Gelsemium elegans has afforded a new akuammiline-related alkaloid N -methoxyanhydrovobasinediol the structure and stereochemistry of which were deduced by spectral methods and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.
Clay aerogel/cellulose whisker nanocomposites: a nanoscale wattle and daub

Aerogels based on either clay or cellulose nanofibers are representatives of an emerging class of structural materials with ultra-low density. Both types of aerogels are made from abundant raw materials and are formed through environmentally friendly freeze-drying processes. Due to the ultra-low-density layered superstructure that results from templating by the ice crystal morphology, the neat aerogels are unfortunately often rather fragile. The present study explores inorganic/organic hybrid aerogels that comprise montmorillonite and cellulose nanofibers isolated from tunicates. Dynamic mechanical testing revealed that, especially at low densities, these materials exhibit compressive strengths that are significantly higher than predicted by simple additive behavior of the properties of the individual components. At first glance, the data seem to suggest the formation of a nanoscale “wattle-and-daub”, in which the two components (mud-like clay and straw-like cellulose whiskers) complement each other. It appears that the main cause for this synergy is the enhanced formation of three dimensional network structures during the freeze-drying process.
Polymer-assisted solution-phase synthesis of 2'-amido-2'-deoxyadenosine derivatives targeted at the NAD(+)-binding sites of parasite enzymes.

A polymer-assisted solution-phase (PASP) synthesis of lead structure analogues ready for biological testing without the demand for chromatographic purification is described. Carboxylic acids are coupled to the Kenner or Ellman safety catch linker, respectively, activated by methylation or cyanomethylation and subsequently transferred to the 2‘-amino group of the 2‘-amino-2‘-deoxyadenosine scaffold (5). The chemoselective attack of weakly nucleophilic amino groups on the N-alkylated N-acyl sulfonamide linker allows for the synthesis of amides 6 in high yields without the need for protection of primary and secondary hydroxyl functions. Thus, the use of 4-sulfamylbenzoylaminomethyl polystyrene is reported for the construction of chemoselective polymer-supported acylating reagents instead of its known use as linker in solid-phase peptide or organic synthesis. This approach is demonstrated to be well suited to obtain 2‘-amido-2‘-deoxyadenosine derivatives 6 in parallel format. Biological evaluation of all comp...