cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aggregation and stability of nanoscale plastics in aquatic environment.

Abstract The widespread use and release of plastics in nature have raised global concerns about their impact on public health and the environment. While much research has been conducted on macro- and micro-sized plastics, the fate of nanoscale plastics remains unexplored. In this study, the aggregation kinetics and stability of polyethylene and polystyrene nanoscale plastics were investigated over a wide range of aquatic chemistries (pH, salt types (NaCl, CaCl2, MgCl2), ionic strength) relevant to the natural environment. Results showed that salt types and ionic strength had significant effects on the stability of both polyethylene and polystyrene nanoscale plastics, while pH had none. Aggregation and stability of both polyethylene and polystyrene nanoscale plastics in the aquatic environment followed colloidal theory (DLVO theory and Schulze-Hardy rule), similar to other colloidal particles. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) values of polyethylene nanoscale plastics were lower for CaCl2 (0.1 mM) compared to NaCl (80 mM) and MgCl2 (3 mM). Similarly, CCC values of polystyrene nanospheres were 10 mM for CaCl2, 800 mM for NaCl and 25 mM for MgCl2. It implies that CaCl2 destabilized both polyethylene and polystyrene nanoscale plastics more aggressively than NaCl and MgCl2. Moreover, polystyrene nanospheres are more stable in the aquatic environment than polyethylene nanoscale plastics. However, natural organic matter improved the stability of polyethylene nanoscale plastics in water primarily due to steric repulsion, increasing CCC values to 0.4 mM, 120 mM and 8 mM for CaCl2, NaCl and MgCl2 respectively. Stability studies with various water conditions demonstrated that polyethylene nanoscale plastics will be fairly stable in the natural surface waters. Conversely, synthetic surface water, wastewater, seawater and groundwater rapidly destabilized polyethylene nanoscale plastics. Overall, our findings indicate that significant aqueous transport of nanoscale plastics will be possible in natural surface waters.
Respiratory viral infection in lung transplantation induces exosomes that trigger chronic rejection.

BACKGROUND Respiratory viral infections can increase the risk of chronic lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplantation, but the mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we determined whether symptomatic respiratory viral infections after lung transplantation induce circulating exosomes that contain lung-associated self-antigens and assessed whether these exosomes activate immune responses to self-antigens. METHODS Serum samples were collected from lung transplant recipients with symptomatic lower- and upper-tract respiratory viral infections and from non-symptomatic stable recipients. Exosomes were isolated via ultracentrifugation; purity was determined using sucrose cushion; and presence of lung self-antigens, 20S proteasome, and viral antigens for rhinovirus, coronavirus, and respiratory syncytial virus were determined using immunoblot. Mice were immunized with circulating exosomes from each group and resulting differential immune responses and lung histology were analyzed. RESULTS Exosomes containing self-antigens, 20S proteasome, and viral antigens were detected at significantly higher levels (p CONCLUSIONS Circulating exosomes isolated from lung transplant recipients diagnosed with respiratory viral infections contained lung self-antigens, viral antigens, and 20S proteasome and elicited immune responses to lung self-antigens that resulted in development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction in immunized mice.
Large-Area Resistive Strain Sensing Sheet for Structural Health Monitoring.

Damage significantly influences response of a strain sensor only if it occurs in the proximity of the sensor. Thus, two-dimensional (2D) sensing sheets covering large areas offer reliable early-stage damage detection for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. This paper presents a scalable sensing sheet design consisting of a dense array of thin-film resistive strain sensors. The sensing sheet is fabricated using flexible printed circuit board (Flex-PCB) manufacturing process which enables low-cost and high-volume sensors that can cover large areas. The lab tests on an aluminum beam showed the sheet has a gauge factor of 2.1 and has a low drift of 1.5 μ ϵ / d a y . The field test on a pedestrian bridge showed the sheet is sensitive enough to track strain induced by the bridge’s temperature variations. The strain measured by the sheet had a root-mean-square (RMS) error of 7 μ ϵ r m s compared to a reference strain on the surface, extrapolated from fiber-optic sensors embedded within the bridge structure. The field tests on an existing crack showed that the sensing sheet can track the early-stage damage growth, where it sensed 600 μ ϵ peak strain, whereas the nearby sensors on a damage-free surface did not observe significant strain change.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Ibrutinib Monotherapy in Symptomatic, Previously Treated Patients With Waldenström Macroglobulinemia

PURPOSEWe report the long-term findings and final analysis of a pivotal multicenter trial of ibrutinib monotherapy in previously treated patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM).PATIENTS AN...
Going green is good for you: Why we need to change the way we think about pro-environmental behavior

Awareness and concern about climate change are widespread. But rates of pro-environmental behavior are low. This is partly due to the way in which pro-environmental behavior is framed – as a sacrif...
Association of Body Mass Index and Age With Morbidity and Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19: Results From the American Heart Association COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry.

Background: Obesity may contribute to adverse outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, studies of large, broadly generalizable patient populations are lacking, and the effect of bo...
Boosting detection of low abundance proteins in thermal proteome profiling experiments by addition of an isobaric trigger channel to TMT multiplexes

ABSTRACT The study of low abundance proteins is a challenge to discovery-based proteomics. Mass-spectrometry (MS) applications, such as thermal proteome profiling (TPP) face specific challenges in detection of the whole proteome as a consequence of the use of nondenaturing extraction buffers. TPP is a powerful method for the study of protein thermal stability, but quantitative accuracy is highly dependent on consistent detection. Therefore, TPP can be limited in its amenability to study low abundance proteins that tend to have stochastic or poor detection by MS. To address this challenge, we incorporated an affinity purified protein complex sample at submolar concentrations as an isobaric trigger channel into a mutant TPP (mTPP) workflow to provide reproducible detection and quantitation of the low abundance subunits of the Cleavage and Polyadenylation Factor (CPF) complex. The inclusion of an isobaric protein complex trigger channel increased detection an average of 40x for previously detected subunits and facilitated detection of CPF subunits that were previously below the limit of detection. Importantly, these gains in CPF detection did not cause large changes in melt temperature (Tm) calculations for other unrelated proteins in the samples, with a high positive correlation between Tm estimates in samples with and without isobaric trigger channel addition. Overall, the incorporation of affinity purified protein complex as an isobaric trigger channel within a TMT multiplex for mTPP experiments is an effective and reproducible way to gather thermal profiling data on proteins that are not readily detected using the original TPP or mTPP protocols.
Effects of Acetate on Cerebral Blood Flow, Systemic Inflammation, and Behavior in Alcohol Use Disorder

BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are associated with altered regulation of physiological processes in the brain. Acetate, a metabolite of ethanol, has been implicated in several processes that are disrupted in AUDs including transcriptional regulation, metabolism, inflammation, and neurotransmission. To further understand the effects of acetate on brain function in AUDs, we investigated the effects of acetate on cerebral blood flow (CBF), systemic inflammatory cytokines, and behavior in AUD. METHODS Sixteen participants with AUD were recruited from a nonmedical, clinically managed detoxification center. Each participant received acetate and placebo in a randomly assigned order of infusion and underwent 3T MR scanning using quantitative pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling. Participants and the study team were blinded to the infusion. CBF values (ml/100 g/min) extracted from thalamus were compared between placebo and acetate using a mixed effect linear regression model accounting for infusion order. Voxel-wise CBF comparisons were set at threshold of p < 0.05 cluster-corrected for multiple comparisons, voxel-level p < 0.0001. Plasma cytokine levels and behavior were also assessed between infusions. RESULTS Fifteen men and 1 woman were enrolled with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores between 13 and 38 with a mean of 28.3 ± 9.1. Compared to placebo, acetate administration increased CBF in the thalamus bilaterally (Left: 51.2 vs. 68.8, p < 0.001; Right: 53.7 vs. 69.6, p = 0.001), as well as the cerebellum, brainstem, and cortex. Older age and higher AUDIT scores were associated with increases in acetate-induced thalamic blood flow. Cytokine levels and behavioral measures did not differ between placebo and acetate infusions. CONCLUSIONS This pilot study in AUD suggests that during the first week of abstinence from alcohol, the brain's response to acetate differs by brain region and this response may be associated with the severity of alcohol dependence.
Epidemiological analysis of pesticide poisoning in Tianjin from 2009 to 2018

Objective: To understand the present situation, law and characteristics of pesticide poisoning in Tianjin, and provide scientific basis for the formulation of pesticide poisoning control strategy. Methods: In August 2019, the related pesticide poisoning report card was derived from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. A total of 864 pesticide poisoning cases from 2009 to 2018 in Tianjin were studied, and the data were processed by SPSS 24.0, statistical analysis was performed by 2-test. Results: from 2009 to 2018, a total of 56 pesticide poisoning deaths were reported in Tianjin, with a case fatality rate of 6.48% (56/864) , including 166 cases of productive pesticide poisoning (19.21%) and 698 cases of non-productive pesticide poisoning (80.79%) , the difference of case fatality rate was statistically significant (χ(2)=11.72, P<0.05) . With the most cases of pesticide poisoning (144 cases) in 2012 and the least (48 cases) in 2018. The cases were mainly distributed in Jizhou (312 cases) , Baodi District (247 cases) and Jinnan district (140 cases) , with a total of 699 cases (80.90%) . The time was mainly from May to August, in which non-productive pesticide poisoning occurred in each month, the concentration of productive pesticide poisoning occurred from April to August in spring and summer, and reached its peak in July and August. The age range from 35 to 44 years old was the most (188 cases, 21.76%) , and the age below 15 years old was the least (8 cases, 0.93%) . Pesticide was the most common drug type (551 cases, 63.77%) . Conclusion: The departments concerned should strengthen the education and supervision of pesticide safety, improve the farmers'awareness of harm and self-protection, so as to reduce and prevent the occurrence of pesticide poisoning in this city.
The effects of floral nectar, extrafloral nectar and hemipteran honeydew on the fitness of Tamarixia radiata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a parasitoid of Diaphorina citri

Abstract Tamarixia radiata parasitizes nymphs of Diaphorina citri, a global citrus pest that vectors a bacterium that causes a lethal citrus disease, huanglongbing. The effects of four species of potted flowering native California plants, potted flowering buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and Euphorbia marginata (both non-native), honeydew from D. citri and Coccus hesperidum, cut flowers from lemon and orange trees, 50% honey-water, and water only on the longevity, survivorship and reproduction of T. radiata was investigated in the laboratory. Fecundity was measured by counting egg load of parasitoid cohorts ~15 h of age at time of set up and those that were removed for dissection from test arenas at 1, 6, and 18 days after introduction, or at time of death. Maximum survival of female T. radiata was 34 days on honey-water. Survival on honey-water, buckwheat and C. hesperidum honeydew was statistically equivalent, and these three food treatments significantly enhanced parasitoid survival when compared with all remaining food treatments. Female T. radiata fed on D. citri honeydew survived an average of 5 days, which was 3 days longer, on average, than those provided with water only. Parasitoid egg load significantly decreased with increasing days alive, thereby demonstrating the synovigenic nature of T. radiata. Parasitoids that fed on buckwheat flowers and died from natural causes had, on average, 5 more mature eggs in their ovaries at time of death when compared to parasitoids that died when provided access to other experimental sugar sources that were tested. These results suggest that buckwheat may be a useful insectary plant in citrus orchards that could enhance the efficacy of T. radiata against D. citri.
Comparing the Explainability and Performance of Reinforcement Learning and Genetic Fuzzy Systems for Safe Satellite Docking

As the number of satellites in orbit is increasing, a shift to autonomous operations is essential. Autonomous control systems have the potential to increase efficiency and decrease cost by reducing the ratio of human operators on the ground to spacecraft in orbit. Machine learning algorithms such as Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Genetic Fuzzy Systems (GFS) are excellent candidates to be applied to space systems, as they have demonstrated the ability to surpass human performance in complex, high dimensional systems. When applied to a physical system, an autonomous controller needs to be safe, effective, and explainable so that a human operator can trust that the controller will complete a task efficiently without making any mistakes. In this paper, the performance of controllers trained with both RL and GFS are compared. Both controllers implement a real time safety filter to ensure safety while training. While RL is shown to have very high performance, it suffers from a lack of explainability. GFS is shown to balance these two characteristics, as it has comparable performance and is much more explainable.
Epithelial Cell Kinetics in the Small Intestine of the Rat 60 Days After Resection of 70 Per Cent of the Ileum and Jejunum

Sixty days following resection of 7% o of the small intestine, excluding duodenum, several parameters of the remaining crypt cell population were measured by means of autoradiography using tritiated thymidine as a nuclear label. The S phase was the portion of the cell cycle most affected and was reduced an average of 9% in all intestinal segments from resected animals. The generation time decreased slightly owing to shortening of the S phase. The increased length and cellularity of crypts indicated hyperplasia. The total proliferative population increased proportionally with the increase in crypt size, both increasing about 36.5% which resulted in no change in the labeling index. The mitotic index increased an average of 22% but this represents an average from 3.7% in sham-resected to 4.5% in resected animals. The migration rate of epithelial cells from crypts to villi was increased an average of 31%.
Archaeomagnetic Dating On the Great Plains

Archaeomagnetic dates are given for 41 samples from numerous archaeological sites on the Central, Southern, and High Plains. The archaeomagnetic samples are dated using the U.S. Southwest curve, because no curve exists for the Plains area. Both visual and statistical archaeomagnetic dates are provided, and ' 'modified statistical dates *' are derived to address current problems with the statistical dating method. Plains sample quality is discussed, and samples colected from hearths inside structures are found to produce better archaeomagnetic results than samples from open campsite hearths. The archaeomagnetic dates are compared to radiocarbon dates and archaeological expectations for the sites from which the samples were collected, and give favorable results for precision and accuracy. Archaeo magnetism is seen as a useful addition to available dating techniques for Plains sites.
Super-bits, Demi-bits, and NP/qpoly-natural Proofs

We introduce the super-bit conjecture, which allows the development of a theory generalizing the notion of pseudorandomness so as to fool non-deterministic statistical tests. This new kind of pseudo-randomness rules out the existence of N P/poly-natural properties that can work against P/poly. This is an important extension of the original theory of P/poly-natural proofs [10]. We also introduce the closely related demi-bit conjecture which is more intuitive and is the source of interesting open problems.
The purification and properties of rat liver nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase.

Abstract NAD kinase (ATP:NAD 2'-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.23) has been purified from rat liver. Approximately a 1000-fold purification with a yield of 30% is routinely achieved. Preparations of up to 2000-fold purification have been achieved with a yield of 3 to 5%. The apparent Km values for NAD and ATP are 1.4 and 7.0 mm, respectively. The Vmax was calculated to be 21 µmoles of NADP formed per mg of protein per hour. The pH optimum is around 7.0. The enzyme is stable at pH 9 to 10. Rapid loss in activity occurs at lower pH values. Mg++ is essential for enzymatic activity. Mn++ can substitute for Mg++, as can to a lesser extent, Zn++ and Fe++.
Unfinished Business: The Affordable Care Act and the Problem of Delayed and Denied ERISA Healthcare Claims

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) grew out of a longstanding desire to bring universal healthcare coverage to Americans. But universal healthcare was not the only goal. Some longed to see ERISA’s preemption of state-law remedies softened, so that healthcare claims in ERISA plans could no longer be delayed and denied with impunity. While the ACA now extends coverage to more Americans, ERISA preemption remains unchanged. So, when ERISA healthcare plans — which insure most Americans — improperly delay or deny healthcare claims, the plans still risk nothing more than the eventual payment of that claim’s value.This article posits that ERISA claims processing and preemption reform is the unfinished business of the ACA — without it, the consumer remains consistently disadvantaged by both the process and substance of healthcare claims processing. Substantively, the ACA leaves ERISA preemption intact so that plan participants with denied claims must work tirelessly and with exacting attention to detail in order to appeal and eventually win back — at most — the value of the denied or delayed claim. Without further changes to the claims process and ultimately, to ERISA preemption, the ACA includes more people in health plans but also leaves them vulnerable to the vagaries of health plan decision-makers. The promise of universal, meaningful healthcare coverage therefore remains incomplete.
Why Do Dentists Refer to Specific Orthodontists

Abstract Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that the quality of treatment outcomes and overall patient satisfaction are of equal importance in influencing a general dentist to refer a pati...
The Association Between Medicolegal and Professional Concerns and Chest Pain Admission Rates

Objectives For patients in whom acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a concern, disposition decisions are complex and multifactorial and have traditionally been a source of considerable variation. An important factor in disposition decisions for these patients may be physician-perceived medicolegal risk and related professional concerns. The study aim was to determine, at the point of care, how much less frequently physicians report that they would admit possible ACS patients if there was either zero or a defined medicolegal risk. Methods This was a point-of-care emergency physician survey. Research assistants approached physicians at or immediately following the moment of disposition decisions for patients who were being admitted for ACS. The primary outcome measures were the proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if medicolegal issues were of no concern and the proportion of physicians reporting that patients would not have been admitted if there was an “acceptable miss rate” of 1% to 2% for ACS patients. Results During the 3-month study period, 576 patients were admitted to an inpatient unit or to the ED observation protocol. Physicians were approached in 271 cases, and 259 surveys were completed. When presented with hypothetical zero medicolegal risk, physicians answered that they would not have admitted the patients in 30% of cases. With a hypothetical 1% to 2% acceptable miss rate, physicians indicated that they would not have admitted the patients in 29% of the cases. Conclusions ED medicolegal and professional concerns may substantially increase admissions for possible ACS. An acceptable miss rate or a zero medicolegal risk environment could potentially lead to a major reduction in admissions that physicians feel to be clinically unnecessary.
Young Men's Reentry after Incarceration: A Developmental Paradox.

We apply a life course perspective to study young men's transition to adulthood within the context of their return to family after a period of incarceration. Our phenomenological analysis was based on 9 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated men between the age of 18 and 24. Our findings revealed that reentry was a developmental paradox that embodied contradictions about employment, maturity, and dependence on family. A key developmental contradiction was that although employment was essential for young men's ability to become independent, it was out of reach for most of the study participants due to their criminal justice involvement. Furthermore, lived meanings around dependency on family as a result of incarceration ran counter to young men's self-definitions of adult manhood. Recommendations are discussed to help resolve these contradictions and facilitate young offenders' ability to move forward in life.
A Home Parenteral Nutrition Program for Infants

Infants with short bowel syndrome and other acquired or congenital gastrointestinal disorders are able to survive their neonatal period, in part, because of the use of parenteral nutrition (PN). An increasing number of these children are being cared for at home while receiving PN. This article reviews a home PN program for infants, including identification of patients, discharge planning, and outpatient care.
The effect of bovine growth hormone on growth of mammary tumors in hypophysectomized rats

Abstract Bovine growth hormone has been shown to be effective in promoting growth of mammary tumors in hypophysectomized rats treated with 7, 12-dimethylbenzanthracene.
Unit activity recorded from the globus pallidus during classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response

Abstract Single and multiple unit activity were recorded from the region of the globus pallidus (GP) in rabbits during classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response. The most common response recorded in the GP was a short latency (> 60 ms) change in firing following presentations of the pure tone conditioned stimulus (CS) and the corneal airpuff unconditioned stimulus (US). This response pattern was present in 39% of the pallidal records, and appeared to be elicited by the auditory components of the CS and US. Similar response patterns were seen in a few records from the putamen, entopeduncular nucleus, and ventral pallidum/substantia innominata. All of the single units that displayed this response pattern had a very sporadic pattern of spontaneous activity. Several other records from the GP displayed short latency responses after US presentations that appeared to be related to the tactile component of the airpuff. Responses of pallidal neurons to the CS and US were largely unaffected by the training procedures. It is concluded that this structure is most likely not directly involved in the classical conditioning of simple, striated muscle responses.
The role of rewards and reinforcements in early education programs: I external reinforcement in early education

Abstract Arguments are proposed for the use of external modes of reinforcement with young children. Such reinforcement is not antithetical to most conceptions of human development and learning and indeed can supplement and support learning and teaching strategies derived from diverse theories. External reinforcement aids the development of prelearning skills, the emergence of creativity, child analysis, and complex learning. It helps improve the affective climate and guides teacher behavior. External reinforcement paradigms are necessary, useful, but not sufficient for a complete instructional system.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth

This chapter reviews the literature reported during 2012 on the chemistry of nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth.
Low-Frequency Raman Scattering from Water at High Pressures and High Temperatures†

Low-frequency isobaric Raman spectra were obtained from water at 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kbar and temperatures from −18 to 342 °C. Peaks near ≈60 and ≈175 cm-1 were observed at −18 °C and 2.0 kbar, but only a single, asymmetric 50−60 cm-1 feature, skewed to ≈300 cm-1, remained near ≈170 °C and above. The low-temperature ≈60 and 175 cm-1 peaks arise respectively from transverse acoustic (TA) and longitudinal acoustic (LA) standing waves, whereas the skewed, high-temperature Raman feature is well-fitted by a relative kinetic energy distribution (RKED). The TA phonon and RKED peaks are coincident near 60 cm-1. Spectra taken at intermediate temperatures, e.g., 77 and 124 °C, were fitted by a combination of the appropriate RKED and the (−18 °C, 2.0 kbar) TA + LA phonon spectrum. Temperature rise breaks hydrogen bonds and the solidlike patches which support the TA and LA phonons. This continues until only the gaslike RKED remains at high temperatures. Librational spectra were also obtained isochorically. They in...
Confirmation, Paradoxes, and Possible Worlds

In a landmark essay, Hempel claimed to show that two unexceptionable theses about confirmation must lead to seemingly paradoxical conclusions (see Hempel [1945]). Rather than reject those theses, Hempel sought to establish that the conclusions they threaten us with are not genuinely paradoxical. The appearance of paradox, he held, is simply a 'psychological illusion' ([1945], p. i8). I will argue that the paradoxes do not follow from the theses Hempel held them to follow from. Moreover, in the interesting cases the additional theses needed to derive or support paradoxical conclusions are quite certainly false. My arguments depend on our accepting, as Hempel himself does, what I shall call the 'sentential interpretation' of confirmation. According to this interpretation, confirmation is a 'logical relationship between sentences', that is, it is sentences which confirm and which are confirmed (Hempel [19451, p. 25). Much of Hempel's classic discussion is couched rather in terms of what I shall call the 'objectual interpretation' of confirmation. On this approach one treats objects rather than sentences as confirming various hypotheses or 'hypothesis-sentences'. It appears that Hempel considered these two interpretations to be logically indistinguishable.' We will see that this is not so. The validity of arguments is affected by one's choice between the sentential and objectual interpretations. Hence, Hempel's heavy reliance on the objectual interpretation results in arguments which do not remain valid when they are reformulated in exclusively sentential terms. An appeal to additional theses thus becomes necessary as a
Evolution of the Cu-Al Alloy/ SiO2 Interfaces during Bias Temperature Stressing

Alloys of copper with small amounts of aluminum have recently been investigated as the interconnect metal directly on SiO 2 or as the low resistivity diffusion barrier/adhesion promoter between copper and SiO 2 . In the present work the electrical stability of the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors of such alloys on thermal oxide on p-silicon was investigated. MOS samples preannealed at 250°C and subjected to bias temperature stressing (BTS) at 200 and 250°C under an electrical field of 1.5 or 2 MV/cm showed stable C-V behavior with no observed shifts along the voltage axis. However, an observed decrease in the C ox by about 4-5% was associated with the higher BTS temperature or the field, Such changes were not observed if the preanneal was performed at 300°C instead of 250°C, Our X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of the metal/SiO 2 interface suggest that the observed instabilities in samples preannealed at 250°C (not observed in those preannealed at 300°C) are related to the interface interactions between Al (in the alloy) and SiO 2 . The higher temperature preanneal or higher BTS conditions led to stabilization of this interface leading to stable MOS behavior as is also supported by the results of the I-V measurements which is also presented and discussed in this work.
Aktueller Stand der Knochendensitometrie: II. Methodik der Quantitativen Computertomographie

Zusammenfassung Im zweiten Teil dieses Ubersichtsartikels werden verschiedene Verfahren der Quantitativen Computertomographie (QCT) dargestellt. QCT ist neben den absorptiometrischen Verfahren das am weitesten verbreitete Standardverfahren der Knochendensitometrie und wird vorwiegend als Ein-Energie-QCT (SEQCT), teilweise aber auch als Zwei-Energien-QCT (DEQCT) eingesetzt. Ausgehend von einer Darstellung ihrer physikalischen und technischen Grundlagen werden Einsatzmoglichkeiten und Anwendungsgrenzen dargestellt. QCT ist als Routineuntersuchung gegenwartig auf Messungen an der Wirbelsaule beschrankt, ermoglicht jedoch als einziges Verfahren die Bestimmung der echten Volumenknochenmineraldichte. Sie ist damit zur selektiven Analyse von trabekularem und kortikalem Knochen geeignet. Fur QCT werden neben dem gebrauchlichen SEQCT-Verfahren auch verschiedene DEQCT-Verfahren dargestellt und einer vergleichenden Analyse der zugrundeliegenden physikalischen Prinzipien unterzogen.
Did Disfranchisement Laws Help Elect President Bush? New Evidence on the Turnout Rates and Candidate Preferences of Florida’s Ex-Felons

This paper re-examines the impact of Florida’s disfranchisement law on the 2000 Presidential election. The analysis simulates outcomes in Florida under scenarios consistent with the turnout rates of Georgia and North Carolina ex-felons in 2000 and Florida ex-felons in 2008. Survey evidence on candidate preferences as well as data on ex-felon party registration in Florida and North Carolina are used to produce estimates of support for Bush and Gore among ex-felons. Based on the simulations, the ex-felon population in Florida would have favored Bush in 2000. Assuming that ex-felons supported Gore at rates similar to GSS respondents with at most a high school diploma, Bush would have defeated Gore by 4,925 and 7,048 votes, assuming turnout of 10 and 15%, respectively.
Racial/ethnic disparities in revascularization for limb salvage: An analysis of the national surgical quality improvement program database

Introduction:Previous reports have suggested that black patients have a higher rate of major lower extremity amputation and a lower rate of revascularization for limb salvage when compared to white...
Hydrolysis of amylotriose by crystalline salivary amylase.

is, hemoglobin-with another substance found in the serum results in a profound change in the electrophoretic characteristics of the hemoglobin. This emphasizes the possibility that characteristic alterations in the electrophoretic pattern of serum proteins seen in certain diseases may be the result, at least in part, of complex formation occurring between normal serum proteins and other substances not ordinarily present in the serum.
Adjuvant radiotherapy after prostatectomy: have randomized clinical trials had any impact?

The objective was to evaluate if the release of randomized trials evaluating the impact of adjuvant radiotherapy after prostatectomy in high risk patients had any impact on national practice patterns in patients with at least two high risk features. The SEER database was used to extract data for patients with a diagnosis of prostate adenocarcinoma from the years 2004–2010, and who underwent prostatectomy with pathologic features of both extracapsular extension (ECE) and positive margins. Adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) utilization was calculated on a yearly basis, and odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of ART use by year compared to 2004. Between 2004 and 2010, 5,231 patients were identified who underwent prostatectomy with both ECE and positive margins, of which only 19 % received ART. ART utilization was 21, 20, 22, 20, 18, 18, and 15 % for the years 2004–2010, respectively. Odds ratios demonstrated that the likelihood of ART to be used compared to 2004 demonstrated a statistical decrease from 0.97 (95 % C.I. 0.76–1.25, p = 0.85) in 2005 to 0.67 (95 % C.I. 0.51–0.90, p < 0.01) in 2010. At the end of the study time period, patients with higher risk disease were more likely to receive ART, with differences noted in clinical T stage, pretreatment PSA, Gleason score, Gleason patterns, and D’Amico risk classification (largest p = 0.02). The release of randomized controlled trials demonstrating clinical and survival benefits with ART use in high risk patients has failed to increase the utilization of ART, instead demonstrating decreased utilization. In light of recently published guidelines, future changes will be of interest.
Recombination-induced suppression of cell division following P1-mediated generalized transduction in Klebsiella aerogenes

Klebsiella aerogenes recombinants resulting from bacteriophage P1-mediated generalized transduction failed to increase in number for approximately six generations after transduction. Nevertheless these recombinants continued to grow and became sensitive to penicillin after a transient resistance, suggesting that the cells were growing as long, non-dividing filaments. When filamentous cells were isolated from transduced cultures by gradient centrifugation, recombinants were 1000-fold more frequent among the filaments than among the normal-sized cells. The suppression of cell-division lasted for six generations whether markers near the origin (gln, ilv) or terminus (his, trp) of chromosome replication were used, despite a 50-fold difference in transduction frequencies for these markers. The suppression of cell division was a host response to recombination rather than to P1 invasion since cells lysogenized by P1 in these same experiments showed only a short (two generation) suppression of cell division. We speculate that the suppression of cell-division is an SOS response triggered by the degraded DNA not incorporated in the final recombinant. We demonstrate that both the filamentation and the transient penicillin resistance of recombinant cells can be exploited to enrich greatly for recombinants, raising transduction frequencies to as high as 10-3.
Changes in nucleic acid and protein synthesis during starvation and spherule formation inPhysarum polycephalum.

The synthesis of protein and nucleic acids was studied by isotope incorporation and dilution in the plasmodia ofPhysarum polycephalum during periods of growth and differentiation (spherule formation). The total protein content decreased during starvation, but protein synthesis still occurred, probably at the expense of proteins previously synthesized during growth. Studies on leucine incorporation showed that protein synthesized during growth had a greater turnover than did protein formed by starving cultures, when both types of cultures were transferred to starvation conditions. Protein synthesis after prolonged starvation was rapidly and markedly decreased following the inhibition of RNA synthesis, whereas no such direct dependence on RNA synthesis was observed in growing cultures or during early starvation.
S5-2: PAM50 HER2−Enriched Subtype Enriches for Tumor Response to Neoadjuvant Anthracyclines/Taxane and Trastuzumab/Taxane Containing Regimens in HER2−Positive Breast Cancer.

Background: Patients with clinically HER2−positive (clinHer2+) tumors often receive trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy as their standard of care. This study sought to determine the predictive value of the HER2−enriched (HER2−E) molecular subtype for sensitivity to neoadjuvant anthracycline/taxane containing chemotherapy and a trastuzumab plus taxane-based regimen within clinHer2+ disease. Materials and methods: Gene expression data on pre-treatment fresh-frozen tumor tissues were collected from a combined cohort of MDACC/I-SPY trial (GSE25055/65), and the XeNA trial (GSE22358). Patients from MDACC/I-SPY were treated with doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) or 5-fluorouracil/epirubicin or doxorubicin/C (FEC or FAC) sequentially with paclitaxel. All patients from XeNA received capecitabine/docetaxel (and trastuzumab if clinHer2+). Intrinsic subtypes were determined using PAM50. Chisquare test and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to test significance of association between subtype and pathological complete response (pCR or residual cancer burden [RCB] 0/1) and residual disease (RD or RCB2/3) adjusted with pre-treatment tumor size. Kaplan Meier was used for distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) estimates. Results: For the MDACC/I-SPY cohort (n=595), pCR rates for intrinsic subtypes were 3% (5/168) for LumA, 16% (14/90) for LumB, 33% (23/69) for HER2−E and 37% (76/208) for Basal-like. Tumors achieving RCB0/1 were significantly associated with better DFRS compared to those tumors with RCB 2/3, even within each intrinsic subtype. The 5-year DFRS for HER2−E with RCB0/1 and RCB2/3 was 100% and 31% (p=0.007), respectively. ClinHer2+ status was also significantly associated with pCR (34% vs. 19%, p=0.016). Strikingly, among the clinHer2+ tumors (n=47), 75% (12/16) of the responders were classified as HER2−E (Table 1A) and those tumors that were clinHer2+/HER2−E had 6 times odds to achieve pCR when compared to clinHer2+/non-HER2−E. In the XeNA trial (n=122), the HER2−E subtype was significantly associated with response, composing 85% (7/8) of the clinHer2+ who achieved a pCR. Finally, clinHer2+/HER2−E tumors were 34 times more likely to achieve pCR than clinHer2+/non-HER2−E tumors (Table1B). Conclusion: The sensitivity of clinHer2+ tumors to neoadjuvant anthracycline/taxane-based regimens, and trastuzumab-based chemotherapy is mainly contained within tumors of the HER2−E subtype. Given that this molecular subtype cannot simply be recapitulated using clinical ER and HER2 status, our results highlight the importance of identifying patients with HER2−E tumors as this appears to greatly enrich for responsiveness and treatment benefit. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr S5-2.
Ocean Heat Transport and Water Vapor Greenhouse in a Warm Equable Climate: A New Look at the Low Gradient Paradox

AbstractThe authors study the role of ocean heat transport (OHT) in the maintenance of a warm, equable, ice-free climate. An ensemble of idealized aquaplanet GCM calculations is used to assess the equilibrium sensitivity of global mean surface temperature and its equator-to-pole gradient (ΔT) to variations in OHT, prescribed through a simple analytical formula representing export out of the tropics and poleward convergence. Low-latitude OHT warms the mid- to high latitudes without cooling the tropics; increases by 1°C and ΔT decreases by 2.6°C for every 0.5-PW increase in OHT across 30° latitude. This warming is relatively insensitive to the detailed meridional structure of OHT. It occurs in spite of near-perfect atmospheric compensation of large imposed variations in OHT: the total poleward heat transport is nearly fixed.The warming results from a convective adjustment of the extratropical troposphere. Increased OHT drives a shift from large-scale to convective precipitation in the midlatitude storm trac...
Emissions trading of global and local pollutants, pollution havens and free riding

Abstract In the presence of local (sulfur) and global (carbon) pollutants, we examine the pollution haven hypothesis and free riding behavior. Under domestic emissions trading, poorer Southern countries become pollution havens when free trade opens up whenever sulfur damage functions are linear or when sulfur levels in equilibrium are not higher in the South. With global trading of carbon permits, the pollution haven effect emerges in equilibrium whenever the convex sulfur damage functions are nonlinear. Countries that do not participate in a Global Protocol designed to reduce carbon emissions enjoy double benefits, stemming from free riding and cleaner local environments.
Mutation of the Secys residue 266 in human type 2 selenodeiodinase alters 75Se incorporation without affecting its biochemical properties

Abstract Type 2 deiodinase (D2) is a low K m iodothyronine deiodinase that metabolizes thyroxine (T 4 ) to the active metabolite T 3 . We have recently shown that the cDNA for the human D2 coding region contains two in-frame selenocysteine (TGA) codons. The 3` TGA is seven codons 5` to a universal stop codon, TAA. The human D2 enzyme, transiently expressed in HEK-293 cells, can be in vivo labeled with 75 Se as a doublet of approximately 31 kDa. This doublet is consistent with the possibility that the carboxy-terminal TGA codon can either encode selenocysteine or function as a stop codon. To test this hypothesis we mutagenized the second selenocysteine codon to a cysteine (TGC) or to an unambigous stop codon (TAA). While the selenium incorporation pattern is different between the wild-type and mutant proteins, the deiodination properties of the enzyme are not affected by mutating the 3`TGA codon. Thus, we conclude that neither this residue nor the remaining seven carboxy-terminal amino acids are critical for the deiodination process.
The health care provider's role and patient compliance to health promotion advice from the user's perspective: analysis of the 2006 National Health Interview Survey data

Objective The recommendations of health care providers have been shown to be a predictor of future healthy behaviors. However, patient adherence to these recommendations may differ based upon the type of health care professional providing the information. This study explored patient compliance in the United States over a 12-month period and contracted the patient response to recommendations given by chiropractors versus medical doctors. Methods Multiple logistic regression models were used for analyses of data from the Sample Adult Core component of the 2006 National Health Interview Survey (n = 24 275). Analyses were performed separately for recommendation and compliance of weight loss, increase exercise, and diet change by health profession subtype (chiropractor and medical doctor). Results About 30.5% of the respondents reported receiving advice from their provider. Among these, 88.0% indicated they complied with the advice they received. Patients who were advised were more likely to comply (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI], 10.41[9.34-11.24]). Adjusting for seeing a physical therapist, age, and body mass index, chiropractors were less likely to advice patients compared to medical doctors (OR [95% CI], 0.38 [0.30-0.50]). In general, there was a 21% increased odds that patients who received and complied with health promotion advice from their health care provider would report an improved health status (OR [95% CI], 1.21 [1.10-1.33]) compared with those who did not comply or were not advised. Conclusion Chiropractors in the United States give health promotion recommendation to their patients but are less likely to do so than general medical doctors. Patients tend to comply with health providers' recommendations and those who do report better health.
Plasticization of PEDOT:PSS by Common Additives for Mechanically Robust Organic Solar Cells and Wearable Sensors

Despite the ubiquity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) in applications demanding mechanical flexibility, the effect on the mechanical properties of common additives—i.e., dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), Zonyl fluorosurfactant (Zonyl), and poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)—has not been reported. This paper describes these effects and uses plasticized films in solar cells and mechanical sensors for the detection of human motion. The tensile moduli of films spin-coated from solutions containing 0%, 5%, and 10% DMSO and 0.1%, 1%, and 10% Zonyl (nine samples total) are measured using the buckling technique, and the ductility is inferred from measurements of the strain at which cracks form on elastic substrates. Elasticity and ductility are maximized in films deposited from solutions containing 5% DMSO and 10% Zonyl, but the conductivity is greatest for samples containing 0.1% Zonyl. These experiments reveal enlargement of presumably PEDOT-rich grains, visible by atomic force microscopy, when the amount of DMSO is increased from 0% to 5%. PEI—which is used to lower the work function of PEDOT:PSS—has a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of the PEDOT:PSS/PEI bilayer films. Wearable electronic sensors employing PEDOT:PSS films containing 5% DMSO and 10% Zonyl are ­fabricated, which exhibit detectable responses at 20% strain and high mechanical robustness through elastic deformation.
When Bad Things Happen to Good Feedback: Exacerbating the Need for Self-Justification with Self-Affirmations

In numerous self-affirmation studies, Claude Steele and colleagues have demonstrated that self-affirmations reduce the need to justify dissonant behavior even when the affirmation is unrelated to the dissonance-evoking action. However, research has not sufficiently examined the impact of reaffirming self-aspects that are related to the dissonance. The authors argue that relevant affirmations of this sort can make salient the standards that are violated in the course of dissonant behavior; thereby increasing dissonance and the need for self justification. In a laboratory study using the induced-compliance paradigm, it was demonstrated that dissonance can be exacerbated by reaffirming standards that are violated in the course of the dissonant behavior.
MMDB partial reload

Abstract When a system failure occurs in a main memory database (MMDB) system, the primary copy of the database which resides permanently in a volatile memory is lost. Reload of the database from archive memory into main memory is needed to recover this lost copy. Several complete reload algorithms, which are used when main memory is large enough to store the entire database, have been designed for a parallel and multi-processor database environment. However, little research has been done for partial reload which is needed when only a part of the database can fit into main memory. This paper proposes three MMDB partial reload algorithms for a multi-processor main memory database system and presents their performance results with the Least Recently Used paging scheme being used to handle page faults. The simulation experiments show that reload based on frequency of data access yields the best transaction response time and system throughput.
Subtle deficits in instrumental activities of daily living in subtypes of mild cognitive impairment.

Background/Aims Greater cognitive and functional deficits in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are associated with higher rates of dementia. We explored the relationship between these factors by comparing instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) among cognitive subtypes of MCI and examining associations between IADL and neuropsychological indices.