cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A method for pediatric dose calculations at Children's Hospital Boston

2212 Objectives Currently, universal standardized doses of radiopharmaceuticals in pediatric Nuclear Medicine do not exist. Many variables factor into determining a dose in a pediatric patient including: radiation absorbed dose, the type of study, time, age, body mass, and instrumentation. This study shows how pediatric doses are calculated at Children’s Hospital Boston. Methods Numerous studies were observed at CHB focusing on their method of determining a patient dose based on several factors. The specific values included minimum total radiopharmaceutical administered dose per examination, total administered dose based on body mass, and maximum total dose in children. Results At CHB, radiopharmaceutical dose calculations are based on the patient’s weight in kilograms. For each procedure, there exists a numerical factor by which to multiply the weight in kilograms in order to determine the exact patient’s dose. Also each study also denotes a minimum and maximum amount of radiopharmaceutical to be administered. This minimum dose is unique to pediatric nuclear medicine and denotes the smallest amount of radiopharmaceutical that has to be administered in order to render a diagnostic study. Conclusions Pediatric dosing cannot be based solely on adult nuclear medicine dosing because the values are unique to pediatric nuclear medicine in addition to faster circulation time for radiopharmaceuticals, as well as metabolic differences, differing stages of development, and other factors. As a result, Children’s Hospital Boston has evolved a successful method of determining pediatric dosing based on experience and constant modifications as new information and enhanced technology surface.
The power of monoclonal antibodies as agents of discovery: CD40 Revealed as a B lymphocyte costimulator.

Development of techniques allowing production of mAbs in 1975 ([1][1]) ultimately led to an explosion of commercial and medical applications, as well as the creation of many valuable tools for addressing important questions in basic scientific research. The enhanced precision in Ag recognition
Genetic evaluation of suspected osteogenesis imperfecta (OI)

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is probably the most common genetic form of fracture predisposition. The term OI encompasses a broad range of clinical presentations that may be first apparent from early in pregnancies to late in life, reflecting the extent of bone deformity and fracture predisposition at different stages of development or postnatal ages. Depending on the age of presentation, OI can be difficult to distinguish from some other genetic and nongenetic causes of fractures, including nonaccidental injury (abuse). The strategies for evaluation and the testing discussed here provide guidelines for evaluation that should help to distinguish among causes for fracture and bone deformity.
Phosphorylation of neurofilament proteins in intact neurons: demonstration of phosphorylation in cell bodies and axons

The principal subunits of neurofilaments (NFs) of immature cultured sympathetic neurons have apparent Mr of 68,000 and 145,000; a 200,000 Mr subunit is also present, but at comparatively low levels. These subunits are referred to as the low (NFL), middle (NFM), and high (NFH) Mr subunits, respectively. We studied the phosphorylation of NFL and NFM in these neurons in order to characterize the NFL and NFM isoforms generated by this important posttranslational modification. NFL resolved into a single spot in 2-dimensional gels, although 2 spots were occasionally observed. NFM typically resolved into 3 variants, termed NFM a, b, and c, in order of increasing mobility, but as many as 6 variants were detected in some gels. NFL and, to a much greater degree, NFM became labeled following incubation of intact neurons with 32P-PO4. Although all 3 major NFM variants became labeled, NFM a was the most heavily labeled, followed by NFM b, and then NFM c. Two observations suggest that the generation of these 3 NFM variants is due to their phosphorylation. First, treatment of NFs with phosphatase prior to analysis reduced NFM to a single spot or band that comigrated with NFM c; NFM a and b were completely eliminated. However, NFM c was not fully dephosphorylated because it still reacted with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for a phosphate-dependent epitope on NFM. Second, NFM was recognized by 4 mAbs to distinctly different phosphorylated epitopes of NFM, which suggested that at least 4 distinct sites on NFM can be phosphorylated in cultured neurons. Explant cultures were used to study the phosphorylation of NFL and NFM in cell bodies and axons. In these cultures, a central cell body mass (CBM) 0.5 mm in diameter contains all of the cell bodies, while peripheral to the CBM is a halo of pure axons that extends for 4–6 mm. These cultures were incubated with 32P-PO4 and CBM and axon regions were analyzed separately. NFL became phosphorylated to a greater extent in the CBM than in axons. NFM also became labeled in the CBM and axons, although the relative labeling of NFM a, b, and c in these regions differed considerably from each other and also from the pattern observed in whole neurons (cell bodies plus neurites, see above).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Probabilistic Visibility Forecasting Using Bayesian Model Averaging

Bayesianmodelaveraging(BMA)isastatisticalpostprocessingtechniquethathasbeenusedinprobabilistic weather forecasting to calibrate forecast ensembles and generate predictive probability density functions (PDFs)for weather quantities. The authors apply BMA to probabilistic visibility forecasting using a predictive PDFthatisamixtureofdiscretepointmassandbetadistributioncomponents.Threeapproachestodeveloping predictivePDFsforvisibilityaredeveloped,eachusingBMAtopostprocessanensembleofvisibilityforecasts. In the first approach, the ensemble is generated by a translation algorithm that converts predicted concentrations of hydrometeorological variables into visibility. The second approach augments the raw ensemble visibility forecasts with model forecasts of relative humidity and quantitative precipitation. In the third approach, the ensemble members are generated from relative humidity and precipitation alone. These methods areappliedto12-hensembleforecastsfrom2007to2008andaretestedagainstverifyingobservationsrecorded at Automated Surface Observing Stations in the Pacific Northwest. Each of the three methods produces predictive PDFs that are calibrated and sharp with respect to both climatology and the raw ensemble.
Iliocaval complications of retroperitoneal fibrosis.

background : Retroperitoneal fibrosis can compress ureters, nerves, and blood vessels in the abdomen. However, clinically significant large-vein obstruction secondary to this process is rare. methods : Three hundred forty patients with retroperitoneal fibrosis were treated at our institution between 1976 and 1993. The clinical data from seven of these patients, who were treated for iliocaval complications of retroperitoneal fibrosis, were reviewed. results : Six patients had signs and symptoms of chronic obstruction, and one patient presented with acute iliocaval thrombosis and underwent attempt at venous thrombectomy in the referring hospital. All patients exhibited extremity edema and three had venous claudication. iliocaval occlusion was confirmed in all patients by venography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. The obstructive process involved the iliocaval tree (four patients), the inferior vena cava alone (two patients), and the iliac vein alone (one patient). Five patients were managed conservatively with leg elevation, compression stockings, and anticoagulation. Two patients received prednisone. One patient underwent an iliocaval bypass from the external iliac vein to the juxtarenal cava using a ringed polytetrafluoroethylene graft with a femoral arteriovenous fistula. A second patient with an isolated left common iliac vein obstruction underwent a left-to-right femorofemoral saphenous vein bypass. Four patients treated conservatively continued to have extremity edema. The two patients managed surgically remain asymptomatic from venous insufficiency, with patent grafts at 25 and 12 months after surgery, respectively. conclusion : Iliocaval obstruction is an unusual complication of retroperitoneal fibrosis. Although most cases can be managed conservatively, reconstruction is an option for patients who have failed medical treatment and are symptomatic secondary to chronic venous obstruction. Lifelong anticoagulation should be considered for all patients with progressive iliocaval obstruction secondary to retroperitoneal fibrosis.
Preference differences for sucrose solutions in young and aged squirrel monkeys

Licking patterns and molarity preferences, elicited by two sets of sucrose solutions (0.0 to 1.75 M and 1.0 to 3.0 M), were measured in six young and six aged squirrel monkeys. Sucrose preference thresholds were determined for each age group using sucrose concentrations from 0.025 to 0.1 M. Age was unrelated to sucrose preference thresholds. Consummatory activity of all monkeys increased monotonically as sucrose concentrations increased from 0.0 to 1.0 M. Aged, but not young, monkeys continued to increase consumption until sucrose concentrations exceeded 1.5 M. All monkeys increased consumption by increasing number of licks, number of licking bursts and total time spent licking. Unlike young monkeys, aged monkeys displayed high within animal variability of tongue contact times, exponentially decreasing rates of licking at high molarities, constant consumption efficiency decrements, and consistent negative correlations between tongue contact and following tongue off times.
On the Period Distribution of Close-in Extrasolar Giant Planets

Transit (TR) surveys for extrasolar planets have recently uncovered a population of "very hot Jupiters," planets with orbital periods of P ≤ 3 days. At first sight this may seem surprising, given that radial velocity (RV) surveys have found a dearth of such planets, despite the fact that their sensitivity increases with decreasing P. We examine the confrontation between RV and TR survey results, paying particular attention to selection biases that favor short-period planets in TR surveys. We demonstrate that, when such biases and small-number statistics are properly taken into account, the period distributions of planets found by RV and TR surveys are consistent at better than the 1 σ level. This consistency holds for a large range of reasonable assumptions. In other words, there are not enough planets detected to robustly conclude that the RV and TR short-period planet results are inconsistent. Assuming a logarithmic distribution of periods, we find that the relative frequency of very hot Jupiters (VHJs; P = 1-3 days) to hot Jupiters (HJs; P = 3-9 days) is ~10%-20%. Given an absolute frequency of HJs of ~1%, this implies that approximately one star in ~500-1000 has a VHJ. We also note that VHJs and HJs appear to be distinct in terms of their upper mass limits. We discuss the implications of our results for planetary migration theories as well as present and future TR and RV surveys.
Decentralized stabilization of nonlinear time delay systems

The author presents a study of the stabilization problem for decentralized nonlinear time-delay systems using local feedback controllers. It is shown that, if the nonlinear parts of subsystems satisfy the so-called sector condition, then the system under consideration is always decentrally stabilizable. If it is further assumed that the interconnections are functions of the subsystem outputs, then a frequency-domain condition for the asymptotic stability of the composite system is established similar to the result given by M. Saeki et al. (1980) for the nondelay case. >
Grammar and the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview: Discussion and Data

ing has generated a heated debate on the validity of the ACTFL/ETS Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) procedure and its rating.1 One of the main points of controversy concerns the degree to which the OPI focuses on grammatical accuracy. How important is grammatical control in determining the global rating? Is the interview skewed to elicit certain grammatical features? Or, is grammatical competence merely needed to accomplish higher order tasks?
ε-aminocaproic acid administration and stroke following coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Abstract Background . e-aminocaproic acid is routinely used to reduce bleeding during cardiac surgery. Anecdotal reports of thrombotic complications have led to speculation regarding this drug's safety. We investigated the association between e-aminocaproic acid administration and postoperative stroke. Methods . Six thousand two hundred ninety-eight patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery between 1989 and 1995 were studied. Data was obtained from the Duke Cardiovascular Database as well as from an automated intraoperative anesthesia record keeper. Patients identified as having postoperative stroke were reviewed and confirmed by a board certified neurologist blinded to e-aminocaproic acid administration. Results . Postoperative stroke occurred in 97 patients (1.5%). Three thousand one hundred thirty-five (49.8%) patients received e-aminocaproic acid. Increased age was associated with a higher incidence of postoperative stroke ( p = 0.0001). In contrast, there was no significant difference ( p = 0.7370) in the incidence of stroke between use of e-aminocaproic acid (1.3%) and nonuse (1.7%). Multivariable logistic regression found no significant effect of e-aminocaproic acid use on stroke after accounting for age, date of surgery, and history of diabetes. Conclusions . This series suggests that e-aminocaproic acid administration does not increase the risk of postoperative stroke.
CYP2E1 metabolism of styrene involves allostery.

We are the first to report allosterism during styrene oxidation by recombinant CYP2E1 and human liver microsomes. At low styrene concentrations, oxidation is inefficient because of weak binding to CYP2E1 (Ks = 830 μM). A second styrene molecule then binds CYP2E1 with higher affinity (Kss = 110 μM) and significantly improves oxidation to achieve a kcat of 6.3 nmol · min−1 · nmol CYP2E1−1. The transition between these metabolic cycles coincides with reported styrene concentrations in blood from exposed workers; thus, this CYP2E1 mechanism may be relevant in vivo. Scaled modeling of the in vitro-positive allosteric mechanism for styrene metabolism to its in vivo clearance led to significant deviations from the traditional model based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Low styrene levels were notably much less toxic than generally assumed. We interrogated the allosteric mechanism using the CYP2E1-specific inhibitor and drug 4-methylpyrazole, which we have shown binds two CYP2E1 sites. From the current studies, styrene was a positive allosteric effector on 4-methylpyrazole binding, based on a 10-fold increase in 4-methylpyrazole binding affinity from Ki 0.51 to Ksi 0.043 μM. The inhibitor was a negative allosteric effector on styrene oxidation, because kcat decreased 6-fold to 0.98 nmol · min−1 · nmol CYP2E1−1. Consequently, mixtures of styrene and other molecules can induce allosteric effects on binding and metabolism by CYP2E1 and thus mitigate the efficiency of their metabolism and corresponding effects on human health. Taken together, our elucidation of mechanisms for these allosteric reactions provides a powerful tool for further investigating the complexities of CYP2E1 metabolism of drugs and pollutants.
Regional cerebral blood flow in cats with cross-linked hemoglobin transfusion during focal cerebral ischemia.

841, 2002. First published November 8, 2001; 10.1152/ajpheart. 00880.2001.—The beneficial effect of hemodilution on cerebral blood flow (CBF) during focal cerebral ischemia is mitigated by reduced ...
Chapter 21 Asymptotic Behavior of Eigenvalues for a Class of Integral Equations with Translation Kernels

The results obtained in this chapter may be of some interest from the point of view of analysis. However, they have an immediate interpretation in terms of certain representation theorems for stationary random processes on a finite time interval, and this provided part of the motivation for the investigation. Our interest is in finite interval translation kernel integral equation eigenvalue problems, that is, in the integral equation $$\int_{ - T}^T {r(t - \tau )\phi \left( \tau \right)d \tau = \lambda \phi \left( t \right)} $$ (1)
Value of Low-Dose Dobutamine Addition to Routine Dual Isotope Gated SPECT Myocardial Imaging in Patients With Healed Myocardial Infarction or Abnormal Wall Thickening by Echocardiogram

There is overlap in myocardial viability detection by thallium-201 uptake and contractile reserve (CR) using low-dose dobutamine (LDD). The dual isotope protocol was modified in this study by acquiring thallium-201 images using LDD to enhance viability detection in addition to coronary flow reserve assessment. One hundred twenty-four patients with coronary disease underwent gated single-photon emission computed tomographic thallium-201 imaging at rest with LDD (10 μg/kg/min) during acquisition followed by stress technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion (MP) imaging with dobutamine, adenosine, or treadmill exercise. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography was obtained in 41 patients. Myocardial perfusion (MP) imaging was divided into normal, fixed, and ischemic segments, and subclassified by wall motion and/or thickening changes between 1-hour poststress and LDD into normal, fixed, or improved dysfunctional segments (CR present). Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 39% at 1 hour after stress and 47% with LDD (p <0.001). In dysfunctional myocardium, CR was significantly higher (p <0.001) in ischemic (233 of 368) and fixed segments (150 of 335) than in normal MP segments (43 of 220). Combined MP and CR analysis showed higher accuracy and negative predictive value in identifying FDG-viable myocardium than either method alone, whereas a high positive predictive value was maintained, similar to both markers. Quantitative analysis showed significant increased wall motion and thickening with LDD compared with 1 hour after stress, which was highest in ischemic segments and lowest in fixed segments. Thus, LDD dual isotope is a practical protocol that improves viability detection by simultaneous MP and CR analysis in addition to coronary flow reserve assessment in 1 study. Moreover, it requires no extra imaging time or radioactivity than the routine protocol.
Computing Two-Pattern Test Cubes for Transition Path Delay Faults

Considering full-scan circuits, incompletely-specified tests, or test cubes, are used for test data compression. When considering path delay faults, certain specified input values in a test cube are needed only for determining the lengths of the paths associated with detected faults. Path delay faults, and therefore, small delay defects, would still be detected if such values are unspecified. The goal of this paper is to explore the possibility of increasing the number of unspecified input values in a test set for path delay faults by unspecifying such values in order to make the test set more amenable to test data compression. Experimental results indicate that significant numbers of such values exist. The proposed procedure unspecifies them gradually to obtain a series of test sets with increasing numbers of unspecified values and decreasing path lengths. Experimental results also indicate that filling the unspecified values randomly (as with some test data compression methods) recovers some or all of the path lengths associated with detected path delay faults. The procedure uses a matching of the sets of detected faults for the comparison of path lengths.
Promoting Rigor-in-Practice through School Self-Evaluation: A Middle School's Experience with Model Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.

For years, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has demanded that our nation pay ever closer attention to school evaluation (Schmidt, 2008; Stanik, 2007). Never before have the stakes of evaluation been so high. School and district jobs, funding, and local control of educational policy and practice are all more directly jeopardized by unfavorable evaluations than at any other time in our country’s history (Schmidt, 2008; Stanik, 2007). These high-stakes consequences demand that educators be evaluation experts, fully prepared to take part in the debate about U.S. education and school evaluation.
A physically coupled end-to-end model platform for coastal ecosystems: Simulating the effects of climate change and changing upwelling characteristics on the Northern California Current ecosystem

Abstract We describe a spatially explicit, intermediate complexity end-to-end model platform that integrates physical, trophic, and nutrient cycling processes. A two-dimensional advection and mixing model drives nitrate input into the model continental shelf domain, the transport of nutrients and plankton between sub-regions, and the export of nutrients and plankton from the model domain. Trophic relationships are defined by classical mass-balanced food web model techniques (e.g., ECOPATH). Inclusion of nitrate and ammonium nutrient pools and bacterial recycling of detritus allows consideration of alternate “new” vs. “recycled” production regimes. The model platform was applied to the Northern California Current (NCC) shelf ecosystem. Seasonal upwelling of nutrients along the coast is the primary driver of NCC productivity, however the characteristics of upwelling vary considerably between years and are expected to change into the future as a result of global climate change. The model was run under alternate physical driver scenarios to examine the effects of changing upwelling characteristics on the production and spatial distribution of functional groups across all trophic levels. Productivity on the shelf had a dome-shaped relationship with upwelling strength. As the intensity of individual upwelling events increased, productivity increased throughout the food web. However, strong upwelling had a detrimental effect when the physical export of plankton exceeded the capacity of phytoplankton to exploit higher nutrient supply rates and the capacity of zooplankton to exploit higher phytoplankton production. As the duration of individual upwelling events increased (an implication of some climate change scenarios) model simulations predicted an overall reduction of productivity at all trophic levels and a shift in the size composition of the phytoplankton community, especially within the nearshore region.
Zone scheduling

A technique for the resource constrained scheduling problem in high level synthesis is presented. The approach works by successively partitioning the control steps into zones and solving each of them by a 0.1 integer linear programming (ILP) technique. By specifying the maximum, number of 0-1 variables involved within a zone, the model can be turned into optimal ILP scheduling, list scheduling, or something in between with different speed/quality characteristics. Experiments show that better results than those achieved by list scheduling have been obtained with an acceptable computation overhead. >
The effect of non-coding DNA variations on P53 and cMYC competitive inhibition at cis-overlapping motifs

Non-coding DNA variations play a critical role in increasing the risk for development of common complex diseases, and account for the majority of SNPs highly associated with cancer. However, it remains a challenge to identify etiologic variants and to predict their pathological effects on target gene expression for clinical purposes. Cis-overlapping motifs (COMs) are elements of enhancer regions that impact gene expression by enabling competitive binding and switching between transcription factors. Mutations within COMs are especially important when the involved transcription factors have opposing effects on gene regulation, like P53 tumor suppressor and cMYC proto-oncogene. In this study, genome-wide analysis of ChIP-seq data from human cancer and mouse embryonic cells identified a significant number of putative regulatory elements with signals for both P53 and cMYC. Each co-occupied element contains, on average, two COMs, and one common SNP every two COMs. Gene ontology of predicted target genes for COMs showed that the majority are involved in DNA damage, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, and RNA processing. EMSA results showed that both cMYC and P53 bind to cis-overlapping motifs within a ChIP-seq co-occupied region in Chr12. In vitro functional analysis of selected co-occupied elements verified enhancer activity, and also showed that the occurrence of SNPs within three COMs significantly altered enhancer activity. We identified a list of COM-associated functional SNPs that are in close proximity to SNPs associated with common diseases in large population studies. These results suggest a potential molecular mechanism to identify etiologic regulatory mutations associated with common diseases.
Failure Locus of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Disruption at 25° Knee Flexion: 3D Finite Element Analysis

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) disruption is a common injury that is detrimental to an athlete’s quality of life. Determining the mechanisms that cause ACL injury is important in order to develop proper interventions. This study was conducted to provide insight into the specific knee orientations associated with ACL injuries. A failure locus for the ACL was developed by simulating multiple loading scenarios using a 3-D finite element analysis (FEA) model of the knee. The results indicated varus and valgus were more dominant to the ACL injury compared to femoral rotation. The order of MCL failure, ACL failure, and maximum meniscus stress was also determined with respect to time during loading. The results of this study could be used to develop training programs focused on the avoidance of the described combination of movements, which may lead to ACL injury.© 2010 ASME
Differential sensing of Zn(II) and Cu(II) via two independent mechanisms.

Selective reduction of an anthracenone–quinoline imine derivative, 2, using 1.0 equiv of NaBH4 in 95% ethanol affords the corresponding anthracen-9-ol derivative, 3, as confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, ESI-MS, FTIR, and elemental analysis results. UV–vis and fluorescence data reveal dramatic spectroscopic changes in the presence of Zn(II) and Cu(II). Zinc(II) coordination induces a 1,5-prototropic shift resulting in anthracene fluorophore formation via an imine–enamine tautomerization pathway. Copper(II) induces a colorimetric change from pale yellow to orange-red and results in imine hydrolysis in the presence of water. Spectroscopic investigations of metal ion response, selectivity, stoichiometry, and competition studies all suggest the proposed mechanisms. ESI-MS analysis, FTIR, and single-crystal XRD further support the hydrolysis phenomenon. This is a rare case of a single sensor that can be used either as a chemosensor (reversibly in the case of Zn(II)) or as a chemodosimeter (irreversibly in the case ...
Design of Rice Variety with Super-high-yield and its Conception on Breeding

By using the variety-design theory in crop breeding,the current status of hybrid rice in production based on ecological and climate conditions in Guizhou were analyzed and summarized.From the viewpoint of high-yielding in practice,one of the models on the variety-design in breeding of super-high-yielding hybrid rice was put forward to aim at the level of yield 900(kg/667m~(2)).
The Cycle of Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual harassment and discrimination are the problems outlined in this chapter, which uses legal scholarship, management studies, and domestic violence literature to examine the cycle of harassment in the workplace. The chapter begins with an overview of legal approaches to sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation and then examines cultural norms that help to sustain hostile work environments (HWEs). Mayock here uses new terms such as the “last straw phenomenon” and the “feminist fuse.”
Classification and Analysis of Beta-spline Surface Boundary Conditions

The (m + 1) × (n + 1) control graph described in Section 7.1 (Figure 2.2) contains the set of control vertices $${\text{V = }}\left\{ {{\text{V}}_{ij} \left| {i = 0,1, \ldots ,m,j = 0,1, \ldots ,n} \right.} \right\}$$
An algebraic approach to parameter optimization in bimolecular bistable systems

In a synthetic biological network it may often be desirable to maximize or minimize parameters such as reaction rates, fluxes and total concentrations of reagents, while preserving a given dynamic behavior. We consider the problem of parameter optimization in biomolecular bistable circuits. We show that, under some assumptions often satisfied by bistable biological networks, it is possible to derive algebraic conditions on the parameters that determine when bistability occurs. These (global) algebraic conditions can be included as nonlinear constraints in a parameter optimization problem. We derive bistability conditions using Sturm's theorem for Gardner and Collins toggle switch. Then we optimize its nominal parameters to improve switching speed and robustness to a subset of uncertain parameters.
The influence of a taste cue on an environmental aversion: Potentiation or overshadowing

The present study assessed the influence of a taste cue on the establishment of an environmental aversion. Experimental animals were poisoned during confinement in a distinctive black chamber; control animals received nonillness experiences in the black compartment. In addition, half of the animals in the experimental conditions and half in the control conditions were exposed to a salient sucrose taste cue in the black compartment. The other halves were given water on the black side. All groups were further divided: half received sucrose; half, water in the white chamber. The results showed that experimental groups exhibited a strong aversion to the black compartment. This aversion was reflected in experimental groups in terms of both reduced intake during confinement to the black compartment in the conditioning phase and less time spent in the black chamber during testing than in the control groups. In addition, the presence of a salient sucrose taste cue in the black compartment during conditioning produced a stronger environmental aversion than did a nonsalient water taste cue presented in the same manner. These results indicate that the sucrose taste cue potentiated the development of an environmental aversion. However, potentiation only occurred when sucrose was on the black side and water was on the white side. Sucrose present in both the black and white chambers resulted in no potentiation of the environmental aversion.
Theorizing in ex-centric sites:

This essay explores ways that theory is being engaged in recent trends in sociocultural anthropology. It addresses how some anthropologists are rethinking and working with theory in their social an...
Richard Milton – A Non-Religious Creationist Ally

When demonstrable pseudoscience is hailed in the popular press as valid science, the scientific community has a social obligation to respond forcefully and effectively. Richard Milton's best-sellin...
Estimation of life expectancy of patients diagnosed with the most common cancers in the Valparaiso Region, Chile.

BACKGROUND The 1000s of people who die from cancer each year have become one of the leading causes of death among the Chilean population, placing it as the second cause of death in the region of Valparaiso between 1997 and 2003. Statistics have provided different measures regarding the life expectancy of cancer patients which have resulted in being useful to establish courses of action for prevention and treatment plans to follow. METHODS Data was extracted from the cancer module of the Epidemiology Assistance System (SADEPI for its initials in Spanish) which stores information about cancer cases in the provinces of Valparaiso and Petorca. The survival period is defined as the difference in days between the date of occurrence and the date of death of the patient by separating the data into quartiles. RESULTS The more frequent cancers in the region of Valparaiso behave similarly to global behaviours of the disease. The majority of affected patients are around 65 years of age which progressively lowers its occurrence in younger adults under the age of 45. CONCLUSIONS Further efforts are required for early detection and timely access to treatment for cancer patients. Statistics are an important support in achieving this.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women. It is related to ovarian androgen excess and manifests as hirsutism, irregular menstrual cycles, and ovarian cysts seen on an ultrasonogram. Two out of three features are required to make a diagnosis. Obesity is often associated with PCOS. Symptoms are usually seen from puberty.
Community health integration through pharmacy process and ergonomics redesign (CHIPPER).

As the expansion and utilisation of community pharmacy systems increases, so does the risk for an adverse drug event to occur. In attempts to mitigate this risk, many community pharmacies implement...
Self-tanning cells, the new SPF

A skin-penetrant small molecule activates melanin production to protect cells from cancer-inducing ultraviolet damage.
Estimation of the ECMS Equivalent Factor Bounds for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

The strategy for energy management (EM) of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has a considerable impact on the vehicle fuel economy. One well-known EM strategy is the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) that is a form of Pontryagin’s minimum principle (PMP). PMP proves under certain conditions that ECMS yields the maximum fuel economy. However, even if the required conditions are met, the optimal value of the costate still has to be estimated. Many approaches have been suggested for estimating the optimal value of the costate, or the equivalent factor for using battery power in the ECMS cost function. Instead of direct estimation of ECMS optimal equivalent factor, this brief derives estimations for the upper and lower bounds of the optimal equivalent factor. The derived bounds are functions of the HEV configuration and independent of the drivecycle, verified by simulation results. The knowledge about these bounds can be employed in designing new types of adaptive ECMSs (A-ECMSs). To demonstrate the application of the bounds, this brief introduces a new A-ECMS. Finally, the simulation results are presented comparing the fuel economy of the introduced A-ECMS with the fuel economies of an existing A-ECMS and global optimal controller.
Pneumatic paracorporeal ventricular assist device as bridge to transplant in children ≤ 20 kg: Krakow experience

Pulsatile mechanical ventricular assist devices (VADs) of various designs and functional principles have been in use in adult patients for long-term support of the failing heart. Despite the remarkable advances with the use of VAD, its support in children is still limited. We report on our experience in the paediatric population. The aim is either recovery of the heart or, more often, to keep the patient alive until later transplantation. We retrospectively study of children ≤ 20 kg, who were mechanically bridged to heart transplantation using the Berlin Heart (BH) Excor VAD at our hospital. The period of review was from November 2009 to March 2017. A total eight patients were included in this analysis, with these patients weighing < 20 kg. The study included three boys and five girls, with a mean weight of 10.55 kg (5.30–20 kg) and mean age of 20.69 months (4.5 to 60 months). Eight patients were supported with the Berlin Excor VAD, and six patients were supported with a left-sided ventricular assist device (LVAD) and two patients were supported with biventricular assist device (BVAD). Three of eight patients (38%) have been successfully bridged to heart transplant. Insertion of pulsatile paracorporeal VADs in children with end-stage heart failure is an effective strategy as a bridge to heart transplantation. This study demonstrates VAD support had serious ceribrovascular complications, and implantation BVAD support results were not satisfactory.
Projecting species’ vulnerability to climate change: Which uncertainty sources matter most and extrapolate best?

Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used to assess potential climate change impacts on biodiversity, but several critical methodological decisions are often made arbitrarily. We compare variability arising from these decisions to the uncertainty in future climate change itself. We also test whether certain choices offer improved skill for extrapolating to a changed climate and whether internal cross-validation skill indicates extrapolative skill. We compared projected vulnerability for 29 wetland-dependent bird species breeding in the climatically dynamic Prairie Pothole Region, USA. For each species we built 1,080 SDMs to represent a unique combination of: future climate, class of climate covariates, collinearity level, and thresholding procedure. We examined the variation in projected vulnerability attributed to each uncertainty source. To assess extrapolation skill under a changed climate, we compared model predictions with observations from historic drought years. Uncertainty in projected vulnerability was substantial, and the largest source was that of future climate change. Large uncertainty was also attributed to climate covariate class with hydrological covariates projecting half the range loss of bioclimatic covariates or other summaries of temperature and precipitation. We found that choices based on performance in cross-validation improved skill in extrapolation. Qualitative rankings were also highly uncertain. Given uncertainty in projected vulnerability and resulting uncertainty in rankings used for conservation prioritization, a number of considerations appear critical for using bioclimatic SDMs to inform climate change mitigation strategies. Our results emphasize explicitly selecting climate summaries that most closely represent processes likely to underlie ecological response to climate change. For example, hydrological covariates projected substantially reduced vulnerability, highlighting the importance of considering whether water availability may be a more proximal driver than precipitation. However, because cross-validation results were correlated with extrapolation results, the use of cross-validation performance metrics to guide modeling choices where knowledge is limited was supported.
A 'shock and awe' thioridazine and moxifloxacin combination-based regimen for pulmonary Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex disease.

Objectives To develop a thioridazine/moxifloxacin-based combination regimen for treatment of pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) that kills bacteria faster than the standard treatment regimen. Methods Monocytes were infected with MAC and inoculated into the hollow-fibre system model for pulmonary MAC disease (HFS-MAC). We co-administered ethambutol plus azithromycin daily for 28 days, to achieve the same human concentration-time profiles that result from standard doses, in three HFS-MAC systems. Two experimental regimens consisted of thioridazine at an exposure associated with optimal kill, given intermittently on days 0, 3, 7 and 10. Regimen A consisted of thioridazine in combination with standard dose azithromycin for the entire study duration. Regimen B was thioridazine plus moxifloxacin at concentration-time profiles achieved by the standard daily dose administered for 14 days, followed by daily azithromycin. Each HFS-MAC was sampled for bacterial burden every 7 days. Results The bacteria in the non-treated HFS-MAC grew at a rate of 0.11 ± 0.01 log10 cfu/mL/day. The azithromycin/ethambutol regimen decreased bacterial burden by 1.21 ± 0.74 log10 cfu/mL below baseline during the first 7 days, after which it failed. Regimen A killed 3.28 ± 0.32 log10 cfu/mL below baseline up to day 14, after which regrowth occurred once thioridazine treatment stopped. Regimen B killed bacteria to below the limits of detection in 7 days (≥5.0 log10 cfu/mL kill), with rebound in the azithromycin continuation phase. Conclusions The thioridazine/moxifloxacin regimen demonstrated that rapid microbial kill could be achieved within 7 days. This is a proof of principle that short-course chemotherapy for pulmonary MAC is possible.
Sgs1 Binding to Rad51 Stimulates Homology-Directed DNA Repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Accurate repair of DNA breaks is essential to maintain genome integrity and cellular fitness. Sgs1, the sole member of the RecQ family of DNA helicases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is important for both early and late stages of homology-dependent repair. Its large number of physical and genetic interactions with DNA recombination, repair, and replication factors has established Sgs1 as a key player in the maintenance of genome integrity. To determine the significance of Sgs1 binding to the strand-exchange factor Rad51, we have identified a single amino acid change at the C-terminal of the helicase core of Sgs1 that disrupts Rad51 binding. In contrast to an SGS1 deletion or a helicase-defective sgs1 allele, this new separation-of-function allele, sgs1-FD, does not cause DNA damage hypersensitivity or genome instability, but exhibits negative and positive genetic interactions with sae2Δ, mre11Δ, exo1Δ, srs2Δ, rrm3Δ, and pol32Δ that are distinct from those of known sgs1 mutants. Our findings suggest that the Sgs1-Rad51 interaction stimulates homologous recombination (HR). However, unlike sgs1 mutations, which impair the resection of DNA double-strand ends, negative genetic interactions of the sgs1-FD allele are not suppressed by YKU70 deletion. We propose that the Sgs1-Rad51 interaction stimulates HR by facilitating the formation of the presynaptic Rad51 filament, possibly by Sgs1 competing with single-stranded DNA for replication protein A binding during resection.
A model for optical gain in colloidal nanoplatelets

Cadmium chalcogenide nanoplatelets (NPLs) and their heterostructures have been reported to have low gain thresholds and large gain coefficients, showing great potential for lasing applications. However, the further improvement of the optical gain properties of NPLs is hindered by a lack of models that can account for their optical gain characteristics and predict their dependence on the properties (such as lateral size, concentration, and/or optical density). Herein, we report a systematic study of optical gain (OG) in 4-monolayer thick CdSe NPLs by both transient absorption spectroscopy study of colloidal solutions and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) measurement of thin films. We showed that comparing samples with the same optical density at the excitation, the OG threshold is not dependent of the NPL lateral area, while the saturation gain amplitude is dependent on the NPL lateral area when comparing samples with the same optical density at the excitation wavelength. Both the OG and ASE thresholds increase with the optical density at the excitation wavelength for samples of the same NPL thickness and lateral area. We proposed an OG model for NPLs that can successfully account for the observed lateral area and optical density dependences. The model reveals that OG originates from stimulated emission from the bi-exciton states and the OG threshold is reached when the average number of excitons per NPL is about half the occupation of the band-edge exciton states. The model can also rationalize the much lower OG thresholds in the NPLs compared to QDs. This work provides a microscopic understanding of the dependence of the OG properties on the morphology of the colloidal nanocrystals and important guidance for the rational optimization of the lasing performance of NPLs and other 1- and 2-dimensional nanocrystals.
Knowing a Sentient Mountain: Space, science, and the sacred in ascents of Mount Paektu/Changbai

Mount Paektu/Changbai is a massive stratovolcano situated on the current border between North Korea and China, in a region that has historically lain at the edges of competing Eurasian polities. Formed by a past of dramatic eruptions, Mount Paektu/Changbai has long been held as a powerful, sentient entity by those living near it, but the mountain's unique geographical features and distance from political centres rendered it extremely elusive as an object of elite empirical knowledge. This article examines narratives of multiple expeditions to Mount Paektu/Changbai from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries in order to understand the role of space in the creation of knowledge about the mountain, and to probe how that knowledge intersected with political goals. Consideration of human experience of the mountain's topography and environment reveals a complex relationship between proximal and distal perceptions of nature. Even as they sought to create rational, ‘universal’ forms of knowledge about the mountain, Asian elites appropriated more localized belief in the mountain's powers, creating a hybrid knowledge that combined science and miracles. As the political context shifted in the late nineteenth century, the positioning of this hybrid knowledge shifted to become an indiginized basis for national resistance. This consideration of Mount Paektu/Changbai highlights the virtues of making space and environment central to the political and cultural history of northeast Asia.
CCE1: Decrease in the frequency of oceanic fronts and surface chlorophyll concentration in the California Current System during the 2014–2016 northeast Pacific warm anomalies

Abstract Oceanic fronts are sites of increased vertical exchange that are often associated with increased primary productivity, downward flux of organic carbon, and aggregation of plankton and higher trophic levels. Given the influence of fronts on the functioning of marine ecosystems, an improved understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of frontal activity is desirable. Here, we document changes in the frequency of sea-surface fronts and the surface concentration of chlorophyll-a (Chla) in the California Current System that occurred during the Northeast Pacific anomalous warming of 2014–2015 and El Nino of 2015–2016, and place those anomalies in the context of two decades of variability. Frontal frequency was detected with the automated histogram method using datasets of sea-surface temperature (SST) and Chla from multiple satellite sensors. During the anomalous 2014–2016 period, a drop in the frequency of fronts coincided with the largest negative Chla anomalies and positive SST anomalies in the whole period of satellite observations (1997–2017 for Chla and 1982–2017 for SST). These recent reductions in frontal frequency ran counter to a previously reported increasing trend, though it remains to be seen if they represent brief interruptions in that trend or a reversal that will persist going forward.
Precursors for the Chemical Vapor Deposition of Titanium Disulfide and Titanium Nitride Films

The rational design of precursors to binary inorganic materials is enhanced by a detailed understanding of the path that leads to the final product. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), in which gas phase species react to form a film on a surface, has evolved into a very attractive method to prepare thin films of early transition metal chalcogenides, pnictogenides, and carbides.1 Despite the wide use of CVD to fabricate thin films, very little is known about the chemical reactions that are involved in these processes. Recently, we initiated a research program with the goal of understanding ligand intermediates in CVD processes to the above mentioned materials.2 A significant goal was to assess the possible intermediacy of metalligand multiple bonded compounds in CVD processes, since such species have been widely proposed in film deposition mechanisms.3 Herein we describe our recent efforts to prepare precursors to titanium disulfide and titanium nitride films using CVD techniques.