cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioelectric Patterns as Indicators of Behavioral Development in the Chick Embryo

A study of transitional stages in the embryological development of living organisms provides a clearer understanding of anatomical assembly and the interdependence of parts, and a technique for distinguishing between essential and nonessential components for achieving integrated function. Some studies from this point of view are presented here. They deal with the beginning of and subsequent changes in the bioelectric patterns of heart, muscle, brain, and eye, as this electrical activity appears in association with behavioral movements in the developing chick embryo. In this report, behavior is regarded as an output of energy in the form of muscular contraction which is usually initiated by motor neurons in the adult organism and integrated by the central nervous system, often as an adaptive response to a sensory input.
NORMAL SINUS HEART RATE : APPROPRIATE RATE THRESHOLDS FOR SINUS TACHYCARDIA AND BRADYCARDIA

Conventional rate limits for sinus rhythm--100/min as the tachycardia threshold and 60/min as the bradycardia threshold--were established by consensus and never formally examined. Because clinical experience indicated that both figures were too high, we investigated this formally in 500 normal individuals. Results were consistent with normal data from the Framingham Study 5,000-subject cohort and the EPICORE Center cohort of more than 18,000 normal persons. Therefore, rounded tachycardia and bradycardia thresholds of 90/min and 50/min for normal sinus rhythm should improve the sensitivity of tachycardia detection and the specificity of bradycardia detection. The appropriate rate range (rounded) for sinus rhythm is 50/min to 90/min.
Plasma cell proliferative index post-transplant is a powerful predictor of prognosis in myeloma patients failing to achieve a complete response

Myeloma patients failing to achieve a complete response post autologous stem cell transplantation are heterogeneous, some ultimately achieving deeper responses and prolonged remission, whilst others relapse rapidly with poor outcomes. We evaluated the prognostic impact of the plasma cell proliferative index (PCPI) post-therapy, in 382 patients with myeloma failing to achieve complete response at 100 days post-transplant. Sixty percent (n = 230) of patients had zero clonal or too few clonal plasma cells to accurately assess PCPI (No PCPI). The remaining 40% (n = 152) of patients had PCPI performed with 79% (n = 120) having a low PCPI and 21% (n = 32) having an elevated PCPI. Patients with an elevated PCPI had significantly shorter progression free and overall survival. The median PFS was 8 months for elevated PCPI vs. 19 months for low PCPI vs. 24 months for no PCPI (p < 0.0001). The median OS was 27 months for elevated PCPI vs. 79 months for low PCPI vs. not reached for no PCPI, p < 0.0001). On multivariable analysis post-therapy PCPI was an independent predictor of progression free and overall survival. The PCPI post-therapy is a powerful predictor of survival and risk stratifies myeloma patients failing to achieve complete response early in the disease course.
Next-day discharge after minimally invasive partial nephrectomy: an analysis of the US National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

Clinical care pathways and new technologies have decreased the length of stay after many surgeries. However, doubt exists about the safety of shorter hospital stays. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of next-day discharge after minimally invasive partial nephrectomy in a national cohort of US patients and surgeons. Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we analyzed patients who underwent minimally invasive partial nephrectomy from 2012 to 2016. Patients were grouped into discharge on post-operative day 1, or discharge on days 2 and 3. Propensity score matching was used to balance patient characteristics and univariable analysis was used to determine the effect of next-day discharge on readmission, post-discharge complications, and major post-discharge complications. A total of 8153 patients were included in the analysis and 4430 were matched. The matched cohort was balanced on all patient and peri-operative characteristics. On univariable analysis, no increase in odds were observed in the next-day discharge group for readmission (odds ratio 0.8; 95% confidence interval 0.6–1.4; p = 0.2), post-discharge complications (odds ratio 1.0; 95% confidence interval 0.7–1.4; p = 0.9), or post-discharge major complications (odds ratio 0.9; 95% confidence interval 0.5–1.4; p = 0.6). Next-day discharge in select patients after minimally invasive partial nephrectomy is effectively being utilized by a large, nationwide cohort of surgeons. This approach is feasible in certain patient populations though further research must determine selection criteria for safe next-day discharge.
Racial variation in colorectal polyp and tumor location.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer among whites have decreased, but they have remained unchanged among African Americans. To explain this disparity, we used the multicenter endoscopy database of the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative to compare the prevalence of proximal polyps and tumors among asymptomatic African Americans and whites undergoing routine screening colonoscopy. METHODS: African Americans and whites undergoing colonoscopy between January 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003 were considered for analysis. RESULTS: There were 145,175 index colonoscopy reports on unique patients. After applying exclusion criteria, 46,726 patients remained for analysis. Adjusting for age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists level, bowel preparation and endoscopic setting, African Americans were less likely to have polyps [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.70-0.84]. However, the odds of having proximal polyps was higher in African Americans (OR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.11-1.52) compared to whites. In regards to tumors, African Americans were more likely to have tumors (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.14-2.77) and more likely to have proximal tumors than whites (OR = 4.37; 95% CI: 1.16-16.42). CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for confounders, African Americans undergoing screening colonoscopy in multiple practice settings had higher odds of proximal polyps and tumors than whites, suggesting current colorectal cancer screening recommendations in African Americans should be expanded.
Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR) in Infants and Children: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background:Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is increasingly used to rescue patients with cardiac arrest refractory to conventional therapy, necessitating evaluation of factors th...
Bridging the gap between the social science and the social ontology of collective memory

It is commonplace to attribute memories to groups of individuals both large and small. Attributions of memories to groups are also found in social science research. This article proposes using phil...
Interreligious Learning and Intersectionality

Interreligious learning is important because of the plurality of religious traditions in many parts of the globalized world. This article uses an intersectional approach, taking into consideration religious differences as well as class, gender, race, colonialism, and so on. It takes account of community accountability, activism, and the use of arts and rituals in interreligious education. It discusses the challenges of doing interreligious education in Christian-based institutions and presents guidelines and best practices for interreligious learning.
Diabetes as a Systemic Factor for Peri-implantitis

Diabetes has long been considered a relative contraindication to implant placement on the basis of glycemic control. This impact of diabetes on the success of implant therapy was thought based on concerns about wound healing and infection for patients with diabetes and less so on sound evidence. Our understanding of the assessments of glycemia and our scientific evidence regarding outcomes for dental implants become critical to the appropriate application of this therapy. Evaluating the evidence for both early (failure to integrate) and late (peri-implantitis) implant complications suggests that the effects of diabetes and hyperglycemia appear more modest than may be otherwise considered. It is clear that dental implant therapy offers important opportunities to improve oral health and quality of life. While our information to date does support some increase in risk for patients with diabetes, especially those with elevated glycemic levels, the added risk for marginal bone loss approaching 1 mm more than non-diabetic individuals over a 10-year period pales in comparison to the obvious benefits implant therapy can offer a dentally debilitated individual dependent on dietary management of their condition. As we continue to investigate dental implant therapy for individuals with diabetes and the associated risks for these individuals, we will need to gain considerable insights into the true benefits of this treatment approach within this population.
6 – Appraising and Promoting People in Security Programs

For a program to have vitality, successful workers need to be appraised so that the best among them can be promoted. This chapter discusses why informal and formal assessments of workers’ performance are valuable and how to achieve them. Such appraisals involve both written and verbal interchanges. Not only workers need to be understood, but also the programs themselves need to be dissected with an aim of strengthening them.
From Medical Pluralism to Medical Marginality: Changing Dynamics Within Unani System of Medicine:

The concept of medical marginality operates as a framework to differentiate between medical practice that is sanctioned and regulated by the state (Allopathic medicine or the Ayurveda, Yoga and Nat...
To What Extent Does Fandom Wikia Act as a Model for Labor Exploitation

Founded in 2004, the company, Fandom, provided a new outlet for fans to engage with the media they love: a platform to edit and view information about their interests, as well as meet others who share those interests. It is possible, however, that Fandom has taken advantage of this as a vast pool of labor. As Fandom makes money from ad revenue and their users continue to make pages of information making ads more accessible, it comes into question whether or not this is a model for labor exploitation. In order to classify it as such, two conditions needed to be fulfilled to qualify Fandom as a model: is Fandom monopolistic and does it take advantage of its users. Whereas the monopolistic aspect can be determined by seeing if other media fill the niche Fandom does, the second aspect will be determined using Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory. A survey was conducted from user responses to analyze how users view Fandom. It was determined from the 50 responses that Fandom fits the model as it is the only media platform that fulfills an informational and social niche concurrently. The website also fulfills all aspects of Katz’s Theory, therefore, the second condition for labor exploitation is fulfilled. Although Fandom acts as a model for labor exploitation, this does not outline the moral aspects of its activities; this only classifies it as a model to be utilized for reference as technology continues to make controversial issues such as labor exploitation more ambiguous.
Assuring safety and efficacy of nurse triage for electronic consultation to improve access to specialty care.

Ensuring delivery of timely, coordinated, safe and cost-effective specialty care is one of the most pressing issues facing our healthcare systems worldwide.1 Poor access to specialty care is common across health delivery organisations, with wait times as high as 6–12 months in some communities.2–4 For many specialties this is rooted in a shortage of specialist physicians.5 A key question, therefore, is how to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of specialist use and access. The traditional primary–specialty care interface consists of a primary care provider (PCP) faxing a referral request to a specialist’s office without much accompanying diagnostic information and waiting to hear from the patient when an appointment has been scheduled (often on a first-come, first-served basis). The process is inefficient as it often results in avoidable specialist visits, duplicate diagnostic testing and delayed diagnoses for those patients who need specialist evaluation sooner than others who were referred to the same specialist.6–8 Newer models for improving access to specialty care are thus urgently needed. Electronic consultation (eConsult), which provides a way for PCPs and their patients to obtain specialty expertise without an inperson patient visit to the specialist, has emerged as one potential solution for increasing access to specialty care through improved efficiency of consultation.1 eConsults are asynchronous virtual provider-to-provider consultations. They allow specialists to address consultative needs through chart review and communication with the referring provider, often without an inperson specialty care visit. They can be used to triage whether an inperson visit is needed, and when such a visit is needed, ensure adequate diagnostic work-up is completed before the visit. Ideally, this results in time saving for scarce specialists and improved wait times for patients. Studies of early adopters of eConsult programmes in …
Cytosolic protein quality control machinery: Interactions of Hsp70 with a network of co-chaperones and substrates:

The chaperone heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and its network of co-chaperones serve as a central hub of cellular protein quality control mechanisms. Domain organization in Hsp70 dictates ATPase activity, ATP dependent allosteric regulation, client/substrate binding and release, and interactions with co-chaperones. The protein quality control activities of Hsp70 are classified as foldase, holdase, and disaggregase activities. Co-chaperones directly assisting protein refolding included J domain proteins and nucleotide exchange factors. However, co-chaperones can also be grouped and explored based on which domain of Hsp70 they interact. Here we discuss how the network of cytosolic co-chaperones for Hsp70 contributes to the functions of Hsp70 while closely looking at their structural features. Comparison of domain organization and the structures of co-chaperones enables greater understanding of the interactions, mechanisms of action, and roles played in protein quality control.
Tacrolimus time-in-therapeutic range is associated with freedom from acute rejection and graft failure following intestinal transplantation.

BACKGROUND Trough-adjusted tacrolimus is commonly prescribed following intestinal transplantation to prevent allograft rejection. Despite established practice, there remains limited direct evidence linking tacrolimus levels with improved clinical outcomes. METHODS This was a single-center review of all adult non-liver containing intestinal allograft recipients from 2011 to 2018. Patients received lymphocyte depleting induction and maintenance immunosuppression consisting of tacrolimus and a corticosteroid taper. Tacrolimus time-in-therapeutic range (TAC-TTR) was calculated for all patients from the date of transplant until 1-year post-transplant using Rosendaal's method. Cox-Proportional hazards modeling was utilized to assess freedom from acute rejection and graft failure stratified by TAC-TTR quartile. RESULTS 47 patients were included in the review. Mean TAC-TTR for the cohort was 30.2% ± 11.4. Fifteen episodes of acute rejection were observed, 8 of which were severe. Patients in the highest TAC-TTR quartile >36% had a lower incidence of acute rejection and graft failure relative to patients with a TAC-TTR <20%. Cox-Proportional hazards modeling found a 10% decrease in TAC-TTR was associated with an increased hazard for acute rejection (2.03), severe acute rejection (2.19), and graft loss (3.33). CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that decreasing TAC-TTR is a risk factor for both acute rejection as well as intestinal allograft failure.
Surprising Causes: Propensity-adjusted Treatment Scores for Multimethod Case Selection:

Scholarship on multimethod case selection in the social sciences has developed rapidly in recent years, but many possibilities remain unexplored. This essay introduces an attractive and advantageou...
Cohen v. Cowles Media Co. and the Legacy of Branzburg

This brief article discusses the decision in Action for Children’s Television v. FCC, where the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the "safe harbor" provisions of the Public Telecommunications Act of 1992 permitting the broadcast of indecent programming only between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The ACT III court found that the time-channeling regulation was supported by the government’s compelling interest in protecting children from broadcast indecency.
Influence of Austenite Stability on Steel Low Cycle Fatigue Response

Austenitic steels were subjected to tensile and total strain controlled, fully reversed axial low cycle fatigue (LCF) testing to determine the influence of stacking fault energy on austenite stability, or resistance to strain induced martensitic transformation during tensile and fatigue deformation. Expected differences in stacking fault energy were achieved by modifying alloys with different amounts of silicon and aluminum. Al alloying was found to promote martensite formation during both tensile and LCF loading, while Si was found to stabilize austenite. Martensite formation increases tensile work hardening rates, though Si additions also increase the work hardening rate without martensite transformation. Similarly, secondary cyclic strain hardening during LCF is attributed to strain induced martensite formation, but Si alloying resulted in less secondary cyclic strain hardening. The amount of secondary cyclic hardening scales linearly with martensite fraction and depends only on the martensite fraction achieved and not on the martensite (i.e. parent austenite) chemistry. Martensite formation was detrimental to LCF lives at all strain amplitudes tested, although the total amount of martensitic transformation during LCF did not always monotonically increase with strain amplitude nor correlate to the amount of tensile transformation.
Gas Production From Oceanic Class 2 Hydrate Accumulations

Gas hydrates are solid crystalline compounds in which gasmolecules are lodged within the lattices of ice crystals. The vastamounts of hydrocarbon gases that are trapped in hydrate deposits in thepermafrost and in deep ocean sediments may constitute a promising energysource. Class 2 hydrate deposits are characterized by a Hydrate-BearingLayer (HBL) that is underlain by a saturated zone of mobile water. Inthis study we investigated three methods of gas production via verticalwell designs. A long perforated interval (covering the hydrate layer andextending into the underlying water zone) yields the highest gasproduction rates (up to 20 MMSCFD), but is not recommended for long-termproduction because of severe flow blockage caused by secondary hydrateand ice. A short perforated interval entirely within the water zoneallows long-term production, but only at rates of 4.5 7 MMSCFD. A newwell design involving localized heating appears to be the most promising,alleviating possible blockage by secondary hydrate and/or ice near thewellbore) and delivering sustainably large, long-term rates (10-15MMSCFD).The production strategy involves a cyclical process. During eachcycle, gas production continuously increases, while the correspondingwater production continuously decreases. Each cycle is concluded by acavitation event (marked by a precipitous pressure drop at the well),brought about by the inability of thesystem to satisfymore » the constant massproduction rate QM imposed at the well. This is caused by the increasinggas contribution to the production stream, and/or flow inhibition causedby secondary hydrate and/or ice. In the latter case, short-term thermalstimulation removes the blockage. The results show that gas productionincreases (and the corresponding water-to-gas ratio RWGC decreases) withan increasing(a) QM, (b) hydrate temperature (which defines its stabilityfor a given pressure), and (c) intrinsic permeability. Lower initialhydrate saturations lead initially to higher gas production and a lowerRWGC, but the effect is later reversed as the hydrate is depleted. Thedisposal of the large amounts of produced water does not appear to pose asignificant environmental problem. Production from Class 2 hydrates ischaracterized by (a) the need for confining boundaries, (b) thecontinuously improving RWGC over time (opposite to conventional gasreservoirs), and (c) the development of a free gas zone at the top of thehydrate layer (necessitating the existence of a gas cap forproduction).« less
Energy Harvesting from Passive Human Power

Sustaining the power requirement for autonomous wireless and portable electronic devices is an important issue. Ambient power sources, as replacement of batteries, come into consideration to minimize the maintenance and the cost of operation by harvesting different forms of energy from the potential energy sources. Researchers continue to build high energy density batteries, but the amount of energy available in the batteries is not only finite but also low, limiting the life time of the systems. Extended life of the electronic devices is very important and also has more advantages in systems with limited accessibility. This research studied one of the forms of ambient energy sources that is passive human power from shoe/sneaker insole while person is walking/running and its conversion and storage into usable electrical energy. Based on source characteristics, electrical energy harvesting, conversion and storage circuits were designed, built and tested for low power electronic applications.
Characterization of Biaxial Mechanical Behavior of Porcine Aorta under Gradual Elastin Degradation

Arteries are composed of multiple constituents that endow the wall with proper structure and function. Many vascular diseases are associated with prominent mechanical and biological alterations in the wall constituents. In this study, planar biaxial tensile test data of elastase-treated porcine aortic tissue (Chow et al. in Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2013) is re-examined to characterize the altered mechanical behavior at multiple stages of digestion through constitutive modeling. Exponential-based as well as recruitment-based strain energy functions are employed and the associated constitutive parameters for individual digestion stages are identified using nonlinear parameter estimation. It is shown that when the major portion of elastin is degraded from a cut-open artery in the load-free state, the embedded collagen fibers are recruited at lower stretch levels under biaxial loads, leading to a rapid stiffening behavior of the tissue. Multiphoton microscopy illustrates that the collagen waviness decreases significantly with the degradation time, resulting in a rapid recruitment when the tissue is loaded. It is concluded that even when residual stresses are released, there exists an intrinsic mechanical interaction between arterial elastin and collagen that determines the mechanics of arteries and carries important implications to vascular mechanobiology.
Performance on a sustained attention task as a function of strategy: A cross-sectional investigation using the Mackworth clock-test

In an attempt to ascertain strategies used during a Mackworth clock-test vigilance task, we had 128 men, 18 to 89 years old, answer a series of open-ended questions immediately following the task. Each of the posttask response protocols was assigned to one of six strategies by two judges. Age was not related to the strategy used, but strategy was found to be significantly related to target detection accuracy. Strategies based upon active mental involvement in the vigilance task produced the greatest level of target detection, whereas a strategy based only upon self- arousal manipulation through limited physical movement produced the poorest target detection. Strategy had no effect on the time course of performance.
Comparison of multiple regression to two latent variable techniques for estimation and prediction

In the areas of epidemiology, psychology, sociology, and other social and behavioural sciences, researchers often encounter situations where there are not only many variables contributing to a particular phenomenon, but there are also strong relationships among many of the predictor variables of interest. By using the traditional multiple regression on all the predictor variables, it is possible to have problems with interpretation and multicollinearity. As an alternative to multiple regression, we explore the use of a latent variable model that can address the relationship among the predictor variables. We consider two different methods for estimation and prediction for this model: one that uses multiple regression on factor score estimates and the other that uses structural equation modelling. The first method uses multiple regression but on a set of predicted underlying factors (i.e. factor scores), and the second method is a full-information maximum-likelihood technique that incorporates the complete covariance structure of the data. In this tutorial, we will explain the model and each estimation method, including how to carry out prediction. A data example will be used for demonstration, where respiratory disease death rates by county in Minnesota are predicted by five county-level census variables. A simulation study is performed to evaluate the efficiency of prediction using the two latent variable modelling techniques compared to multiple regression.
Genetic probes: New ways to watch cells in action

Visualizing fast physiological changes in small living cells, such as synaptic transmission in a neural circuit, is a fundamental problem in biology. Progress towards this goal is being made with the development of new types of protein sensor that can be targeted within cells and organisms.
Optimizing R VM: Allocation Removal and Path Length Reduction via Interpreter-level Specialization

The performance of R, a popular data analysis language, was never properly understood. Some claimed their R codes ran as efficiently as any native code, others quoted orders of magnitude slowdown of R codes with respect to equivalent C implementations. We found both claims to be true depending on how an R code is written. This paper introduces a first classification of R programming styles into Type I (looping over data), Type II (vector programming), and Type III (glue codes). The most serious overhead of R are mostly manifested on Type I R codes, whereas many Type III R codes can be quite fast.This paper focuses on improving the performance of Type I R codes. We propose the ORBIT VM, an extension of the GNU R VM, to perform aggressive removal of allocated objects and reduction of instruction path lengths in the GNU R VM via profile-driven specialization techniques. The ORBIT VM is fully compatible with the R language and is purely based on interpreted execution. It is a specialization JIT and runtime focusing on data representation specialization and operation specialization. For our benchmarks of Type I R codes, ORBIT is able to achieve an average of 3.5X speedups over the current release of GNU R VM and outperforms most other R optimization projects that are currently available.
Unrecognized hypoglycemia due to maltodextrin interference with bedside glucometry

Glucometry is widely used to confirm or exclude hypoglycemia in patients with suggestive clinical findings. Nonglucose sugars may be detected by certain types of glucometers, causing false elevation of the glucometer analysis of the blood sugar. Since these other sugars are not functionally glucose and may even induce excess insulin release, clinical hypoglycemia may be missed. We report a 79-year-old man on enteral feeds containing maltodextrin, a glucose polymer, who had persistently high glucometer-measured blood glucose despite normal blood glucose measured by formal laboratory analysis. Excess insulin administration, based on the erroneous glucometer reading, may have caused unrecognized fatal clinical hypoglycemia. This has been reported following intravenous administration of related nonglucose sugars but not with enteral maltodextrin. Further study is required to confirm the effects of maltodextrin on glucometry. False elevation of blood glucose measured on certain point-of-care glucometers can occur following the oral administration of maltodextrin.
Phase II trial of 5-fluorouracil, high-dose leucovorin calcium, and dipyridamole in advanced prostate cancer.

To examine the effect of altering intracellular folate pools on the efficacy of 5-fluorouracil (FUra) in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, we performed a phase II trial of FUra (300-370 mg m-2 day-1 x 5 as an i.v. bolus) combined with high-dose folinic acid (500 mg m-2 day-1 x 5.5 days by continuous i.v. infusion) and dipyridamole (75 mg p.o. every 6 h x 5.5 days) administered on a 28-day schedule in patients with stage D2 disease. A group of 13 patients have been treated. The median age was 68 years (range 48-78 years); the performance status ranged from 50% to 90%. Among 12 evaluable patients, there were no objective responders; the median time to progression was 1.9 months. Median survival after entry on this trial was 8.6 months. Treatment with FUra, high-dose folinic acid and dipyridamole was well tolerated. Only one episode each of grade 3 leukopenia, granulocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia was observed. These results suggest that, despite previous trials demonstrating activity for FUra in stage D2 prostate cancer, this disease may be relatively resistant to fluoropyrimidines and, thus, less amenable to biochemical modulation with high-dose folinic acid and dipyridamole.
Electronic karyotype transmission

The Internet offers a wealth of resources for clinical geneticists. Literally millions of sources of specialized information, search engines, listserves, patient support resources, and online conferencing are available and enhance knowledge, efficiency, and patient care. For the clinical cytogeneticist, internet transmission of high resolution karyotypes and FISH images provides another valuable electronic tool. Pictures can be downloaded from an imaging system onto a floppy disk and e-mailed after removal of patient identifiers. They can be viewed with a simple graphics program and the results quickly reported via return email or telephone. This remote case review by the laboratory director or a designee solves the majority of laboratory coverage problems and maintains turnaround time and efficiency. In addition it provides immediate karyotypes or FISH images when consultation is needed. Emailing of images allows sharing of data among colleaques regardless of differences in computerized image will require microscope the few drawback
Inertial systems related to the kinematics of discrete mass distributions.

It is shown that there exists a kinematic acceleration which has a behavior that is identical to the motion generated by the cosmological constant \ensuremath{\Lambda} occurring in the field equations of general relativity. This kinematic acceleration is found to be generated by particle motion and may therefore supply a physical explanation of the cause of motion generated by the \ensuremath{\Lambda} constant. The method developed here is physically based on the use of discrete distributions of matter in space, rather than the continuous distributions used in relativity theory, in order to describe kinematic effects contained in the motion between galaxies. The mathematical method developed here is based on the use of matrix coordinate transformations that have the unusual property of containing translations of origins between coordinate systems. Results show that at least part of the Hubble recessional motion could be attributed to the effects of kinematic forces, and that each galaxy experiencing this motion can be considered to be at rest within its own local inertial system, even though the galaxies accelerate relative to each other. When the motion of light is described relative to these inertial systems, a horizon is shown to be associated with them which limits the ability of an observer to see either the center or edge of a finite Euclidean universe.
121 MANAGEMENT OF INFANTS WITH UNIVENTRICULAR HEART

With definitive repair for the univentricular heart now available, review of the management of infants with this defect is important. Twenty-eight infants were seen at less than ly and followed for 8m-17y (mean=73m). All had cardiac cath. Eight who died had autopsy; 18 had single left ventricle with an outlet chamber, and 10 had other types; 13 had pulmonary stenosis (PS) and 7 pulmonary atresia (PAtr.); 8 had no PS; 4 had coarctation; and 1 subaortic stenosis. Nine patients (pts.) with severe cyanosis had 13 systemic-pulmonary artery (SA-PA) shunts (8 Blalock-Taussig, 5 Ao-PA with Impra graft); the initial shunt was done at ld-6m, and the second at 3m-14y; there was no operative death, but 4 died later. Two pts. with PAtr. and 1 with coarctation died without surgery. Of 6 pts. with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and PA banding (PAB) at 2-20m, 4 survived, 2 died. Three pts. had no surgery and are doing well. Of the total group of 28 pts., 20 survived beyond ly of age. Ten pts. subsequently had more surgery (7 Glenn shunt, 2 Fontan, and 1 ventricular septation & Rastelli procedure) and 3 pts. died. The overall mortality was 39.3% (11/28); 8 of them had PS. The prognosis is better if pts. survive beyond infancy. Most surviving pts. had clinical improvement. Pts. with severe PS need SA-PA shunts, and pts. with PH need PAB at an early age. If palliative procedures are successful, the pt. could undergo Glenn procedure and Fontan procedures at an older age.
Developmental expression of a 56 kDa protein isolated from rat neocortex.

Abstract The expression of ALZ-50 immunoreactivity in the immature rat cortex was asssessed using a variety of immunochemical techniques. The antigen recognized by ALZ-50 was isolated using immunoaffinity column chromatography. Unlike the ALZ-50-positive antigen found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's Disease (mol. wt. 68 kDa), the principal antigen expressed in the immature rat had a molecular weight of 56 kDa. The temporal expression of ALZ-50-positive antigens was determined with immunoblotting techniques. The expression of the 56 kDa protein appeared during the last prenatal week, increased to a peak during the second postnatal week and waned in the third postnatal week. Immunohistochemically, neonatal cortex contained many ALZ-50-positive neurons in the cortical subplate and the intermediate zone and a smattering of neurons in the cortical plate. The temporal expression of the ALZ-50-positive 56 kDa antigen was similar to that for fetal τ (τ −1 ); however, the principal protein identified by the anti-τ −1 antibody was considerably larger (being about 68–70 kDa). In contrast to ALZ-50, τ −1 -immunoreactive elements were distributed in the subplate, the deep cortical plate, the intermediate zone and the subventricular zone. τ −1 -positive axons passing through the superficial intermediate zone were conspicuous. Thus, the biochemical and anatomical evidence show that ALZ-50 and τ −1 recognize distinct proteins.
Aggregate Formation in Pyridine-Based Polymers

The spectroscopic properties of the pyridine-based polymer poly(p−pyridyl vinylene p− phenylene vinylene) (PPyVPV) are examined. The emission of PPyVPV in solution has small intrinsic Stokes shift with some vibronic structure. In contrast, emission from thick film samples is featureless, with a strong redshift of ~0.5 eV versus solution. We attribute these observations to the formation of aggregate states in film samples. Time−resolved photoluminescence measurements are in accord with the diffusion of excitons to the aggregate sites. Photoinduced absorption also originates from excitons in aggregate states.
Time course of improvement in left ventricular function, mass and geometry in patients with congestive heart failure treated with beta-adrenergic blockade.

Objectives. We examined the time course of ventricular functional improvement in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy who received beta-blockade and the long-term effects of beta-blockade on ventricular mass and geometry in these patients. Background. Previous studies have shown that beta-adrenergic blocking agents when administered long term improve ventricular function in patients with heart failure. However, the time course of improvement in ventricular function and the long-term effects of beta-blockade on ventricular mass and geometry are not known. Methods. Twenty-six men with dilated cardiomyopathy underwent serial echocardiography on days 0 and 1 and months 1 and 3 of either metoprolol (n = 16) or standard therapy (n = 10). At 3 months all patients on standard therapy were crossed over to metoprolol, and late echocardiograms were obtained after 18 ± 5 (mean ± SD) months of metoprolol therapy. All echocardiograms were read in blinded manner. Results. Patients treated with metoprolol had an initial decline (day 1 vs. day 0) in ventricular function (increase in end-systolic volume and decrease in ejection fraction). Ventricular function improved between months 1 and 3 (p = 0.013, metoprolol vs. standard therapy). Left ventricular mass regressed at 18 months (333 ± 85 to 275 ± 53 g, p = 0.011) but not at 3 months. Left ventricular shape became less spherical and assumed a more normal elliptical shape by 18 months (major/minor axis ratio 1.5 ± 0.2 to 1.7 ± 0.2, p = 0.0001). Conclusions. Patients with heart failure treated with metoprolol do not demonstrate an improvement in systolic performance until after 1 month of therapy and may have a mild reduction in function initially. Long-term therapy with metoprolol results in a reversal of maladaptive remodeling with reduction in left ventricular volumes, regression of left ventricular mass and improved ventricular geometry by 18 months.
Human cell line that differentiates to all myeloid lineages and expresses neutrophil secondary granule genes.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to characterize a human leukemic cell line that appears capable of spontaneous differentiation to all myeloid lineages. Materials and Methods The MPD cell line was derived using standard tissue culture techniques from the peripheral blood of a patient with an aggressive nonchronic myelogenous leukemia myeloproliferative disorder. Immunophenotyping, cytogenetic analysis, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, Northern blotting, immunoblotting, and colony assays were used to characterize the line and to assess its ability to express lineage-specific genes representative of advanced differentiation. Results Light microscopic morphologic analysis of the MPD cell line suggests that it has the unique property of spontaneous differentiation to mature-appearing neutrophils, macrophages, eosinophils, and basophils in proportions that approximate those found in normal bone marrow or peripheral blood. It was demonstrated that this cell line is capable of producing lineage-specific mRNA and granule proteins of at least two myeloid lineages, neutrophil and eosinophil, including neutrophil secondary granule proteins, which are not expressed in other available human cell lines. MPD cells were found to be capable of producing differentiated myeloid colonies (neutrophil, eosinophil, macrophge, mixed) in semisolid medium. Conclusion The ability of MPD cells to express genetic programs associated with advanced differentiation of multiple myeloid lineages will make it a valuable tool for the study of the processes underlying lineage commitment and the regulation of expression of lineage-specific genes.
Factors Contributing to Women’s Ability to Maintain a Walking Program

Purpose:The purpose of this descriptive study is to determine what strategies were most helpful for women to begin and maintain awalking program. Method:Data from the field notes of a randomized cl...
The cellular basis of microvessel restiction and neomuscularization in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a common and serious condition, either as a primary event or secondary to other injury. In its clinical form there is always a restrictive lesion caused by vascular cell proliferation. This narrows the lumen of vessels throughout the lung but especially ones forming the microcirculation, the smallest vessels that lie adjacently to the capillaries. In addition, contractile cells develop in segments where normally these cells are absent (neomuscularization). As these cells form elastic laminae and organize into intimal and medial layers, microvascular segments that resemble capillaries in wall structure are converted into thick-walled vessels. To analyze the cellular basis of this we have developed a model of restrictive pulmonary hypertension in the rat breathing high oxygen at normobaric pressure. Vascular changes begin within hours of injury and progress until virtually all microvessels are affected. Currently, little is known of the mediators that act as signal molecules but it is likely that ones released by inflammatory and vascular cells stimulate chemotaxis, proliferation and expression of contractile organelles, as well as secretion of the matrix proteins. Light microscopy studies and quantitative methods of analysis provide a broad understanding of the nature and extent of wall reorganization within the microvessel network. High resolution studies, including the use of immunogold techniques, are critical to identify cell phenotype during the early stage of wall changes, and, later, the type of filament proteins expressed as cells switch phenotype by acquiring contractile organelles. Biomedical Reviews 1995; 4: 47-59.
American Cancer Society guidelines from the past to the present.

Guidelines for screening mammography were first suggested by the American Cancer Society in 1911. These have been reviewed periodically, and changes have been made based on the evidence available at the time of review. Two major breast screening studies conducted in the United States have had strong influences on the guide-lines. The Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York demonstrated a constant decrease in mortality for women over the age of 50, a finding that was apparent 5 years after the study's completion. At that time, no significant change could be demonstrated in the 40-49-year age group; however, 10 years after the study's conclusion, the decrease for the younger age group had increased to 23.5% and has remained essentially constant
Unequal under law: race in the war on drugs

Provine, D. M. 2007. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN-10 0-226-68462-8. pp. 207. Since the 1970s the United States has experienced an unprecedented increase in the number of people in...
4‐1BB T‐cell antigen binds to mature B cells and macrophages, and costimulates anti‐μ‐primed splenic B cells

4-1BB is expressed on activated murine T cells and may function as an accessory signaling molecule during T-cell activation. To identify putative 4-1BB ligands, a fusion protein consisting of the extracellular domain of 4-1BB fused to human placental alkaline phosphatase (4-1BB-AP) was constructed. Alkaline phosphatase activity could then be used as an indicator of the relative amount of bound 4-1BB. These studies indicated that 4-1BB-AP specifically bound to the surface of various mature B and macrophage cell lines. 4-1BB-AP bound at low levels to T cell lines (non-activated and anti-CD3-activated), pre-B-cell lines, and an immature macrophage cell line. 4-1BB-AP did not bind to a glial tumor cell line, HeLa cells, or COS cells. In addition, 4-1BB-AP bound at higher levels to F(ab')2 anti-mu-activated primary B cells compared to anti-CD3-activated primary T cells. Scatchard analysis indicated that the A20 B cell lymphoma expressed 3680 binding sites per cell with a Kd of 1.86 nM. Affinity cross-linking studies demonstrated that a major cell surface species of 120 kDa bound to 4-1BB-AP; 4-1BB-AP also bound to a minor species of approximately 60 kDa. The addition of paraformaldehyde-fixed SF21 cells expressing recombinant 4-1BB synergized with F(ab')2 anti-mu in inducing splenic B cell proliferation suggesting that 4-1BB may function as a regulator of B cell growth.
A discontinuous Galerkin conservative level set scheme for interface capturing in multiphase flows

The accurate conservative level set (ACLS) method of Desjardins et al. O. Desjardins, V. Moureau, H. Pitsch, An accurate conservative level set/ghost fluid method for simulating turbulent atomization, J. Comput. Phys. 227 (18) (2008) 8395-8416] is extended by using a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) discretization. DG allows for the scheme to have an arbitrarily high order of accuracy with the smallest possible computational stencil resulting in an accurate method with good parallel scaling. This work includes a DG implementation of the level set transport equation, which moves the level set with the flow field velocity, and a DG implementation of the reinitialization equation, which is used to maintain the shape of the level set profile to promote good mass conservation. A near second order converging interface curvature is obtained by following a height function methodology (common amongst volume of fluid schemes) in the context of the conservative level set. Various numerical experiments are conducted to test the properties of the method and show excellent results, even on coarse meshes. The tests include Zalesak's disk, two-dimensional deformation of a circle, time evolution of a standing wave, and a study of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Finally, this novel methodology is employed to simulate the break-up of a turbulent liquid jet.
Synthesis and DNA binding properties of iminodiacetic acid-linked polyamides: characterization of cooperative extended 2:1 side-by-side parallel binding.

A series of iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-linked polyamides (DpPyPyPy-IDA-PyPyPyDp) were prepared and constitute polyamides joined head-to-head by a functionalizable five-atom linker. It was found that the IDA linker exerts a unique influence over the DNA binding conformation differing from both the β-alanine (extended) or γ-aminobutyric acid (hairpin) linkers, resulting in cooperative parallel side-by-side 2:1 binding in an extended conformation most likely with a staggered versus stacked alignment. A generalized variant of a fluorescent intercalator displacement (FID) assay conducted on a series of hairpin deoxyoligonucleotides containing a systematically varied A/T-rich binding-site size was used to distinguish between the binding modes of the IDA-linked polyamides.
The Unintended Outcomes of High-Stakes Testing

SUMMARY Although it is important to evaluate the intended outcomes of high-stakes testing, it is also important to evaluate the unintended outcomes, which might be as important or more important than the intended outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing, including those related to: (a) using tests as a means to hold educators accountable, (b) the effects on instruction, (c) the effects on student and teacher motivation, and (d) the effects on students who are at-risk of school failure. In examining the evidence, I conclude that while some unintended outcomes of high-stakes testing have been positive, many of the unintended outcomes have been negative. Hopefully, through a greater awareness of the unintended outcomes, school psychologists can work to minimize the negative effects of testing on students and educators.