cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perspectives on Physical Activity Among People with Multiple Sclerosis Who Are Wheelchair Users: Informing the Design of Future Interventions.

Background: People with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS) are less physically active than those with milder forms of the disease, and wheelchair use has a negative association with physical activity participation. Thus, wheelchair users with MS are doubly disadvantaged for accruing the benefits of physical activity and exercise. Appropriate physical activity and exercise interventions are needed for this population. Methods: We undertook a qualitative study to explore the meanings, motivations, and outcomes of physical activity in wheelchair users with MS. We sought to understand daily opportunities to accumulate physical activity and exercise, and to identify perceived barriers, facilitators, and benefits that might inform the design of future interventions. Results: We interviewed 15 wheelchair users (mean age, 52 ± 8.8 years; n = 12 women). Data were transcribed and analyzed to identify and explore common themes. Our first theme was the reduced opportunity to participate in physical activity due to part...
Water Quality Analysis of Rural Living and Drinking Water Monitoring Results in Gaotang County

Objective To understand the status quo about rural living and drinking water quality of the water in Gaotang County.Methods According to GB/T 5750-2006 living and drinking water hygiene standards by random sampling,the method of 20 sample point of water quality inspection of the analysis.Results Living and drinking water detection the qualified rate was 13.85% in 2009,compared with 17.28% in 2008,the difference was not statistically significant(χ2=2.229,P=0.13).Conclusion The rural living and drinking water pollution is serious in GaotangXian.
Central sleep apnea.

Publisher Summary Central sleep apnea is much less common than obstructive sleep apnea. The state-dependent CO2 apnea threshold plays a permissive role and hence hypocapnia is an important risk factor for the occurrence of central apnea in subjects at high altitude and in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). While a number of different treatment modalities have been employed for the management of specific types of central apnea, the current data do not lead to a clear picture of what strategies to employ in particular patients. There was early enthusiasm that use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with CHF with Cheyne–Stokes respiration would produce improved cardiac outcomes. It is disappointing that the largest randomized trial done to date in the field of sleep-disordered breathing, the central sleep apnea and heart failure (CANPAP) study, evaluating the effect of CPAP on a cardiac composite end-point (total death, plus need for cardiac transplantation) in patients with CHF and Cheyne–Stokes respiration was negative. There are new treatment modalities, in particular the adaptive servo-ventilator, but current studies using this device are small, and there is a need for larger randomized trials before the role of this new therapy can be established.
The value of creep feeding during the last 84, 56, or 28 days prior to weaning on growth performance of nursing calves grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue.

To evaluate limiting the number of days that calves are creep fed, 84 crossbred cows (frame score 4) nursing steer calves were randomly assigned to three replicates over 2 yr to receive one of four lengths of creep feeding (0, 28, 56, or 84 d) for cows and calves grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue. There were no differences in cow performance due to treatments. Calf daily gain increased (P < .001) as the length of time exposed to creep increased. In yr 1, creep intake increased (P < .05) as the length to time exposed to creep increased. In yr 2, there was no difference in intake by period among 28-, 56-, and 84-d treatments. Supplemental feed efficiency was best for 56 and 84 d, and the 28-d treatment was extremely poor. During the feedlot phase, there were differences in performance between the 2 yr and there were no differences in carcass composition due to length of time receiving creep feed. Overall, creep feeding calves for 56 or 84 d improved performance, and the 56-d calves had the most efficient gain. Creep feeding calves for 28 d showed no advantage during the creep feeding period or in the feedlot. Four ruminally fistulated nursing steer calves were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design to receive treatments of forage alone or .68 kg, 1.13 kg, or 2.27 kg/d of creep plus high-quality, freshly harvested forage available on an ad libitum basis. Forage OM intake and NDF digestibility tended (P = .11) to decrease as intake of creep feed increased. The pH decreased (P < .001), molar proportion of propionate tended to increase (P = .06), and acetate tended to decrease (P = .07) as the level of creep feed intake increased. Higher levels of creep feed tended to cause a decrease in ruminal fiber digestibility and forage intake. Creep feeding calves for 56 or 84 d improved gain; 56 d had the most efficient supplemental gain. Creep feeding calves for 28 d showed no advantage during the creep feeding period or in the feedlot.
Connector/ Module Interface

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a design discipline developed for the connector/ module interface that was used in optimizing the coupling of light in IBM's ESCON SM and MM links. Mechanical issues such as the consistent ability to plug the connector and optical issues such as coupled optical power consistent with an acceptable link loss budget and obedience to laser safety requirements, all of which are considerable data communications challenges, are analyzed in the chapter. It attempts to explain the challenges of mating connectorized fiber cables with optical subassemblies (OSAs). Some terminology in the chapter is borrowed from the OSA telecommunication industry. However, data communication requires some unique engineering solutions, and therefore some unfamiliar terminology is introduced in the chapter.
Association of Testosterone Replacement With Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Men With Androgen Deficiency.

Importance Controversy exists regarding the safety of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) following recent reports of an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Objective To investigate the association between TRT and cardiovascular outcomes in men with androgen deficiency. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study was conducted within an integrated health care delivery system. Men at least 40 years old with evidence of androgen deficiency either by a coded diagnosis and/or a morning serum total testosterone level of less than 300 ng/dL were included. The eligibility window was January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2010, with follow-up through December 31, 2012. Exposures Any prescribed TRT given by injection, orally, or topically. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular end points that included acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary revascularization, unstable angina, stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between TRT and cardiovascular outcomes. An inverse probability of treatment weight, propensity score methodology, was used to balance baseline characteristics. Results The cohorts consisted of 8808 men (19.8%) ever dispensed testosterone (ever-TRT) (mean age, 58.4 years; 1.4% with prior cardiovascular events) and 35 527 men (80.2%) never dispensed testosterone (never-TRT) (mean age, 59.8 years; 2.0% with prior cardiovascular events). Median follow was 3.2 years (interquartile range [IQR], 1.7-6.6 years) in the never-TRT group vs 4.2 (IQR, 2.1-7.8) years in the ever-TRT group. The rates of the composite cardiovascular end point were 23.9 vs 16.9 per 1000 person-years in the never-TRT and ever-TRT groups, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for the composite cardiovascular end point in the ever-TRT group was 0.67 (95% CI, 0.62-0.73. Similar results were seen when the outcome was restricted to combined stroke events (stroke and TIA) (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.62-0.84) and combined cardiac events (AMI, SCD, unstable angina, revascularization procedures) (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.60-0.72). Conclusions and Relevance Among men with androgen deficiency, dispensed testosterone prescriptions were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular outcomes over a median follow-up of 3.4 years.
Redox Biology of Thiosulfate as a Sulfide Donor in Endothelial Cells

Recent reports have revealed that hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has emerged as the most recent endogenous gasotransmitter involved many physiological and pathological processes. The pathways involved in the production, consumption, and mechanism of action of H 2 S appear to be sensitive to alterations in the redox stress. Thiosulfate (S 2 O 3 2– ) is one of oxidized products of the sulfide pathway, and has been used extensively and safely to treat calcific uremic arteriopathy (a disease, in part due to calcification of small arteries) in dialysis patients. Yet despite its significance, fundamental questions regarding how thiosulfate and H 2 S interact during redox signaling remain unanswered. In this study, we examined the effect of thiosulfate on hypoxia-induced H 2 S metabolite bioavailability in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We found that thiosulfate is a low-dose, slow-releasing sulfide donor that utilizes a glutathione-dependent pathway in a time-dependent manner. Also, it was found that thiosulfate reduces HUVECS proliferation treated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. These results indicate that thiosulfate can contribute to H 2 S signaling under hypoxic conditions through non-enzymatic and enzymatic pathways and that this is a beneficial sulfide donor. Keywords Thiosulfate, sulfide, anti-angiogenic, glutathione, donor
Binaural detection of a Gaussian noise target in the presence of a lead/lag masker

Masked detection thresholds were measured for a noise target in the presence of a masker composed of (1) a lead/lag noise pair with the lead interaural time difference (ITD) set the same or opposite to the target, (2) a diotic masker, and (3) a dichotic pair of decorrelated noises. If the precedence effect actually eliminates a second, later arriving stimulus, a spatial release from masking would be expected when the lead ITD is opposite that of the target. Results for a range of lead/lag delays suggest that the precedence effect is not the result of a perceptual removal of the lag.
Debating death: religion, politics, and the Oregon Death With Dignity Act.

In 1994, Oregon passed the Oregon Death With Dignity Act, becoming the first state in the nation to allow physician-assisted suicide (PAS). This paper compares the public discussion that occurred in 1994 and during the Act’s implementation in 1997 and examines these debates in relation to health care reform under the Obama administration. I argue that the 1994 and 1997 Oregon PAS campaigns and the ensuing public debate represent the culmination of a growing lack of deference to medical authority, concerns with the doctor-patient relationship, and a desire for increased patient autonomy over decisions during death. The public debate over PAS in Oregon underscored the conflicts among competing religious, political, and personal interests. More visible and widespread than any other American debate on PAS, the conflict in Oregon marked the beginning of the now nationwide problem of determining if and when a terminally ill person can choose to die.
Abstract 15387: Post-Discharge Follow-Up Within 14 Days Reduces 30-Day Hospital Readmission Rates in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction and/or Acutely Decompensated Heart Failure

Introduction: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) are at high risk for readmission to the hospital after discharge. We investigate the hypo...
Human coronavirus circulation in the United States 2014-2017.

Abstract Background Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) -OC43, -229E, -NL63 and -HKU1 cause upper and lower respiratory tract infections. HCoVs are globally distributed and the predominant species may vary by region or year. Prior studies have shown seasonal patterns of HCoV species and annual variation in species prevalence but national circulation patterns in the US have not yet been described. Objectives To describe circulation patterns of HCoVs -OC43, -229E, -NL63 and -HKU1 in the US. Study design We reviewed real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test results for HCoV-OC43, -229E, -NL63 and -HKU1 reported to The National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) by U.S. laboratories from July 2014–June 2017. We calculated the total number of tests and percent positive by week. For a subset of HCoV positive submissions with age and sex of the patient available, we tested for differences in age and sex across the four HCoV species using Chi Square and Kruskal Wallace tests. Results 117 laboratories reported 854,575 HCoV tests; 2.2% were positive for HCoV-OC43, 1.0% for HCoV-NL63, 0.8% for HCoV-229E, and 0.6% for HCoV-HKU1. The percentage of positive tests peaked during December – March each year. No significant differences in sex were seen across species, although a significant difference in age distribution was noted. Conclusions Common HCoVs may have annual peaks of circulation in winter months in the US, and individual HCoVs may show variable circulation from year to year. Different HCoV species may be detected more frequently in different age groups. Further years of data are needed to better understand patterns of activity for HCoVs.
Ciência da religião como discurso colonialista: o caso de Rudolf Otto

The dominant approach to the study of religion known as the phenomenology of religion’s core assumption was that underlying the multiplicity of historical and geographically dispersed religions was an ultimately metaphysical, trans-historical substratum, called “man”, Geist, or “consciousness”. This transhistorical substratum is an expressive agent with a uniform, essential nature. By reading the data of religion as its “expressions”, it is possible to sympathetically understand their meaning. Geist, or “man”, then, is both a philosophy of history and a hermeneutical theory. It also forms a systematic set of representations, which replicate the structure of the asymmetrical relations between Europeans and those colonized by Europeans. The metanarrative of Geist is a narrative of the supremacy – their term, not mine – of white, Christian Europe over black, “primitive” Africa and “despotic” Asia. Spirit moves from the South to the North; away from the East to the West. This paper locates Rudolf Otto’s work within the structure and history of phenomenological discourse and argues that the science of religion as described there conforms nearly perfectly to the structures of colonial discourse as this has been discussed and analyzed by theorists such as Jacques Derrida and Edward Said.
Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin: a synthetic red cell.

Liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (LEH) is being developed at the Naval Research Laboratory as a universally transfusable oxygen-carrying blood replacement. A chemical engineering scale-up feasibility study has been completed recently. We report here the development of an encapsulation method which produces liters of phospholipid/cholesterol liposomes containing at least 16 g% hemoglobin in a few hours. The 0.2 micron liposomes are produced with a MicrofluidizerTM (Microfluidics Corp., Newton, MA) adapted for this purpose, and then washed and sterile filtered using a Pellicon (Millipore, Bedford, MA) tangential flow filtration device. Previously, production limitations and lack of sterility have been serious barriers to toxicity testing for all the researchers engaged in related investigations. The biophysical properties of the LEH thus produced are ideal for use as a blood substitute, resembling those of red blood cells. The oxygen-binding affinity of LEH can be maintained at the level of fresh whole blood for many weeks by co-encapsulation of pyridoxal-5-phosphate. The circulation persistence time of liposomes is a function of the type of phospholipid. We have developed a formulation which has a circulation persistence time of 15–20 hours. The LEH oxygen binding characteristics, circulation half-life and its lipid composition dependence, scale-up preparation method, and a sterilization method are presented.
Targeted Drug Delivery Systems: Strategies and Challenges

The past few decades have brought in advances for the many maladies existent in the world. Still, the want of complete cure in several diseases remains unfulfilled because of complications related to the therapeutic substance and the diseased tissue/infectious agents. Undesirable physicochemical properties and the potential of exhibiting unwanted adverse effects limit many potential leads. Moreover, many diseased tissues/infectious agents have a tendency of being inaccessible to the “free” drug dosage. To overcome such hurdles novel strategies are undertaken to target the diseased tissues. The advantage of targeted drug delivery is to enhance the presence of the active therapeutic substance at specifically desired location in the body whilst minimizing nonspecific side effects. Approaches undertaken for targeted drug delivery are several including chemical modifications to the drug, prodrugs, use of surface-functionalized nanocarriers, etc. The task of selecting a targeted drug delivery approach is intricate and depends on the therapeutic substance, the disease as well as the specific location of the disease. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the challenges and the strategies employed in targeted drug delivery.
Sex Disparity and Copy Number Alterations in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Although sex differences in the incidence of esophageal cancer are well-established, the independent prognostic value of sex remains unclear. Recently, several groups have performed comprehensive molecular analyses of esophageal tumors,1 providing the opportunity to elucidate the underlying genomic bases for epidemiologic observations. We therefore sought to evaluate the effect of sex on esophageal cancer prognosis and to compare genomic data from tumors in men versus women.
Co-regularized Alignment for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation

Deep neural networks, trained with large amount of labeled data, can fail to generalize well when tested with examples from a target domain whose distribution differs from the training data distribution, referred as the source domain. It can be expensive or even infeasible to obtain required amount of labeled data in all possible domains. Unsupervised domain adaptation sets out to address this problem, aiming to learn a good predictive model for the target domain using labeled examples from the source domain but only unlabeled examples from the target domain. Domain alignment approaches this problem by matching the source and target feature distributions, and has been used as a key component in many state-of-the-art domain adaptation methods. However, matching the marginal feature distributions does not guarantee that the corresponding class conditional distributions will be aligned across the two domains. We propose co-regularized domain alignment for unsupervised domain adaptation, which constructs multiple diverse feature spaces and aligns source and target distributions in each of them individually, while encouraging that alignments agree with each other with regard to the class predictions on the unlabeled target examples. The proposed method is generic and can be used to improve any domain adaptation method which uses domain alignment. We instantiate it in the context of a recent state-of-the-art method and observe that it provides significant performance improvements on several domain adaptation benchmarks.
Pre-dialysis acute care hospitalizations and clinical outcomes in dialysis patients.

Background Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a precursor of end stage renal disease (ESRD), face an increasing burden of hospitalizations. Although mortality on dialysis is highest during the first year, the impact of pre-dialysis acute hospitalizations on clinical outcomes in dialysis patients remains unknown. Methods We evaluated 170,897 adult patients who initiated dialysis between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2014 with linked Medicare claims from the United States Renal Data System. Using logistic regression models, we examined the association of 2-year pre-dialysis hospitalization on the primary outcome of 1-year all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included 90-day mortality, type of initial dialysis modality and type of vascular access at hemodialysis initiation. Results Mean age was 72.7 ± 11.0 years. In the study sample, 76.0% of patients had at least one pre-dialysis hospitalization. Compared to patients with no pre-dialysis hospitalization, the adjusted 1-year mortality was higher with pre-dialysis cardiovascular related hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.57–1.68), infection related hospitalization (OR, 1.51; CI, 1.45–1.57), both cardiovascular and infection hospitalization (OR, 1.91; CI, 1.83–1.99), and neither-cardiovascular nor-infection hospitalization (OR, 1.23; CI, 1.19–1.27). Additionally, the adjusted odds of hemodialysis vs. peritoneal dialysis as the initial dialysis modality were higher, whereas adjusted odds to initiate hemodialysis with an arteriovenous access vs. central venous catheter were lower in patients with any type of hospitalization. Conclusion Pre-dialysis hospitalization is an independent predictor of 1-year mortality in dialysis patients. Reducing the risk of pre-dialysis hospitalization may provide opportunities to improve quality of care in ESRD.
The First Borosulfate K5[B(SO4)4].

The title compound is synthesized by addition of an aqueous solution of K2SO4 to a solution of B(OH)3 in conc.
High health care costs in minority groups of older US Medicare beneficiaries with epilepsy

OBJECTIVE To examine health care costs in diverse older Medicare beneficiaries with epilepsy. METHODS Using 2008-2010 claims data, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study of a random sample of Medicare beneficiaries augmented for minority representation. Epilepsy cases (n = 36 912) had ≥1 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition (ICD-9) 345.x or ≥2 ICD-9 780.3x claims, and ≥1 antiepileptic drug (AED) in 2009; new cases (n = 3706) had no seizure/epilepsy claims nor AEDs in the previous 365 days. Costs were measured by reimbursements for all care received. High cost was defined as follow-up 1-year cost ≥ 75th percentile. Logistic regressions examined association of high cost with race/ethnicity, adjusting for demographic, clinical, economic, and treatment quality factors. In cases with continuous 2-year data, we obtained costs in two 6-month periods before and two after the index event. RESULTS Cohort was ~62% African Americans (AAs), 11% Hispanics, 5% Asians, and 2% American Indian/Alaska Natives. Mean costs in the follow-up were ~$30 000 (median = $11 547; new cases, mean = $44 642; median = $25 008). About 19% white compared to 27% AA cases had high cost. AA had higher odds of high cost in adjusted analyses (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-1.29), although this was only marginally significant when adjusting for AED adherence (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.01-1.18, P = 0.03). Factors associated with high cost included ≥1 comorbidity, neurological care, and low AED adherence. Costs were highest at ~$17 000 in the 6 months immediately before and after the index event (>$29 000 for new cases). SIGNIFICANCE The financial sequelae of epilepsy among older Americans disproportionally affect minorities. Studies should examine contributors to high costs.
Real-Time Operation of Silicon Photonic Neurons

In this paper, we use standard silicon-photonic components in order to implement a neuromorphic circuit with two neurons. The network exhibits reconfigurable weights and nonlinear transfer functions, enabling high-bandwidth analog signal processing tasks.
Chiplet-Package Co-Design For 2.5D Systems Using Standard ASIC CAD Tools

Chiplet integration using 2.5D packaging is gaining popularity nowadays which enables several interesting features like heterogeneous integration and drop-in design method. In the traditional die-by-die approach of designing a 2.5D system, each chiplet is designed independently without any knowledge of the package RDLs. In this paper, we propose a Chip-Package Co-Design flow for implementing 2.5D systems using existing commercial chip design tools. Our flow encompasses 2.5D-aware partitioning suitable for SoC design, Chip-Package Floorplanning, and post-design analysis and verification of the entire 2.5D system. We also designed our own package planners to route RDL layers on top of chiplet layers. We use an ARM Cortex-M0 SoC system to illustrate our flow and compare analysis results with a monolithic 2D implementation of the same system. We also compare two different 2.5D implementations of the same SoC system following the drop-in approach. Alongside the traditional die-by-die approach, our holistic flow enables design efficiency and flexibility with accurate cross-boundary parasitic extraction and design verification.
Secretory Phospholipase A2 IIa Mediates Expression of Growth Factor Receptors in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Receptor tyrosine kinases of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family such as human epidermal receptor-2 (HER2) are involved in the development and progression of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Prior studies have demonstrated that group IIa secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2 IIa) can function as a ligand for the EGFR family of receptors and lead to an increase in receptor signaling. We hypothesized that sPLA2 IIa inhibition downregulates the expression of EGFR and HER-2 in EAC and through this mechanism decreases proliferation in EAC. Normal human esophageal epithelium, Barrett’s esophagus (BE), and EAC tissue samples were assayed for baseline expression of EGFR, HER-2, and sPLA2 IIa. sPLA2 IIa was attenuated via inhibitor or lentiviral knockdown in esophageal cell lines, and cells were assayed for EGFR and HER2 expression as well as proliferation. FLO1 EAC cells were injected into the flank of nude mice. After randomization, mice received daily group IIA sPLA2 inhibitor or a control solution, and tumor volume was measured with calipers. sPLA2 IIa, EGFR, and HER2 expression increased across the spectrum of normal esophageal epithelium to EAC. sPLA2 IIa inhibition and knockdown decreased the expression of HER-2 and EGFR and proliferation. Mice treated with sPLA2 IIa inhibitor had smaller tumors than controls. sPLA2 IIa inhibition decreases EGFR and HER2 expression and lowers proliferation of human EAC. The discovery of sPLA2 IIa inhibition’s ability to attenuate growth factor receptor signaling underscores the exciting potential of sPLA2 IIa inhibitors as therapeutics in the treatment of EAC.
Measuring the Mental Effort of Blind Mobility.

A comparative analysis of the information processing associated with sighted and blind mobility indicates that the performance of blind pedestrians may be limited by the excessive “mental effort” d...
Perceived Patient Safety Competence of Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Descriptive Comparative Study:

IntroductionPatient safety is an issue of utmost concern within health care. An interrelated approach between nursing education and practice is needed. For more than a decade, nursing education pro...
Bariatric Surgery and Hospitalization for Heart Failure in Morbidly Obese Patients

Bariatric surgery may improve heart failure outcome in morbidly obese patients. However, the safety of bariatric surgery has not been investigated in morbidly obese patients hospitalized for heart failure. We evaluated the effects of bariatric surgery on parameters of hospitalization for heart failure in morbidly obese patients. We analyzed administrative discharge data of morbidly obese patients with heart failure as a primary diagnosis. Propensity score matching was performed to assess parameters of hospitalization in morbidly obese patients with and without a history of bariatric surgery. The discharges with diastolic heart failure codes were analyzed separately. Morbid obesity was coded in 4.4% of all discharges. Heart failure was the primary diagnosis in 6.0% of discharges with morbid obesity codes. Only 1% of discharges with morbid obesity and heart failure as primary diagnosis codes were coded for bariatric surgery. Length of stay (p < 0.001), in-hospital mortality (p < 0.001), and the estimated cost of hospitalizations (p < 0.007) were lower in discharges with than without bariatric surgery codes. Length of stay was shorter and in-hospital mortality was lower in discharges with codes for diastolic heart failure and bariatric surgery than with codes for only diastolic heart failure (p < 0.042 and p < 0.001 respectively). When hospitalized for heart failure, morbidly obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery fare as well as or slightly better than their counterparts who did not.
Comparison of high throughput sequencing to standard protocols for virus detection in berry crops.

A comprehensive study comparing virus detection between high throughput sequencing (HTS) and standard protocols in 30 berry selections (12 Fragaria, 10 Vaccinium and 8 Rubus) with known virus profi...
Reduced dimethyl sulfoxide concentrations successfully cryopreserve human hematopoietic stem cells with multi-lineage long-term engraftment ability in mice.

Abstract Background aims The cryopreservation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used widely, but DMSO toxicity in transplant patients and the effects of DMSO on the normal function of cryopreserved cells are concerns. To address these issues, in vitro and clinical studies have explored using reduced concentrations of DMSO for cryopreservation. However, the effect of reducing DMSO concentration on the efficient cryopreservation of HSCs has not been directly measured. Methods Cryopreservation of human bone marrow using 10%, 7.5% and 5% DMSO concentrations was examined. Cell counting, flow cytometry and colony assays were used to analyze different cell populations. The recovery of stem cells was enumerated using extreme limiting dilution analysis of long-term multi-lineage engraftment in immunodeficient mice. Four different methods of analyzing human engraftment were compared to ascertain stem cell engraftment: (i) engraftment of CD33+ myeloid, CD19+ B-lymphoid, CD235a+ erythroid and CD34+ progenitors; (ii) engraftment of the same four populations plus CD41+CD42b+ platelets; (iii) engraftment of CD34++CD133+ cells; and (iv) engraftment of CD34++CD38− cells. Results Hematopoietic colony-forming, CD34++/+, CD34++CD133+ and CD34++CD38− cells were as well preserved with 5% DMSO as they were with the higher concentrations tested. The estimates of stem cell frequencies made in the xenogeneic transplant model did not show any significant detrimental effect of using lower concentrations of DMSO. Comparison of the different methods of gauging stem cell engraftment in mice led to different estimates of stem cell numbers, but overall, all measures found that reduced concentrations of DMSO supported the cryopreservation of HSCs. Conclusion Cryopreservation of HSCs in DMSO concentrations as low as 5% is effective.
Tumor Growth, Interleukins, and Immune Complexes

Using an antigen-nonspecific assay for circulating immune complexes (PEG-CIC) that detects immune complexes in regions of both antigen and antibody excess, we have shown in our recent studies that changes in serial PEG-CIC levels correlate with changes in tumor volume in a variety of human and animal tumors (Jerry et al., 1976; Rodrick et al., 1983). Furthermore, the elevations in CIC levels were shown to precede decreases in T-cell mitogenic responses to PHA. The precise mechanism of immune modulation in tumor-bearing hosts still remains unclear although regulatory interactions between host immunocytes are undoubtedly involved. As interleukins (IL) play a central role in the mediation and amplification of immune response, and as our earlier data pointed to a temporal relationship between changes in PEG-CIC and tumor growth, we postulated that immune complexes by perturbing intercellular interactions might decrease IL generation.
Preparing for the Proposal Review

The purpose of reviewing proposal applications is to obtain the best available professional judgments regarding each application submitted for funding. The individual and panel recommendations regarding the quality of each proposal and the statements of strengths and weaknesses are a critical base upon which final funding recommendations should rest. To assure an objective, unbiased review process in which proposals will be judged strictly on their merits, each of the activities described in the following sections should be planned and conducted in preparation for the actual proposal review.
Measuring animal personality for use in population management in zoos: suggested methods and rationale.

The concept that animals have personalities is gaining traction in the scientific community and is well established in zoos and aquariums. Applying knowledge of animal personalities has occurred more slowly and is most often only considered informally. However, animal personalities are likely to affect the welfare animals experience in captivity and thus should be of primary concern to zoo managers. In addition, animal personality likely affects the outcomes of zoo guest experiences and potentially guests' conservation-related behavior. With over 1,000,000 animals in the care of zoos internationally and hundreds of millions of visitors annually, it would be prudent and beneficial to maximize our use of animal personality data in zoos to effect positive conservation outcomes. Understanding how to broaden population planning techniques to include measures of animal personality and the important outcomes of welfare and education value is of prime importance to the zoo industry. In order to succeed, it is necessary to employ techniques that reliably assess animal personalities and provide measures that can easily be used in population planning models. We discuss the outcomes of recent workshops designed to determine the best techniques for measuring animal personalities in the zoo setting with the goal of incorporating personality into population planning. Zoo Biol 31:1;–12, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The LISA optimal sensitivity

The multiple Doppler readouts available on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) permit simultaneous formation of several interferometric observables. All these observables are independent of laser frequency fluctuations and have different couplings to gravitational waves and to the various LISA instrumental noises. Within the functional space of interferometric combinations LISA will be able to synthesize, we have identified a triplet of interferometric combinations that show optimally combined sensitivity. As an application of the method, we computed the sensitivity improvement for sinusoidal sources in the nominal, equal-arm LISA configuration. In the part of the Fourier band where the period of the wave is longer than the typical light travel-time across LISA, the sensitivity gain over a single Michelson interferometer is equal to $\sqrt{2}.$ In the mid-band region, where the LISA Michelson combination has its best sensitivity, the improvement over the Michelson sensitivity is slightly better than $\sqrt{2},$ and the frequency band of best sensitivity is broadened. For frequencies greater than the reciprocal of the light travel-time, the sensitivity improvement is oscillatory and $\ensuremath{\sim}\sqrt{3},$ but can be greater than $\sqrt{3}$ near frequencies that are integer multiples of the inverse of the one-way light travel-time in the LISA arm.
Use of Preoperative Testing and Physicians' Response to Professional Society Guidance.

Importance The value of routine preoperative testing before most surgical procedures is widely considered to be low. To improve the quality of preoperative care and reduce waste, 2 professional societies released guidance on use of routine preoperative testing in 2002, but researchers and policymakers remain concerned about the health and cost burden of low-value care in the preoperative setting. Objective To examine the long-term national effect of the 2002 professional guidance from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists on physicians’ use of routine preoperative testing. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective analysis of nationally representative data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to examine adults in the United States who were evaluated during preoperative visits from January 1, 1997, through December 31, 2010. A quasiexperimental, difference-in-difference (DID) approach evaluated whether the publication of professional guidance in 2002 was associated with changes in preoperative testing patterns, adjusting for temporal trends in routine testing, as captured by testing patterns in general medical examinations. Main Outcomes and Measures Physician orders for outpatient plain radiography, hematocrit, urinalysis, electrocardiogram, and cardiac stress testing. Results During the 14-year period, the average annual number of preoperative visits in the United States increased from 6.8 million in 1997-1999 to 9.8 million in 2002-2004 and 14.3 million in 2008-2010. After accounting for temporal trends in routine testing, we found no statistically significant overall changes in the use of plain radiography (11.3% in 1997-2002 to 9.9% in 2003-2010; DID, −1.0 per 100 visits; 95% CI, −4.1 to 2.2), hematocrit (9.4% in 1997-2002 to 4.1% in 2003-2010; DID, 1.2 per 100 visits; 95% CI, −2.2 to 4.7), urinalysis (12.2% in 1997-2002 to 8.9% in 2003-2010; DID, 2.7 per 100 visits; 95% CI, −1.7 to 7.1), or cardiac stress testing (1.0% in 1997-2002 to 2.0% in 2003-2010; DID, 0.7 per 100 visits; 95% CI, −0.1 to 1.5) after the publication of professional guidance. However, the rate of electrocardiogram testing fell (19.4% in 1997-2002 to 14.3% in 2003-2010; DID, −6.7 per 100 visits; 95% CI, −10.6 to −2.7) in the period after the publication of guidance. Conclusions and Relevance The release of the 2002 guidance on routine preoperative testing was associated with a reduced incidence of routine electrocardiogram testing but not of plain radiography, hematocrit, urinalysis, or cardiac stress testing. Because routine preoperative testing is generally considered to provide low incremental value, more concerted efforts to understand physician behavior and remove barriers to guideline adherence may improve health care quality and reduce costs.
Persistence of induced resistance and enhanced peroxidase and chitinase activities in cucumber plants.

Abstract Inoculation of the first true leaf (leaf 1) of cucumber plants with Colletotrichum lagenarium induced systemic resistance against disease caused by the same fungus for 6 weeks though the level of resistance progressively reduced during this time. Induced resistance was evident in leaf 2, which was expanding at the time of induction and in leaves which emerged from the bud 7 days or later after leaf 1 was inoculated (leaves 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12). When leaf 1 was removed 7 days after inoculation, systemic resistance progressively reduced mote rapidly than when it remained attached, Peroxidase and chitinase activities were consistently higher in leaf 2, and in leaves which emerged from the bud 7 days after inoculation of leaf 1, of induced plants as compared to plants treated with water on leaf 1. β-(1,3)-Glucanase activity was low throughout induced and control plants and did not increase appreciably in leaves above leaf one of induced plants. Removal of leaf 1 seven days after inoculation reduced the activity of peroxidase in leaf 2 and in leaves which subsequently emerged from the bud as a function of time after induction. The enhanced activities of peroxidase and chitinase at the time leaves 2 and leaves above were challenged did not correlate with the levels of induced resistance. Induced resistance decreased with time through activities of the enzymes were markedly higher at the time of challenge when induced resistance decreased than when it was maximum 7 days after induction. The activities of peroxidase and chitinase were as high or higher in susceptible leaves of non-induced plants at later times in the experiment than they were in induced plants 7 days after induction when induced resistance was at a maximum, Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the same peroxidase and chitinase isoforms in extracts of induced and non-induced plants. The data suggest that a signal(s) produced during the first week after inoculation of leaf 1 affects protection and enzyme activities of leaf 2, the expanding leaves above leaf 2 and leaves which subsequently emerged from the bud. Once triggered, the response persists, though reduced, in the absence of additional signal(s). The activities of peroxidase, chitinase and β-(1,3)-glucanase, considered individually or collectively, and their isoform patterns are not reliable biochemical markers for the level of induced resistance in cucumber to C. lagenarium prior to challenge inoculation with the fungus.
Incorporating Fatigue Test Results into Pavement Design Processes

THE PAPER EVALUATES SOME OF THE METHODS FOR INCORPORATING RESULTS FROM FATIGUE TESTS ON ASPHALT MATERIALS INTO A PAVEMENT DESIGN PROCESS. SOME OF THE PROPOSED DESIGN PROCEDURES ARE SUMMARIZED AND THE SIGNIFICANT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ARE DISCUSSED. ALTHOUGH THIS PRESENTATION IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE TREATISE ON THE SUBJECT, AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO EVALUATE MOST OF THE DESIGN PROCEDURES IN THE LITERATURE. THE DESIGN APPROACHES DISCUSSED RANGE FROM A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH SUGGESTED BY MOAVENZADEH (2) TO THE APPLIED TECHNIQUES SUGGESTED BY KASIANCHUK, MONISMITH, AND GARRISON (3). THE EQUIVALENT WHEEL LOAD CONCEPT, IN WHICH THE EQUIVALENCY IS BASED ON A FATIGUE MODE OF DISTRESS AS PRESENTED BY DEACON (4) AND WITCZAK (5) FOR AIRCRAFT LOADINGS, ARE ALSO SUMMARIZED AND DISCUSSED. THE LIMITING DEFLECTION AND THE "FAIL-SAFE" APPROACHES, ARE DISCUSSED FOR HISTORICAL REASONS. FOR THIS DISCUSSION FATIGUE FAILURE IS TAKEN TO MEAN FAILURE IN A STRUCTURAL SENSE AS OPPOSED TO A FUNCTIONAL FAILURE. /ASTM/
Effects of medication on neuroimaging findings in bipolar disorder: an updated review.

OBJECTIVE: Neuroimaging is an important tool for better understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of bipolar disorder (BD). However, potential study participants are often receiving psychotropic medications which can possibly confound imaging data. To better interpret the results of neuroimaging studies in BD, it is important to understand the impact of medications on structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), functional MRI (fMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). METHODS: To better understand the impact of medications on imaging data, we conducted a literature review and searched MEDLINE for papers that included the key words bipolar disorder and fMRI, sMRI, or DTI. The search was limited to papers that assessed medication effects and had not been included in a previous review by Phillips et al. (Medication effects in neuroimaging studies of bipolar disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2008; 165: 313-320). This search yielded 74 sMRI studies, 46 fMRI studies, and 15 DTI studies. RESULTS: Medication appeared to influence many sMRI studies, but had limited impact on fMRI and DTI findings. From the structural studies, the most robust finding (20/45 studies) was that lithium was associated with increased volumes in areas important for mood regulation, while antipsychotic agents and anticonvulsants were generally not. Regarding secondary analysis of the medication effects of fMRI and DTI studies, few showed significant effects of medication, although rigorous analyses were typically not possible when the majority of subjects were medicated. Medication effects were more frequently observed in longitudinal studies designed to assess the impact of particular medications on the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal. With a few exceptions, the observed effects were normalizing, meaning that the medicated individuals with BD were more similar than their unmedicated counterparts to healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of psychotropic medications, when present, are predominantly normalizing and thus do not seem to provide an alternative explanation for differences in volume, white matter tracts, or BOLD signal between BD participants and healthy subjects. However, the normalizing effects of medication could obfuscate differences between BD and healthy subjects, and thus might lead to type II errors.
Positive radial symmetric solutions to an exterior elliptic Robin boundary-value problem and application

Abstract We study the existence, uniqueness, and behavior of positive radial symmetric solutions of the exterior boundary-value problem − Δ u = H ˆ ( x ) f ( u ) in Ω ≔ R n ∖ B ¯ ( 0 , r 0 ) , ∂ u ∂ n + a u = γ on ∂ Ω , and u ( x ) → 0 as | x | → ∞ . When a > 0 , the Robin boundary condition has a “wrong” sign, and this makes the analysis of the problem interesting and non-trivial. We determine a sharp condition on the coefficient a for the existence of positive spherically symmetric solutions of the boundary-value problem. The important model case f ( u ) = ( u + 1 ) − 7 , a = 1 / ( 2 r 0 ) , and γ = − 1 / ( 2 r 0 ) , is related to the initial-data problem in general relativity. For this model case, as an example of application of our results, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of the conformal factor corresponding to the Hamiltonian constraint equation in the case of a single black hole in the radial symmetric regime.
Prognostic value of the electroencephalogram in neonatal asphyxia

In order to determine whether an EEG early in the course of asphyxia neonatorum is of any more value than the neurological examination in predicting outcome we reviewed case histories of 38 infants with asphyxia neonatorum. The EEG background activity was valuable in predicting outcome. Normal and maturationally delayed EEGs were associated with normal outcomes while low voltage, electrocerebral inactivity and burst suppression EEGs were highly correlated with severe neurological sequelae. Epileptiform activity was not as predictive of outcome as background activity. Although initial normal neurological examinations were associated with normal developmental and neurological outcomes, moderately and severely abnormal infants had more variable courses. A single EEG done early in the course of asphyxia neonatorum is a more sensitive predictor of outcome than the neurological examination.
Growth response of black walnut to interplanted trees

Abstract Analyses of black walnut tree diameters 13 years after planting showed that interplanting autumn-olive, black locust, and European alder increased walnut tree growth, but only at certain locations. Interplanting autumn-olive resulted in increases of 56 to 351% at four of five locations and all species resulted in doubled walnut growth on an upland site. The interaction between treatment and location indicates that a fuller understanding of site and nurse species characteristics is needed to obtain the potential benefits of mixed plantings.
Effects of Low-calorie Dieting and Exposure to Diet-prohibited Food on Appetite and Anxiety

Salivation in obese dieters, who were exposed to diet-prohibited food stimuli and expected not to eat, decreased during 827-kcal diet compared with a weight-maintaining baseline diet. During the low-calorie diet, subjects salivated more when food was absent than when food was present. This may have resulted from anxiety and deliberate self-control in the face of diet-prohibited food.