cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cancer metabolism: When more is less

A tightly regulated enzyme balances energy production and the synthesis of macromolecules from glucose in cancer cells. Upsetting this balance by stimulating the enzyme's activity can suppress tumour growth in mice.
Optimization of Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Fraxinus nigra and development of black ash for possible emerald ash borer resistance

Emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) is the most devastating insect pest of North American ash species, including black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.). As a first step in an effort to develop transgenic black ash plants resistant to EAB, we successfully established an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for black ash hypocotyls. Kanamycin and timentin at 40 and 300 mg L−1, respectively, were most effective to select transformed explants and control excess Agrobacterium growth. Using a plant transformation vector harboring the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene, the effects of Agrobacterium strain, bacterial density, and the concentration of Silwet L-77 on transformation efficiency were evaluated. The best result was obtained when Agrobacterium strain EHA105 was used at a density of OD600 = 1.0. Silwet L-77 failed to promote transformation frequency and showed an adverse effect at higher concentrations (> 0.015%). Using this optimized transformation system, transgenic black ash shoots expressing a synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis toxin gene (cry8D2) were regenerated. Although no morphological abnormality was observed, transgenic shoots showed severe growth restriction. Three independent transgenic lines were selected for further assessment. All selected lines contained two copies of the cry8D2 gene, and the expression of the transgene was verified in transcript and protein levels. These transgenic shoots can be used for future bioassay to evaluate its efficacy against EAB.
Impaired growth outcomes in children with congenital colorectal diseases.

Abstract Background Cloaca, Hirschsprung disease, and anorectal malformations (CHARM) are congenital anomalies of the hindgut. Small series have suggested that children suffering from one of these anomalies may be at risk for growth impairment. We sought to expand on these findings in a comprehensive cohort, hypothesizing that patients with Medicaid insurance or African-American (AA) race would be at higher risk for poor growth. Methods Following Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, single-institution retrospective review of children with CHARM anomalies was performed (2009-2016). Body mass index (BMI) value Z-scores were obtained using the 2006 World Health Organization (age 0-24 mo) and 2000 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (age >2 y) growth charts and calculators (statistical analysis system). Patient factors and BMI Z-scores were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test. Results One hundred sixty-six patients (Cloaca n = 16, Hirschsprung disease [HD] n = 71, anorectal malformation [ARM] n = 79) were identified. The BMI Z-score distribution for the entire CHARM cohort was lower than controls (P Conclusions Patients born with CHARM anomalies are at risk for impaired growth. Furthermore study is warranted to identify modifiable risk factors contributing to this impairment. Longitudinal follow-up should include interventions to mitigate these risks.
Psycholinguistics and Child Psychiatry: A Developmental Perspective

Language plays a vital and complex role in forming and influencing human behavior and thought and is a window to the mental life of a developing child, revealing and expressing the child's cognitive and character development and interactional and interpersonal relationships.
Gauge Theories on the Lattice

In 1954 Yang and Mills first introduced a non-Abelian generalization of the gauge symmetry of electrodynamics [1]. They studied a Lagrangian that was invariant under arbitrary space-time dependent rotations in isospin space. In the twenty years that followed, much of the progress in the understanding of elementary particle physics was connected in one way or another with the rich structure of quantum field theories involving non-Abelian gauge fields. The connection between broken symmetries, Goldstone particles and gauge fields [2], the unification of weak, electromagnetic and strong interactions [3], the renormalization of Yang Mills fields [4], asymptotic freedom [5] and the recent progress in the understanding of quark trapping [6] are some of the milestones in the developments of that period.
Evolution and Physiology

Although Earth had been displaced from the center of the material universe by Copernicus in the fifteenth century, man had remained at the apex of the biological realm. Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, many biological scientists, including most physiologists, believed that they were not just trying to explain how nature worked, but that they had a higher mission: to reveal God’s design in nature. This position radically changed as the century advanced.
The Ultrasonographic Characteristics of Orbital Dermoid Cysts

Expanding lesions of the orbit are an important diagnostic problem frequently requiring a multidiscipline approach. The diagnosis is often made at the time of surgery. The radiologist is called upon to define the limits and extent of the mass radiographically. Many orbital lesions remain confined to the orbit with minimal if any bony disturbances. Ultrasonography is especially helpful in these cases in locating the mass, outlining the dimensions of the tumor, determining the extent of ocular involvement and in characterizing acoustically the tumor tissue to aid in the diagnosis of the lesion.
Commentary by Peter Guttorp

This part will start with a couple of earth sciences papers. We then proceed via an influential methodology paper to describing some work in neurophysiology. In addition, a paper on latent variables and two on robustness of regression to misspecification of the regression function are discussed.
Risk factors associated with ifosfamide (IFOS)-induced encephalopathy in patients (pts) with metastatic (Met) sarcoma (Sarc).

e22518Background: IFOS is commonly used in the treatment of met sarc. IFOS has been reported to cause encephalopathy in 5 - 30% of pts. Potential risk factors for IFOS-induced encephalopathy (IIE) ...
Brief report: the association between recreational versus therapeutic marijuana use on hazardous alcohol consumption and alcohol-associated behavioral consequences among adults living with HIV in Florida

Though marijuana use has previously been associated with risky alcohol use, studies often do not delineate between the effect of recreational versus therapeutic marijuana use, particularly among people living with HIV (PLWH). In this study, we examined the association between recreational versus therapeutic marijuana use to manage HIV symptoms (i.e., improve appetite/gain weight, induce sleep, relieve nausea/vomiting, relieve pain, relieve anxiety/depression/stress) on hazardous alcohol consumption and associated behavioral consequences among PLWH. PLWH (N = 703) recruited from community health centers in Florida completed questionnaires assessing sociodemographics, marijuana use motives (i.e., recreational versus therapeutic), alcohol use, and alcohol-associated behavioral consequences. Hazardous alcohol use was defined as consuming 5 or more drinks on one occasion at least monthly or > 14 drinks per week for men, or 4 drinks on one occasion at least monthly or > 7 drinks per week for women over the past 12 months, while alcohol-associated behavioral consequences were assessed via the Short Inventory of Problems Revised (SIP-R). A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) assessed differences in average number of alcohol-associated behavioral consequences between recreational and therapeutic marijuana users, and non-users, while multivariate logistic regression analysis evaluated the association between reason for marijuana use and hazardous alcohol consumption. There was a significant effect of marijuana use group on SIP-R score after controlling for covariates [F (2, 579) = 3.04, p = 0.048], with post hoc analysis demonstrated significantly fewer alcohol-associated behavioral consequences among therapeutic marijuana users (1.27) compared to recreational users (3.35; p = 0.042). Compared to non-users, therapeutic marijuana users demonstrated significantly lower odds of hazardous drinking (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.18–0.96, p = 0.041), while recreational marijuana users were 64% more likely to report hazardous drinking (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.08–2.50, p = 0.019). Findings from this study add to the literature by demonstrating how differing marijuana use motives are associated with hazardous alcohol consumption among PLWH. Given our findings showing greater risk of hazardous alcohol consumption among recreational marijuana users and lower risk among therapeutic marijuana users, results from this study may help inform interventions to reduce harmful alcohol consumption and associated adverse consequences among PLWH.
Computational estimation of the acidities of purines and indoles.

Purines and related compounds are central ingredients in the genetic code and form the structural framework for many drugs and other bioactive compounds. A key feature of these compounds is their acidity, as expressed by their pKa values. For a proper understanding of the behaviors of these compounds, it is important to have a theoretical means for estimating their acidities. Here we present a quantum-chemical quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) study of these compounds aimed at estimating the aqueous pKa values of purines and related compounds based on the energy differences in solution ΔE(H2O) between the parent compounds and their dissociation products. This method was applied to both the cation → neutral (pKa1) and neutral → anion (pKa2) dissociations of the compounds. Computations were performed using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6–31 + G** level with the SM8 aqueous solvent model. Good-quality QSAR regression equations were obtained for both dissociations using the ΔE(H2O) descriptor. These equations were applied to estimate missing pKa values for compounds in this category, and should also be applicable to the acidities of other related heterocyclic compounds.
Inhibition of microRNA-92a increases blood vessels and satellite cells in skeletal muscle but does not improve duchenne muscular dystrophy-related phenotype in mdx mice.

Introduction The vasculature and blood flow in muscle are perturbed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and its mdx mouse model. MicroRNA-92a (miR-92a) is enriched in endothelial cells, especially during ischemic injury. Methods Because antagonizing miR-92a was shown to result in increased proliferation and migration of endothelial cells and recovery from ischemia, we assessed the effects of Antagomir-92a in vitro in muscle stem cell culture and in vivo in mdx mice. Results miR-92a was found to be highly expressed in muscle endothelial cells and satellite cells. Treatment with Antagomir-92a increased capillary density and tissue perfusion, which was accompanied by an increase in satellite cells. However, Antagomir-92a-treated mdx mice showed no histological improvement and had worse muscle function. Antagomir-92a suppressed myogenic differentiation in satellite cell culture. Discussion AntagomiR-92a improves the vasculature but not the muscle in mdx mice, possibly due to its side effects on satellite cell differentiation. Muscle Nerve 59:594-594, 2019.
Solving Interface Problems of the Helmholtz Equation by Immersed Finite Element Methods

This article reports our explorations for solving interface problems of the Helmholtz equation by immersed finite elements (IFE) on interface independent meshes. Two IFE methods are investigated: the partially penalized IFE (PPIFE) and discontinuous Galerkin IFE (DGIFE) methods. Optimal convergence rates are observed for these IFE methods once the mesh size is smaller than the optimal mesh size which is mainly dictated by the wave number. Numerical experiments also suggest that higher degree IFE methods are advantageous because of their larger optimal mesh size and higher convergence rates.
Support vector regression

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the support vector regression (SVR), an analytical technique to investigate the relationship between one or more predictor variables and a real-valued (continuous) dependent variable. In the first part of the chapter, we provide a description of the SVR algorithm. Unlike traditional regression methods that depend on assumptions of the model that might not be accurate (e.g., linear data distribution), SVR is a machine learning technique in which a model learns a variable's importance for characterizing the relationship between input and output. In the second part of the chapter, we review a number of studies that have applied SVR to magnetic resonance imaging data to performance multivariate pattern regression analysis of brain disorders. These studies have been successful in revealing spatially distributed patterns across multiple brain regions in several brain disorders including schizophrenia, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing of Copper Foam Structures

Abstract In binder jetting additive manufacturing (BJAM), the part geometry is generated via a binding agent during printing and structural integrity is imparted during sintering at a later stage. This separation between shape generation and thermal processing allows the sintering process to be uniquely controlled and the final microstructural characteristics to be tailored. The separation between the printing and consolidation steps offers a unique opportunity to print responsive materials that are later “activated” by temperature and/or environment. This may allow a new paradigm in multi-scale, multifunctional materials. This concept is preliminarily demonstrated using a foaming copper feedstock, such that the copper is printed, sintered and then foamed via intraparticle expansion in separate steps. The integration of foaming feedstock in BJAM could allow for creation of ultra-lightweight structures that offer hierarchical porosity, graded density, and/or tailored absorption properties. This work investigates processing protocol for copper foam structures to achieve the highest porosity. The copper feedstock was prepared by distributing copper oxides through the copper matrix via mechanical milling, and that powder was then printed into a green geometry through BJAM. The printed green parts were then heat treated using different thermal cycles to investigate the porosity evolution relative to various heating conditions. The heat treated parts were then examined for their resulting properties including porosity, microstructural evolution, and volumetric shrinkage. Parts that were initially sintered in air and then annealed in a hydrogen atmosphere led to higher porosity compared to those sintered in hydrogen alone. It was also found that the annealing of parts at 600 °C for 2 h resulted in the highest final porosity (59%) and the lowest volumetric shrinkage of 5%. Anisotropy in linear shrinkage in X, Y, and Z direction was also observed in the heat treated parts with the largest linear shrinkage occurring in the Z direction.
Acute popliteal thrombus following total knee arthroplasty: A case report.

Introduction We report the youngest documented patient (38 years old) to develop an acute popliteal artery thrombus following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patient concerns The patient presented for an elective TKA secondary to posttraumatic arthritis. Past medical history included a tibial plateau fracture, two knee arthroscopies and an elevated body mass index (37.53). A right TKA was performed with no intraoperative complications. Two hours postoperatively, the right foot was poikilothermic and lacking dorsalis pedal pulse. Diagnosis Popliteal artery thrombus confirmed by angiogram and venous duplex. Interventions Immediate vascular surgery consult and subsequent embolectomy. Outcomes At 1 year postoperatively, the patient is doing well with no further complications. Conclusion Due to the lack of significant past medical history putting this patient at risk, future research should focus on prior trauma, age, and BMI as risk factors, specifically in patients undergoing TKA.
Impact of impaired ambulatory capacity on the outcomes of peripheral vascular interventions among patients with chronic limb-threating ischemia.

Abstract Objective Despite prior literature recommending against limb salvage in patients with poor functional status such as nonambulatory patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), peripheral endovascular interventions continue to be carried out in this group of patients. Clinical outcomes following these interventions are, however, not well-characterized. Methods A retrospective review was conducted on all patients treated for CLTI in the Vascular Quality Initiative from September 2016 to December 2019. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, log-rank tests, and Cox regression analyses were used as appropriate to study outcomes. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 1-year amputation-free survival. The secondary outcomes were in-hospital death, postoperative complications, 1-year freedom from major amputation, and 2-year survival. Results Of the 49,807 patients studied, 28,469 (57.2%) were ambulatory, 15,148 (31.0%) were ambulatory with assistance, 5395 (10.8%) were wheelchair bound, and 525 (1.1%) were bedridden. There was a 2-fold increase in the odds of 30-day death in patients who were ambulatory with assistance (odds ratio [OR], 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77-2.34; P Conclusions Ambulatory impairment in patients with CLTI is associated with a significant increase in 30-day mortality and significant decrease in amputation-free survival after peripheral endovascular intervention. Bedridden patients had a 6-fold increase in the 30-day death rate, whereas their amputation-free survival dropped to less than 50% at 1 year. These risks should be considered during shared decision-making regarding management options for nonambulatory patients with CLTI.
Personal and Collective Development Via Conversational Intelligence

This chapter focuses on emotional intelligence, levels of emotional intelligence, needed skills to develop conversational intelligence, and how to use these skills in the field of statistics. The chapter encourages the reader to invest your time in developing emotional and conversational intelligence as tools for leadership in your own career.
A survey of distracted driving and electronic device use among app-based and taxi drivers.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to identify, characterize and compare attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and other factors related to electronic device (ED) use and distracted driving (DD) among taxi and app-based drivers. METHODS A survey among drivers in San Diego and across the United States was used to collect self-reported attitudes and behaviors among taxi and app-based passenger-carrying drivers from October 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used to assess the difference between sociodemographics, ED use, ED use attitudes, and citation and crash history by driver type. Prevalence ratios were assessed for differences in ED use and ED use attitudes by driver type using Poisson regression models with robust error variance and a log link function. The final models adjusted for age, sex, level of experience, education and English fluency. All analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4. RESULTS Of the 175 drivers that met eligibility criteria, 131 reported driving for app-based services and 44 identified as taxi drivers. Compared to taxi drivers, app-based drivers were more likely to be female, native English speaking, and have fewer than 3 years of experience in the transportation business. All drivers reported at least one type of DD while the car was in motion. App-based drivers were significantly more likely to use a smartphone while driving (adjusted prevalence ratio (APR): 1.42), report that while driving it is safe or very safe to accept a call (APR: 1.73), receive/respond to a passenger request (APR: 3.40), or process a payment (APR: 5.39). Taxi drivers were more likely to either receive a citation for ED use (31.8% v 7.6%, p < 0.001) or be in a collision while using ED (29.6% v 4.6%, p < 0.001). Almost all drivers who received a citation or who were involved in a crash reported becoming somewhat or significantly more cautious about using ED while driving. CONCLUSIONS Drivers in the small passenger-carrying transportation industry engage in DD frequently due to occupational demands. Given the known increased crash risk with DD, effective policies and interventions for app-based and taxi drivers are needed.
Gender differences in publication in emergency medicine journals.

BACKGROUND Some studies have suggested gender disparities in both pay and academic promotion which may adversely affect salary and career progression for female physicians. The areas of research output, funding, and authorship have not been fully and systematically examined in the emergency medicine literature. We hypothesize that gender differences may exist in research output, impact, authorship, and funding. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study examining all published articles in the top three emergency medicine journals as determined by Impact Factor between February 2015 and February 2018. We compared the authorship, number of citations of each article, funding, and h-index of each author by gender. RESULTS Of the 10,118 authors representing 4166 original articles in our sample, 7562 (74.7%) were male and 2556 (25.3%) were female, with females underrepresented relative to the known proportion of female emergency medicine faculty. Males were proportionally more likely to be last authors (OR 1.65, 95% CI, 1.47-1.86) and less likely to be first authors than females (OR 0.85, 95% CI, 0.77-0.94). No difference in proportions of males and females in terms of being named as having funding was found (OR 1.02, 95% CI, 0.78-1.35). Males had higher h-indexes than females (5 vs. 3, p < .001) as well as a higher average number of citations (OR 1.068, 95% CI, 1.018-1.119). CONCLUSIONS Males outnumber females in terms of numbers of publications, but also in number of citations, h-index, and last authorship. Future studies on physician gender disparities in emergency medicine need to account for these population differences.
A quality improvement initiative to improve primary care referral rates for penicillin allergy delabeling.

Abstract Background Of the US population, 10% reports a penicillin allergy but more than 90% can ultimately tolerate penicillin. Confirmation of these allergies in the pediatric population may improve future health outcomes and decrease costs. Referring patients for confirmatory testing is the first step in clarifying penicillin allergies. Objective To increase the number of referrals of patients with listed penicillin allergies from the University of California, San Diego academic general pediatrics clinics to Rady Children's Hospital allergy clinics using an educational session and a best practice advisory (BPA) in the electronic medical record. Methods An educational session with attendings and 3 plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles were completed using a BPA alert that triggered for all patients with a documented penicillin-class drug allergy to draw attention and facilitate referral. The BPA was modified at each PDSA cycle based on physician input. Results At baseline, 1.9% of referrals to the allergy clinic were for penicillin-class drug allergies. After an attending physician educational session, the percentage increased to 13.7%. The BPA was implemented with further increase to 27.8% of all allergy referrals in the course of 3 PDSA cycles. Not all patients with penicillin-class drug allergies were referred, and the reasons were documented when the physicians dismissed the BPA. Physicians did not refer 35% of the time because of time constraints, as opposed to patient or parent disinterest, which was 8% of the time. Conclusion Referrals to the allergist for confirmatory testing in patients with listed penicillin allergies increased by more than 10 fold. This study illustrates successful tools to support delabeling.
Abstract P208: Raas And Markers Of Renal Function In Response To Sleep Hygiene Interventions

Introduction: Recent epidemiologic studies report that shorter sleep duration is associated with a rapid decline in renal function. This project investigated the effects of 8 weeks of sleep hygiene...
Fasting and Exercise in Oncology: Potential Synergism of Combined Interventions

Nutrition and exercise interventions are strongly recommended for most cancer patients; however, much debate exists about the best prescription. Combining fasting with exercise is relatively untouched within the oncology setting. Separately, fasting has demonstrated reductions in chemotherapy-related side effects and improved treatment tolerability and effectiveness. Emerging evidence suggests fasting may have a protective effect on healthy cells allowing chemotherapy to exclusively target cancer cells. Exercise is commonly recommended and attenuates treatment- and cancer-related adverse changes to body composition, quality of life, and physical function. Given their independent benefits, in combination, fasting and exercise may induce synergistic effects and further improve cancer-related outcomes. In this narrative review, we provide a critical appraisal of the current evidence of fasting and exercise as independent interventions in the cancer population and discuss the potential benefits and mechanisms of combined fasting and exercise on cardiometabolic, body composition, patient-reported outcomes, and cancer-related outcomes. Our findings suggest that within the non-cancer population combined fasting and exercise is a viable strategy to improve health-related outcomes, however, its safety and efficacy in the oncology setting remain unknown. Therefore, we also provide a discussion on potential safety issues and considerations for future research in the growing cancer population.
Europe Under Seige

The European Union is the world’s second largest economic organization with GDP in 2017 of $17 trillion, but it faces many challenges that ultimately will determine its fate. It is under siege from several directions – its continuing struggle to assist Greece in returning to a status of a normal member; a prolonged economic slump from which it is just emerging that has weakened confidence in the EU’s institution; challenges to the EU’s governing principles of open borders for the transfer of people, capital, goods and services; and the complex problems of breached external borders by refugees. There is also a growing threat to political institutions from the far right and anti-EU factions, and the threat that the UK’s Brexit referendum results may be passed on to other member states. All this as the EUs relations with Russia, on which Europe depends for about a third of its energy requirements, sour and become hostile again. The next ten years will be vitally important in determining whether the EU will survive as a viable, growing economic system, or whether it will begin to unravel into the collection of independent states it was before the EU came into being in the early 1990s. On the surface the threat is political – will the member countries retain the support of their populations – but the need for faster growth in the private sector may be the most important factor affecting the EU’s future.
Device-detected non-sustained ventricular tachycardia in adult congenital heart disease without tetralogy of fallot.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate any association between non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) detected by intra-cardiac device and clinical outcomes in repaired adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) without tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). BACKGROUND NSVT portends a higher risk of serious ventricular tachyarrhythmia in TOF. However its clinical significance when incidentally detected by implantable cardiac device is not well elucidated in non-TOF ACHD cohort. METHODS We performed a single center, retrospective, longitudinal follow-up study in repaired ACHD (≥ 18 years) patients without TOF who hosted a pacemaker or automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD). The cohort was divided based on presence/absence of device detected NSVT. The primary end-point was a composite of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), or sudden cardiac death (SCD). RESULTS 158 patients [male 56.3%, median (IQR) age of 35 (28-43) years at last follow-up] with longitudinal post-implant follow-up duration of 8 (5-12) years were included. NSVT was detected in 52 (33%) patients. The primary composite end-point was more frequent in NSVT group [11.5% vs. 2.8%; p = 0.04]. Patients with NSVT were i) older at the time of initial implant (age 25 vs. 18 years, p = 0.011) and more frequently demonstrated ii) systemic ventricular dysfunction (44% vs. 26%; p = 0.015), as well as iii) history of ventriculotomy (38% vs. 21%;p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS In our repaired ACHD cohort, we noted a significant association between device-detected-NSVT and the primary composite end-point of sustained VT/VF or SCD. Systemic ventricular dysfunction and history of ventriculotomy were more frequent in the NSVT group and likely constituted the clinical milieu. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Indigenous resurgence in the contemporary Caribbean : Amerindian survival and revival

Views of the modern Caribbean have been constructed by a fiction of the absent aboriginal. Yet, all across the Caribbean Basin, individuals and communities are reasserting their identities as indigenous peoples, from Carib communities in the Lesser Antilles, the Garifuna of Central America, and the Taino of the Greater Antilles, to members of the Caribbean diaspora. Far from extinction, or permanent marginality, the region is witnessing a resurgence of native identification and organization. This is the only volume to date that focuses concerted attention on a phenomenon that can no longer be ignored. Territories covered include Belize, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guyana, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Puerto Rican diaspora. Writing from a range of contemporary perspectives on indigenous presence, identities, the struggle for rights, relations with the nation-state, and globalization, fourteen scholars, including four indigenous representatives, contribute to this unique tesament to cultural survival. This book will be indispensable to students of Caribbean history and anthropology, indigenous studies, ethnicity, and globalization.
Soil nutrients and intensive dryland agricultural production in Kaupō, Maui, Hawaiian Islands

Abstract Rain-fed, intensive field systems based on sweet potato and to a lesser extent dryland taro were essential to the political economies of emergent archaic states in late pre-contact Hawai'i. The productivity of these dryland field systems was dependent upon soil nutrient pools that are constrained primarily by geological substrate age and rainfall. We investigated soil nutrient properties across the Kaupō fan, locus of the largest intensive field system on eastern Maui Island. Thirty-six soil samples were obtained along three rough transects, and analyzed for exchangeable bases (calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), sodium (Na), base saturation, pH, and rock content). Although some variation in soil properties is evident across the Kaupō fan, in aggregate the samples exhibit high levels of base saturation and exchangeable Ca, indicating good potential for sustained, intensive cultivation. When compared with the Leeward Kohala Field System on Hawai'i Island, the Kaupō field system was likely to have been even more productive based on the relative soil nutrient pools. The high productive capacity of the Kaupō field system is likely to have played a key role in the decision of the early 18th century Maui King Kekaulike to move the island's royal center to Kaupō.
Construction of a Non-Solvable Group of Exponent 5

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the construction of a nonsolvable group of exponent 5. There exists a group of exponent 5 that is locally solvable but not solvable. The chapter presents a corollary that states that there exists a variety of groups that is a locally solvable and locally finite variety but not a solvable variety. The chapter also discusses collection algorithm and reduction algorithm.
Mediastinoscopy: Its Application in Central Versus Peripheral Thoracic Lesions

Abstract In an attempt to ascertain the value of mediastinoscopy in peripheral lung lesions, records of 157 patients undergoing cervicomediastinal exploration (CME) at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center were reviewed. Among patients with benign lesions, CME was positive in 90.6% of those who had central lesions and 58.3% of those with peripheral lesions. It was positive in all 7 patients who had peripheral lesions with associated mediastinal nodes on roentgenogram and negative in all 5 who had peripheral lesions without nodes. In the patients with malignant lesions, CME was positive in 72.9% of those who had central lesions and 58.1% of those with peripheral lesions. It was positive in 24 of 27 patients who had peripheral lesions with associated mediastinal nodes and negative in 15 of 16 patients with peripheral lesions without nodes. Although we recognize this to be a selected series, CME does appear to be valuable in patients with central lesions and peripheral lesions with mediastinal nodal involvement on roentgenogram. It does not appear to be as useful in those with peripheral lesions who do not have central nodal involvement.
Scene depth reconstruction on the GPU: a post processing technique for layered fog

Realism is a key goal of most VR applications. As graphics computing power increases, new techniques are being developed to simulate important aspects of the human visual system, increasing the sense of 'immersion' of a participant in a virtual environment. One aspect of the human visual system, depth cueing, requires accurate scene depth information in order to simulate. Yet many of the techniques for producing these effects require a trade-off between accuracy and performance, often resulting in specialized implementations that do not consider the need to integrate with other techniques or existing visualization systems. Our objective is to develop a new technique for generating depth based effects in real time as a post processing step performed on the GPU, and to provide a generic solution for integrating multiple depth dependent effects to enhance realism of the synthesized scenes. Using layered fog as an example, our new technique performs per pixel scene depth reconstruction accurately for the evaluation of fog integrals along line-of-sight. Requiring only the depth buffer from the rendering processing as input, our technique makes it easy to integrate into existing applications and uses the full power of the GPU to achieve real time frame rates.
Throttles and Dampers: Controlling the Engine of Membrane Fusion

Thomas H. SA¶llner Vesicles deliver cargo to targets in all parts of the cell. New findings in this issue show that two regulatory proteins, Ypt1p (a Rab-family member) and Sly1p (a Sec1-family member), bind to a SNARE protein located on the target. Rothman and SA¶llner, in their Perspective, outline how these two proteins are likely to act as a throttle and brake for the process of membrane fusion that distributes the cellular constituents to their final destinations. See the report by Lupashin and Waters in this issue on p. 1255.
Tropical deforestation: Balancing regional development demands and global environmental concerns

Abstract The escalation of debate over deforestation from local to international levels Is challenging government institutions and may complicate the forging of multilateral agreements to curb deforestation. Attempts to curb deforestation have proven technically difficult, costly, and politically controversial at local, national, and international levels. The ecopolitlcal framework presented in this article provides a means of analysing the role of various actors involved in tropical deforestation and the political jurisdictions within which they operate. Deforestation policies may have limited impact on global warming but will greatly affect millions of Third World peoples who subsist in and around tropical forests.
Evaluation of scan time post morphine injection for diagnosing acute cholecystitis with hepatobiliary imaging

281 Objectives The aim of this retrospective review was to see whether longer (60 min vs 30 min) post-morphine imaging during hepato-biliary scans will decrease false positive rates for diagnosing acute cholecystitis. Methods From 2004 to 2010, patients referred to have hepato-biliary scans for acute cholecystitis who had 60 minutes post morphine augmented delayed imaging, whose acute cholecystitis diagnosis was confirmed by pathological result or clinical follow up, were studied retrospectively. The accuracy of diagnosing acute cholecystitis was compared using a cutoff time of visualization of gallbladder of either 30 minutes or 60 minutes post morphine administration to define positivity for acute cholecystitis. Results 161 patients (86 female, 75 male) were evaluated. The gallbladder was visualized by 60 min post morphine in 61 cases. In 9 of these 61 cases, visualization of the gallbladder occurred between 35 and 60 minutes post morphine injection. All 9 of these were confirmed to be negative for acute cholecystitis. There were 2 false negative cases, both with gallbladder visualization by 30 min post morphine. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy were 97%, 51%, 55%, 96% and 68% respectively if the 30 min post morphine cut off was used and were 97%, 60%, 60%, 97% and 74%, respectively if the 60 minute cut off was used. Conclusions This study demonstrates increased specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of the morphine augmented hepato-biliary study in evaluating acute cholecystitis if longer post morphine imaging acquisition times (60 minutes versus 30 minutes) are used. Implementation of 60 minute post morphine imaging could reduce the rate of unnecessary urgent surgical interventions
Spatial-Temporal Image-Constrained Lung 4D-CT Reconstruction for Radiotherapy Planning

Thoracic radiotherapy planning is increasingly dependent on 4D computed tomography (CT), which acquires axial images in multiple respirator phases and reconstructs them into 3D CT images based on respiratory signals. However, large reconstruction errors or artifacts may be observed due to poor reproducibility of breathing cycles. In this paper, 4D-CT reconstruction of helical mode CT scanning is achieved by incorporating spatial continuity and longitudinal smoothness of anatomical structures, such as chest surface, bone, vessel, and lung fields. The objective is to optimize the assignment of each axial image into different respiratory phases so that the artifacts or spatial discontinuity of anatomical structures are minimized, and the anatomical structures maintain their longitudinal consistency. In experiments, we compared our results visually and quantitatively with the current surrogate-based, image-matching-based, and chest surface-constrained methods. The results showed that the proposed algorithm yields better helical mode 4D-CT than other proposed methods.
Characterization of sulfonated phthalocyanines by mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis

We report the characterization of sulfonated phthalocyanines using capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Derivatives investigated included the copper, cobalt, zinc and metal-free sulfonated phthalocyanines. In general, sulfonated phthalocyanines were found as aggregates in capillary electrophoresis separations, even at low concentration. Separations were much better at pH 9.0 than at pH 2.5. The addition of β-cyclodextrin did not alter the electropherograms significantly. The electropherograms of commercially available copper phthalocyanine-3,4',4″,4‴-tetrasulfonic acid and 4,4',4″,4‴-tetrasulfonic acid were very different, consistent with the latter compound having a structure that is not fully sulfonated. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) were used to characterize the sulfonated phthalocyanines. In general, MALDI gave better results than ESI. Mass spectral evidence was obtained for a pentasulfonated species of both the metal-free phthalocyanine and zinc phthalocyanine when these species were made by sulfonation of the metal-free phthalocyanine (followed by zinc insertion in the latter case). Sulfonated tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives were used as standards for mass spectrometry and to estimate the effect of net charge on the capillary electrophoresis migration time for sulfonated tetrapyrroles. Clean separation of the sulfonated tetraphenylporphyrin derivatives [5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS4), 5,10,15-tris(4-sulfonatophenyl)-20-phenylporphyrin (TPPS3) and 5,10-bis(4-sulfonatophenyl)-15,20-diphenylporphyrin (TPPS2a)] was observed by capillary electrophoresis.
Navigated diffusion imaging of normal and ischemic human brain.

The principal barrier to clinical application of diffusion-weighted MR imaging is the severe image degradation caused by patient motion. One way to compensate for motion effects is the use of a "navigator echo" phase correction scheme. In this work, a modification of this technique is introduced, in which the phase correction step is performed in the frequency domain (i.e., after the readout Fourier transform). This significantly improves the robustness of the navigator echo approach and, when combined with cardiac gating, allows diagnostic quality diffusion-weighted images of the brain to be routinely obtained on standard clinical scanner hardware. The technique was evaluated in phantom studies and in 23 humans (3 normal volunteers and 20 patients). Diffusion anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient maps were generated from the image data and showed decreased apparent diffusion in acute stroke lesions and, in several cases, increased apparent diffusion in chronic stroke lesions.
Use of sirolimus in liver transplant recipients with renal insufficiency: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Sirolimus is used in patients with renal insufficiency after liver transplantation (LT) and especially in those with calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)–associated nephrotoxicity. We conducted a systematic review of all randomized controlled trials and observational studies to test the hypothesis that the use of sirolimus is associated with an improvement in renal function at 1 year in LT recipients with renal insufficiency [glomerular filtration rate (GFR) 50 mL/min sirolimus use was associated with an improvement of 10.35 mL/minute (95% CI = 3.98-16.77) in GFR or creatinine clearance. Sirolimus was not significantly associated with death [relative risk (RR) = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.66-1.88] or graft failure (RR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.45-1.41), although reporting was incomplete. It was associated with a statistically significant risk of infection (RR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.14-5.36), rash (RR = 7.57, 95% CI = 1.75-32.70), ulcers (RR = 7.44, 95% CI = 2.03-27.28), and discontinuation of therapy (RR = 3.61, 95% CI = 1.32-9.89). Conclusion: Conversion to sirolimus from CNIs is associated with a nonsignificant improvement in renal function in LT recipients with renal insufficiency, although the results are limited by heterogeneity, a risk of bias, and a lack of standardized reporting. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;)
HIV-2 Viral Protein X Association with the Gag p27 Capsid Protein

VPX is a 16 kDa accessory protein expressed in cells infected with HIV-2 and most SIV strains and is packaged into virus particles. In order to define the requirements for incorporation of VPX into virions, VPX and HIV-2 GAG-POL were expressed independently from a vaccinia virus-based transient expression system. Under these conditions, VPX was exported from transfected cells only when coexpressed with the HIV-2 GAG-POL plasmid. A 27 kDa protein coprecipitating with VPX was found to have an identical electrophoretic mobility as the GAG capsid protein, and reacted with an anti-GAG antiserum. Coexpression of VPX and GAG-POL resulted in virus-like particles containing both proteins, as determined by sucrose gradient analyses. Expression of VPX and HIV-2 GAG without POL gave similar results. VPX association with HIV-2 GAG p27 capsid protein was specific, since no association was found with the HIV-1 GAG p25/p24 capsid protein.
Numeric-symbolic exact rational linear system solver

An iterative refinement approach is taken to rational linear system solving. Such methods produce, for each entry of the solution vector, a rational approximation with denominator a power of 2. From this the correct rational entry can be reconstructed. Our iteration is a numeric-symbolic hybrid in that it uses an approximate numeric solver at each step together with a symbolic (exact arithmetic) residual computation and symbolic rational reconstruction. The rational solution may be checked symbolically (exactly). However, there is some possibility of failure of convergence, usually due to numeric ill-conditioning. Alternatively, the algorithm may be used to obtain an extended precision floating point approximation of any specified precision. In this case we cannot guarantee the result by rational reconstruction and an exact solution check, but the approach gives evidence (not proof) that the probability of error is extremely small. The chief contributions of the method and implementation are (1) confirmed continuation, (2) improved rational reconstruction, and (3) faster and more robust performance.
A survey of pessary use by members of the American urogynecologic society.

Abstract Objective: To describe trends in pessary use for pelvic organ prolapse. Methods: An anonymous survey administered to the membership of the American Urogynecologic Society covered indications, management, and choice of pessary for specific support defects. Results: The response rate was 48% (359 of 748). Two hundred fifty surveys were received at the scientific meeting and 109 were returned by mail. Seventy-seven percent used pessaries as first-line therapy for prolapse, while 12% reserved pessaries for women who were not surgical candidates. With respect to specific support defects, 89% used a pessary for anterior defects, 60% for posterior defects, 74% for apical defects, and 76% for complete procidentia. Twenty-two percent used the same pessary, usually a ring pessary, for all support defects. In the 78% who tailored the pessary to the defect, support pessaries were more common for anterior (ring) and apical defects (ring), while space-filling pessaries were more common for posterior defects (donut) and complete procidentia (Gellhorn). Less than half considered a prior hysterectomy or sexual activity contraindications for a pessary, while 64% considered hypoestrogenism a contraindication. Forty-four percent used a different pessary for women with a prior hysterectomy and 59% for women with a weak pelvic diaphragm. Ninety-two percent of physicians believed that pessaries relieve symptoms associated with pelvic organ prolapse, while 48% felt that pessaries also had therapeutic benefit in addition to relieving symptoms. Conclusion: While there are identifiable trends in pessary use, there is no clear consensus regarding the indications for support pessaries compared with space-filling pessaries, or the use of a single pessary for all support defects compared with tailoring the pessary to the specific defect. Randomized clinical trials are needed to define optimal pessary use.