cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-disciplinary perspectives on collaborations with software engineers

Software engineering teams are usually interdisciplinary, consisting of both software engineers and non-software-engineers. While numerous studies have examined the success and failure of software engineering efforts from the perspective of software engineers, little is known about perspectives of expert non-software-engineers. In this study, we interviewed 46 experts across 10 roles at Microsoft (artists, content developers, data scientists, design researchers, designers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, product planners, program managers, service engineers) about their collaborations---good and bad---with software engineers. Overall, our experts described great software engineers as masters of their own technical domain, open-minded to the input of others, proactively informing everyone, and seeing the big picture of how pieces fit together. We discuss implications of our findings for practitioners, educators, and researchers.
Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty in Octogenarians: An Analysis of 957 Cases.

Abstract Background The number of octogenarians undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is increasing. However, there has been a lack of studies investigating the perioperative course and safety of revision TKA performed in this potentially vulnerable population in a large patient population. The purpose of this study is to compare complications following revision TKA between octogenarians and 2 younger patient populations ( Methods Patients who underwent revision TKA were identified in the 2005-2015 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database and stratified into 3 age groups: Results This study included 6523 ( Conclusion These data suggest that revision TKA can safely be considered for octogenarians with the observation of higher rates of blood transfusion and slightly longer length of stay compared to younger populations. Octogenarian patients need not be discouraged from revision TKA solely based on their advanced age.
Branding by U.S. Farmer Cooperatives: An empirical study of trademark ownership

Abstract With increased consolidation by food retailers and increased fragmentation of consumer preferences, product differentiation is of growing importance to food producers and manufacturers for sustainable competitiveness. While the marketplace is dominated by large corporations such as General Mills and Kraft Heinz, there exist few farmer cooperatives with well-known brands, which may imply its long-term viability is jeopardized. Therefore, this study analyzes trademark data of U.S. farmer cooperatives to better determine (i) which types of farmer cooperatives brand and (ii) how much farmer cooperatives brand relative to firms. Per the first negative binomial model, trademark ownership intensity is relatively high for marketing cooperatives in dairy, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and several other raw commodities. However, the second model indicates farmer cooperatives own 1086% fewer trademarks as compared to firms in the same sectors. U.S. farmer cooperatives thus have relatively weak brand equity. To spur future competitiveness by means of branding, farmer cooperatives may improve product quality, adapt ownership structure characteristics to facilitate member investment in long-term growth opportunities, use strategic arrangements to assign control of non-member business to decision specialists, form common agencies with other farmer cooperatives, or use family-based or origin-based connotations to raise consumer willingness-to-pay.
Right ventricular lead location, right-left ventricular lead interaction, and long-term outcomes in cardiac resynchronization therapy patients

The effects of right ventricular (RV) lead location and the combination of RV and left ventricular (LV) lead locations on long-term outcomes in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) are not well understood. Our cohort consisted of 743 CRT-D patients from MADIT-CRT. We evaluated long-term death and combined heart failure or death (HF/death) in patients with non-apical RV vs. apical RV leads. We further assessed these long-term outcomes based on the combination of RV and LV leads, termed “RV-LV lead interaction.” Patients with non-apical RV and apical LV leads and those with apical RV and non-apical LV leads were described to have “discordant RV and LV leads.” Patients with RV and LV leads that were both non-apical or both apical were defined to have “concordant RV and LV leads.” There were no differences in death and HF/death between patients with non-apical RV vs. apical RV leads. However, patients with non-apical RV and apical LV leads had higher mortality risk, relative to those with apical RV and non-apical LV leads (HR = 4.06, 95% CI 1.73–9.53, p = 0.001) as well as those with both leads in the non-apical (HR = 3.82, 95% CI 1.33–10.98, p = 0.013) or apical (HR = 3.40, 95% CI 1.24–9.37, p = 0.018) positions. There was no difference in HF/death by RV-LV lead sub-groups. Among CRT-D patients, long-term outcomes were similar for non-apical RV and apical RV leads. However, mortality risk was increased with discordant RV and LV leads, when a non-apical RV lead was combined with an apical LV lead.
The Elusive Nature Toward a Cure for HIV

Extensive efforts have been engaged over the past two decades to characterize and attempt to eradicate a pool of long-lived, virus-infected cells in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This pool of cells, which persists in HIV-infected patients, consists largely of infected CD4+ T lymphocytes that enter and maintain a resting or quiescent memory state in which viral expression is repressed. The longevity of this pool of cells, referred to as the latent reservoir, precludes the possibility of patient withdrawal from potent anti-retroviral therapy (ART) without a predictable rebound of blood born virus despite long-term administration of ART. This circumstance mandates that the vast majority of HIV-infected individuals remain on ART indefinitely. There are compelling reasons to pursue ablation of the latent reservoir since it serves as a persistent source from which viremia ensues upon withdrawal of ART. A means to eradicate this reservoir would be regarded as tantamount to a cure of the infection and relieve patients from life-long administration of ART. This review outlines the mechanisms of latent reservoir formation and its sustenance. It presents circumstances of individuals who are naturally refractory to viremia without the necessity of ART or have been treated to become so. Both of these circumstances may serve as mechanistic models toward the design and implementation of a sterilizing cure. Finally, a number of molecular-based strategies are discussed which are directed toward the complete and sustained suppression of virus expression and/or eradication of the latent reservoir which still remains an elusive goal.
Obsessive compulsive disorder prevalence increases with latitude

Abstract Many individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) report difficulty falling asleep until later than desired. This may reflect a misalignment between the sleep-wake cycle and the natural light dark cycle. Delayed bedtimes are related to disruptions in cognitive processes, increases in repetitive negative thinking, and OCD symptoms. Misalignment is more common in higher latitudes. AIMS: We hypothesized that the prevalence of OCD would be positively correlated with latitude. A systematic review of the literature identified peer-reviewed publications with estimates of OCD prevalence in the general population. Twenty-four estimates of the lifetime prevalence of OCD were identified and showed that the prevalence of OCD was significantly positively correlated with latitude. Other potential alternative individual, community and study specific factors were not significantly correlated with OCD prevalence. Finally, parallel analyses of a “psychiatric control” (panic disorder) failed to find a significant relationship between panic disorder and latitude. Findings from this study support a relation between latitude and OCD and suggest potential specificity of the relation to OCD vs factors related to mental health concerns broadly. These findings are consistent with recent results suggesting that the timing of sleep may be important in OCD. Future work in this area is warranted.
Analysis of generally perfomed manual industrial tasks and specifications of physical compatibility of male and female workers

The isometric muscle strength of 360 men and 250 women, aged 15 to 60 years, has been measured for 25 different muscle groups. The results have been treated so as to allow tables relating average normal strength to height and age to be prepared. Average standard deviations (S,D.) are calcu­ lated and presented for each test as a percentage of the mean isometric strength. Also, diagrams from which ideal body height can be estimated from sitting height or from leg length are given, A few comments on the relative strength of men and women and the influence of age are given in the form of curves. In an earlier communication, standard values for iso­ metric muscle strength of children aged 7 to 15 years were given as charts relating muscle strength to body height. The present communication presents standard values for isometric muscle strength of adult men and women in the age range 15
The Existence of Augustinian ‘Metaphysics’

One might think that the title above raises an idle question. And indeed in a sense it does. Could a theologian get on with his business at all without reasoning in universal terms about what universally is? Lacking general notions on the nature of being-ingeneral, could he even begin to work out a theory of its Principle ? By what means could he then build a theology?
Automated distant galaxy merger classifications from Space Telescope images using the Illustris simulation

We present image-based evolution of galaxy mergers from the Illustris cosmological simulation at 12 time-steps over 0.5 < z < 5. To do so, we created approximately one million synthetic deep Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope images and measured common morphological indicators. Using the merger tree, we assess methods to observationally select mergers with stellar mass ratios as low as 10:1 completing within +/- 250 Myr of the mock observation. We confirm that common one- or two-dimensional statistics select mergers so defined with low purity and completeness, leading to high statistical errors. As an alternative, we train redshift-dependent random forests (RFs) based on 5-10 inputs. Cross-validation shows the RFs yield superior, yet still imperfect, measurements of the late-stage merger fraction, and they select more mergers in bulge-dominated galaxies. When applied to CANDELS morphology catalogs, the RFs estimate a merger rate increasing to at least z = 3, albeit two times higher than expected by theory. This suggests possible mismatches in the feedback-determined morphologies, but affirms the basic understanding of galaxy merger evolution. The RFs achieve completeness of roughly 70% at 0.5 < z < 3, and purity increasing from 10% at z = 0.5 to 60% at z = 3. At earlier times, the training sets are insufficient, motivating larger simulations and smaller time sampling. By blending large surveys and large simulations, such machine learning techniques offer a promising opportunity to teach us the strengths and weaknesses of inferences about galaxy evolution.
Frequency Responses and Transfer Functions of Time-Invariant Discrete-Time Systems

Frequency domain techniques for time-invariant discrete-time input-output linear systems are of fairly recent vintage when compared with the corresponding continuous-time methods. Their development has taken place largely over the last fifty years, and has accelerated considerably with the advent of the computer age. Nonetheless, as is often the practice in applied mathematics, it is possible to present an overview of discrete-time frequency response techniques which is in essence completely parallel to the development in §19. Such an exposition would, however, obscure the history of the subject unnecessarily. As a result, we shall try consistently to accompany the definitions and theorems in this section with comments which should alert the reader to certain fundamental similarities and differences between continuous- and discrete-time frequency domain analysis; we shall also attempt to describe, at least briefly, how the two theories complement each other in the “real world” of systems engineering.
Enhanced Stability and Efficiency for Photoelectrochemical Iodide Oxidation by Methyl Termination and Electrochemical Pt Deposition on n-Type Si Microwire Arrays

Arrays of Si microwires doped n-type (n-Si) and surface-functionalized with methyl groups have been used, with or without deposition of Pt electrocatalysts, to photoelectrochemically oxidize I–(aq) to I3–(aq) in 7.6 M HI(aq). Under conditions of iodide oxidation, methyl-terminated n-Si microwire arrays exhibited stable short-circuit photocurrents over a time scale of days, albeit with low energy-conversion efficiencies. In contrast, electrochemical deposition of Pt onto methyl-terminated n-Si microwire arrays consistently yielded energy-conversion efficiencies of ∼2% for iodide oxidation, with an open-circuit photovoltage of ∼400 mV and a short-circuit photocurrent density of ∼10 mA cm–2 under 100 mW cm–2 of simulated air mass 1.5G solar illumination. Platinized electrodes were stable for >200 h of continuous operation, with no discernible loss of Si or Pt. Pt deposited using electron-beam evaporation also resulted in stable photoanodic operation of the methyl-terminated n-Si microwire arrays but yielded ...
The impact of using hepatitis c virus nucleic acid test-positive donor hearts on heart transplant waitlist time and transplant rate.

Abstract BACKGROUND Previous studies suggest that direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection permits transplantation of HCV-viremic donor organs in uninfected recipients. This opportunity may expand donor pool. We assessed the impact of utilizing HCV nucleic acid test-positive (NAT+) donor hearts on heart transplant (HTx) waitlist time and transplant rate. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 156 patients who were listed for HTx from October 2015 through October 2018. Patients were stratified into 2 periods centered on April 27, 2017, when the protocol to accept HCV NAT+ donor organs for transplantation in non-HCV-infected recipients began; Period 1 (October 27, 2015 to April 26, 2017) and Period 2 (April 27, 2017 to October 26, 2018). RESULTS In Period 1, 57 of the 71 patients on HTx waitlist were transplanted, whereas in Period 2, 57 of the 85 patients were transplanted. Median waitlist time to transplant decreased from 63.1 days in Period 1 to 34.1 days in Period 2 (p = 0.002). Transplant rate increased from 168.2 per 100 patient-years in Period 1 to 280.0 per 100 patient-years in Period 2 (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2—3.3; p = 0.006). Neither waitlist mortality rate, hospital stay post-transplantation, nor post-transplant mortality differed significantly between the time periods. Nineteen patients received HCV NAT+ donor hearts. Short-term post-transplant outcomes were similar between recipients who received HCV NAT+ and HCV NAT- donor hearts. CONCLUSIONS This single-center retrospective analysis suggests that utilization of HCV NAT+ donor hearts may result in reduced HTx waitlist time and increased transplant rate. Additionally, transplanting HCV NAT+ donor hearts in non-HCV-infected recipients, followed by DAAs, can provide acceptable short-term post-transplant outcomes.
Artificial enzymes, cancer chemotherapy,conjugation and nanoelectronics, andprebiotic chemistry

This is a summary, with extensive references, of several areas of chemistry in which the Breslow lab has been involved, leading to work still underway in several of them. The principal conclusions are described, but it will be necessary to consult the references for details of the work involved.
Off-Label Prescribing in Children Remains High: A Call for Prioritized Research.

* Abbreviations: BPCA — : Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act PREA — : Pediatric Research Equity Act The US Food and Drug Administration requires that medications be tested for safety and efficacy at a specific dosage, and for a specific time period, before approval for clinical use in a particular population.1 Use of medications outside these parameters is considered “off-label” drug use. Historically, studies evaluating medications in the pediatric population have been challenging. Children present unique considerations in clinical trials owing to scientific, ethical, clinical, and logistic concerns, which have previously limited and even discouraged the testing of medications in this population.1 Consequently, the majority of medications used in the care of children have historically been used off label without an adequate … Address correspondence to Katelyn Yackey, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose St, Room M53, Lexington, KY 40536. E-mail: katelyn.yackey{at}uky.edu
Estimation of COVID-19 basic reproduction ratio in a large urban jail in the United States.

Abstract Purpose To estimate the basic reproduction ratio () of SARS-CoV-2 inside a correctional facility early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We developed a dynamic transmission model for a large, urban jail in the United States. We used the next generation method to determine the basic reproduction ratio We included anonymized data of incarcerated individuals and correctional staff with confirmed COVID-19 infections in our estimation of the basic reproduction ratio () of SARS-CoV-2. Results The estimated is 8.44 (95% Credible Interval (CrI): 5.00-13.13) for the entire jail. Conclusions The high of SARS-CoV-2 in a large urban jail highlights the importance of including correctional facilities in public health strategies for COVID-19. In the absence of more aggressive mitigation strategies, correctional facilities will continue to contribute to community infections.
Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, a gatekeeper of mitochondrial function in glioblastoma multiforme

SUMMARY Glioblastoma (GBM) is among the deadliest of human cancers. Despite extensive efforts, it has proven to be highly resistant to chemo- and immune-based therapeutic strategies, and little headway has been made with targeted inhibitors. Like many cancers, metabolism is dysregulated in GBM. Thus, to identify new vulnerabilities and drug targets in GBM, we conducted genetic screens using pooled RNAi libraries targeting metabolic enzymes. We screened multiple glioma stem cell-derived (GSC) xenograft models, which revealed that several enzymes involved in the mitochondrial metabolism of fatty acids were required for tumor cell proliferation. From among these, we focused on medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), which oxidizes medium-chain fatty acids, due to its consistently high score across all of our screens, as well as its high expression level in multiple GSC models and its upregulation in GBM compared to normal brain. In this manuscript, we describe the dependence of GBM on sustained fatty acid metabolism to actively catabolize lipid species that would otherwise damage the mitochondrial structure. The uptake of mediumchain fatty acids lacks negative feedback regulation; therefore, in the absence of MCAD, medium-chain fatty acids accumulate to toxic levels, inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial damage and failure, and apoptosis. Taken together, our findings uncover a previously unappreciated protective role exerted by MCAD in GBM cells, making it a unique and therapeutically exploitable vulnerability.
Futuröck: primera radio profesional por internet en Argentina

A pandemia do COVID-19 destacou os problemas estruturais nos setores mais vulneraveis ​​da sociedade. Nos bairros populares, onde boa parte da populacao resolve seu trabalho diario na economia popular, a impossibilidade de sair para o trabalho implicava uma demanda crescente nas cozinhas de sopa, que atualmente alimentam milhoes de pessoas em todo o mundo. o pais. O trabalho nas cozinhas de sopa e nas panelas populares e diario e e amplamente apoiado por mulheres, que realizam tarefas de assistencia comunitaria e reproducao social que exigem urgentemente reconhecimento.
Removal of the Prehospital Tourniquet in the Emergency Department

Abstract Background Life-threatening hemorrhage from extremity injuries can be effectively controlled in the prehospital environment through direct pressure, wound packing, and the use of tourniquets. Early tourniquet application has been prioritized for rapid control of severe extremity hemorrhage and is a cornerstone of prehospital trauma resuscitation guidelines. Emergency physicians must be knowledgeable regarding the initial assessment and appropriate management of patients who present with a prehospital tourniquet in place. Discussion An interdisciplinary group of experts including emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, and tactical and Emergency Medical Services physicians collaborated to develop a stepwise approach to the assessment and removal (discontinuation) of an extremity tourniquet in the emergency department after being placed in the prehospital setting. We have developed a best-practices guideline to serve as a resource to aid the emergency physician in how to safely remove a tourniquet. The guideline contains five steps that include: 1) Determine how long the tourniquet has been in place; 2) Evaluate for contraindications to tourniquet removal; 3) Prepare for tourniquet removal; 4) Release the tourniquet; and 5) Monitor and reassess the patient. Conclusion These steps outlined will help emergency medicine clinicians appropriately evaluate and manage patients presenting with tourniquets in place. Tourniquet removal should be performed in a systematic manner with plans in place to immediately address complications.
The Role of Sonography in a Rare Case of Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm: A Case Study Report:

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysms (HAPs) are rare, life-threatening complications that arise in response to liver trauma or underlying inflammatory processes. The risk of rupture necessitates prompt d...
Predictors of Rare and Specialist Plant Occurrence in Midwestern Calcareous Fens

Calcareous fens provide habitat for a disproportionate number of rare and specialist plant species, yet little is known about the conditions that allow fens to support these species. We compared the importance of geography, land-use legacies, current hydrologic disturbance, and stressors in predicting rare and specialist species occurrence and richness in calcareous fens throughout their Wisconsin range. On each fen, we measured the occurrence and richness rare and specialist species, as well as potential predictors including stress variables (root-zone saturation and nutrient availability), land-use-legacies (history of plowing or abandoned drainage projects), current groundwater extraction (high-capacity-well pumping), and geographic variables (UTM coordinates). We used Partial Least Squares Regression models to assess the predictive power of each of these factors. We found that stressor models best predicted occurrence and richness of most species. Groundwater saturation was the best single predictor of high species occurrence and richness, while historic plowing and drainage, high-capacity-wells, and high nitrogen availability were the best predictors of species absence and low richness. Our results suggest that high saturation and low nutrient availability are likely drivers of rare and specialist species occurrence and richness in calcareous fens, while anthropogenic activities that alter stressors contribute to the continued imperilment of these species.
Experticia estadística en la administración pública ecuatoriana: mecanismos de emergencia y legitimación

La estadistica representa una herramienta de gobernanza esencial en la administracion publica contemporanea. Su produccion en Ecuador depende del campo de expertos que emergieron y se legitimaron en el periodo 1927-2020. ?Que rol jugaron fuerzas locales y externas en este proceso? ?Que factores sociopoliticos permitieron la construccion de la disciplina estadistica en el pais? A traves de la revision de archivos historicos y de entrevistas en profundidad, en este articulo se expone que el campo de quienes se dedican a la estadistica publica en el pais ha resultado de la superposicion de cuatro fuerzas centripetas externas y tres fuerzas centrifugas locales.
An Oscillator-Based Wake-Up Receiver for Wireless Sensor Networks

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is mainly enabled by wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which are continuously gaining attention, due to their multidisciplinary applications. To enhance the WSNs energy efficiency, different solutions have been proposed. One of them is the integration of wakeup receivers (WuRxs), which activate the sensor nodes through an identity-based approach. In this work a low power oscillator-based WuRx architecture is presented, and verified by simulations in TSMC-180nm CMOS process. The WuRx sequentially verifies if the received signal resembles the wake-up call (WuC) one by means of oscillators, counters and logic gates. It consumes $16.1\mu \mathbf{W}$ when detecting a 1.6ms WuC signal, and 1.2nW in idle mode.
Allocating Multinational Income Generated by Intangible Assets: An Industry Perspective

This study develops a model in which a multinational firm creates a brand that generates income in multiple countries. Many firms attempt to develop a brand, but only one firm succeeds. The firm that creates the brand earns positive residual profits. The industry as a whole does not, as the residual profits are competed away by firms trying to create the brand. There is a unique allocation of taxable income among countries that is distributionally neutral at the industry level. This allocation can be achieved using the comparable profit method, but not by using other methods such as the residual profit-split method or formulary apportionment methods based on relative sales or residual profits. The message of the study is that any analysis of the taxation of residual profits is incomplete if it does not consider all the investments, including failed investments, associated with the creation of those residual profits.
The relationship between tax uncertainty and trade credit: firm-level evidence from the United States

We examine whether firms’ tax uncertainty affect their trade credit and inventory investment policies. Using a measure of tax uncertainty based on an accounting reserve for contingent tax liability...
Truss topology optimization of timber–steel structures for reduced embodied carbon design

Abstract There is an increasing need for automated design processes that can help guide structural design towards lower embodied carbon solutions. This research presents a two-material truss topology optimization algorithm that aims at reducing the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the designed structure. The ground structure approach is used and a new set of design variables are defined such that both the cross-sectional area and the material composition of each truss element is determined. The framework is developed for several different objective and constraint functions. These include designing for a minimum compliance objective with either weight or GWP constraints, and minimizing the GWP with stress constraints. The framework is demonstrated on truss designs with a mix of glue-laminated timber (GLT) and steel elements for both 2D and 3D design examples.
Renal sodium reabsorption following induction of recovery from volume expansion

In the rat, infusion of a volume of isotonic saline equal to 2% of body weight resulted in an 82% increase in the delivery of filtrate out of the proximal tubule but little or, in some animals, no change in the urinary excretion of sodium. By contrast, further degrees of volume expansion resulted in lesser increases in the distal delivery of filtrate, but were associated with a marked increase in the urinary excretion of sodium. Sixty minutes following completion of volume expansion, while the animals were still in positive sodium balance, the urinary excretion of sodium decreased 52% compared to a decrease of only 24% in the distal delivery of filtrate. During the course of progressive volume expansion and during the recovery phase, there was a dissociation between alterations in sodium reabsorption in the proximal convoluted tubule and in the whole kidney. These studies indicate that although the proximal tubule is more sensitive to changes in the extracellular fluid volume, distal nephron sites are ultimately responsible both for the natriuresis of volume expansion and the relative antinatriuresis of the recovery periods.
Separation of different UDP glucuronosyltransferase activities according to charge heterogeneity by chromatofocusing using mouse liver microsomes: three major types of aglycones

Hepatic UDP glucuronosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.17) (GT) enzymes in control, phenobarbital- and 3-methylcholanthrene-induced microsomes from C57BL/6N mice have been fractionated according to charge heterogeneity on a chromatofocusing system using a pH 9.5 to 6 gradient. Transferase activities for eleven different substrates were determined on column fractions. Activities toward 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, phenolphthalein and estrone (type 1 substrates) were enhanced by both effector compounds and always eluted primarily at pH 8.5. In control and phenobarbital-induced microsomes, activities toward testosterone, 4-hydroxybiphenyl, morphine, naphthol and 9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (type 2 substrates) eluted primarily at about pH 6.7. Activities toward p-nitrophenol, 4-methylumbelliferone and 2-hydroxybiphenyl (type 3 substrates) in control and phenobarbital-induced microsomes exhibited two peaks which eluted at pH 8.5 and 6.7. 3-Methylcholanthrene treatment increased almost exclusively activities which eluted at pH 8.5 for each of the three types of substrates. The pH value of elution corresponds to the approximate isoelectric point of the eluted protein. Immunoabsorption studies with an antibody preparation raised against a purified low pI form confirmed that a 51,000-dalton transferase form, GTM1, eluted primarily at pH 6.7 and that a 54,000-dalton form, GTM2, eluted at pH 8.5. A mathematical treatment of the ratios of activity after 3-methylcholanthrene treatment to that after phenobarbital treatment versus pH produced six patterns of activity. A minimum of two enzymes at the low pH region and one enzyme at the high pH region, all with broad-substrate specificity, could account for these patterns.
A recording and analysis system of bioptic driving behaviors

Millions of visually impaired people do not drive because they fail to meet the general vision requirements. There is a legal option in 38 US states where people with moderate central vision loss (e.g. visual acuity better than 20/200) may be permitted to drive while wearing spectacle-mounted bioptic telescopes. However, the safety of bioptic driving is still highly controversial, because bioptic use in driving is not well understood. Whether and how bioptic telescopes are actually used in driving, how they should be used appropriately, and whether their use results in better or worse driving performance has never been scientifically established. We are developing an in-car camera system that can be installed in bioptic drivers’ own vehicles to record their daily driving activities over long periods of time. Videos of the driver and traffic, GPS coordinates, XYZ acceleration, and vehicle black box data are recorded. We are also developing computer-aided reviewing techniques to automatically identify the most informative driving segments from the vast amount of data and, reconstruct the selected driving maneuvers on an interactive interface, so that these representative segments can be assessed off-line by driver evaluation and training specialists.
BCIs in the Laboratory and at Home: The Wadsworth Research Program

Many people with severe motor disabilities lack the muscle control that would allow them to rely on conventional methods of augmentative communication and control. Numerous studies over the past two decades have indicated that scalp-recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) activity can be the basis for non-muscular communication and control systems, commonly called brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) [55]. EEG-based BCI systems measure specific features of EEG activity and translate these features into device commands. The most commonly used features are rhythms produced by the sensorimotor cortex [38, 55, 56, 59], slow cortical potentials [4, 5, 23], and the P300 event-related potential [12, 17, 46]. Systems based on sensorimotor rhythms or slow cortical potentials use oscillations or transient signals that are spontaneous in the sense that they are not dependent on specific sensory events. Systems based on the P300 response use transient signals in the EEG that are elicited by specific stimuli.
Flight to Mercury

The project development and active flight of the Mariner 10 deep-space probe mission is recounted in detail, with sequential blow-by-blow coverage. Early studies and speculation on the planet Mercury are reviewed, and the spin-orbit coupling and near-synchronous rotation of the planet are described. Use of Venus as a slingshot in a gravity-assist maneuver is described, and Mariner 10 records of Venus are shown. The three encounters of Mariner 10 with Mercury (March 1974, Aug. 1974, March 1975) are described in detail, with purposes, problems, mishaps, and glossy photographs recovered from Mariner 10 data. Information on the planet's magnetosphere, surface topography, inferred internal structure, and IR signature is provided, and the end-of-mission improvised solar-sail experiment is outlined.
Underwater EMR of adenomas of the appendiceal orifice (with video)

Background and Aims EMR of adenomas involving the appendiceal orifice (AO) is controversial because of a high risk of perforation and incomplete resection. We evaluated the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of underwater EMR (UEMR) without submucosal injection for the treatment of adenomas involving the AO. Methods This was a prospective, observational study of a standardized UEMR technique without submucosal injection for adenomas involving the AO in 27 consecutive patients meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria. Surveillance colonoscopy included biopsy sampling of the EMR site and base of the AO. Main outcome measurements include technical success, histology, resection time, adverse events, and follow-up data. Results Over 42 months, UEMR of adenomas involving the AO (rim, 5 patients; inside, 22 patients) was attempted in 27 consecutive patients. Median adenoma size was 15 mm (range, 8 to 50). UEMR was successful in 24 patients (89%). Four patients were referred to surgery, 3 with UEMR failure because of an inability to exclude the adenoma extending into the appendix at the index procedure and 1 with invasive adenocarcinoma in the UEMR specimen. The median resection time was 3 minutes (range, 1 to 75). Adverse events consisted of postpolypectomy syndrome in 2 patients (7%). There was no perforation, bleeding requiring transfusion, or appendicitis. Final histology was tubular adenoma (7), tubulovillous adenoma (4), sessile serrated adenoma (15), and invasive adenocarcinoma (1). Twenty-one of 23 patients (91%), not referred to surgery, had follow-up colonoscopy with biopsy sampling of the resection site after a median of 29 weeks (range, 12 to 139) after resection. Residual adenoma was found in 2 of 21 patients (10%). Conclusion On an intention-to-treat basis, UEMR without submucosal injection enabled safe and complete endoscopic resection of AO lesions. Close surveillance for residual or recurrence is warranted. (Clinical trials registration number: NCT01750619.)
The impact of cognitive functioning on mortality and the development of functional disability in older adults with diabetes: the second longitudinal study on aging

Background For older adults without diabetes, cognitive functioning has been implicated as a predictor of death and functional disability for older adults and those with mild to severe cognitive impairment. However, little is known about the relationship between cognition functioning on mortality and the development of functional disability in late life for persons with diabetes. We examined the relative contribution of cognitive functioning to mortality and functional disability over a 2-year period in a sample of nationally representative older US adults with diabetes who were free from cognitive impairment through secondary data analyses of the Second Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA II).
Recovery after chronic stress within spatial reference and working memory domains: correspondence with hippocampal morphology

Chronic stress results in reversible spatial learning impairments in the Morris water maze that correspond with hippocampal CA3 dendritic retraction in male rats. Whether chronic stress impacts different types of memory domains, and whether these can similarly recover, is unknown. This study assessed the effects of chronic stress with and without a post-stress delay to evaluate learning and memory deficits within two memory domains, reference and working memory, in the radial arm water maze (RAWM). Three groups of 5-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were either not stressed [control (CON)], or restrained (6 h/day for 21 days) and then tested on the RAWM either on the next day [stress immediate (STR-IMM)] or following a 21-day delay [stress delay (STR-DEL)]. Although the groups learned the RAWM task similarly, groups differed in their 24-h retention trial assessment. Specifically, the STR-IMM group made more errors within both the spatial reference and working memory domains, and these deficits corresponded with a reduction in apical branch points and length of hippocampal CA3 dendrites. In contrast, the STR-DEL group showed significantly fewer errors in both the reference and working memory domains than the STR-IMM group. Moreover, the STR-DEL group showed better RAWM performance in the reference memory domain than did the CON group, and this corresponded with restored CA3 dendritic complexity, revealing long-term enhancing actions of chronic stress. These results indicate that chronic stress-induced spatial working and reference memory impairments, and CA3 dendritic retraction, are reversible, with chronic stress having lasting effects that can benefit spatial reference memory, but with these lasting beneficial effects being independent of CA3 dendritic complexity.
Hepatocellular injury, hyperplasia and putative premalignancy in rats fed 2-acetylaminofluorene

Abstract Hepatocellular growth inhibition and restorative hyperplasia were studied in 80 young male Buffalo rats that were fed .02% 2-AAF for up to four weeks. Between 30 and 58 days of age, the control rats tripled their body weights and more than doubled their liver weights. But these increases were respectively inhibited by 25 and 22% in 2-AAF fed rats. Because the rats were in a phase of rapid growth, it was necessary to evaluate the age-related hepatic changes in control animals prior to analyzing the experimental data. Thirty-seven-day old control rats had 3 G-thymidine labeling indices of hepatocytes that were two to five times higher than in 58-day-old rats. A replicative gradient was also noted in the hepatic acini. At three ages of sacrifice (37, 44 and 58 days), the control hepatocytes in the periportal regions (Zone 1) had labeling indices that were at least three times higher than those surrounding the terminal hepatic veins (Zone 3). Histochemical GGTase activity also showed age-related zonal changes. Particularly prominent was the decrease with age in the enzyme activity of the most actively replicating Zone 1 hepatocytes. GGTase activity was observed in hepatocytes occupying 7.6% of tissue section areas in rats sacrificed at 30 days of age, but this decreased to 0.3% by the fourth week of the study. After four weeks of feeding the carcinogen toxic growth inhibition was most impressive in midzonal (Zone 2) hepatocytes, which also showed decreased glycogen, and decreased cytoplasmic RNA. The localization of injury to acinar midzones is particularly noteworthy in view of the extreme rarity of the finding in the hepatic toxicology literature. Growth inhibition was already apparent after only one week of 2-AAF feeding, when the 3 H-thymidine labeling indices of Zone 2 hepatocytes were 90% lower (0.9%) than in control rats (8.6%). Hepatocellular hyperplasia, presumably a restorative response to the midzonal growth inhibition, was prominent in Zone 1, but also noted in Zone 3, after four weeks of the study. However, most of the Zone 1 hyperplastic cells showed canalicular GGTase activity, while none of the Zone 3 hyperplastic cells showed this phenotype. Occasional discrete focu of hyperplastic hepatocytes that were considered putatively premalignant because of their very high GGTase activity and low G6Pase and ATPase activities were also noted after four weeks of 2-AAF feeding. The foci were usually in close physical association with hyperplastic Zone I hepatocytes, but could be distinguished by their higher GGTase and lower G6Pase activities. Resistance to the toxic mitoinhibitory effects of 2-AAF, previously reported as a distinctive characteristics of enzyme-altered foci, is also a property of Zone I hyperplastic hepatocytes. It is proposed that because of their ability to replicate in the presence of 2-AAF, the hyperplastic GGTase positive Zone 1 hepatocytes are the probable precursors of the enzyme altered foci.
The interaction of α-1-antitrypsin with chymotrypsin, trypsin and elastase

The mode of inhibition of α-1-antitrypsin of chymotrypsin, trypsin and pancreatic elastase was examined by a kinetic method. All three enzymes were completely bound to α-1-antitrypsin; therefore, the dissociation constant of the enzyme-inhibitor complex was too low to measure with these methods. The dissociation constants for the three enzyme-inhibitor complexes were estimated to be < 5 · 10−9 M. However, α-1-antitrypsin could be specifically displaced from Sepharose-bound elastase with an irreversible inhibitor of that enzyme. Additional experiments showed that dioxane, 20% (v/v), blocked 100% of the inhibition of elastase, 16% of the inhibition of trypsin, and 0% of the inhibition of chymotrypsin. The effect was reversed by diluting the dioxane to 1% (v/v). These findings indicated that α-1-antitrypsin was tightly bound to the three enzymes studied but did not allow discrimination as to the nature of the inhibition. However, the competitive mode of inhibition was suggested by the displacement of α-1-antitrypsin from elastase by an irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme that bound covalently at the enzyme-active site. The variable susceptibility of the enzyme to blockage of the inhibition by low concentrations of p-dioxane suggested that hydrophobic bonds may be important in the interaction with α-1-antitrypsin.
Predictors of Occurrence and Severity of First Time Low Back Pain Episodes: Findings from a Military Inception Cohort

Primary prevention studies suggest that additional research on identifying risk factors predictive of low back pain (LBP) is necessary before additional interventions can be developed. In the current study we assembled a large military cohort that was initially free of LBP and followed over 2 years. The purposes of this study were to identify baseline variables from demographic, socioeconomic, general health, and psychological domains that were predictive of a) occurrence; b) time; and c) severity for first episode of self-reported LBP. Baseline and outcome measures were collected via web-based surveillance system or phone to capture monthly information over 2 years. The assembled cohort consisted of 1230 Soldiers who provided self-report data with 518 (42.1%) reporting at least one episode of LBP over 2 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that gender, active duty status, mental and physical health scores were significant predictors of LBP. Cox regression revealed that the time to first episode of LBP was significantly shorter for Soldiers that were female, active duty, reported previous injury, and had increased BMI. Multivariate linear regression analysis investigated severity of the first episode by identifying baseline predictors of pain intensity, disability, and psychological distress. Education level and physical fitness were consistent predictors of pain intensity, while gender, smoking status, and previous injury status were predictors of disability. Gender, smoking status, physical health scores, and beliefs of back pain were consistent predictors of psychological distress. These results provide additional data to confirm the multi-factorial nature of LBP and suggest future preventative interventions focus on multi-modal approaches that target modifiable risk factors specific to the population of interest.
Growth-associated protein-43 and ephrin B3 induction in the brain of adult SIV-infected rhesus macaques

Understanding the mechanisms of neuronal regeneration and repair in the adult central nervous system is a vital area of research. Using a rhesus lentiviral encephalitis model, we sought to determine whether recovery of neuronal metabolism after injury coincides with the induction of two important markers of synaptodendritic repair: growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) and ephrin B3. We examined whether the improvement of neuronal metabolism with combined anti-retroviral therapy (cART) after simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques involved induction of GAP-43, also known as neuromodulin, and ephrin B3, both implicated in axonal pathfinding during neurodevelopment and regulation of synapse formation, neuronal plasticity, and repair in adult brain. We utilized magnetic resonance spectroscopy to demonstrate improved neuronal metabolism in vivo in adult SIV-infected cART animals compared to untreated and uninfected controls. We then assessed levels of GAP-43, ephrin B3, and synaptophysin, a pre-synaptic marker, in three brain regions important for cognitive function, cortex, hippocampus, and putamen, by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Here we demonstrate that (1) GAP-43 mRNA and protein are induced with SIV infection, (2) GAP-43 protein is higher in the hippocampus outer molecular layer in SIV-infected animals that received cART compared to those that did not, and (3) activated microglia and infiltrating SIV-infected macrophages express abundant ephrin B3, an important axonal guidance molecule. We propose a model whereby SIV infection triggers events that lead to induction of GAP-43 and ephrin B3, and that short-term cART results in increased magnitude of repair mechanisms especially in the hippocampus, a region known for high levels of adult plasticity.