cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Colloidal Au–Cu alloy nanoparticles: synthesis, optical properties and applications

In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the shape-controlled synthesis and characterization of colloidal Au–Cu alloy nanostructures. Then we review the studies on the plasmonic properties of the Au–Cu alloy nanoparticles, which are different from that of the nanoparticles composed of pure Au or Cu due to the synergism between Au and Cu. The Au–Cu nanoparticles with tunable composition and geometry have been applied in heterogeneous catalysis for many reactions such as CO2 reduction and have shown good catalytic activity. They have also been demonstrated to be effective in killing tumor cells using photothermal therapy. At the end of this review, we provide our perspective on the future work on the synthesis and applications of Au–Cu alloy nanoparticles.
Analysis of the exome aggregation consortium (ExAC) database suggests that the BAP1-tumor predisposition syndrome is underreported in cancer patients.

The BAP1-tumor predisposition syndrome (BAP1-TPDS) has been recently identified to predispose patients to a variety of cancers and preneoplastic lesions. About 130 unrelated probands have been identified worldwide; however, the impact of the syndrome is suspected to be much larger given the diversity of the cancer phenotype. To evaluate the frequency of germline BAP1 mutations in the general and cancer populations, we analyzed the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC), a database that contains 53105 exomes of unrelated individuals unaffected by cancer (general population) and exomes of 7601 unrelated individuals affected by cancer provided by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, cancer subjects). BAP1 null variants were seen at much higher frequency in the cancer subjects (0.0526%) compared to the general population (0.00188%) with a relative risk of 27.93 and (P = 0.0011, [95% CI: 3.122-249.883], Fisher's exact test). We also studied a reported BAP1 null variant, c.1203T > G, p.T401* (rs200156887), observed commonly in the general population. Sequencing and restriction fragment polymorphism of the RT-4 cell line that contains this variant revealed that it is in fact a 3bp deletion/insertion, c.1201_1203delinsGAG, a likely benign missense alteration p.Y401E explaining the relative high frequency of this variant in the general population. In conclusion, germline null mutations in BAP1 have a significantly higher frequency in cancer patients than the general population. Given the low frequency of reported families with BAP1-TPDS, our results suggest that the syndrome is underreported especially in patients with cancer.
Immediate and Long-Term Outcomes of Microvascular Decompression for Mixed Trigeminal Neuralgia

Background Classic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) involves sharp, shooting pain in any trigeminal nerve distribution, whereas atypical TN presents with constant aching, numbness, or burning that can appear with classic features, leading to a mixed presentation. Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective treatment for classic TN, but its utility in treating mixed TN has been less well studied. Methods We retrospectively studied 73 adult patients with mixed TN and 386 patients with classic TN who underwent MVD between December 2007 and October 2016. Recorded variables included demographic data, graded radiologic and intraoperative findings, and graded pain outcomes in the immediate postoperative period (up to 3 months after MVD) and during long-term follow-up. Results The mean age of the 73 patients with mixed TN was 53.2 years. In terms of immediate postoperative outcomes, 67 patients (91.8%) experienced pain relief including improvement of atypical pain, whereas 6 patients (8.2%) had no pain relief. Having a preexisting pain syndrome (P = 0.001) or distortion of the trigeminal nerve intraoperatively (P = 0.001) was associated with poor surgical outcome in the patients with mixed TN. The mean duration of follow-up was 20.6 months. Forty-four patients (60.3%) developed recurrence of any TN pain. In comparison, 93% of the patients with classic TN experienced pain relief in the immediate postoperative period, and the recurrence rate was 19.9% in these patients. Conclusions Patients with mixed TN suffer from both classic and atypical TN symptoms. Following MVD, 91.8% of our patients with mixed TN reported partial or complete pain relief, including improvement of atypical pain, in the immediate postoperative stage, compared with 93% of those with classic TN. Recurrence eventually developed in 60.3% of the patients with mixed TN.
Association between preoperative activity level and functional outcome at 12 months following surgical decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis.

OBJECTIVEThis study defines the association of preoperative physical activity level with functional outcomes at 3 and 12 months following surgical decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis.METHODSData were collected as a prospective observational registry at a single institution from 2012 through 2015, and then analyzed with a retrospective cohort design. Patients who were able to participate in activities outside the home preoperatively were compared to patients who did not participate in such activities, with respect to 3-month and 12-month functional outcomes postintervention, adjusted for relevant confounders.RESULTSNinety-nine patients were included. At baseline, sedentary/inactive patients (n = 55) reported greater back pain, lower quality of life, and higher disability than similarly treated patients who were active preoperatively. Both cohorts experienced significant improvement from baseline in back pain, leg pain, disability, and quality of life at both 3 and 12 months after lumbar decompression ...
Morality, Money, and Motor Cars Revisited

This chapter is a revised version of the often anthologized piece “Money, Morality, and Motor Cars,” that defends a view that somewhat resembles a follower of Milton Friedman with respect to the obligations of business to the environment. It represents my latest thinking on the ideas expressed in the original article and takes into account much of critical scholarship surrounding the article. Specifically, I constrain the obligations of business to avoid lobbying against environmental regulations. I also explain and comment on the attempt by Marc Cohen and John Dienhart to change the orientation of the article so that it fits more naturally into my Kantian project in business ethics.
Detection and Estimation

In dealing with noise-like signals presented to the observer in a noisy environment, one is faced with two interrelated problems: First one must establish whether there is a signal present at all (detection) and second, if there is a signal, one must extract useful information from it. A paper presented at the most recent previous NATO Advanced Study Institute on Signal Processing attempted to summarize the theoretical background of the detection problem [1]. The present paper shifts the emphasis towards questions of information extraction, meaning primarily the estimation of source parameters such as bearing, range, and velocity. This is a choice dictated not only by space and time limitations, but also by the development of the field and the structure of this conference. Recent efforts in detection theory have been concentrated heavily in the area of adaptive processing, a subject treated in separate papers of this series. My comments concerning detection will therefore be limited to a few basic observations necessary to make this presentation self-contained and to those features of the detection problem which interface directly with parameter estimation.
Shock Waves for Riccati Partial Differential Equations Arising in Nonlinear Optimal Control

The derivation and analysis of the Riccati partial differential equation for optimal control has been recently developed in a series of papers and announcements. In addition to finite escape time, which already is an issue for linear quadratic problems, the existence of shock waves for solutions of these Riccati partial differential equations is the principle object of the nonlinear analysis and is known to be the only obstruction to the “off-line” characterization of optimal feedback laws. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate, in a simple optimal control problem, the use of Riccati partial differential equations which, in this case, reduces to the inviscid Burgers’ equation. One rather interesting aspect of this analysis is the development of a variational interpretation of the Burgers’ equation, quite similar to the variational interpretation of the Riccati ordinary differential equation in linear quadratic theory; viz., that the existence of unique optimal control laws, the existence of global solutions of the Riccati partial differential equation and convexity of the constraint on the terminal state are mutually equivalent. We also illustrating these concepts and the existence of shock waves for a nonconvex terminal constraint.
Kinetics of Cyst Development in Cystic Renal Disease

The cysts in polycystic renal disease are always filled with fluid. In this chapter we consider the accumulation of that fluid to be a primary event in cyst production, consider the source of that fluid, and then ask whether or not the amount and rate of cyst filling and growth can give us additional information about their cause.
Lessons from the SWITCH trial: changing glucocorticoids in the management of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)

Abiraterone acetate plus prednisone is a standard treatment option for mCRPC. The phase II SWITCH trial showed that further prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses can be obtained in a subset of patients when prednisone was switched to dexamethasone at progression. Here, we discuss the potential underlying mechanisms, including the activation of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in progressive mCRPC and the implications for clinical practice.
Viewport-Driven Rate-Distortion Optimized Scalable Live 360° Video Network Multicast

Virtual Reality (VR) technologies enable remote scene 360° video immersion experiences. The growing popularity of VR increases the demand for 360° video delivery over the Internet. Compared to regular videos, 360° videos are characterized by an enormous data volume and spatial user navigation. User interactivity is activated by head movements and changes the spatial portion of a video viewed by the user, hence making only a small portion of the video essential at a time. Therefore, streaming the full video at high quality causes suboptimal use of the bandwidth. The above properties of 360° videos require novel streaming techniques in order to maintain high Quality of Experience (QoE). Live 360° multicast has not being studied yet, due to the emerging nature of 360° video, and it represents one of the most promising applications. Relative to on-demand single user 360° video streaming, it presents new challenges such as handling the interactions of multiple users simultaneously, while dynamically encoding the live 360° video on the fly. We propose a novel scalable multicast live 360° video streaming framework. It comprises a rate-distortion analysis that captures the fidelity-rate trade-offs of 360° videos, an optimization formulation to assign data rates to spatial video regions, and a scalable 360° video data representation. A 2-3 dB of quality gain for lower bandwidth classes and 3-4 dB for higher bandwidth classes are observed over a conventional method that streams the monolithic content at uniform quality. Our work shows that for live 360° multicast achieving quality levels close to on-demand streaming is possible despite the lack of information about future content and user navigation actions.
Refinancing Risk and Disclosure of Corporate Investment

This study investigates the relation between the refinancing risk, an important form of risk stemming from debt financing, and firms' decisions to issue capital expenditure forecasts. We find that an increase in refinancing risk is associated with both a lower probability of disclosing and a lower frequency of capital expenditure forecasts. Cross-sectional tests show that firms more exposed to refinancing risk and less able to mitigate this risk are more likely to reduce capital expenditure forecasts, following an increase in refinancing risk. Our results suggest that capital structure can influence firm information environment through managers' disclosure incentives to withhold bad news. This is contrary to common belief that leverage has limited effects on firm disclosure behavior, as debtholders' payoff is less sensitive information and lenders can privately communicate with borrowers.
Structure, development, and functional morphology of the cement gland of the giant danio, Devario malabaricus.

BACKGROUND Aquatic species in several clades possess cement glands producing adhesive secretions of various strengths. In vertebrates, transient adhesive organs have been extensively studied in Xenopus laevis, other anurans, and in several fish species. However, the development of these structures is not fully understood. RESULTS Here, we report on the development and functional morphology of the adhesive gland of a giant danio species, Devario malabaricus. We found that the gland is localized on the larval head, is composed of goblet-like secretory cells framed by basal, bordering, and intercalated apical epithelial cells, and is innervated by the trigeminal ganglion. The gland allows nonswimming larvae to adhere to various substrates. Its secretory cells differentiate by 12 hours postfertilization and begin to disappear in the second week of life. Exogenous retinoic acid disrupts the gland's patterning. More importantly, the single mature gland emerges from fusion of two differentiated secretory cells fields; this fusion is dependent on nonmuscle myosin II function. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our studies provide the first documentation of the embryonic development, structure, and function of the adhesive apparatus of a danioninae. To our knowledge, this is also the first report of a cement gland arising from convergence of two bilateral fields.
Divergent poststroke outcomes for black patients: Lower mortality, but greater disability

Objective To explore racial differences in disability at the time of first postdischarge disability assessment. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries hospitalized with primary ischemic stroke (ICD-9,433.x1, 434.x1, 436) or intracerebral hemorrhage (431) diagnosed from 2011 to 2014. Racial differences in poststroke disability were measured in the initial postacute care setting (inpatient rehabilitation facility, skilled nursing facility, or home health) with the Pseudo-Functional Independence Measure. Given that assignment into postacute care setting may be nonrandom, patient location during the first year after stroke admission was explored. Results A total of 390,251 functional outcome assessments (white = 339,253, 87% vs black = 50,998, 13%) were included in the primary analysis. At the initial functional assessment, black patients with stroke had greater disability than white patients with stroke across all 3 postacute care settings. The difference between white and black patients with stroke was largest in skilled nursing facilities (black patients 1.8 points lower than white patients, 11% lower) compared to the other 2 settings. Conversely, 30-day mortality was greater in white patients with stroke compared to black patients with stroke (18.4% vs 12.6% [p Conclusions Black patients with stroke have 30% lower 30-day mortality than white patients with stroke, but greater short-term disability. The reasons for this disconnect are uncertain, but the pattern of reduced mortality coupled with increased disability suggests that racial differences in care preferences may play a role.
An experimental investigation of immiscible carbon dioxide interactions with crude oil: Oil swelling and asphaltene agitation

Abstract Immiscible carbon dioxide (CO2) injection is a method used to increase oil recovery from oil reservoirs. Several interactions will occur between the CO2 and the crude oil during immiscible CO2 injection. While some of these interactions may be favorable, others can actually deter oil recovery and cause serious damage to the producing formations and facilities. This research studies the main factors impacting oil swelling, which is the main favorable mechanism that increases oil recovery during immiscible CO2 injection in oil reservoirs. The research also investigates the impact of the studied factors on asphaltene instability and deposition and its impact on oil recovery reduction. The impact of varying CO2 injection pressure, temperature, and crude oil viscosity on oil swelling, asphaltene instability, and oil recovery is studied. Crude oil with viscosity of 460, 267, and 67 cp was used in this study. Based on the experiments, results showed that oil swelling increased with the increase in pressure and decrease in oil viscosity, however, it also decreased with the increase in temperature. When testing the effect of these factors on asphaltene stability in the crude oil it was found that asphaltene damage decreased with the increase in pressure and decrease in oil viscosity and increased with the increase in temperature. Based on this, high pressure and low viscosity oils are more favorable for immiscible CO2 injection to increase oil recovery and also avoid severe asphaltene damage. At higher temperature, precautionary measures should be taken during CO2 injection to avoid asphaltene damage.
Improvements to the macroscopic-microscopic approach of nuclear fission

The well-established macroscopic-microscopic (mac-mic) description of nuclear fission enables the prediction of fission-fragment yields for a broad range of fissioning systems. In this work, we present several key enhancements to this approach. We improve upon the microscopic sector of nuclear potential-energy surfaces by magnifying the resolution of the Lipkin-Nogami equations and strengthening the Strutinsky procedure, thus reducing spurious effects from the continuum. We further present a novel deterministic method for calculating fission dynamics under the assumption of strongly damped nucleonic motion. Our technique directly determines the evolution of the scissioned shape distribution according to the number of random-walk steps rather than the statistical accumulation of fission events. We show that our new technique is equivalent to the Metropolis random walk pioneered over the past decade by Randrup and colleagues. It further improves upon it because we remove the need for altering the nuclear landscape via a biased potential. With our final improvement, we calculate fission fragments mass and charge distributions using particle number projection, which affords the simultaneous calculation of both mass- and charge-yield distributions. Fission fragments are thus calculated from the quantum-mechanical $A$-body states of the potential-energy surface rather than from the collective mass asymmetry variable ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\mathrm{g}}$ of the finite-range liquid-drop model used in past work. We highlight the success of our enhancements by predicting the odd-even staggering and the charge polarization for the neutron-induced fission of $^{233}\mathrm{U}$ and $^{235}\mathrm{U}$.
Pencil spring ingestion in a neonate- a rare occurrence with cecal perforation: A case report

Background: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is relatively common in the pediatric population. However, it is a rare occurrence in neonates and intestinal perforation due to ingested FB is once in a blue moon event. Case Presentation: Here we present a case of accidental FB ingestion by a neonate leading to a rare complication. The patient was received in vitally unstable condition and exploratory laparotomy was performed after initial resuscitation. The intra-operative findings included perforation of the cecum, which was repaired with a covering stoma. The postoperative period was uneventful, and stoma was reversed later. Conclusion: Foreign body ingestion is possible in neonates, though very rare, and can lead to fatal complications If not detected and treated in time.
Inside Real Innovation: How the Right Approach Can Move Ideas from R&D to Market - And Get the Economy Moving

This breakthrough book gives a ground-floor view of the innovation process, showing how fundamental innovators really work. Then, it connects that knowledge to the bigger picture, explaining why the “innovation system” in the United States is failing to work as it once did, and what all parties can do to build a better system for the future. Inside Real Innovation is written by distinguished practicing innovators. They debunk the concept of innovation as a linear process, from research to development to product in the market. They present a simple model for understanding it as a highly iterative process, in which you cycle repeatedly through many factors in the areas of Technology, Market and Implementation – until the right pieces come together. Co-author Gene Fitzgerald tells the story of his own major innovation, tracing it along the winding path into products we use every day. The authors then proceed to tell the larger story of how the vaunted American “pipeline” for carrying this process has been pulled apart. The book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in a strong innovation system: investors, innovators and people in corporations, universities and government.
Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Confidential HIV and STD Testing: Results from a School-Based Health Center

Background: Transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) in the United States continues to rise, and in 2018 the incidence of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia increased for the fifth straight year. While teenagers endorse being less sexually active than prior generations, rates of STI transmission among adolescents continues to increase, especially in populations with limited access to care. One reason cited for the increasing rates of transmission among adolescents is their inability to undergo confidential testing. School-based clinics can bridge this gap …
Identifying False Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Information and Corresponding Risk Perceptions From Twitter: Advanced Predictive Models.

Background: The vaccination uptake rates of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine remain low despite the fact that the effectiveness of HPV vaccines has been established for more than a decade. Vaccine hesitancy is in part due to false information about HPV vaccines on social media. Combating false HPV vaccine information is a reasonable step to addressing vaccine hesitancy. Objective: Given the substantial harm of false HPV vaccine information, there is an urgent need to identify false social media messages before it goes viral. The goal of the study is to develop a systematic and generalizable approach to identifying false HPV vaccine information on social media. Methods: This study used machine learning and natural language processing to develop a series of classification models and causality mining methods to identify and examine true and false HPV vaccine–related information on Twitter. Results: We found that the convolutional neural network model outperformed all other models in identifying tweets containing false HPV vaccine–related information (F score=91.95). We also developed completely unsupervised causality mining models to identify HPV vaccine candidate effects for capturing risk perceptions of HPV vaccines. Furthermore, we found that false information contained mostly loss-framed messages focusing on the potential risk of vaccines covering a variety of topics using more diverse vocabulary, while true information contained both gain- and loss-framed messages focusing on the effectiveness of vaccines covering fewer topics using relatively limited vocabulary. Conclusions: Our research demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of using predictive models to identify false HPV vaccine information and its risk perceptions on social media.
Exploiting Topological Properties of Mie-Resonance-Based Hybrid Metasurfaces for Ultrafast Switching of Light Polarization

Mie resonances of high-index dielectric matesurfaces provide large freedom for light modulation with low loss, which, by including a highly reflective backplane, induce an enhanced optical magnetism with increasing quality factor. In this paper, we show that Mie-resonance-based α-Si:H metasurfaces with a gold backplane can be utilized to manipulate light polarization upon reflection. The nontrivial topological properties associated with the scattering field are revealed by reflection matrix analysis. Topologically protected polarization conversion is demonstrated by varying the incident wavevector. Furthermore, the nonlinear modeling shows that such hybrid metasurfaces can realize ultrafast all-optical polarization switching of near-infrared light. The topological nature of the metasurface's response offers great flexibility in polarization generation and dynamic modulation.
A survey of normal reference hepatic SUL variability in whole body PET

556 Objectives To determine the variability in normal hepatic SUL in whole body FDG PET, when measured as described by PERCIST 1.0. Methods FDG PET image data from four IRB approved clinical trials being analyzed in the IRAT laboratory of The Johns Hopkins University were used in this study. A total of 303 whole body FDG PET studies performed at various clinical sites were assessed. For each study, the generalized reconstruction method (2D, 3D, 3D-TOF) was recorded. Image data was converted to units of SUV corrected for lean body mass (SUL), and a 3cm diameter volume-of-interest (VOI) was placed within the liver with the mean and standard deviation of the VOI recorded for each image dataset. Results When all studies were examined in aggregate, the mean of the % variability in the liver, as measured by liver-SD / liver-mean, was 11.9% (SD = 3.18%). When the analysis was constrained by reconstruction method, the mean % variability measurements were 14.2% (SD = 1.94%) for 2D, 9.7% (SD= 1.80%) for 3D, and 8.0% (SD= 2.91%) for 3D-TOF. All three groups were significantly different from each other, F(2, 300) = 228.5, p Conclusions The variability of voxel values within a liver VOI is greater in 2D than in 3D, t(271) = 19.30, p Research Support This work was partly supported by National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant 3P30CA 006973-43S2 (Image Response Assessment Team supplement award) and 1U01CA140204
The Future of Banking in America - The Effect on U.S. Banking of Payment System Changes

The focus of this paper is on the changes underway that influence the health of the banking industry in the United States. At the outset, it should be noted that the United States is somewhat of an outlier among developed nations when it comes to the nature of its payment systems.
The Epicardial Signaling Center in Development and Disease

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the epicardial signaling center in development and disease. The processes that occur during midgestational heart development include formation of the epicardium, myocardial growth, coronary vascular development, endocardial cushion formation, ventricular septation, and trabeculation. Other processes that occur in the midgestational heart include development of the atrial–ventricular and outflow tract endocardial cushions. These structures will give rise to the atrioventricular valves (tricuspid and mitral) and outflow tract valves (pulmonary and aortic), respectively. Proper endocardial cushion development is essential for septation of both the atrial and ventricular chambers, as defects in this important process can lead to atrial and ventricular septal defects (ASD and VSD) both in animal models and in several human genetic syndromes. Ventricular septation is further aided by the growth of the muscular interventricular septum, a process that occurs between E14.5 and E16.5 in the mouse. Lastly, trabeculation of the ventricular chambers occurs throughout midgestational heart development. This process patterns the myocardial wall into an outer compact layer and an inner trabecular layer. Little is known about the signals that regulate the formation of these finger-like extensions of myocardial tissue (trabeculae) that project into both the right and left ventricular chambers. An entity termed isolated ventricular noncompaction, which in many individuals leads to fulminant heart failure, results from the overproduction of these finger-like projections at the expense of compact myocardial tissue.
Constitutive Equation for a Fiber-Reinforced Lamina

This paper is concerned with plane stress deformations in laminar composites consisting of a layer of high-modulus, or inextensible, fibers embedded in a soft elastic matrix. In a previous paper [1] it was explained how the strain-energy could be determined, in the case when the fibers are straight, by measuring the changes in the dimensions of rectangular test-pieces, variously oriented with respect to the fiber direction, when subjected to simple tensile loading.
Operating statistics for the transformational question answering system

This paper presents a statistical summary of the use of the Transformational Question Answering (TQA) system by the City of White Plains Planning Department during the year 1978. A complete record of the 788 questions submitted to the system that year is included, as are separate listings of some of the problem inputs. Tables summarizing the performance of the system are also included and discussed. In general, performance of the system was sufficiently good that we believe that the approach being followed is a viable one, and are continuing to develop and extend the system.
On Minuscule Representations and the Principal SL

In this paper, we review the theory of minuscule coweights λ for a simple adjoint group G over C, as presented by Deligne [D]. We then decompose the associated irreducible representation Vλ of the dual group Ĝ, when restricted to a principal SL2. This decomposition is given by the action of a Lefschetz SL2 on the cohomology of the flag variety X = G/Pλ, where Pλ is the maximal parabolic subgroup of G associated to the coweight λ. We reinterpret a result of Vogan and Zuckerman [V-Z, Prop 6.19] to show that the cohomology of X is mirrored by the bigraded cohomology of the L-packet of discrete series with infinitesimal character ρ, for a real form G0 of G with a Hermitian symmetric space. We then focus our attention on those minuscule representations with a non-zero linear form t : V → C fixed by the principal SL2, such that the subgroup Ĥ ⊂ Ĝ fixing t acts irreducibly on the subspace V0 = ker(t). We classify them in §10; since Ĥ turns out to be reductive, we have a decomposition
DES OBSERVATIONS EMPIRIQUES ENCOURAGEANTES POUR LA THÉORIE DUALISTE

De recents resultats empiriques suggerent que les caracteristiques estimees des technologies de production dependent du modele postule (primal ou dual). Dans cet article nous nous interessons a ce probleme. Nous concluons que de differences significatives n’existent pas en ce qui concerne les donnees de Bell Canada.
Efectos adversos graves de la ley N° 20.584

Sr. Editor: He leido con gran interes el articulo de S. Valenzuela et al. publicado recientemente en esta revista, acerca de las implicancias para la investigacion biomedica en Chile de la promulgacion de la ley N*20.584, que regula los derechos y deberes que tienen las personas en relacion a las acciones vinculadas a su atencion en salud (1). Los autores argumentan con claridad que los legisladores, al redactar la ley tal como salio promulgada, al intentar proteger a los pacientes han producido dificultades muchas veces insalvables para efectuar investigaciones clinicas. La informacion contenida en las historias clinicas ha tenido por siglos un valor incalculable para el desarrollo de la medicina. Su utilizacion ha servido para generar hipotesis que han motivado investigaciones que han producido resultados que han beneficiado a toda la humanidad. El producir con esta ley que la informacion de las historias clinicas quede relegada en archivos en las bodegas de los hospitales y no pueda ser utilizada en investigaciones medicas, esta produciendo un dano a la misma sociedad a la que se esta intentando proteger. A modo de ejemplo, si esta ley hubiera estado vigente en Estados Unidos de Norteamerica cuando aparecieron los primeros casos de sarcoma de Kaposi en jovenes homosexuales, en la ciudad de San Francisco, o cuando aparecieron los primeros casos de hipertension pulmonar en mujeres que eran tratadas con fenfluramina, no habria sido posible comunicar oportunamente estos casos en congresos medicos o revistas cientificas, lo que habria producido una demora excesiva en el descubrimiento del SIDA o de este grave efecto secundario de un anorexigeno, el que a la postre fue retirado rapidamente del mercado. Leer mas...
Seasonal changes in an isolated population of Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae): a time series analysis.

A time series analysis of data collected from an isolated population of Culex pipiens quinquefasciaitus is presented. Sinusoidal curves for a period of 1 year were fitted to egg raft numbers, numbers of eggs per raft, numbers of hatched eggs per raft, immature stages and adults. Circannual rhythms for both daily high and low temperatures were detected. Seasonal changes in the time distribution of oviposition are presented. During warm weather, oviposition peaks occur just after sunset and again near dawn. This pattern changes in cold weather with the elimination of morning oviposition. The relationship of feeding and subsequent oviposition is discussed. Evidence is presented that indicates that temperature dependence is present throughout all stages of this moquito's life history.
Thiamine deficiency induces oxidative stress and exacerbates the plaque pathology in Alzheimer's mouse model

Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and reductions in thiamine-dependent enzymes have been implicated in multiple neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Experimental thiamine deficiency (TD) is an established model for reducing the activities of thiamine-dependent enzymes in brain. TD diminishes thiamine-dependent enzymes throughout the brain, but produces a time-dependent selective neuronal loss, glial activation, inflammation, abnormalities in oxidative metabolism and clusters of degenerating neurites in only specific thalamic regions. The present studies tested how TD alters brain pathology in Tg19959 transgenic mice over expressing a double mutant form of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). TD exacerbated amyloid plaque pathology in transgenic mice and enlarged the area occupied by plaques in cortex, hippocampus and thalamus by 50%, 200% and 200%, respectively. TD increased Abeta(1-42) levels by about three fold, beta-CTF (C99) levels by 33% and beta-secretase (BACE1) protein levels by 43%. TD-induced inflammation in areas of plaque formation. Thus, the induction of mild impairment of oxidative metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammation induced by TD alters metabolism of APP and/or Abeta and promotes accumulation of plaques independent of neuron loss or neuritic clusters.
Observations of long-lived S2(B→X) emission in the 193 nm photodissociation of dimethyl disulfide

Abstract Long-lived (≈650 ns) S 2 (B → X) emission is observed in the 193 nm photodissociation of (CH 3 S) 2 . The same emission can also be produced by LIF pumping of S 2 (B ← X) following the photodissociation. The emission is enhanced by the presence of a buffer gas; He, Ar, N 2 , and SF 6 are similarly effective, and give the same lifetime. The long lifetime arises from collisional mixing with the slightly lower (790 cm −1 ) B'' 3 Π u state, which can serve as the long-lived precursor.
MR appearance of cerebral cortex in children with and without a history of perinatal anoxia: preliminary observations.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the MR signal intensity of the cerebral cortex in children and to determine if the cortex is abnormal on MR images of patients with anoxia at birth (defined as persistent O2 saturation of less than 80% and requiring intubation or assisted ventilation for more than 24 hr).MR imaging was done in 10 patients with no history of anoxia and in nine patients with a history of anoxia. The T2 and T1 signals from the central gyri, the pre- and postcentral gyri, and the calcarine and insular regions of the gray matter were visually graded according to their intensity and to the degree that the low and high signal intensity each involved the entire length of that region.Low T2-signal intensity from the central gyri, the pre- and postcentral gyri, and the calcarine and insular regions of the gray matter was present on MR images made in patients without a history of anoxia and was absent in patients with a history of anoxia. High T1-signal intensity was seen in the central ...
Effects of selenite selenium on respiration in maize roots

One-centimeter root-tip segments submerged in phosphate buffer solutions (pH 4.5 to 5.5) were treated with Na2SeO3 concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 10.0 mM. Uptake of O2 and CO2 output were measured manometrically. Segments exposed aerobically to 1.0 and 10.0 mM selenite for several hours exhibited a considerable decrease in O2 input, particularly at the higher concentration. In contrast, CO2 output was greatly accelerated by selenite concentrations of 2.5 to 10.0 mM. Consequently respiratory quotient values were large for these high concentrations. Under conditions of marked O2 deficiency, CO2 output was appreciably decreased regardless of the presence or absence of selenite. Use of Se75 showed that the gas output with selenite did not include a volatile selenium compound. A striking parallel was indicated between concentration effects of selenite and published arsenite effects on aerobic fermentation. This was confirmed by including both selenite and arsenite treatments in the same experiments. re]19730427
How to get genomes at one ten-thousandth the cost.

The NHGRI's Advanced DNA Sequencing Technology program is spearheading the development of platforms that will bring routine whole-genome sequencing closer to reality.
Diagnostic accuracy of established central auditory processing test batteries in patients with documented brain lesions.

Purpose The sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of commonly used behavioral central auditory processing tests and test batteries were determined for 20 individuals with known lesions of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) and related auditory symptoms. Research design Twenty-nine individuals with no known neurological involvement served as the control group. Both groups were administered dichotic digits (DD), competing sentences (CS), frequency patterns (FP), and low-pass filtered speech (FS) tests. Data analysis Diagnostic indices for individual tests and test batteries comprised of two, three, or four tests were calculated both using a lax criterion in which failure on only one test in a battery led to a positive diagnosis and using a strict criterion in which failure on all tests in the battery was necessary to trigger a positive diagnosis. Results The test battery providing the best balance between sensitivity and specificity varied as a function of criterion. The two-test DD-FP battery using a strict criterion demonstrated the best balance. Conclusions Limitations of particular tests, the advantages of larger test batteries to more broadly examine multiple auditory processes, the degree to which the present results can be generalized clinically to populations without known brain lesions, and other clinical considerations are discussed.
Control of Self-heating and Gas Emission in Nitrate-containing Fertilizers

THE concentration of plant food in mixed fertilizers can be increased by the replacement of ammonium sulphate, wholly or in part, by ammonium nitrate. Granular mixtures made, inter alia, from ammonium nitrate and superphosphate (a mixture of monocalcium phosphate and calcium sulphate) have been found to undergo spontaneous heating when stored in large heaps, rises in temperature of 20–30 deg. C. being recorded over periods of weeks.
Adrenal Response to Hypophysectomy in the Newborn Dog

SummaryHypophysectomy in the newborn dog results in a prompt fall in the secretory rate of cortisol during collection of adrenal effluent blood. Due to the rapid rate of clearance of ACTH, lowest secretory rates were expected at 2–5 hr after hypophysectomy but, at 16–20 hr, an even lower rate was found. This unexplained observation was significant. The procedure of hypophysectomy recommends itself as a valuable means of exploring the endocrinologic status of the newborn.
Using visualization and structured metadata for information exploration

A strength of the material represented in library collections is the presence of controlled metadata. Our research has focused on ways to use that metadata to provide visualizations that create overviews and navigational aids for users exploring those collections electronically.
Multiple-electron capture processes by multiply charged ions from rare-gas atoms at low velocities

State-selective single- and multiple-electron capture processes for collisions of multiply charged Krq+ ions (q=3-5) and Xeq+ ions (q=3 and 4) with rare-gas atoms have been studied by means of translational energy spectroscopy, at collision energies between q and 5q keV. The collisional energy gain spectra for single-electron capture by Kr5+ from He, Ne and Ar are interpreted qualitatively in terms of the 'reaction windows', which are calculated using a multichannel Landau-Zener model. The measured energy gain spectra are in good agreement with the calculations.
Microwave spectrum and centrifugal distortion effects of HDS

Abstract The rotational spectrum of HDS in the ground vibrational state has been studied by microwave techniques. Twenty-seven new transitions have been measured in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength region. These have been combined with other microwave measurements of HDS for a centrifugal distortion analysis based entirely on microwave data; it has been necessary to include both P 4 and P 6 distortion effects in the analysis. The results for the effective rotational constants and quartic distortion constants are (in Mc/sec): a = 292 351.303 ± 0.135, B = 147 861.801 ± 0.054, C = 96 704.119 ± 0.054, Δ J = 2.6134 ± 0.0015, Δ JK = 28.6933 ± 0.0097, Δ K = −11.297 ± 0.019, δ J = 0.8554 ± 0.0008, and δ K = 19.4078 ± 0.0085. Energy levels through J = 7 have been computed for HDS.
Nucleotidylylation of the VPg Protein of a Human Norovirus by its Proteinase-Polymerase Precursor Protein

Caliciviruses have a positive strand RNA genome covalently-linked at the 5'-end to a small protein, VPg. This study examined the biochemical modification of VPg by the ProPol form of the polymerase of human norovirus strain MD145 (GII.4). Recombinant norovirus VPg was shown to be nucleotidylylated in the presence of Mn2+ by MD145 ProPol. Phosphodiesterase I treatment of the nucleotidylylated VPg released the incorporated UMP, which was consistent with linkage of RNA to VPg via a phosphodiester bond. Mutagenesis analysis of VPg identified Tyrosine 27 as the target amino acid for this linkage, and suggested that VPg conformation was important for the reaction. Nucleotidylylation was inefficient in the presence of Mg2+; however the addition of full- and subgenomic-length MD145 RNA transcripts led to a marked enhancement of the nucleotidylylation efficiency in the presence of this divalent cation. Furthermore, evidence was found for the presence of an RNA element near the 3'-end of the polyadenylated genome that enhanced the efficiency of nucleotidylylation in the presence of Mg2+.
The determination of glycidic esters

A specific method for the quantitative estimation of glycidic esters utilizing the reaction between the epoxy group and anhydrous hydrogen iodide to give iodine, has been developed. A shorter method utilizing hydriodic acid (sp. gr. 1.54, 57%), while slightly inaccurate, and employing an empirical factor, is offered as a substitute for the former method which is more reliable but more complicated in manipulation.
MAC1 mediates LPS-induced production of superoxide by microglia: The role of pattern recognition receptors in dopaminergic neurotoxicity

Microglia-derived superoxide is critical for the inflammation-induced selective loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons, but the underlying mechanisms of microglial activation remain poorly defined. Using neuron-glia and microglia-enriched cultures from mice deficient in the MAC1 receptor (MAC1-/-), we demonstrate that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment results in lower TNFalpha response, attenuated loss of DA neurons, and absence of extracellular superoxide production in MAC1-/- cultures. Microglia accumulated fluorescently labeled LPS in punctate compartments associated with the plasma membrane, intracellular vesicles, and the Golgi apparatus. Cytochalasin D (CD), an inhibitor of phagocytosis, blocked LPS internalization. However, microglia derived from Toll-like receptor 4 deficient mice and MAC1-/- mice failed to show a significant decrease in intracellular accumulation of labeled LPS, when compared with controls. Pretreatment with the scavenger receptor inhibitor, fucoidan, inhibited 79% of LPS accumulation in microglia without affecting superoxide, indicating that LPS internalization and superoxide production are mediated by separate phagocytosis receptors. Together, these data demonstrate that MAC1 is essential for LPS-induced superoxide from microglia, implicating MAC1 as a critical trigger of microglial-derived oxidative stress during inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration.
Affinity labeling of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase with 1, 5-I-AEDANS.

Abstract Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, EC 4.1.1.32, is affinity labeled by N-(iodoacetylaminoethyl)-5-naphthylamine-1-sulfonic acid (1,5-I-AEDANS) with saturation kinetics of inactivation and specific substrate protection. Approximately 1.3 moles of dansyl label are incorporated per mole of enzyme inactivated. The specificity of the enzyme modification, with retention of fluorescent label, was evident upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate, and upon mapping and gel filtration of its tryptic peptides. Fluorescence emission from the modified enzyme suggests the label to be located in an environment of reduced polarity.
Diagnostic ultrasound in the urologist's office

The clinical value of diagnostic ultrasound in the management of urologic patients is now firmly established. The use of real time diagnostic ultrasound equipment in the solo office practice of a urologist was evaluated by retrospective office record review covering a period of at least one year. The appropriate use of this equipment in daily office practice is shown to be clinically useful, cost-effective, and easily performed by a urologist. The routine use of diagnostic ultrasound by urologists is recommended.
Hydrogen and processing damage in CMOS device reliability: defect passivation and depassivation during plasma exposures and subsequent annealing

Abstract The interactions of hydrogen with plasma-charging induced defects have been examined using 0.5 μm n-channel LDD MOSFETs fabricated on p-type Si by employing Cl2/HBr-based chemistries and CHF3/CF4-based chemistries polycrystalline Si gate definition and contact etch, respectively. New experimental results are presented which provide evidence for the passivation and depassivation of defects in the gate oxide and at the oxide/Si interface by hydrogen.