cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bor-Stickstoff-Verbindungen, IX. Zur Kenntnis der B-Fluorierten Borazole

B-Trifluor-N-trialkyl-borazole werden in guter Ausbeute durch Transhalogenierung der entsprechenden Trichlor-borazole mit Titantetrafluorid erhalten. Charakteristische IR-Absorptionen werden besprochen und kernmagnetische Resonanzspektren diskutiert.
Thiamine deficiency and the hepatic pentose phosphate cycle.

Abstract Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, key intermediates, and flux through the pentose phosphate cycle were measured in thiamine-deficient rat liver. At a time when transketolase activity is drastically reduced, the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were only moderately decreased in thiamine deficient as compared to pair-fed control rats. Key intermediates and flux through the cycle were unchanged. These data indicate that there is a “reserve capacity” in pentose phosphate cycle enzyme activity and that altered hepatic activity of the cycle is not a feature of murine thiamine deficiency.
Achieving eugastrinemia in MEN1 patients: Both duodenal inspection and formal lymph node dissection are important

Background Controversy exists regarding the role and extent of operation for patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and hypergastrinemia. Methods An institutional MEN1 database was reviewed to identify patients with evidence of hypergastrinemia. The relationship of extent of resection to achievement of eugastrinemia was evaluated. Results Operation was performed in 20 patients with MEN1 and hypergastrinemia with a median follow-up of 71 months. Duodenal gastrinomas were identified in 85% of patients who underwent duodenal evaluation. Nodal metastases were identified in 80%. Patients who underwent anatomic regional lymph node dissection (RLND) had a median of 16 nodes removed, vs 1 in patients who did not undergo a formal regional lymphadenectomy. Eugastrinemia was achieved in 12 patients (60%), and 8 (40%) had persistent hypergastrinemia. Compared with patients with persistent hypergastrinemia, patients rendered eugastrinemic more often underwent duodenal evaluation (11/12 vs 2/8; P = .01) and RLND (11/12 vs 3/8; P = .03); there was no relationship between pancreatic resection and achievement of eugastrinemia (P = .32). Conclusion For patients with MEN1-associated hypergastrinemia selected for operative treatment, a strategy including duodenal evaluation and anatomic regional lymphadenectomy is associated with long-term eugastrinemia. In contrast, the extent of pancreatic resection should be dictated by the extent and distribution of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms, rather than by the presence of hypergastrinemia.
Local Control Following Single-Dose Intraoperative Radiotherapy Prior to Surgical Excision of Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Multiple partial breast radiotherapy techniques are available. We have previously presented the technical details of our procedure of delivering partial breast irradiation with a single fraction of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) targeting the tumor in situ prior to partial mastectomy. This study details our completed, single-institution trial. An IRB-approved, DSMB-monitored phase II trial was performed with the following inclusion criteria: women age ≥48, ultrasound-visible invasive ductal cancers <3 cm, clinically negative axillary nodes. IORT was delivered using mobile electron irradiator, at least a 1.5-cm radial and 1-cm deep margin; patients received 15 Gy and immediately underwent partial mastectomy. Ipsilateral breast recurrence was classified as true/marginal, elsewhere in the breast or nodal basin. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate survival functions and exact 95% confidence intervals are reported. Between 2003 and 2007, 71 women underwent IORT (median follow-up: 3.5 years). For patients with tumor-involved or close margins, additional therapy was required: 7 patients, total mastectomy; 11, whole breast radiation. Four women experienced invasive ipsilateral breast failures (1 new primary, 3 margin recurrences) for a 3-year local control rate of 49 of 53 (94.8%; 95% confidence interval 92.4% [95% CI] 84.2–98.3%), actuarial three-year in breast recurrence was 8% (95% CI 2–18%), and breast cancer-specific survival was 100%. Intraoperative radiotherapy delivered to an in situ tumor is feasible, but our local control rate at 3.5 years is concerning. Possible changes to this technique to improve local control rates include better preoperative imaging (MRI), routine intraoperative ultrasound, and improved IORT delivery (larger cone, increased dose).
The Management of Carotid Stenoses in the Elderly

Asymptomatic individuals with a significant carotid artery stenosis are at a higher risk of stroke. However, the optimal management strategy of elderly patients with asymptomatic carotid disease is controversial. Medical management with intensive atherosclerosis risk factor modification is the cornerstone of treatment as it decreases both the incidence of stroke and events in other vascular arterial beds (e.g., myocardial infarction). While data support invasive revascularization of carotid artery stenosis in select asymptomatic individuals, the magnitude of benefit in the elderly population beyond optimal medical treatment is less clear. This is due to a higher periprocedural/ perioperative risk of adverse events and a lower life expectancy compared to younger patients. In certain elderly patients with favorable anatomy, procedural risk, and life expectancy, carotid revascularization by endarterectomy or stenting may offer additional benefits beyond intensive medical therapy. Further clinical trials should determine whether revascularization offers benefits beyond optimal medical therapy and whether certain clinical features or non-invasive tests can select those with greater benefits.
Targeting of Home-Delivered Meals Programs to Older Adults in the United States

The Home-Delivered Meals Program (HDM) is an essential component of home-and community-based services available through the National Aging Service Network in the United States. It has the potential to help delay institutionalization and stem rising health care costs for older Americans; little is known, however, about the targeting practices used for HDM. A nationally representative telephone survey of state and local program providers showed that a variety of outreach measures were being employed, but challenges such as inadequate resources, waiting lists, rural delivery, and misconceptions about the program require resolution to ensure optimal service outcomes.
Characterisation of thermal cycling induced cavitation in particle reinforced metal matrix composites by three-dimensional (3D) X-ray synchrotron tomography

Metal matrix composites are known for their high strength, fatigue resistance, and wear resistance. The coefficient of thermal expansion between the reinforcement and matrix can result in thermal stresses during thermal cycling. In this paper we quantify the evolution of cavitation damage in SiC particle reinforced aluminium alloy matrix composite subjected to thermal cycling by X-ray synchrotron tomography at the advanced photon source at the Argonne National Laboratory. It will be shown that, while surface examination did not show significant damage, X-ray synchrotron tomography enabled us to resolve and quantify the amount and nature of cavitation with increasing thermal cycling. The influence of the microstructure in damage initiation and evolution is discussed.
Food security: definition and measurement

The term “food security” has been used over time to mean different things. This brief article discusses the various meanings attached to the concept and suggests that it can be a useful measure of household and individual welfare, particularly if combined with estimates of household food aquisition and allocation behavior. If nutritional security is the goal of interest, estimates of access to food should be combined with estimates of access to clean water and good sanitation. Anthrometric measures are likely to be more appropriate than food security estimates to target policies and programs to improved child nutrition.
Recent developments in nuclear instrumentation at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory

INSTRUMENTATION in the fields of neutron and reactor physics may be divided into two general categories: The first is the general field of reactor instrumentation. Here, three functions must be fulfilled: the monitoring, the control, and the protection of the nuclear reactor. Until these three functions are fulfilled, the reactor cannot be safely used as either a neutron source or a critical assembly.
Protein kinase Cβ deficiency attenuates obesity syndrome of ob/ob mice by promoting white adipose tissue remodeling

To explore the role of leptin in PKCβ action and to determine the protective potential of PKCβ deficiency on profound obesity, double knockout (DBKO) mice lacking PKCβ and ob genes were created, and key parameters of metabolism and body composition were studied. DBKO mice had similar caloric intake as ob/ob mice but showed significantly reduced body fat content, improved glucose metabolism, and elevated body temperature. DBKO mice were resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity. Moreover, PKCβ deficiency increased β-adrenergic signaling by inducing expression of β1- and β3-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) in white adipose tissue (WAT) of ob/ob mice. Accordingly, p38MAPK activation and expression of PGC-1α and UCP-1 were increased in WAT of DBKO mice. Consistent with results of in vivo studies, inhibition of PKCβ in WAT explants from ob/ob mice also increased expression of above β-ARs. In contrast, induction of PGC-1α and UCP-1 expression in brown adipose tissue of DBKO mice was not accompanied by changes in the expression of these β-ARs. Collectively, these findings suggest that PKCβ deficiency may prevent genetic obesity, in part, by remodeling the catabolic function of adipose tissues through β-ARs dependent and independent mechanisms.
Isolation and characterization of rabbit lung lamellar bodies.

A method has been devised for the isolation of a highly purified preparation of lamellar bodies from rabbit lung. The purity of the preparation was confirmed by electron microscopy, marker enzymes, phospholipid composition, and isopycnic centrifugation on continuous density sucrose gradients. Contamination of the lamellar bodies by such subcellular components as mitochondria, nuclei, lysosomes and plasma membranes could be excluded; however, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) cytochrome c reductase, an enzyme specific for the endoplasmic reticulum components was a persistent contaminant in the preparation of the isolated lamellar bodies. When the lamellar bodies were subject to isopycnic centrifugation, all of the NADPH cytochrome c reductase activity was associated with the lamellar bodies in the low density peak; no reductase activity could be detected in the region of the density gradient demonstrated to localize microsomes. Use of 3H-radiolabeled microsomes confirmed that all ...
Prospective effects of violence exposure across multiple contexts on early adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems

Background: Violence exposure within each setting of community, school, or home has been linked with internalizing and externalizing problems. Although many children experience violence in multiple contexts, the effects of such cross‐contextual exposure have not been studied. This study addresses this gap by examining independent and interactive effects of witnessing violence and victimization in the community, home, and school on subsequent internalizing and externalizing problems in early adolescence. Methods: A community sample of 603 boys and girls (78% African American, 20% Caucasian) participated in a longitudinal study of youth violence. During two assessments 16 months apart, adolescents reported on witnessing violence and victimization in the community, school, and home, and their internalizing and externalizing problems. Results: Multiple regressions tested the independent and interactive effects of witnessing violence or victimization across contexts on subsequent adjustment, after controlling for initial levels of internalizing and externalizing problems and demographic covariates. Witnessing violence at school predicted anxiety and depression; witnessing at home was related to anxiety and aggression; and witnessing community violence predicted delinquency. Victimization at home was related to subsequent anxiety, depression, and aggression; victimization at school predicted anxiety; and victimization in the community was not independently related to any outcomes. Finally, witnessing violence at home was associated with more anxiety, delinquency, and aggression only if adolescents reported no exposure to community violence. Conclusions: Violence exposure at home and school had the strongest independent effects on internalizing and externalizing outcomes. Witnessing community violence attenuated the effects of witnessing home violence on anxiety and externalizing problems, perhaps due to desensitization or different norms or expectations regarding violence. However, no comparable attenuation effects were observed for victimization across contexts.
False Positive Acetaminophen Levels Associated with Hyperbilirubinemia

Serum acetaminophen determination is frequently necessary in patients with hepatic failure. We observed two patients (#1, #2) with elevated serum total bilirubin levels (26.5 mg/dL and 40.1 mg/dL) who had multiple false positive acetaminophen levels using the kinetic method of the GDS Diagnostics enzymatic acetaminophen assay (GDS Diagnostics, Elkhart, IN). We investigated the magnitude, threshold, and linearity of this effect using the GDS Diagnostics assay and an EMIT acetaminophen assay on two other hyperbilirubinemic patients (#3, #4) and a commercial solubilized bilirubin standard. Samples were diluted using fresh frozen plasma, and acetaminophen levels were analyzed twice using the kinetic method of the GDS Diagnostic acetaminophen assay and twice with the EMIT assay. The absence of acetaminophen in all samples was verified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The kinetic GDS assay resulted in a positive acetaminophen assay (cutoff for a positive result= 10 mg/L) with patient #3, patient #4, and in the bilirubin standard when the total bilirubin levels were 28.2 mg/dL, 22.5 mg/dL, and 18.3 mg/dL, respectively. One sample was interpolated to give a positive acetaminophen reading when diluted to a total bilirubin concentration of 15 mg/L. None of the samples tested with GC/MS or the EMIT assay resulted in any detectable acetaminophen. In conclusion, caution must be taken utilizing the GDS Diagnostic assay for the quantification of acetaminophen with concomitant hyperbilirubinemia. Alternatives such as EMIT or GC/MS should be employed to assess acetaminophen levels in such patients.
Modeling Methane Emissions from Amazon Floodplain Ecosystems

A new process-based simulation model to estimate methane emissions from Amazon floodplain ecosystems is described and evaluated in comparison to independent measurements of methane fluxes. The model’s three major components are 1) types of wetland vegetation and the changes in water level, temperature and dissolved oxygen of flooded areas, 2) plant production, biomass accumulation, and litterfall decay in soils and sediments, and 3) methane production and transport pathways through the water column and into the atmosphere. Ecological and limnological data from Lake Calado, a well-studied site in the central Amazon basin, were used to develop the model. One set of model simulations were generated for floating macrophytes. Predicted rates of CH4 emission to the atmosphere by all simulated transfer pathways were typically in the range of 0.25 to 0.33 g C m−2 day−1. Simulated CH4 emissions from flooded forests were predicted to be around 0.25 g m−2 day−1, nearly all by ebullition. These rates compare favorably to rates measured in Amazon floodplain habitats.
Effects of stream restoration and wastewater treatment plant effluent on fish communities in urban streams

Summary 1. Fish community characteristics, resource availability and resource use were assessed in three headwater urban streams in Piedmont North Carolina, U.S.A. Three site types were examined on each stream; two urban (restored and unrestored) and a forested site downstream of urbanisation, which was impacted by effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Stream basal resources, aquatic macroinvertebrates, terrestrial macroinvertebrates and fish were collected at each site. 2. The WWTPs affected isotope signatures in the biota. Basal resource, aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish δ15N showed significant enrichments in the downstream sites, although δ13C signatures were not greatly influenced by the WWTP. Fish were clearly deriving a significant part of their nutrition from sewage effluent-derived sources. There was a trend towards lower richness and abundance of fish at sewage-influenced sites compared with urban restored sites, although the difference was not significant. 3. Restored stream sites had significantly higher fish richness and a trend towards greater abundance compared with unrestored sites. Although significant differences did not exist between urban restored and unrestored areas for aquatic and terrestrial macroinvertebrate abundances and biotic indices of stream health, there appeared to be a trend towards improvements in restored sites for these parameters. Additional surveys of these sites on a regular basis, along with maintenance of restored features are vital to understanding and maximising restoration effectiveness. 4. A pattern of enriched δ13C in fish in restored and unrestored streams in conjunction with enriched δ13C of terrestrial invertebrates at these sites suggests that these terrestrial subsidies are important to the fish, a conclusion also supported by isotope cross plots. Furthermore, enriched δ13C observed for terrestrial invertebrates is consistent with some utilisation of the invasive C4 plants that occur in the urban riparian areas.
Borrowing to make ends meet

“… the intimate contact between the molecules … is possible only with similar geometrical configurations. To use a picture, I would say that the enzyme and the substrate must fit together like a lock and key.”
To Be a Worker: Identity and Politics in Peru

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Jorge Parodi Translators: Alstrum James, Catherine M. Conaghan Year: 2000 Pages: vii + 177 Publisher: University of North Carolina Press Prices: $17.95 US
Synoptic-Scale Atmospheric Circulation over British Columbia in Relation to the Mass Balance of Sentinel Glacier

Abstract An objective synoptic climatology of daily 500mb pressure patterns for the International Hydrological Decade (1965–1974) for southwestern Canada is presented. The climatological characteristics of the synoptic types are examined in terms of the natural glacier seasons of Sentinel Glacier, British Columbia. Although the number of years available for analysis is limited, a significant statistical relationship between the mass balance of Sentinel Glacier and the small-scale synoptic types is present. Glacier accumulation appears to be controlled mainly by the number of synoptic types associated with heavy precipitation that occur during the fall, winter, and spring. Summer melt is largely a function of the frequency of those synoptic-scale patterns bringing high temperatures and clear skies to the region.
Effects of doxazosin in patients with mild, intermediate, and severe benign prostatic hyperplasia

Traditionally, drug therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been reserved for patients with mild or moderate symptoms. The objective of this analysis was to compare responses to an alpha 1-adrenergic receptor blocker, doxazosin, in patients with severe, intermediate, and mild disease. Data were analyzed from patients with symptomatic BPH who were enrolled in two 16-week, double-masked, placebo-controlled studies of doxazosin. In study 1, 163 hypertensive patients were stratified according to baseline maximum (Qmax) and mean (Qmean) urinary flow rate as having severe, intermediate, or mild disease. In study 2, 82 normotensive patients were stratified according to their baseline American Urological Association (AUA) BPH symptom severity score and modified Boyarsky symptom bothersomeness score. Overall, doxazosin was significantly more effective than placebo in improving Qmax and Qmean in study 1 and in improving the AUA-derived and modified Boyarsky scores in study 2. There were statistically significant differences in the response to treatment, as represented by Qmax' Qmean, and modified Boyarsky score, between patients with severe, intermediate, and mild disease. There were no significant differences in the AUA-derived scores of patients in the three severity groups. These results have important clinical implications, suggesting that the majority of BPH patients are candidates for a course of drug therapy, regardless of baseline disease status.
Progress in Human ID

Summary form only given. The Human ID program is developing techniques and methods for identifying humans at a distance. Techniques being investigated are face recognition; recognition from body dynamics in video including gait; recognition from infrared, multi-spectral, and hyperspectral imagery. To assess progress a series of evaluations, challenging problems, and demonstrations are being conducted.
Saving lives and reducing inappropriate device therapy: the MADIT family of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy trials.

In 1980, Mirowski et al. [1] reported the first 3 patients treated with an automatic implantable defibrillator (AID). At that time, the AID was implanted with electrodes attached to the epicardium through a surgical thoracotomy with the battery portion of the unit placed undeer the skin in the abdominal wall. The AID detected the onset of ventricular fibrillation through a unique algorithm and the device was considered a “shock box” since shock was the only therapy delivered. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially provided approval for use of the AID device in high-risk cardiac patients who had been resuscitated from a prior aborted cardiac arrest. Around the same time frame, Medtronic developed a pacing approach (antitachycardia pacing [ATP]) to terminate rapid ventricular tachycardia (VT) by delivering a series of appropriately timed pacing stimuli in the interval between the QRS and T-wave complexes of the tachycardia (review article [2]). This pacing technique was effective in terminating VT in a majority of patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias. However, this ATP approach produced acceleration of VT and even ventricular fibrillation and sudden death in a small percentage of patients, and ATP therapy was not approved by the FDA as a stand-alone therapy. The AID was initially developed by Drs. Mirowski and Mower in association with Dr. M. Stephen Heilman at the Medrad/Intec Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the implantable defibrillator was subsequently sold to CPI/Guidant Corporation in 1985. Although CPI/Guidant and Medtronic were competitors in the pacemaker field, both companies recognized the need for a device with tiered therapy that would include ATP and defibrillation. Through a cooperative agreement, CPI/Guidant and Medtronic jointly agreed on a device involving ATP and shock therapy, called the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) for treating patients at risk for life-threatening VT and/or ventricular fibrillation.
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LIGHT WATER REACTOR FLOWS

Benchmark experiments simulating flows in a pressurized water reactor rod bundle were analyzed to evaluate the performance of a state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. For the simulation of turbulence a number of standard k-[curly epsilon] models were used. Away from components that cause significant flow deflections, the difference between mean velocity predictions and measurements is within the experimental error. Near such components there is significant discrepancy between velocity predictions and measurements. Even in rod bundles without flow deflectors, the turbulence predictions of standard k-[curly epsilon] models show significant discrepancy with measurements. These discrepancies are greater near components that cause flow deflections. Turbulence generated by vanes on spacer grids significantly enhances thermal mixing. To improve the fidelity of CFD simulations of flows in reactor rod bundles, the development of Reynolds averaging of the Navier-Stokes equations turbulence models based on such flows is needed.
Educational Inequality and Affirmative Action in Brazil

With the largest Afro-descendant population outside of Africa, Brazil has been long celebrated as a racial democracy. Some scholars have argued that the widespread acceptance of this myth (as it ha...
Growth Characteristics, Bile Sensitivity, and Freeze Damage in Colonial Variants of Lactobacillus acidophilus

Rough (R) and smooth (S) colonial variants were isolated from a heterogeneous culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus RL8K. R and S types were stable upon repeated transfer on agar, but revertant colonies did appear after broth transfers. When propagated in commercial MRS broth, R and S cultures showed similar growth characteristics, and both cell types were insensitive to freezing and frozen storage at −20°C. Alternatively, during growth in scratch MRS broth, R cultures shifted to a reduced rate of growth during the late logarithmic phase. R cells grown under these conditions were susceptible to death by freezing and injury at −20°C. Microscopically, R cells were observed as long gram-positive rods with small nonstainable blebs protruding from the cell wall. In bile sensitivity studies of R and S cells plated on MRS agar plus oxgall, the S culture was resistant to 1% bile, whereas the R culture was sensitive to 0.6% bile. Differences in the bile resistance and freeze damage of R and S cells suggest that colonial and cellular morphologies are important considerations for the selection of Lactobacillus strains as dietary adjuncts and for the development of growth conditions for preparing frozen concentrated cultures from either cell type. Images
Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation

L. D. Mech, L. Boitani (eds.). 2003. Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, and London, United Kingdom, 448 pp. ISBN ISBN 0-226-51696-2, price (hardbound), $49.00. One of the references most cited by wolf biologists has been Mech's (1970) seminal work, The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species . It is one of the few work-related books that adorn my living room shelves. On 1 June, 1978, Dr. Mech autographed it for me as we sat at a 3-person table in a converted tool shed that served as the bunkhouse on the Kenai National Moose Range in Alaska. At the time, he was already the alpha male of North American wolf biologists, and I drove the refuge's garbage truck. As we talked, I felt inspired about the insights science was providing about this mythical creature, the wolf. Dave and Luigi Boitani are still the alpha wolves of the new and old worlds, respectively, and I still basically clean up after people, but we are fortunate to have lived during a time when public interest in and research about wolves flourished. Wolves don't always make people's lives better, but wolves always make people's lives more interesting. Dave's and Luigi's work has fledged a host of outstanding biologists since the 1970s, and, to our great fortune, they were able to twist enough arms and call in enough old favors to …
Endocytosis in Plants

dendocytosis. clathrin coated pits. fluid phase endocytosis. membrane trafficking, vesicle transport
The role of the hospital and health care system characteristics in readmissions after major surgery in California.

Background Hospital readmission after major surgery is a costly problem that has been associated with patient characteristics. Because hospitals are incentivized to join accountable care organizations, interventions on a hospital or health care system level may help reduce readmissions. Our objective was to identify hospital- and systems-level characteristics associated with readmissions after major operative procedures. Methods Retrospective analysis of California discharge abstracts with record linkage numbers for adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), colectomy or total hip/knee arthroplasty (TJA) in California acute, nonfederal hospitals in 2011. The record linkage number showed where patients were readmitted. Hierarchic logistic regression estimated the odds of readmission by hospital characteristics. Results There were 91,205 records analyzed: CABG (6.4%), colectomy (12.0%), and TJA (82.3%). There were 120 hospitals that performed CABG surgery; 296 performed colectomy; and 298 performed TJA. Readmission rates after CABG was 9.7%, colectomy 7.7%, and TJA 3.9%. After adjustment for patient factors, rural location was predictive of readmission after colectomy (odds ratio [OR] 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40–3.08). Low-volume (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.13–2.10) and minority-serving hospitals (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05–1.33) were associated with greater odds of readmission after TJA. Conclusion Select hospital characteristics are associated with readmissions after major operative procedures. Because financial penalties may worsen performance in vulnerable or low-resource settings, policies aimed at reducing readmissions should be attentive to the potential unintended consequences.
Benz[c,d]indolium-containing Monomethine Cyanine Dyes: Synthesis and Photophysical Properties

Asymmetric monomethine cyanines have been extensively used as probes for nucleic acids among other biological systems. Herein we report the synthesis of seven monomethine cyanine dyes that have been successfully prepared with various heterocyclic moieties such as quinoline, benzoxazole, benzothiazole, dimethyl indole, and benz[e]indole adjoining benz[c,d]indol-1-ium, which was found to directly influence their optical and energy profiles. In this study the optical properties vs. structural changes were investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance and computational approaches. The twisted conformation unique to monomethine cyanines was exploited in DNA binding studies where the newly designed sensor displayed an increase in fluorescence when bound in the DNA grooves compared to the unbound form.
Diabetes decreases creatine kinase enzyme activity and mRNA level in the rat heart

Several of the adenosinetriphosphatase enzymes that are responsible for cardiac muscle contraction rely on high-energy phosphates supplied by the creatine kinase (CK) system. Experimental diabetes mellitus has been shown to cause a decrease in the maximal contractile performance of the heart. We postulated that the decrease in contractile performance may be explained in part by a decrease in CK enzyme activity. To evaluate this possibility, we determined the level of CK activity and isoenzyme distribution in ventricular homogenates from normal, diabetic, and insulin-treated diabetic rats. We found that total CK activity was decreased by 35% in diabetic hearts and that a 66% reduction in the cardiac-specific MB isoenzyme occurs. Using a cDNA probe for CK-muscle (M) RNA in Northern blot analysis, we determined that a 61.1% decrease in CK-M mRNA occurs in diabetes. Chronic insulin therapy for 1 mo restores CK-M mRNA levels and enzyme activity. In conclusion, diabetes-induced CK enzyme decreases are mediated in part by a lower level of CK-M mRNA that codes for the major CK-M subunit protein. Decreased performance of the CK system may contribute to diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Enabling Region Merging Optimizations in OpenMP

Maximizing the scope of a parallel region, which avoids the costs of barriers and of launching additional parallel regions, is among the first recommendations in any optimization guide for OpenMP. While clearly beneficial and easily accomplished for code where regions are visibly contiguous, regions often become contiguous only after compiler optimization or resolution of abstraction layers. This paper explores changes to the OpenMP specification that would allow implementations to merge adjacent parallel regions automatically, including the removal of issues that make the transformation non-conforming and the addition of hints that facilitate the optimization. Beyond simple merging, we explore hints to fuse workshared loops that occur in syntactically distinct parallel regions or to apply nowait to such loops. Our evaluation shows these changes can provide an overall speedup of 2–8\(\times \) for a microbenchmark, or 6 % for a representative physics application.
Inter-Company Investments Between Affiliates Of Multinational Enterprises: Applying The Substance-Over-Form Doctrine To Distinguish Equity From Debt

The classification of a financial instrument as “debt” or as “equity” is crucial in applying a wide range of income tax provisions. “Interest” expenses incurred on “debt,” for example, are deductible in computing a firm’s taxable income, whereas “dividends” paid on the firm’s outstanding “equity” are not. “Interest” paid by a U.S. corporation to a foreign creditor is generally not subject to U.S. withholding taxes, whereas “dividends” paid on stock held by a foreign shareholder are typically subject to U.S. withholding taxes that range from 5% to 30% of the gross amount of the dividend paid. And the list goes on . . . . Not surprisingly, these disparities in tax treatment have inspired a plethora of schemes, many of them successful, designed to disguise equity investments as “debt.” The urge to do so is perhaps nowhere more intense than in situations where the “debt” of a U.S. corporation is held by a foreign sister corporation located in a tax haven country. Interest paid or accrued on debt would be deductible in computing the U.S. corporation’s U.S. taxable income, and would thereby permanently reduce the debtor’s U.S. tax liability. The interest income earned by the foreign creditor would be exempt from both U.S. withholding taxes and income taxes in the foreign tax haven country. This interdisciplinary case was developed from the facts and circumstances before the U.S. Tax Court in litigation that resulted from the government’s assertion that $975 million in “loans” made by a wholly owned Dutch subsidiary of Laidlaw Transit, Ltd. to several of Laidlaw’s U.S. subsidiaries were in substance “equity.” As in most debt-versus-equity cases, the stakes were high: Laidlaw’s U.S. subsidiaries had deducted over $133 million of intercompany “payments” made to their Dutch sister corporation as “interest expense” and the IRS was suing to recover $52 million in back taxes (plus interest and penalties). This case integrates three disciplines – tax accounting, financial accounting, and finance -- in an easy-to-comprehend, yet rich setting appropriate for general management, finance, and accounting audiences. It invites students to thoroughly explore the substance-over-form doctrine as it applies to the debt-versus-equity issue, together with many of the tax, financial, accounting, and economic ramifications that flow from an instrument’s classification. It also provides students with an opportunity to identify the ethical issues that attend the formulation and implementation of many tax minimization strategies and to identify factors that separate legal “tax avoidance” from criminal “tax evasion.”
Diurnal Rhythm of Sensitivity to Diazinon in Adult Western Corn Rootworms

Adult Diabrotica virgifera LeConte were topically treated with a series of dosages of diazinon at 3-hour intervals throughout a 24-hour photoperiod in 1967 and 1968. Results indicate that the LD50 values vary during a 24-hour period, resulting in a sensitivity rhythm dependent upon time of treatment during the photoperiod. The data indicate the desirability of conducting bioassays during specific time periods of a 24-hour photoperiod.
Effects of Hydrogen Radicals on the Composition and Hydrogen Bonding of Amorphous Silicon-Germanium Thin Films

A reaction engineering model of the mercury sensitized photochemical vapor deposition of amorphous silicon-germanium thin films is used in conjunction with experimental results to describe the role of hydrogen radical reactions in determining film composition, hydrogen bonding and microcrystallinity. Selective removal of silicon from the film by hydrogen radicals is shown to increase with decreasing temperature, raising the germanium content of films in hydrogen diluted depositions below 2 torr. Etching of a-Ge:H by hydrogen radicals is determined to be nearly two orders of magnitude slower than that of a-Si:H. Hydrogen radicals are also shown to promote microcrystallinity by selectively removing amorphous phase silicon and bonded hydrogen.
Abstract A54: Significant survival improvement of colorectal cancer following surgery from 1997–2004 to 2005–2010 periods in a community hospital in New York City

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed and the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. For the past two decades, colorectal cancer survival has significantly improved. Although overall colorectal cancer survival has improved, there is limited survival data from inner city patients treated at safety net community hospitals The aim of this study is to analyze post-surgery survival in a community hospital with a high African American (AA) population. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from The Brooklyn Hospital Center9s cancer registry, from 1997 to 2010. Of the 1068 registry patients, 275 were excluded leaving 793 (AA n=619, white n=174) for analysis. The study was divided into two time periods: 1997–2004 and 2005–2010. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS and Epi info software. Chi square and Fisher9s exact test, one-way ANOVA analysis are used for the baseline characteristics. Kaplan–Meier survival probabilities are calculated and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were applied to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: The average age at diagnosis is 67.46±13.23 in 1997–2004 periods and 66.73±12.34 in 2005–2010; there was no significant difference. Significant differences are presented in histological grade as well as pathology stages with high percentage of high grade differential and advanced pathologies in 1997–2004 period and high percentage of low grade differential and early pathology stages in 2005–2010 period with p Our data demonstrates an improved survival rate in the later time period. This improvement is associated with lower tumor grade differential and early pathologic staging suggesting earlier detection. These data points indicate that minority patients treated in safety net hospitals can achieve superior outcomes. These outcomes are probably related to improvements in patient care delivery and overall cancer awareness. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):A54.
Abstract 3267: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling proteins are highly expressed in mamamry tumors of MMTV-TGF-β mice

Although the roles of many signaling pathways have been investigated to determine their potential role mammary tumor (MT) development the exact molecular mechanisms of mammary tumorigenesis are still not clear. One pathway of interest with respect to cancer development is mTOR signaling which is implicated in cell growth, transcription, translation, migration, differentiation, and survival. In the present study the expression levels of proteins associated with mTOR signaling pathway in MTs and in normal mammary tissues and fat pads were determined in MMTV-TGF-β transgenic mice that develop hormone responsive MTs as they age. Mice were enrolled at 10 wks of age and were ad-libitum-fed AIN-93M diet until 73/74 wks of age. At this time MTs were removed as well as mammary tissue samples from the same location where MT initially grow. Samples were analyzed histopathologically to confirm either MT or normal mammary tissue and mice assigned to MT-positive or MT-negative groups (n=6-8 per group). Protein expression levels were then determined in MT, mammary tissue and as well as mammary fat pads (MFP). Serum insulin, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were also measured. MT- positive mice had 40% higher serum insulin level compared to MT- negative mice. In addition, serum IL-6 levels were 100% higher in MT- positive compared to the MT-negative group. Serum TNFα levels were similar in both groups. Expression levels of mTOR, p70S6K, p4EBP1, and HIF-1 proteins were significantly higher in MT of the MT-positive group compared to the corresponding tissue of MT-negative group, 64%, 106%, 129%, and 43%, respectively. On the other hand, IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) expression level was significantly lower by 43% in the MT- positive group compared to the MT-negative group. The expression levels of p70S6K, p4EBP1, and HIF-1 proteins were similar in MFP tissues in both groups while mTOR level was lower in MFP taken from MT-positive compared to MT-negative mice. But, IGF-IR level was significantly higher, 187%, in MFP taken from the MT-positive group compared to the MT-negative group. These findings demonstrate that expression levels of the proteins involve in mTOR signaling pathway are higher in MTs compared to normal mammary tissue obtained from the site of MT origin. This supports the potential role of mTOR signaling proteins in breast cancer development and provides targets for cancer prevention. (Support CA101858, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and The Hormel Foundation). Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3267. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3267
Factors Influencing Buyer's Trust in Consumer-to-Consumer E Commmerce

C2C e-commerce is increasingly being utilized by individuals to buy and sell products to and from one another. With this increase in use comes the need for specific studies regarding C2C e-commerce. This study develops and tests a model of buyer's trust in C2C e-commerce. Examining previous trust models, perceived web site quality, third party recognition, fear of seller opportunism, information asymmetry, and Internet safety training are proposed to influence buyer's trust. Additionally, the age the individual first started using a computer is proposed to moderate the relationship between Internet safety training and buyer's trust. The findings indicate that all variables significantly influence buyer's trust in C2C e-commerce, except Internet safety training and the moderation of age of first computer use. A discussion and conclusion are provided.
Working Principle of Engine Cooling System and Its Failure Analysis

The principle of engine cooling system was introduced, and the water temperature in engine too high or even occurs "boil" phenomenon in the course of using vehicles was analyzed. In order to find out the reasons of the high temperature in engine, the cooling fluid, radiator, fan, cylinder pad, the temperature controller and time of ignition were discussed in this paper,
Post-Sovietinis Lietuvos teatras: istorija, tapatybė, atmintis, by Jurgita Staniškytė et al., Vilnius, Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidekla, 2014, Price: n/a, ISBN 978-609-447-120-9

Contemporary Lithuanian theater productions have been lauded at major theater festivals worldwide. On tour, Lithuanian stage directors such as Eimuntas Nekrosius and Oskaras Korsunovas have introdu...
Evidence-Based Practices in Autism: Where We Started

Sadly, the early history of intervention research in autism (1943–1980) can be relatively briefly summarized. In his initial description of autism, Kanner (1943) provided some follow-up information on the cases he had seen. Apart from one child “dumped in a school for the feeble minded” (Kanner 1943: 249), the other children (then between 9 and 11) had shown some development of social skills although fundamental social difficulties remained. Kanner’s original paper was not particularly concerned with intervention and, over the years, the varying conceptualizations of autism have led to marked changes in intervention. The emphasis on parental success and some social oddity (which was also noted by Kanner, who emphasized it because he believed the disorder to be congenital and hence not likely entirely attributable to psychopathology in the parents) led various clinicians in the 1950s to postulate a strong role for experience in the pathogenesis of autism (Bettelheim 1950; Despert 1971) and to mistaken attempts to “fix” the child through psychotherapy. Such attempts persist in some countries, particularly France, to the present day even though prominent analysts, such as Anna Freud, cautioned against such notions (see the review by Riddle in 1987).
The Constitutional Constant

According to a conventional view of the Constitution as a precommitment strategy, constitutional rules must remain fixed over time in order for the Constitution to do its work. In practice, however, constitutional rules regularly change over time, even without formal amendment. What is actually constant over time in the American constitutional system is not the content of constitutional law: it is the correspondence between the content of constitutional law and the American people’s (or at least the decision-making class’s) most powerful intuitions about issues of structure and ethos in American government. At any given time, constitutional law reflects those intuitions. That correspondence, which abides as the content of constitutional law changes, is what this short essay calls the constitutional constant. And because American values and American ideas about government change over time, the content of constitutional rules must change in order to preserve what is truly constant in the constitutional system: the correspondence between the content of constitutional law and the deepest values of the American people.
Stochastic quasilinear evolution equations in UMD Banach spaces

In this work we prove the existence and uniqueness up to a stopping time for the stochastic counterpart of Tosio Kato's quasilinear evolutions in UMD Banach spaces. These class of evolutions are known to cover a large class of physically important nonlinear partial differential equations. Existence of a unique maximal solution as well as an estimate on the probability of positivity of stopping time is obtained. An example of stochastic Euler and Navier–Stokes equation is also given as an application of abstract theory to concrete models.
Discovery of Known and Novel Viral Genomes in Soybean Aphid by Deep Sequencing

The phytobiome includes not just cellular microorganisms, but also all viruses associated with plants: the virome. Plants and aphids exchange viruses regularly and efficiently; thus, the plant virome is tightly linked with the aphid virome. Yet, little is known about aphid viromes, particularly that of the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines), one of the most economically important pest insects of soybean. To sample the soybean aphid virome, and to seek new viruses as potential biological control agents, we employed next-generation sequencing. Genomes isolated from viruses in soybean aphids collected at four sites revealed many viruses, and six complete or nearly complete genomes were assembled. Most abundant were the picornavirus-like dicistroviruses Aphid lethal paralysis virus and Rhopalosiphum padi virus. We also sequenced the genome of a new dicistrovirus, Big Sioux River virus, fragments of which had been found previously in honey bee. Genome sequences that represent two entirely new virus families were o...