cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphate and Heat Treatments to Control Salmonella and Reduce Spoilage and Rancidity on Broiler Carcasses

Broiler chicken carcasses were inoculated with about 300 cells of a naladixic acid resistant strain of Salmonella typhimurium, then treated for 3 min with highly agitated water with or without 6% phosphate added, at 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, or 90 C. Other broiler carcasses were inoculated with about 60 cells, then similarly treated at 65 or 70 C. All carcasses were chilled after the hot water treatment in a system simulating commerical chilling. When inoculum was 300 cells, at least 5% of the carcasses remained contaminated with Salmonella, even when hot water treatment was at 90 C. When inoculum was 60 cells, Salmonella were eliminated by hot water treatment at 65 or 70 C. Carcasses showed a partially cooked appearance after hot water treatment. Total bacterial counts on carcasses treated at 70 and 90 C, with or without added phosphate, and then chilled were lower than on control carcasses throughout storage at 2 C for up to 26 days. Phosphates did not consistently or significantly affect either Salmonella survival or total bacterial counts. Oxidative deterioration as measured by the thiobarbituric acid test was significantly retarded throughout 26 days of storage by the addition of 6% phosphate to a 70 or 90 C hot water treatment.
THE ASSOCIATION OF BARTONELLA BODIES WITH INDUCED ANEMIA IN THE DOG

On feeding to splenectomized dogs a diet producing black tongue, severe anemia developed associated with the presence of small bodies in or on the erythrocytes. The bodies were morphologically similar to Bartonella muris and Bartonella canis. The addition of lean beef to the diet, a material prophylactic against its effects, was followed by improvement of the blood levels, the presence of increased numbers of reticulocytes in the circulating blood, and the disappearance of the bodies. When the blood containing Bartonella-like bodies was injected into other splenectomized dogs fed a normal or a black tongue-producing diet, anemia developed in them and the bodies appeared in large numbers. Similar injections into non-splenectomized animals fed in the same way had anemia alone as its result. Injections into normal animals fed a normal diet caused not even anemia.
making empire respectable: the politics of race and sexual morality in 20th-century colonial cultures

With sustained challenges to European rule in African and Asian colonies in the early 20th century, sexual prescriptions by class, race and gender became increasingly central to the politics of rule and subject to new forms of scrutiny by colonial states. Focusing on the Netherlands Indies and French Indochina, but drawing on other contexts, this article examines how the very categories of “colonizer” and “colonized” were increasingly secured through forms of sexual control which defined the common political interests of European colonials and the cultural investments by which they identified themselves. The metropolitan and colonial discourses on health, “racial degeneracy,” and social reform from this period reveal how sexual sanctions demarcated positions of power by enforcing middle-class conventions of respectability and thus the personal and public boundaries of race.[sexuality, race-thinking, hygiene, colonial cultures, Southeast Asia]
Sources of Agricultural Productivity Gap Among Selected Countries

This study explores the causes of enormous agricultural productivity differences now existing among the developed and less developed countries. Factors are identified that determine the productivity gap, and their influences are gauged on the 1957–62 national aggregate data of 38 nations. Aggregate production functions are estimated on the cross-country data; and, with the estimates of production elasticities, the productivity differences between India and United States and between India and Japan are accounted for by conventional inputs (labor, land, fertilizer and machinery) and nonconventional inputs (education and research). The measured contributions of respective factors to the productivity differences provide a guideline for allocating development efforts in the less developed countries.
Nonclassically Damped Dynamic Systems: An Iterative Approach

This paper presents a new, computationally efficient, iterative technique for deter­ mining the dynamic response of nonclassicall y damped, linear systems. Such systems often arise in structural and mechanical engineering applications. The tech­ nique proposed in this paper is heuristically motivated and iteratively obtains the solution of a coupled set of second-order differential equations in terms of the solu­ tion to an uncoupled set. Rigorous results regarding sufficient conditions for the convergence of the iterative technique have been provided. These conditions encom­ pass a broad variety of situations which are commonly met in structural dynamics, thereby making the proposed iterative scheme widely applicable. The method also provides new physical insights concerning the decoupling procedure and shows why previous approximate approaches for uncoupling nonclassically damped systems have led to large inaccuracies. Numerical examples are presented to indicate that, even under perhaps the least ideal conditions, the technique converges rapidly to provide the exact time histories of response. I Introduction The analysis of structural and mechanical systems subjected to dynamic loads is an area of great interest to engineers so that safe and reliable designs can be generated. A large number of such systems are modeled by linear differential equations described by Mx(t) + Cx(t) +Kx(t) =a(t); x(t0)=x0, x(t0) = x0, te(t0, T) (1) where, x(t) is an N vector of displacements; a(t) is an N vec­ tor of force each component of which is generally taken to be a continuous function of time, t; and, M, K, and C are the mass, the stiffness, and the damping matrices, respectively. The numerical solution of equation (1), when the matrices M, K, and C can be simultaneousl y diagonalized by a suitable transformation, is obtained by decoupling the system and solving for each "mode" of vibration separately. This modal superposition technique, besides being useful when the system response is dominated by a relatively few number of lower modes, provides a conceptual simplicity which lends itself to an enhanced intuitive understanding of the system's response. This conceptual decoupling is also pivotal in the use of the socalled spectrum methods which have gained considerable ac­ ceptance in various fields of application, like earthquake engineering and shock and vibration analysis.
Growth hormone response to intravenous clonidine in social phobia: Comparison to patients with panic disorder and healthy volunteers

Abstract The growth hormone (GH) response to intravenous administration of clonidine hydrochloride (2 μg/kg) was assessed in 16 patients with DSM-III-R social phobia, 13 patients with DSM-III-R panic disorder, and 31 healthy controls. Compared to the healthy volunteers, both social phobic and panic-disorder patients had significantly blunted GH increments after clonidine. The social phobic patients demonstrated a similar degree of GH “blunting” to clonidine as did the patients with panic disorder.
Molecular and functional analysis of the LYS1 gene of Candida albicans.

Abstract The LYS1 gene of Candida albicans has been localized to a 1.8-kb DNA fragment present on the plasmid YpBRG2. YpBRG2 has been shown to complement the saccharopine dehydrogenase mutant Stx4-4A of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Transformants of S. cerevisiae Stx4-4A exhibited significant saccharopine dehydrogenase activity, and cells that had lost YpBRG2 after nonselective growth had no enzyme activity. The DNA sequence of the LYS1 gene has been determined. The LYS1 DNA contains typical yeast upstream regulatory sequences, including the GCN4 motif and candidate sequences responsible for transcription termination within the 3' noncoding region. The fragment contained an open reading frame of 1,146 nucleotides coding for a putative protein of 382 amino acids. The open reading frame has 60% identity at the nucleotide level and 71% similarity at the amino acid level to the LYS5 gene of Yarrowia lipolytica, which is believed to code for saccharopine dehydrogenase. A peptide of 11 amino acids has been found, which is present in S. cerevisiae, Y. lipolytica, and C. albicans. This peptide can be expanded to 16 amino acids when the sequences from Y. lipolytica and C. albicans are compared. A motif responsible for the binding of the adenosine residue of NADH has been described previously and is very similar to this peptide, which may be the site of NADH binding in the saccharopine dehydrogenase of C. albicans.
Getting Personal About Nutrition

Nutritional guidelines for maintaining healthy blood glucose levels are commonly portrayed as universally applicable. However, a new study now demonstrates that the impact of each food on blood glucose varies dramatically across individuals and largely depends on personal characteristics and gut microbiome properties, laying the foundation for the broad implementation of personalized nutrition.
Do African Monetary Arrangements Make Sense? Evidence Based on Structural Symmetry

Complete monetary unification in Africa is theoretically supported by the possibility of ex-post endogeneity of meeting optimum currency areas(OCA)criteria. Such endogeneity, if true, should already be reflected in decades-old existing African monetary unions, created without members meeting OCA criteria. This study redefines endogenous OCA criteria of regional arrangements as steady improvement in OCA criteria calculated for members relative to third countries and investigates such endogeneity benefits by analyzing the structural symmetry of business cycles between countries in a three-step process. First we test classical business cycles for increased similarity, using a sample of 60 countries with no a priori on the connection between those countries. Second, we analyze the transmission of deviation cycles among mix of countries using a vector autoregressive model. Finally, we check the strength of the bond among countries by looking at the connection between pairs of series of deviation cycles. We find that business cycles of countries in existing African monetary areas have not grown more homogenous, and that the bond among members of existing unions in Africa has mostly grown weaker than that between these same individual countries and their major trade partners.
Evergreen Executive Education, Llc

This case presents students with an opportunity to develop an action plan for an executive education client program needs analysis. Evergreen Executive Education LLC (EEEL) has just landed a large, new corporate client. The case presents some basic background information pertaining to the client company and their general program needs. Students are expected to create a learning needs analysis plan by merging that background information with their own focused thinking pertaining to how best to uncover and make actionable a corporate learning agenda. The plan should be robust and focused enough to ensure that the insights emerging from its execution will serve as the key inputs in developing a detailed program design. Students are not asked to develop a management education program design.
Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Sex, and Obesity: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

Abstract Objective To assess obesity rates during childhood and young adulthood in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and age- and sex-matched controls derived from a population-based birth cohort because cross-sectional studies suggest an association between ADHD and obesity. Patients and Methods Study subjects included patients with childhood ADHD (n=336) and age- and sex-matched non-ADHD controls (n=665) from a 1976 to 1982 birth cohort (N=5718). Height, weight, and stimulant treatment measurements were abstracted retrospectively from medical records documenting care provided from January 1, 1976, through August 31, 2010. The association between ADHD and obesity in patients with ADHD relative to controls was estimated using Cox models. Results Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were 1.23 (95% CI, 1.00-1.50; P P =.06; male participants HR, 1.17, 95% CI, 0.92-1.48; P =.20). Patients with ADHD who were not obese as of the date ADHD research diagnostic criteria were met were 1.56 (95% CI, 1.14-2.13; P P =.02), but not in male participants (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.97-2.05; P =.07). A higher proportion of patients with ADHD were obese after the age of 20 years compared with non-ADHD controls (34.4% vs 25.1%; P =.01); this difference was observed only in female patients (41.6% vs 19.2%). There were no differences in obesity rates between stimulant-treated and nontreated patients with ADHD. Conclusion Childhood ADHD is associated with obesity during childhood and young adulthood in females. Treatment with stimulant medications is not associated with the development of obesity up to young adulthood.
Fabrication and Characterization of Platinum-Iridium Electrodes with Micro-Structured Surfaces For Neural Stimulation Applications

Controlled structuring of electrode surfaces on a microscopic scale is expected to decrease the impedance and improve the current injection capabilities of neural stimulation electrodes. We have identified conditions for the fabrication of micro-bumps on platinum-iridium alloy surfaces by means of KrF excimer laser (λ=248nm) irradiation under ambient conditions. A regular array of closely spaced micro-bumps with diameters of about 5µm and heights of about 3µm was generated on the polished face of a platinum-20%iridium wire with a diameter of 75µm. A projection system with a demagnification factor of 9 was used to image a mask with a pattern of circular-holes on the polished face of the wire. Several thousand pulses at a repetition rate of 10Hz and a fluence of 3.0 J/cm2 were applied to produce the micro-bumps. The modified electrode surfaces were studied by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and the results show the formation of micro-bumps of reproducible shape. Simple two-electrode AC impedance measurements in physiological saline in the frequency range of interest to neural stimulation applications show a considerable decrease in the impedance of micro-structured electrodes with respect to the impedance of a polished electrode.
794 Application of Destination Therapy Risk Score (DTRS) in Recipients of Continuous Flow LVADs

Purpose: DTRS was developed to predict risk of 90 day in hospital mortality in DT pts with pulsatile flow LVADs from 2002-2005. Discrimination of mortality using DTRS in BTT and DT pts with continuous flow LVADs is dubious, with reported c-statistics of 0.54-0.59. We sought to reinvestigate its applicability in continuous flow LVADs at our center. Methods and Materials: Charts for 88 pts with continuous flow LVADs implanted from 2007-2011 were reviewed. DTRS was calculated for 76 pts and divided into low, medium, high and very high risk categories. Outcomes were measured at discharge, 1, 3 and 12 months. Z score was used to assess difference between the DTRS predicted and actuarial survival rate. Results: Mean age was 59 yrs with 77% men, 58% ischemic myopathy, and mean LVEF of 16% in 23 DT, 58 BTT and 7 BTD LVADs. Overall 30-day survival was 92% with 14 deaths occurring prior to hospital discharge. One-year survival, censored for transplant(n 34) or explant(n 2) was 55%. A medium DTRS overestimated mortality at hospital discharge, whereas a very high score overestimated mortality at both discharge and 90 days. Univariate predictors of 90-day mortality included need for dialysis (p 0.002), no ACEI/ARBs on admission (p 0.04) and DTRS (p 0.04). By multivariate analysis, DTRS was an independent predictor of 90-day mortality(p 0.01), though interpretation is limited by low event rate (n 14).
Factors affecting neutrophil and platelet reconstitution following T cell-depleted bone marrow transplantation: differential effects of growth factor type and role of CD34 + cell dose

We have performed univariate and multivariate analysis to determine the factors that affect the kinetics of neutrophil and platelet recovery in 546 recipients of T cell-depleted (TCD) marrow allografts. All patients received marrow depleted of mature CD3(+) T cells by complement-mediated lysis using T(10)B(9)-1A3 (n = 489) or Muromonab-Orthoclone OKT3 (n = 57) monoclonal antibodies. Neutrophil engraftment to 0.5 x 10(9)/1 and platelet engraftment to 20 x 10(9)/l were assessed as endpoints. Factors significantly affecting neutrophil or platelet engraftment in the univariate analysis included patient age, T cell dose, anti-thymocyte globulin use, gender, diagnosis at transplant, CMV serostatus, HLA mismatch, CD34 cell dose (n = 249), and growth factor use and type. These variables were included in the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. The results showed that a faster rate of neutrophil engraftment was independently associated with CD34(+) cell dose > or = 5 x 10(6)/kg and most strongly with growth factor administration. Faster platelet engraftment was associated with transplantation for chronic leukemia, CD34(+) cell dose > or = 2 x 10(6)/kg, an HLA matched related donor, and the absence of growth factor use. G-CSF had a higher relative risk (RR) of enhancing neutrophil engraftment than GM-CSF and significantly delayed platelet engraftment. The combined use of G-CSF + GM-CSF was similar to G-CSF alone. The enhancing effect of G-CSF for neutrophil recovery was most striking for patients who engrafted to 0.5 x 10(9)/1 at or before day 12 (RR = 9.5, P < 0.0001) compared to patients who received no growth factor. Conversely, the delaying effect of G-CSF on platelet engraftment was strongest for patients engrafting on or before day 25 (RR = 0.4, P = 0.0004). Of the independent variables affecting engraftment kinetics in recipients of TCD marrow allografts only growth factor, and to a limited extent, CD34(+) cell dose can be controlled by the clinician. A higher CD34(+) cell dose enhances the rate of both neutrophil and platelet engraftment whereas for G-CSF the benefits of myeloid growth factor use in enhancing neutrophil recovery may be partly offset by a delay in platelet engraftment.
Evaluation of safety climate and employee injury rates in healthcare

Objectives Safety climates that support safety-related behaviour are associated with fewer work-related injuries, and prior research in industry suggests that safety knowledge and motivation are strongly related to safety performance behaviours; this relationship is not well studied in healthcare settings. Methods We performed analyses of survey results from a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Safety Barometer employee perception survey, conducted among VHA employees in 2012. The employee perception survey assessed 6 safety programme categories, including management participation, supervisor participation, employee participation, safety support activities, safety support climate and organisational climate. We examined the relationship between safety climate from the survey results on VHA employee injury and illness rates. Results Among VHA facilities in the VA New England Healthcare System, work-related injury rate was significantly and inversely related to overall employee perception of safety climate, and all 6 safety programme categories, including employee perception of employee participation, management participation, organisational climate, supervisor participation, safety support activities and safety support climate. Conclusions Positive employee perceptions of safety climate in VHA facilities are associated with lower work-related injury and illness rates. Employee perception of employee participation, management participation, organisational climate, supervisor participation, safety support activities and safety support climate were all associated with lower work-related injury rates. Future implications include fostering a robust safety climate for patients and healthcare workers to reduce healthcare worker injuries.
Robot-assisted partial cystectomy with intraoperative frozen section examination: Evolution and evaluation of a novel technique

Purpose To describe a novel modification to robot-assisted partial cystectomy (RAPC) that allows for intraoperative surgical margin assessment by bimanual-examination and frozen-section analysis.
Hyperoxic exposure of developing rat lung decreases tropoelastin mRNA levels that rebound postexposure

These studies were undertaken to determine whether tropoelastin message expression in lung parenchymal tissue is altered in rats reared in an hyperoxic environment during the period of time that alveolar septation normally occurs. Rat pups were exposed to > 95% oxygen from days 4 to 14 and killed during the exposure and recovery periods. Results of in situ hybridizations indicated a delay in peak tropoelastin (TE) message levels in oxygen-exposed rats vs. controls, day 16 vs. day 11, respectively. In addition, lung parenchymal TE mRNA levels in the oxygen-exposed pups remained elevated through day 23, 1 wk after TE mRNA levels had decreased in controls. These observations suggest that the regulatory control of elastin synthesis during lung alveolar septation is altered by hyperoxic exposure. In a separate experiment, rat pups were exposed to > 95% oxygen during the period of alveolarization and followed for 4 wk postexposure. Pulmonary function measurements were conducted to determine whether lung function was altered postexposure and, if so, whether recovery occurred. We also used stereological techniques to quantitate the total length of lung parenchymal elastic fibers to determine whether elastic fiber content in the oxygen-exposed pups was restored to normal levels during the month postexposure. Although the total length of elastic fibers in lung parenchyma was found to be greater in oxygen-exposed than control pups from postnatal days 22 to 41, pressure-volume curves indicated that lungs of the oxygen-exposed pups tended to be more compliant than controls, suggesting that abnormal elastic fiber assembly might have been a contributing factor.
What is in A Strain Hardening “Plateau”?

A yield plateau occurs in some Mg alloys during compressive deformation that has been ascribed to the localization of twinning. In fine-grained AZ31, this plateau was explained by a region of large twin volume fraction nucleating in a small band and propagating, similar to a “Luders band” like phenomena. Once the band traverses the entire gauge length, the sample begins to strain harden. Similarly, ZK60 samples exhibit the same Luders like phenomena during extrusion direction compression as confirmed by digital image correlation. However, the band is not sufficient to fully explain the plateau in the stress-strain curve. Postmortem electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) reveals the twin structure evolution through this plateau. It is found that twinning occurs in large elongated grains before spreading to the finer grains.
Errors Related to Health Information Exchange

Health information exchange (HIE) is the process of electronically sharing patient-level health information to support care delivery. While HIE is widely expected to improve care outcomes, it also holds the potential to introduce new types of patient safety errors. These errors largely derive from a failure to develop and consistently execute a set of internal processes within provider organizations on which HIE depends. In this chapter, we focus on two common types of HIE errors: (1) those related to patient identification and matching and (2) those related to efforts to protect patient privacy. We use case studies to illustrate the errors, analyze the root causes, and describe potential solutions.
A Brief History of the Title

If it were not for the charm and skill of some of the earliest American diplomats, the United States might still be a British colony. Benjamin Franklin was one of the first official envoys sent abroad as the struggle for independence got under way. His diplomatic efforts were so successful at eliciting the support of Louis XVI for the revolution that France played a vital role in determining its outcome.
Predicting sleep hygiene: a reasoned action approach

Poor and insufficient sleep causes physical, cognitive, emotional, and social impairments. Unfortunately, little is known about the social-cognitive predictors of daily sleep habits. The current study examined if sleep hygiene could be predicted using the Reasoned Action Model (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010). Across four studies, the model performed well for the prediction of intentions (R2s = .63–.75), and also significantly predicted both self-reported (R2 = .15) and actigraphy-recorded sleep duration (R2 = .11). The results from these studies support the further use of the model toward the goal of designing effective sleep hygiene interventions.
Admittance spectroscopy in CZTSSe: Metastability behavior and voltage dependent defect study

Admittance spectroscopy has been performed on a CZTSSe device with a carrier injection pretreatment and under electronically relaxed conditions to demonstrate metastability behavior. We show that the measurements with the carrier injection pretreatment demonstrate two admittance signatures while the relaxed measurement demonstrates only one admittance signature with a different activation energy. Additionally, voltage dependent admittance spectroscopy was performed using the carrier injection pretreatment method at each of the applied voltage bias. The activation energies of the two admittance signatures were calculated and are shown to be independent of the voltage bias.
Abstract 366: Biglycan Deficiency Does Not Affect Angiotensin Ii-induced Atherosclerosis but Promotes Aortic Aneurysms Formation

Background Proteoglycans play a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis due to their ability to bind and retain atherogenic lipoproteins. Of all the vascular proteoglycans, biglycan has been shown to be the one most closely associated with apolipoprotein B. Our previous studies showed that angII increases vascular biglycan content and predisposes to diet-induced atherosclerosis in Ldlr null mice. The purpose of this study was to determine whether biglycan deficiency protected against angII induced atherosclerosis in vivo. Methods and Results Bgn KO or WT mice, crossed to Ldlr null (C57B/6 background), were infused with angII (1000 ng/kg/min) or saline for 28 days followed by 6-week western diet feeding. Bgn KO mice showed no difference in atherosclerotic lesion area at either aortic sinus or en face surface. Unexpectedly, Bgn KO mice exhibited a striking mortality (77% for males and 48% for females) due to aortic rupture upon angII infusion. Thus, a lower dose of angII was then infused to mice to study atherosclerosis. There was no difference in lesion area between Bgn KO or WT mice under angII (500 ng/kg/min) infusion followed by 6-week western diet feeding or under one-year normal chow feeding without angII infusion. However, angII (500 ng/kg/min) still induced greater aortic rupture in Bgn KO mice (30% for males and 13% for females) than in WT mice (0% for both gender). Besides rupture, 7 Bgn KO mice out of 35 also developed aneurysm at mid-thoracic aorta whereas only 1 Bgn WT mouse out of 25 developed abdominal aneurysm after angII (500 ng/kg/min) infusion. Therefore, our study demonstrated that biglycan deficiency did not affect atherosclerotic lesion development, but induced a striking aneurysm phenotype upon angII infusion.
Erythrocyte purinergic signaling components underlie hypoxia adaptation

Erythrocytes are vital to human adaptation under hypoxic conditions because of their abundance in number and irreplaceable function of delivering oxygen (O2). However, although multiple large-scale...
Introduction: What a Better Epistemology Can Do for Moral Philosophy

Lowney introduces the revolution in epistemology that took shape in the mid-twentieth century and how it presents new openings for moral meaning. Both Michael Polanyi (1891–1976) and Charles Taylor (1931) surmise that Modern assumptions supporting analytic, foundationalist and reductionist tendencies can undermine human meaning and a robust sense of moral reality. In the 1960s, Polanyi co-organized the Study Group on Foundations of Cultural Unity and the Study Group on the Unity of Knowledge, which were designed to discuss different possibilities for understanding the grounds of knowledge in the physical and human sciences. The young Charles Taylor participated in meetings of the Study Groups and in years since his work continued to develop toward an overarching and historically informed vision that spans across academic disciplines. The other authors in this volume relay and develop Polanyi’s ideas and bring them into conversation with Taylor. In introducing the book’s chapters, Lowney discusses how a constructive dialogue between the ideas of Taylor and Polanyi presents new possibilities for understanding modernity and for developing a view of science, history, and society that allows for robust realism about moral values.
Mathematics for Statistics

(1973). Mathematics for Statistics. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 45-45.
Controlled flaw preparations for heavy-section steel fracture mechanics testing

The paper reports on a study in which cracks were grown by two techniques: a mechanical method wherein a premachined notch was sharpened by pressurization, and a method combining electron-beam welds and hydrogen charging to crack the chill zone of a rapidly placed autogenous weld. The mechanical method produces a naturally occurring growth shape controlled primarily by the shape of the machined notch; the welding-electrochemical method produces flaws of uniform depth from the surface of a wall or machined notch. Theories, details, discussions, and procedures are covered for both of the flaw-growing schemes. An appended bibliography is also provided for related program work. 56 refs.
Aberrations of the B-Cell Receptor B29 (CD79b) Gene in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Leukemic B cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) typically exhibit low or undetectable surface Ig. Because the B29 (CD79b and Igβ) and mb-1 (CD79a and Igα) gene products are required for surface Ig display in the B-cell receptor complex (BCR), we analyzed the expression of these genes in B-CLL cells. The majority (83%) of the randomly selected B-CLL patient samples analyzed exhibited low or undetectable surface BCR measured by μ heavy chain and B29 expression. Levels of mb-1 mRNA in these B-CLL samples with low surface BCR were similar to those in normal B cells. Among those with decreased surface expression, B29 mRNA was not detected in half of these B-CLL samples. The remaining B-CLL samples with diminished surface BCR contained normal levels of B29 mRNA. Further analysis of cDNA clones from the majority of these latter samples contained point mutations, insertions, or deletions that were largely located in the B29 transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. These results indicate the occurrence of somatic mutations predicted to affect B29 expression and/or function in the majority of B-CLL and suggest that these aberrations underlie the diminished surface BCR display and loss of BCR signaling characteristic of this leukemia.
Improved neutron–gammadiscrimination at low-light output events using conical trans-stilbene

Abstract Scintillator geometry affects light-collection efficiency (LCE) and, as a consequence, detector-performance metrics that depend on LCE, such as particle-type identification. This work compares the neutron–gammapulse-shape discrimination (PSD) performance of two trans -stilbene crystals of different geometries: a cylinder and cone. Both geometries have a base diameter and height of 50 mm. Results demonstrate that the cone achieved a higher figure of merit over the cylinder by approximately 22.6% for pulses ranging from 25 keVee to 100 keVee. This improvement can be especially helpful for applied detection systems to better resolve neutrons and gamma rays at low-light output events ( 100 keVee), where PSD can suffer.
Emerging imaging technologies in dermatology: Part II: Applications and limitations

Clinical examination is critical for the diagnosis and identification of response to treatment. It is fortunate that technologies are continuing to evolve, enabling augmentation of classical clinical examination with noninvasive imaging modalities. This article discusses emerging technologies with a focus on digital photographic imaging, confocal microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and high-frequency ultrasound, as well as several additional developing modalities. The most readily adopted technologies to date include total-body digital photography and dermoscopy, with some practitioners beginning to use confocal microscopy. In this article, applications and limitations are addressed. For a detailed discussion of the principles involved in these technologies, please refer to the first part of this review article.
Maternal preeclampsia and respiratory outcomes in extremely premature infants.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication characterized by an anti-angiogenic environment. This can affect fetal pulmonary vascular and alveolar development but data of the impact of PE on respiratory outcome in extremely premature infants are inconclusive. The objective of this study was to determine if PE is associated with an increased risk for severe respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in extremely premature infants. Prospectively collected single center data from a cohort of infants born at 23–28 w gestational age between January 2005 and December 2015 were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis and generalized estimating equations were used to model the association between PE and severe RDS (≥30% supplemental oxygen on d1), BPD and severe BPD [supplemental oxygen and ≥30% oxygen at 36 w postmenstrual age (PMA), respectively]. The cohort included 1218 infants of whom 23% were exposed to PE. PE was associated with increased risk for severe RDS as well as severe BPD among infants alive at 36w PMA. Exposure to preeclampsia is independently associated with an increased risk for severe RDS and adverse respiratory outcome in extreme premature infants. The mechanisms behind these associations need to be investigated.
The endophytic fungal entomopathogens Beauveria bassiana and Purpureocillium lilacinum enhance the growth of cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and negatively affect survival of the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea)

Abstract The effects of two entomopathogenic fungal endophytes, Beauveria bassiana and Purpureocillium lilacinum , were assessed on the growth of cultivated cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum ) and development of the cotton bollworm ( Helicoverpa zea ). In two replicate greenhouse trials, cotton plants were inoculated as seed treatments with two concentrations of B. bassiana or P. lilacinum conidia and evaluated for effects on both plant dry biomass, number of nodes and number of developing flowers (squares). We similarly treated cotton plants and evaluated H. zea performance using no-choice in planta assays starting at the 2nd larval instar. Treatment with both fungal endophytes resulted in a significant increases in plant dry biomass (ANOVA, P = 0.024). Plant developmental stage and number of squares were also significantly enhanced in the endophyte treated plants (ANOVA, P = 0.005 and P = 0.027, respectively). The survivorship of H. zea was significantly different among the endophyte treatment groups (Kaplan–Meier, P = 0.02), where insects feeding on control plants exhibited higher survival than insects on the endophyte treated plants. There were no significant endophyte treatment effects on larval or pupal weights of H. zea individuals. There was no endophyte effect on days to pupation among treatments, but there was a marginal effect on days to eclosion (Kaplan–Meier, P = 0.07). Overall, our results demonstrate (i) the positive plant growth enhancing effects of the target endophyes on cultivated cotton under greenhouse conditions and (ii) the negative effects of endophytic P. lilacinum and B. bassiana on H. zea survivorship and development using whole plant assays.
Synthesis and characterization of pentaerythritol derived glycoconjugates as supramolecular gelators

Carbohydrate based self-assembling supramolecular systems are important classes of new materials with many potential applications. In this study, a series of twelve glycoconjugates were synthesized and characterized in order to obtain effective supramolecular gelators. These glycoconjugates are mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-functionalized pentaerythritol derivatives synthesized by using copper(i) catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition reactions (CuAACs). The properties of these twelve compounds gave insight into the rational design of covalently linking multiple units of sugars. We found that the trivalent and tetravalent glycoclusters were effective molecular gelators, but the monovalent and divalent derivatives were typically not able to form gels in the tested solvents. The gels were characterized using rheology, optical microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The tris-triazole derivative 21 was discovered to be a suitable gelator for the encapsulation of naproxen, vitamin B2, and vitamin B12. The strategy of covalently linking three or four small molecules to form trimeric or tetrameric branched compounds is a valid approach in designing useful self-assembling materials. The glycocluster based organogels and hydrogels obtained in this study have potential applications in biomedical research and as advanced functional materials.
The Chinese and the Stanfords: Nineteenth-Century America’s Fraught Relationship with the China Men

This essay explores nineteenth-century America's complicated and often contradictory relationship with the Chinese who were brought to the American West as labor. In particular, the tensions betwee...
Functional diversification of IgGs through Fc glycosylation

IgG antibodies are secreted from B cells and bind to a variety of pathogens to control infections as well as contribute to inflammatory diseases. Many of the functions of IgGs are mediated through Fcγ receptors (FcγRs), which transduce interactions with immune complexes, leading to a variety of cellular outcomes depending on the FcγRs and cell types engaged. Which FcγRs and cell types will be engaged during an immune response depends on the structure of Fc domains within immune complexes that are formed when IgGs bind to cognate antigen(s). Recent studies have revealed an unexpected degree of structural variability in IgG Fc domains among people, driven primarily by differences in IgG subclasses and N-linked glycosylation of the CH2 domain. This translates, in turn, to functional immune diversification through type I and type II FcγR-mediated cellular functions. For example, Fc domain sialylation triggers conformational changes of IgG1 that enable interactions with type II FcγRs; these receptors mediate cellular functions including antiinflammatory activity or definition of thresholds for B cell selection based on B cell receptor affinity. Similarly, presence or absence of a core fucose alters type I FcγR binding of IgG1 by modulating the Fc's affinity for FcγRIIIa, thereby altering its proinflammatory activity. How heterogeneity in IgG Fc domains contributes to human immune diversity is now being elucidated, including impacts on vaccine responses and susceptibility to disease and its sequelae during infections. Here, we discuss how Fc structures arising from sialylation and fucosylation impact immunity, focusing on responses to vaccination and infection. We also review work defining individual differences in Fc glycosylation, regulation of Fc glycosylation, and clinical implications of these pathways.
Chapter 18 – Genetic Conditions Associated with Congenital Adrenocortical Insufficiency or Glucocorticoid and/or Mineralocorticoid Resistance

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the genetic defects associated with congenital adrenocortical insufficiency (CAI) or glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid resistance. The genetic defects that cause CAI and treatment options and disorders associated with CAI are discussed. These disorders include, CAI and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis defects, CAI associated primary adrenocortical developmental defects, CAI associated with adrenal calcifications or hemorrhage and CAI associated with metabolic disorders among others. The genetic conditions associated with resistance to glucocorticoids or mineralocorticoids do not affect the development of the adrenal glands but affect its function at a young age. Primary familial or sporadic generalized glucocorticoid resistance is a rare hereditary disorder that is characterized by hypercortisolism and absence of stigmata of Cushing syndrome. The cause of glucocorticoid resistance is defects in the glucocorticoid receptor gene that mediate glucocorticoid actions. Pseudohypoaldosteronism (Type-I) is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder manifesting early in infancy with salt wasting, vomiting and feeding difficulties that lead to severe dehydration and mortality.
Study on the change of PR interval shortening in ECG examination in different periods of pregnancy

Objective To research the change of PR interval shortening in ECG examination in different periods of pregnancy. Methods From March 2016 to August 2016, 616 pregnant women who underwent maternity examinations in the Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo were selected in this study.According to the different gestational periods, they were divided into the early pregnancy group (198 cases), the mid-pregnancy group (232 cases) and the late pregnancy group (186 cases). And another 241 non-pregnant women who underwent health examination in our hospital during the same period were selected as controls.All pregnant and non-pregnant women were examined by electrocardiogram, and the results of electrocardiogram were analyzed.The average heart rate, the average PR interval and the shortened ratio of PR interval were compared between the two groups of women and women with different pregnancy periods, and the short PR interval distribution of women in different pregnancy periods was observed. Results The average heart rate level, PR interval and PR interval shortening ratio of pregnant women and non-pregnant women were (76.55±7.81)times/min, (0.096±0.008)s, 12.66% and (72.56±6.49)times/min, (0.138±0.014)s, 4.98%, respectively.The average heart rate and the shortening ratio of PR interval in pregnant women were significantly higher than those in non-pregnant women, while the average PR interval in pregnant women was significantly lower than that in non-pregnant women, the differences were statistically significant (t=7.565, χ2=10.879, t=52.672, all P<0.05). With the increase of pregnancy cycle, the shorter the average heart rate and PR interval of pregnant women, the shorter the average PR interval.The average heart rate, PR interval and PR interval shortening ratio in the early pregnancy group, the mid-pregnancy group and the late pregnancy group were (75.41±6.65)times/min, (0.103±0.010)s, 8.59% and (77.03±7.12)times/min, (0.095±0.009)s, 11.21% and (79.74±8.43)times/min, (0.088±0.008)s, 18.82%, respectively.There were statistically significant differences among the three groups(t=16.720, 116.440, χ2=9.791, all P<0.05). Conclusion Pregnancy women are prone to have shorten PR interval, and its incidence increases with the increase of pregnancy cycle, but in most cases belongs to benign electrophysiological changes, and the prognosis is good without special treatment.It is of great significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment to reduce the outcome of bad pregnancy by observing the shortening of the PR interval of electrocardiogram during the pregnancy. Key words: Electrocardiography; Pregnant women; Heart rate; PR interval shortening; Sinus agitation; Pregnancy outcome
Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia necessitating hospitalization in the United States [1]. Although not immediately life-threatening, atrial fibrillation is associated with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, recurrences of arrhythmia and complications from therapy present a challenge for both the patient and the clinician.
Rescue Intubation in the Emergency Department After Prehospital Ketamine Administration for Agitation.

Objective: Prehospital intramuscular (IM) ketamine is increasingly used for chemical restraint of agitated patients. However, few studies have assessed emergency department (ED) follow-up of patients receiving prehospital ketamine for this indication, with previous reports suggesting a high rate of post-administration intubation. This study examines the rate of and reasons for intubation and other airway interventions in agitated patients who received ketamine by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients who received prehospital ketamine for agitation and were transported to two community hospital EDs. Charts were reviewed for demographics, ketamine dose, and airway intervention by EMS or in the ED. Characteristics of patients who were intubated versus those who did not receive airway intervention were analyzed. Results: Over 28 months, 86 patients received ketamine for agitation. Fourteen (16.3%) underwent endotracheal intubation. Patients with a higher temperature and a lower Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) were more likely to require intubation. There was no age or dose-dependent association on intubation rate. Intubated patients averaged 39 years old versus 44 for patients not intubated (negative five-year difference; 95% CI, -16 to 6). The mean ketamine dose was 339.3mg in patients intubated versus 350.7mg in patients not (-11.4mg difference; 95% CI, -72.4 to 49.6). The mean weight-based ketamine dose was 4.44mg/kg in patients intubated versus 4.96mg/kg in patients not (-0.53mg/kg difference; 95% CI, -1.49 to 0.43). Conclusions: The observed rate of intubation in patients receiving prehospital ketamine for agitation was 16.3%. Study data did not reveal an age or dose-dependent rate of intubation. Further research should be conducted to compare the airway intervention rate of agitated patients receiving ketamine versus other sedatives in a controlled fashion.
Blood gene expression-based prediction of lethality after respiratory infection by influenza A virus in mice

Lethality after respiratory infection with influenza A virus (IAV) is associated with potent immune activation and lung tissue damage. In a well-controlled animal model of infection, we sought to determine if one could predict lethality using transcriptional information obtained from whole blood early after influenza virus exposure. We started with publicly available transcriptomic data from the lung, which is the primary site of the infection and pathology, to derive a multigene transcriptional signature of death reflective of innate inflammation associated with tissue damage. We refined this affected tissue signature with data from infected mouse and human blood to develop and validate a machine learning model that can robustly predict survival in mice after IAV challenge using data obtained from as little as 10 μl of blood from early time points post infection. Furthermore, in genetically identical, cohoused mice infected with the same viral bolus, the same model can predict the lethality of individual animals but, intriguingly, only within a specific time window that overlapped with the early effector phase of adaptive immunity. These findings raise the possibility of predicting disease outcome in respiratory virus infections with blood transcriptional data and pave the way for translating such approaches to humans.
Recent advances in the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis–associated uveitis has an estimated prevalence of 10–20% in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, making it the most common cause of chronic anterior uveitis in...