cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Training with cognitive load improves performance under similar conditions in a real surgical task.

Abstract Background Enhancing cognitive load while performing a bimanual surgical task affects performance. Whether repeated training under this condition could benefit performance in an operating room was tested using a virtual reality simulator with cognitive load applied through two-digit math multiplication questions. Method 11 subjects were randomized to Control, VR and VR + CL groups. After a pre-test, VR and VR + CL groups repeated the peg transfer task 150 times over 15 sessions with cognitive load applied only for the last 100 trials. After training, all groups took a post-test and two weeks later the retention test with and without cognitive load and the transfer task on a pig intestine of 150 cm long under cognitive load. Results and conclusion Mixed ANOVA analysis showed significant differences between the control and VR and VR + CL groups (p = 0.013, p = 0.009) but no differences between the VR + CL and the VR groups (p = 1.0). GOALS bimanual dexterity score on transfer test show that VR + CL group outperformed both Control and VR groups (p = 0.016, p = 0.03). Training under cognitive load benefitted performance on an actual surgical task under similar conditions.
Charlie Kersten’s war: a Catholic crusader goes to Congress

Congressman Charles J. Kersten (R-WI) authored the Kersten Amendment to the Mutual Security Act of 1951, allocating $100 million annually to train refugees from Eastern European countries in nation...
The role of RAGE in host pathology and crosstalk between RAGE and TLR4 in innate immune signal transduction pathways

Although the innate immune receptor protein, Receptor for Advanced Glycation End products (RAGE), has been extensively studied, there has been renewed interest in RAGE for its potential role in sepsis, along with a host of other inflammatory diseases of chronic, noninfectious origin. In contrast to other innate immune receptors, for example, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), that recognize ligands derived from pathogenic organisms that are collectively known as "pathogen-associated molecular patterns" (PAMPs) or host-derived "damage-associated molecular patterns" (DAMPs), RAGE has been shown to recognize a broad collection of DAMPs exclusively. Historically, these DAMPs have been shown to be pro-inflammatory in nature. Early studies indicated that the adaptor molecule, MyD88, might be important for this change. More recent studies have explored further the mechanisms underlying this inflammatory change. Overall, the newer results have shown that there is extensive crosstalk between RAGE and TLRs. The three canonical RAGE ligands, Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs), HMGB1, and S100 proteins, have all been shown to activate both TLRs and RAGE to varying degrees in order to induce inflammation in in vitro models. As with any field that delves deeply into innate signaling, obstacles of reagent purity may be a cause of some of the discrepancies in the literature, and we have found that commercial antibodies that have been widely used exhibit a high degree of nonspecificity. Nonetheless, the weight of published evidence has led us to speculate that RAGE may be physically interacting with TLRs on the cell surface to elicit inflammation via MyD88-dependent signaling.
Cause or Effect? The Role of Prognostic Uncertainty in the Fear of Cancer Recurrence

Background. Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is an important cause of suffering for cancer survivors, and both empirical evidence and theoretical models suggest that prognostic uncertainty plays a causal role in its development. However, the relationship between prognostic uncertainty and FCR is incompletely understood. Objective. To explore the relationship between prognostic uncertainty and FCR among patients with ovarian cancer (OC). Design. A qualitative study was conducted utilizing individual in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer who had completed first-line treatment with surgery and/or chemotherapy. Semi-structured interviews explored participants’ 1) understanding of their prognosis; 2) experiences, preferences, and attitudes regarding prognostic information; and 3) strategies for coping with prognostic uncertainty. Inductive qualitative analysis and line-by-line software-assisted coding of interview transcripts was conducted to identify key themes and generate theoretical insights on the relationship between prognostic uncertainty and FCR. Results. The study sample consisted of 21 participants, nearly all of whom reported experiencing significant FCR, which they traced to an awareness of the possibility of a bad outcome. Some participants valued and pursued prognostic information as a means of coping with this awareness, suggesting that prognostic uncertainty causes FCR. However, most participants acknowledged fundamental limits to both the certainty and value of prognostic information, and engaged in various strategies aimed not at reducing but constructing and maintaining prognostic uncertainty as a means of sustaining hope in the possibility of a good outcome. Participants’ comments suggested that prognostic uncertainty, fear, and hope are connected by complex, bi-directional causal pathways mediated by processes that allow patients to cope with, construct, and maintain their uncertainty. A provisional dual-process theoretical model was developed to capture these pathways. Conclusions. Among patients with ovarian cancer, prognostic uncertainty is both a cause and an effect of FCR—a fear-inducing stimulus and a hope-sustaining response constructed and maintained through various strategies. More work is needed to elucidate the relationships between prognostic uncertainty, fear, and hope, to validate and refine our theoretical model, and to develop interventions to help patients with ovarian cancer and other serious illnesses to achieve an optimal balance between these states.
Calibration Data-based CNN Filter Pruning for Efficient Layer Fusion

Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) optimization is critical to reduce the inference latency on computing devices like CPU and GPU. The most important step in efficiently executing these algorithms involves combining multiple operations within a single convolutional layer through a process called Layer Fusion. We first form a correlation between Layer Fusion and data management on computing platforms like CPUs and GPUs, and analyze its significance for different networks under different model compression techniques, e.g., Pruning and Quantization. Weight Pruning removes redundant parameters in the network thereby shrinking the model size. This method, however, creates sparse matrices which can hamper the performance on CPU and GPU devices. Several node/filter pruning algorithms have been developed to resolve the bottlenecks of irregular pruning and reduce the inference time. Although symmetric pruning techniques reduce the forward path computation time, the weights and activations are still executed in floating point precision which can be further optimized by Quantization. This method reduces the bit-width of individual CNN parameter from high precision (Float32) to lower precision (Int8). Even though several model compression (pruning and quantization) techniques have been developed to improve performance, their integrated study with Layer Fusion has not been performed. In today’s scenario, not all CPUs and GPUs explicitly support Int8 multiplication. Hence, we analyze the performance of optimized implementation of Int8 Quantization on such devices like Intel’s Skylake and Nvidia’s Tesla V100. We develop a novel Node Pruning algorithm to remove redundant filters which can aid in efficient implementation of Layer Fusion/Quantized Networks. We compare the execution time of our combined pruning and quantization implementation with a traditional node pruning algorithm which achieved a mean speedup of 3.5 times on Skylake CPU.
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Training among Medical Schools in the United States:

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to be an effective method of HIV prevention for men who have sex with-men (MSM) and -transgender women (MSTGWs), serodiscordant couples, and injection...
Research Tools for Smart Electric Vehicle Charging: An introduction to the adaptive charging network research portal

Millions of Electric Vehicles (EVs) will enter service in the next decade, generating gigawatthours of additional energy demand. Charging these EVs cleanly, affordably, and without excessive stress on the grid will require advances in charging system design, hardware, monitoring, and control. Collectively, we refer to these advances as smart charging .
Influence function methods to assess the effectiveness of influenza vaccine with survey data.

Objective To examine a robust relative risk (RR) estimation for survey data analysis with ideal inferential properties under various model assumptions. Data sources We employed secondary data from the Household Component of the 2000-2016 U.S. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Study design We investigate a broad range of data-balancing techniques by implementing influence function (IF) methods, which allows us to easily estimate the variability for the RR estimates in the complex survey setting. We conduct a simulation study of seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness to evaluate these approaches and discuss techniques that show robust inferential performance across model assumptions. Data collection/extraction methods Demographic information, vaccine status, and self-administered questionnaire surveys were obtained from the longitudinal data files. We linked this information with medical condition files and medical event to extract the disease type and associated expenditures for each medical visit. We excluded individuals who were 18 years or younger at the beginning of each panel. Principal findings Under various model assumptions, the IF methods show robust inferential performance when the data-balancing procedures are incorporated. Once IF methods and data-balancing techniques are implemented, contingency table-based RR estimation yields a comparable result to the generalized linear model approach. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methods for complex survey data using 2000-2016 MEPS data. When employing these methods, we find a significant, negative association between vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates and influenza-incurred expenditures. Conclusions We describe and demonstrate a robust method for RR estimation and relevant inferences for influenza vaccine effectiveness using MEPS data. The proposed method is flexible and can be extended to weighted data for survey data analysis. Hence, these methods have great potential for health services research, especially when data is non-experimental and imbalanced. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A Friend's Request for Treatment.

Although the practice guidelines of several medical organizations recommend against treating friends or relatives, they make exceptions for emergencies or the unavailability of other qualified physicians.
The potential of optical layer networks

There is enormous potential in newly emerging optical layer networks that support a rapidly growing Internet backbone. This potential stems from the value of extended reach to remove costly regenerators, the value of configurability to reduce provisioning times between IP routers, and the value of optical peering to increase the efficiency of the EP backbone network.
Kinetics of sulfur oxidation at suboptimal temperatures.

Chemolithoautotrophic bacteria were enriched from mine water at incubation temperatures ranging from 4 to 46°C, using elemental sulfur as a substrate in acid mineral salts media. Thiobacillus-type bacteria were successfully enriched for at all test temperatures except 46°C. Changes in pH (−dpH/dt) were used to estimate the rate constants for the enrichment cultures. The rate constants yielded a linear Arrhenius plot, an activation energy of 65 kJ/mol, and a temperature coefficient (Q10) of 2.1 for the 4 to 37°C temperature interval.
Isolation, characterization, and amino acid sequences of auracyanins, blue copper proteins from the green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Three small blue copper proteins designated auracyanin A, auracyanin B-1, and auracyanin B-2 have been isolated from the thermophilic green gliding photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus. All three auracyanins are peripheral membrane proteins. Auracyanin A was described previously (Trost, J. T., McManus, J. D., Freeman, J. C., Ramakrishna, B. L., and Blankenship, R. E. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7858-7863) and is not glycosylated. The two B forms are glycoproteins and have almost identical properties to each other, but are distinct from the A form. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis apparent monomer molecular masses are 14 (A), 18 (B-2), and 22 (B-1) kDa. The amino acid sequences of the B forms are presented. All three proteins have similar absorbance, circular dichroism, and resonance Raman spectra, but the electron spin resonance signals are quite different. Laser flash photolysis kinetic analysis of the reactions of the three forms of auracyanin with lumiflavin and flavin mononucleotide semiquinones indicates that the site of electron transfer is negatively charged and has an accessibility similar to that found in other blue copper proteins. Copper analysis indicates that all three proteins contain 1 mol of copper per mol of protein. All three auracyanins exhibit a midpoint redox potential of +240 mV. Light-induced absorbance changes and electron spin resonance signals suggest that auracyanin A may play a role in photosynthetic electron transfer. Kinetic data indicate that all three proteins can donate electrons to cytochrome c-554, the electron donor to the photosynthetic reaction center.
AN EARLY CASE OF BIRTH INJURY. MULTIPLE ABNORMALITIES IN A ROMANO-BRITISH SKELETON.

SUMMARY A fourth-century Romano-British decapitated inhumation is described. It had multiple abnormalities, the most important of which were a shoulder injury, shortening of the left upper and lower limbs, and chronic infective lesions of the left leg and right foot. The diagnosis of obstetrical shoulder trauma and tuberculous infection of left knee and right tarsal joints is presented and discussed.
Sex-specific and race/ethnicity-specific disparities in cholangiocarcinoma incidence and prevalence in the USA: An updated analysis of the 2000-2011 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry.

Aim Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an uncommon but lethal malignancy with an increasing worldwide incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), but decreasing incidence of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC). To evaluate age-specific, sex-specific, race/ethnicity-specific variations in CCA incidence in the USA. Methods Using population-based cancer registry data from the 2000–2011 Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry, we retrospectively evaluated age-specific, sex-specific, race/ethnicity-specific variations in incidence and prevalence of CCA stratified by ICC and ECC subtypes among adults in the USA. Results A total of 11 296 patients with ICC and 8672 patients with ECC were identified. ICC incidence was significantly higher than ECC incidence (1.6 vs 1.3 per 100 000/year, P < 0.01). Among all race/ethnic groups and among both ICC and ECC, Asians had the highest cancer incidence. When stratified by age, CCA incidence increased with age among all groups; however, the rising incidence was most rapid among Asians. For example, among patients aged 80 years and over, the incidence of ICC among Asians was nearly twice the incidence among non-Hispanic whites (13.8 vs 7.2 per 100 000/year). Overall, CCA incidence was higher among men compared with women, and with increasing age, this sex-specific disparity was more pronounced. For example, among patients aged 80 years and over, the incidence of ICC was 9.8 per 100 000/year among men and 6.9 per 100 000/year among women. Conclusion Among adults with CCA in the USA, increasing age was associated with increasing incidence of CCA. In addition, sex-specific and race/ethnicity-specific disparities were seen with the highest incidence of CCA among men and among Asians.
Crude Democracy: RENTIER DEMOCRACY IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

The theoretical argument developed in this study, in contrast to recent work on the political effects of natural resource wealth, posits the existence of a democratic effect of resource rents. The theory also suggests conditions under which this democratic effect may become more important, relative to the authoritarian effects of resource wealth, and thereby generates hypotheses to help explain variation in political outcomes across resource-rich countries. The statistical analysis of cross-section time-series data presented in Chapter Four is broadly consistent with these hypotheses, and the Venezuelan case study developed in the previous chapter suggests not only that resource rents have had a democratic effect in Venezuela—a country with a highly unequal distribution of wealth in the relatively well-developed, non-resource sectors of the economy—but also that the mechanisms emphasized in this book can help explain both the stabilization and the destabilization of Venezuelan democracy. Nonetheless, as discussed earlier, other theories might conceivably be consistent with the evidence presented so far, particularly with respect to the cross-national variation uncovered by the statistical analysis; moreover, Venezuela provides just one case (albeit a rich and informative one) with which to evaluate the theory empirically. In this chapter, I therefore analyze evidence from Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Botswana, leaving detailed examination of other cases to future work. (Several other cases, including cases for which the theory would predict an authoritarian effect of rents, are considered in the concluding chapter.)
Effects of Drought Stressed Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., on Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) Oviposition, and Larval Feeding Preferences and Growth

The beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), has been anecdotally reported to oviposit more on drought stressed than on nonstressed cotton plants. Using potted cotton plants in cages, this study demonstrated that beet armyworms deposited 3.3, 4.6, and 2.3 times more (P ≤ 0.05) eggs on cotton plants that were grown on 1500, 1000, and 750 ml water/wk, respectively, than on cotton plants grown in well watered (4000 ml water/wk) soil. Third instars, however, showed no preference for stressed cotton foliage over nonstressed foliage. Third instar beet armyworms raised on well watered cotton plants were 1.5, 2.3, and 2.6 times heavier than those reared on cotton grown in the 1500, 1000, and 750 ml water/wk plants (P ≤ 0.05), respectively. Physiochemical analyses showed that drought stressed leaves had significantly greater accumulations of free amino acids that are essential for insect growth and development. Soluble protein and soluble carbohydrates were also more abundant in stressed leaves compared to nonstressed leaves. Despite the apparent increase in nutritional quality in drought stressed plants, larval survival was reduced, probably because the limiting factor became water. Greater amounts of cotton leaf area were consumed from drought stressed leaves (P ≤ 0.05) than from nonstressed leaves, probably because the larvae had to metabolize greater portions of assimilated energy to supplement body water with metabolic water derived from respiration. The association of greater host plant nutritional quality to oviposition preference, and conversely, to reduced survivorship, is discussed.
É preciso salvar os direitos humanos

Os direitos humanos se encontram em fase de evidente desprestigio. Os motivos do descredito nao sao apenas as violacoes que prosseguem, nem distorcoes decorrentes de valores nao ocidentais. Sao tambem, e sobretudo, sua extensao conceitual exagerada, promovida pela esquerda culturalista pos-moderna, assim como a repeticao inercial de acoes e posturas, hoje anacronicas, inerentes ao sistema de protecao internacional existente. Para recupera-los em sentido construtivo e necessario voltar a Declaracao Universal de 1948, atualizar o discurso originalmente construido contra ditaduras e readaptar o sistema a situacao das democracias atuais ameacadas.
Association of fever with late-onset pulmonary hypersensitivity responses in the guinea pig.

Abstract The guinea pig model of pulmonary hypersensitivity, developed in this laboratory, was used to study the relationship of fever with late-onset airway responses (LAR). The preceding paper M. H. Karol, J. A. Hillebrand, and P. S. Thorne. (1989) . Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 100 , 234–246 described production of immediate-onset responses (IAR) to ovalbumin (OA) with infrequent production of LAR ( Karol et al. , 1989 ). In the current study, LAR was produced on each of two occasions in the same animals using a sensitization regimen consisting of ip injection with 1 mg OA followed by exposure to 63 mg/m 3 OA aerosol on Day 8. On Days 15 and 29, pyrilamine maleate was administered prior to inhalation challenges to block H 1 receptors and to allow exposure for 20 min to 63 mg/m 3 OA without histamine shock and fatal anaphylactic reactions. Each of the seven guinea pigs demonstrated IAR; four of seven additionally underwent LAR on both occasions. Late-onset responses were maximal at 4–5 hr postchallenge. Febrile responses of approximately 1°C (maximum 1.6°C) accompanied the LAR in six of seven cases. Histopathology performed at the height of response revealed peribronchiolar eosinophilia. Pulmonary function determination indicated airflow disturbance during exhalation. These results are consistent with LAR being an airway response which is accompanied by fever and demonstrate the applicability of the guinea pig animal model to the study of mechanisms underlying IAR and LAR hypersensitivities.
K-band mixing and 8p-8h states in 40Ca

Abstract K -band mixing and higher order deformed states are introduced into an earlier multiparticle-multihole model of 40 Ca. The inclusion of these states enables the model to explain certain experimental data which the simplified model could not explain. In particular, K = 2 4p-4h states are needed to account for the decay of the 5.24 MeV, 2 + state. The 5.20 MeV 0 + state is interpreted as the first member of an 8p-8h deformed rotational band.
Structural and thermodynamic analysis of modified nucleosides in self-assembled DNA cross-tiles

DNA Holliday junctions are important natural strand-exchange structures that form during homologous recombination. Immobile four-arm junctions, analogs to Holliday junctions, have been designed to self-assemble into cross-tile structures by maximizing Watson-Crick base pairing and fixed crossover points. The cross-tiles, self-assembled from base pair recognition between designed single-stranded DNAs, form higher order lattice structures through cohesion of self-associating sticky ends. These cross-tiles have 16 unpaired nucleosides in the central loop at the junction of the four duplex stems. The importance of the centralized unpaired nucleosides to the structure's thermodynamic stability and self-assembly is unknown. Cross-tile DNA nanostructures were designed and constructed from nine single-stranded DNAs with four shell strands, four arms, and a central loop containing 16 unpaired bases. The 16 unpaired bases were either 2'-deoxyribothymidines, 2'-O-methylribouridines, or abasic 1',2'-dideoxyribonucleosides. Thermodynamic profiles and structural base-stacking contributions were assessed using UV absorption spectroscopy during thermal denaturation and circular dichroism spectroscopy, respectively, and the resulting structures were observed by atomic force microscopy. There were surprisingly significant changes in the thermodynamic and structural properties of lattice formation as a result of altering only the 16 unpaired, centralized nucleosides. The 16 unpaired 2'-O-methyluridines were stabilizing and produced uniform tubular structures. In contrast, the abasic nucleosides were destabilizing producing a mixture of structures. These results strongly indicate the importance of a small number of centrally located unpaired nucleosides within the structures. Since minor modifications lead to palpable changes in lattice formation, DNA cross-tiles present an easily manipulated structure convenient for applications in biomedical and biosensing devices.
Stochastic Modeling Based DGPS Estimation Algorithm

: A Kinematic Differential GPS algorithm is presented. Specifically, the accurate relative (and absolute) positioning of a team, or formation, of mobile vehicles is considered and a general navigation web concept is advanced. The measurement situation is modeled under a stochastic framework, and, rather than differencing and double differencing, as is current practice in conventional DGPS, the common errors are explicitly acknowledged and a centralized position estimation algorithm is derived. In addition, the predicted covariance of the team members' position estimation errors is obtained. Also, treating the common errors as parameters to be estimated yields estimates of the clocks' relative errors. Extensive simulations are performed to validate the Kinematic DGPS algorithm. The results are compared to conventional DGPS scenarios, where the reference stations are stationary or there is only one available observation epoch. The positioning accuracy improvements achieved are gauged against the performance of conventional DGPS.
Renal complications of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

A 63-year-old, hypertensive, nondiabetic man with a 4-year history of gout was hospitalized because of painful swelling of his right foot. His blood pressure had been treated with nifedipine, 20 mg orally, three times daily. On admission, the patient was normotensive (blood pressure, 140/85 mm Hg) and had no clinical signs of congestive heart failure or volume depletion. Physical examination revealed erythema and soft-tissue swelling of the dorsum of the right foot with metatarsal tenderness. Laboratory data showed mild azotemia with a BUN level of 23 mg/dl; serum creatinine, 1.8 mg/dl; creatinine clearance, 70 mllmin; serum potassium, 4.1 mEq/liter; serum bicarbonate, 24 mmol/liter; and serum uric acid, 13.2 mg/dl. Roentgenographic findings were consistent with erosive gout, and a diagnosis of acute gouty attack was made. Indomethacin, 50 mg orally three times daily, was begun. The patient's symptoms improved rapidly, but within 4 days, the BUN rose to 51 mg/dl; serum creatinine, 2.4 mg/dl; serum potassium, 6.6 mEq/liter; and serum bicarbonate, 27 mmollliter; the creatinine clearance decreased to 36 mI/mm, with a fractional excretion of sodium of 0.06% and a urinary potassium concentration of 21 mEq/liter. The urinary sediment was unremarkable. The patient's blood pressure ranged from 140/85 to 150/90 mm Hg and no major changes in urinary output were noted. Indomethacin treatment was discontinued and replaced by colchicine. The patient's renal function and serum potassium level returned to baseline values within 4 days.
On the survivability and pyrosynthesis of PAH during combustion of pulverized coal and tire crumb

Abstract Results are presented on the emissions of semivolatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from the combustion of a pulverized bituminous coal and ground waste automobile tires. Streams of fuel particles were injected at steady-state steady-flow conditions, and burned inside an isothermal drop-tube furnace, in air, at a gas temperature and gas residence time of 1150°C and 0.75 s, respectively. Combustion occurred under either very fuel-lean conditions (bulk equivalence ratio, φ 1.6 and, especially, under pyrolytic conditions in N 2 . These PAHs were mostly attributed to pyrosynthesis since none of the deuterated PAHs, adsorbed on the fuels, survived the combustion process. Small amounts of the labeled compounds, however, survived under purely pyrolytic conditions. These results were confirmed with separate experiments, where deuterium-labeled PAH standards were adsorbed on highly porous calcium/magnesium oxide or mullite particles. Again, small amounts of some PAHs survived in high-temperature pyrolytic conditions, but none in oxidative environments. These observations suggest that pyrosynthesis is the major contributing mechanism to the PAH emissions from the combustion of these fuels. Survivability of parent PAHs may be a minor mechanism at very high equivalence ratios. Finally, both fuels were mixed with powders of calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ), and calcium oxide (CaO), all of which are known sulfur reduction agents, at a molar Ca/S ratio of 1. Combustion of the fuels mixed with CMA or CaCO 3 generated enhanced amounts of PAHs, while combustion with CaO had no effect on the PAH emissions.
Atrial Lipomatous Hypertrophy: Lipomatous Atrial Hypertrophy With Significant Involvement of the Right Atrial Wall

Lipomatous atrial hypertrophy is a generally benign abnormality characterized by the deposition of adipose tissue in the interatrial septum and is usually detected as an incidental echocardiographic finding. We present two cases in which the presence of lipomatous atrial hypertrophy was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography, but tangential cuts of a more diffuse lipomatous process suggested the presence of intracavitary right atrial mass lesions. Transesophageal echocardiography provided additional details of significant right atrial wall involvement. In one case computer assisted tomographic scans showed a progression of thickening over a 4-year period. Lipomatous atrial hypertrophy can be a more generalized and progressive abnormality then previously thought and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of echocardiographic intracavitary right atrial masses.
Erythroid lineage-restricted expression of Jak2V617F is sufficient to induce a myeloproliferative disease in mice

The JAK2V617F mutation has been found in most cases of Ph-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. Recent studies have shown that expression of Jak2V617F in the hematopoietic compartment causes marked expansion of erythroid progenitors and their transformation to cytokine-independence. To determine if erythroid progenitors are the target cells for induction and propagation of Jak2V617F-evoked myeloproliferative neoplasm, we used a conditional Jak2V617F knock-in mouse and an erythroid-lineage specific EpoRCre line. Erythroid-specific expression of heterozygous or homozygous Jak2V617F resulted in a polycythemia-like phenotype characterized by increase in hematocrit and hemoglobin, increased red blood cells, erythropoietin-independent erythroid colonies and splenomegaly. Transplantation of Jak2V617F-expressing erythroid progenitors from the diseased mice into secondary recipients could not propagate the disease. Our results suggest that erythroid lineage-restricted expression of Jak2V617F is sufficient to induce a polycythemia-like disease in a gene-dose dependent manner. Jak2V617F mutation, however, does not confer leukemia stem cell-like properties to erythroid progenitors.
Plato on Conversation and Experience

Plato's dialogues show discourse strategies beyond purely intellectual methods of persuasion. The usual assumption is that linguistic understanding depends on a match of inner experiences. This is partly explained by an underlying engagement with the historical Gorgias on discourse and psychology, as well as Parmenides on philosophical logos. In the Gorgias and the Symposium, speakers cannot understand alien experiences by philosophical conversation alone. There is no developed alternative model of understanding in the Platonic dialogues. The difficulties in bringing ‘philistine souls’ into Socratic alignment are the result of possessing an inferior soul, suffering misdirected passions, or missing the philosophy bug.
Role of Nitric Oxide and Carbon Monoxide in Modulating the ACTH Response to Immune and Nonimmune Signals

The role played by nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) was explored in the adult male rat by determining whether antagonizing the activity of the enzymes responsible for the formation of these
Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture

Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture David Chidester. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. Several years ago, I attended an American Academy of Religion annual conference held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. While on a break, I was walking along the boardwalk of one of the resort areas when a father and his small child approached a shaved ice concession stand. The father pointed to the "ices" on display and said "Are those faket" Ironically, the question was said with the same inflection, disbelief, and awe that one would intone when asking if something was real. However, in this inverted Disney "world" of inauthenticity, this man was questioning not reality, but the validity of the display's fakeness. I have often thought of that moment in my own research interests, where I am constantly plagued by questions and comments about what constitutes reality and the implied value judgments that are inherent in the distinction between authenticity and inauthenticity. So it was with great anticipation that I approached David Chidester's Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture. Chidester explores the issues of religion in a highly commercialized world in the midst of globalization by American corporations. The book examines elements of religious belief and practice that have materialized in the popular culture of the last twenty or thirty years. He examines dimensions and expressions of religious belief and practices m a wide variety of cultural institutions. Some of these institutions may not be surprising to readers, such as thinking of American baseball as religion or thinking of the potentially religious dimensions of the Coca-Cola or McDonald's corporations. Others are surprising and insightful, such as Chidester's argument that Ronald Reagan and Jim Jones in the 1980s were promoting a similar message of religious sacrifice. Chidester writes, "In the ideologies of Jim Jones and Ronald Reagan, sacrifice is that act that totalizes all the elements of a worldview into a meaningful and powerful whole" (103). At its heart, the book is making an argument for the religiosity of "The American Dream," how that myth is carried out and promoted, and how it sometimes fails as an aspect of a uniquely American religious system. Chidester's chapter headings point to the various ways in which he defines religion in American popular culture: Popular, Plastic, Embodied, Sacrificial, Monetary, Global, Transatlantic, Shamanic, and Virtual. Each of these terms in turn reflects how religion has found its way into the culture and reflects elements of the flexibility, globalization, and media expressions of religion in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Each of the headings also points to a culturally constructed understanding of religion. …
On the biogeography of the family Podolampadaceae Lindemann (Dinophyceae) — vertical and latitudinal distribution

Abstract The latitudinal distribution of the family Podolampadaceae (Dinophyceae) has been compiled from a literature review augmented by the author's observations. The apparent scarcity of Podolampadacean cells as reported in the literature and generally collected with 64 μm mesh nets, was found to be a result of inadequate sampling procedures: (1) collection mesh size larger than the actual cell size of most Podolampaceans, (2) insufficient filtration volumes, and/or (3) inappropriate sampling depths. The vertical distribution of the Podolampadaceans is described using an example from the Central Equatorial Pacific. The greatest concentrations of Podolampadacean cells were found between 100 and 150 m while the highest percentages of Podolampadaceans were found between 100 and 200 m. Surface tows will therefore miss many Podolampadacean cells. A comparison between phytoplankton samples collected with 28 μm and 64 μm mesh nets shows that the 28 μm mesh net catches more Podolampadacean cells and is more suitable for the collection of Podolampadaceans. The Podolampadaceans should no longer be regarded as exclusively warm water species, but rather as a diverse group with a wide range in both vertical and latitudinal distribution, and in temperature tolerance, achieving maximum species diversity in the tropics.
A Presumptive Case of Kindler Syndrome with a New Clinical Finding

Herein we present a 9-year-old boy with a constellation of clinical findings most consistent with Kindler syndrome, and report a new finding, severe corneal ectasia, which resulted in exposure keratitis requiring enucleation.
Functional differences between human cutaneous mast cells and basophils: a comparison of morphine-induced histamine release

Intravenous administration of morphine sulfate often produces urticarial and hypotensive reactions associated with elevations in plasma histamine. The source of this histamine and mechanisms controlling its release are poorly understood. Previous studies of morphine-induced histamine release compared human leukocytes to rat peritoneal mast cells. The effects of morphine on human cutaneous mast cells has not been examined. We studiedin vitro histamine release from human basophils and human skin preparations containing cutaneous mast cells to evaluate their relative, contribution to the pharmacologic effects of morphine. Human skin mast cell preparations showed dosedependent histamine release over a morphine concentration range of 1.5×10−5 to 4.5×10−3 M, with peak release occurring at 5×10−4 M, with peak release occurring at 5×10−4 M. Clinically, morphine sulfate is usually injected as a 1.5×10−2 M solution. Histamine release was calcium dependent and equivalent to that obtained with 3 and 10 mM strontium. Morphologic examination revealed degranulation and exocytosis occurring in morphine-stimulated tissue but not in specimens exposed to buffer alone. Lactate dehydrogenase levels did not increase following morphine incubation, thus supporting a noncytolytic mechanism of histamine release. Basophils, in contrast, showed no significant histamine release from exposure to morphine up to 10−2 M. Concanavalin A, as a positive control in these same preparations, produced a mean histamine release of 21.0%. Our studies indicate distinct functional differences between human skin mast cell and human blood basophil responses to morphine sulfate. We conclude that the cutaneous and systemic reactions to morphine sulfate probably result from the release of histamine from mast cells rather than from basophils.
Misallocation and Growth

This paper models growth via on-the-job learning when firms and workers are heterogeneous. It is an overlapping generations model in which young agents match with the old. More efficient assignments lead to faster long-run growth, more inequality, and less turnover in the distribution of human capital. Constant-growth paths are characterized for general functional forms and then, for the CobbDouglas case, the transition dynamics are solved analytically when the skill of the young is log-normally distributed and the initial human capital of the old generation is also log-normal. Growth and inequality move together on the transition to the balanced growth path. (JEL D83, J24, J31, J41) This article employs an overlapping generations model to study the effect of mismatch in human capital on an economy’s growth rate in a partnership production setting with skill complementarity. The main model consists of four components: a production function requiring one old agent and one young agent; an education function that determines the skill of a young agent as a function of his innate ability and the average skill of the old alive in the period; an on-the-job learning function which determines the skill of an agent when he is old; and an imperfect signal of young skill. This common, but imperfect information about young workers’ abilities then guides who matches with whom, and the imperfection of this signal acts as an “assignment friction.” Abilities of the old and young are complements in production and in training, and a mismatch occurs when positive assortative matching is not in effect. The article solves for the growth rate or per capita output along the balanced path and studies the effects of changes in the signal-to-noise ratio regarding young skill on and off the balanced growth path (BGP). The results are twofold. First, BGPs alone are compared. Better signals lead to more efficient assignments which, in turn, lead to faster long-run growth, to more income inequality, and to less turnover in the distribution of firm productivity. Second, transition dynamics are worked out analytically for a Cobb-Douglas economy with log-normal signals. Following an exogenous improvement in the quality
Tree clustering for constraint networks (research note)

Abstract The paper offers a systematic way of regrouping constraints into hierarchical structures capable of supporting search without backtracking. The method involves the formation and preprocessing of an acyclic database that permits a large variety of queries and local perturbations to be processed swiftly, either by sequential backtrack-free procedures, or by distributed constraint propagation processes.
Two-Bond Spin−Spin Coupling across a Hydrogen Bond: X−Y Coupling in the Presence and Absence of the Proton

This paper addresses the question of whether spin−spin coupling between X and Y across an X−H−Y hydrogen bond is proof that the hydrogen bond is covalent. The results of ab initio equation-of-motion coupled cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) calculations are used to compare coupling constants (2hJX-Y) for hydrogen-bonded complexes and related complexes that have the same X−Y distance but no hydrogen bond. The results show that even in the absence of a hydrogen bond, X−Y coupling can occur. The magnitude of this coupling constant may be greater or less than it is in the hydrogen-bonded complex. Thus, these data suggest that X−Y spin−spin coupling is not a proof of covalency. The role of the hydrogen bond is to allow X and Y to approach each other close enough to form a stable complex, for which an X−Y coupling constant can be measured experimentally. The presence of the proton does influence the magnitude of the coupling constant by altering the s-electron densities on X and Y.
Diurnal spectral sensitivity of the acute alerting effects of light.

Study Objectives: Previous studies have demonstrated short-wavelength sensitivity for the acute alerting response to nocturnal light exposure. We assessed daytime spectral sensitivity in alertness, performance, and waking electroencephalogram (EEG). Design: Between-subjects (n = 8 per group). Setting: Inpatient intensive physiologic monitoring unit. Participants: Sixteen healthy young adults (mean age Â± standard deviation = 23.8 Â± 2.7 y). Interventions: Equal photon density exposure (2.8 A� 1013 photons/cm2/s) to monochromatic 460 nm (blue) or 555 nm (green) light for 6.5 h centered in the middle of the 16-h episode of wakefulness during the biological day. Results were compared retrospectively to 16 individuals who were administered the same light exposure during the night. Measurements and Results: Daytime and nighttime 460-nm light exposure significantly improved auditory reaction time (P 0.05), 460-nm light exposure at night significantly reduced subjective sleepiness compared to 555-nm light exposure at night (P < 0.05). Moreover, nighttime 460-nm exposure improved alertness to near-daytime levels. Conclusions: The alerting effects of short-wavelength 460-nm light are mediated by counteracting both the circadian drive for sleepiness and homeostatic sleep pressure at night, but only via reducing the effects of homeostatic sleep pressure during the day.
Between Public Policy and Foreign Policy: U.S. Immigration Law Reform and the Undocumented Migrant

Why it is that U.S. lawmakers are so fixated on the undocumented migrant as a figure of threat? By looking to congressional immigration law reform politics during the 1980s and 1990s, I argue that a possible answer lies in the way that the undocumented migrant is tied to both public policy and foreign policy issues and spaces. I also suggest how this representation of the undocumented migrant at a public policy/foreign policy crossroads links up with the recent reconfiguration of U.S. immigration-related statecraft in the form of heightened interior immigration enforcement.
Computerized time-of flight ultrasonic tomography for breast examination.

Abstract A new approach to ultrasonic breast imaging is reported. Two-dimensional velocity distributions in tomographic slices transaxial to the breast are reconstructed from transmission time-of-flight projections. The data are displayed both as video images and in numeric format. Results of a clinical investigation in which both malignant and benign lesions have been observed are presented. The possibility of differential diagnosis of pathologies on the basis of velocity is discussed.
Interactions of silica surfaces

Adhesion, friction, and colloidal forces in air and aqueous salt solutions have been measured between various silica surfaces prepared by depositing amorphous but highly smooth silica films on mica. The results show four interesting and interrelated phenomena: (i) The adhesion of silica surfaces in air increases slowly with contact time, especially in humid air where the "contacting" surfaces become separated by an ∼20-A-thick layer of hydrated silica or silica gel. (ii) The friction of two silica surfaces exhibits large sticking or "stiction" spikes, whose magnitude increases in the presence of water and when the surfaces are kept in contact longer before sliding. (iii) The non-DLVO repulsion commonly seen at short range (<40 A) between silica surfaces immersed in aqueous solutions is monotonically repulsive, with no oscillatory component, and is quite unlike theoretical expectations and previous measurements of forces due to solvent structure. (iv) Dynamic contact angle measurements reveal time-dependent effects which cannot be due to a fixed surface chemical heterogeneity or roughness. The results indicate that silica surfaces undergo slow structural and chemical changes during interactions with water and with each other. More specifically, we propose that the unusual interfacial and colloidal properties of silica are due, not to hydration effects, but to the presence of an ∼10-Athick gel-like layer of protruding silanol and silicilic acid groups that grow on the surfaces in the presence of water. These protruding groups react chemically (sinter) with similar groups located on an opposing surface and give rise to the unusual time-dependent adhesion, friction, and non-DLVO forces observed. Concerning the effects on colloidal interactions, the surface gel-layer effectively shifts the OHP outward and adds a monotonic short-range polymer-like steric repulsion to the DLVO interaction. The mechanism proposed here is quite different from the commonly accepted one, in which modified water structure at the silica surface is believed to give rise to a repulsive "hydration force." The proposed mechanism in terms of a surface layer of silica gel is consistent with the known surface chemistry of silica and accounts for the results reported here and also for many other unusual surface and colloidal properties of silica.
Modeling the hydro-mechanical responses of strip and circular punch loadings on water-saturated collapsible geomaterials

A stabilized enhanced strain finite element procedure for poromechanics is fully integrated with an elasto-plastic cap model to simulate the hydro-mechanical interactions of fluid-infiltrating porous rocks with associative and non-associative plastic flow. We present a quantitative analysis on how macroscopic plastic volumetric response caused by pore collapse and grain rearrangement affects the seepage of pore fluid, and vice versa. Results of finite element simulations imply that the dissipation of excess pore pressure may significantly affect the stress path and thus alter the volumetric plastic responses.