cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphological Shape, Episkeletobiont Analysis, and Life Orientation Study in Pseudoatrypa cf. lineata (Brachiopoda) from the Lower Genshaw Formation of the Middle Devonian Traverse Group, Michigan: A Geometric Morphometric Approach

Atrypids examined from the lower Genshaw Formation of the Middle Devonian (early middle Givetian) Traverse Group include a large assemblage of Pseudoatrypa bearing a rich fauna of episkeletobionts. We identified two species of Pseudoatrypa—Pseudoatrypa lineata and Pseudoatrypa sp. A based on ornamentation and shell shape. Qualitative examination suggested that the former had fine-medium size ribbing, narrow hinge line, widened anterior, gentle to steep mid-anterior fold, a more domal shaped dorsal valve, and an inflated ventral valve in contrast to the coarse ribbing, widened hinge line, narrow anterior, gentle mid-anterior fold, arched shape dorsal valve, and flat ventral valve of the latter. Geometric morphometric analysis supported two statistically different shapes (p < 0.01) for the two distinct species. This study further examined these atrypids to investigate the influence of morphology on episkeletobiont settlement on the two Pseudoatrypa species. Among the 343 atrypid hosts examined, nearly 50 % were encrusted by episkeletobionts. Common encrusters included microconchids, bryozoan sheets, and hederellids. Less common encrusters included auloporid corals, cornulitids, tabulate corals, Ascodictyon, craniid brachiopods, and fenestrate bryozoans. Hederellids, auloporid corals, cornulitids, and tabulate corals encrusted a few living Pseudoatrypa hosts, but determination of pre- or post-mortem encrustation by the majority of episkeletobionts is equivocal. In a very few cases, episkeletobionts crossed the commissure indicating the death of the host. Some episkeletobionts, microconchids and the sheet bryozoans, were more common on Pseudoatrypa lineata, which exhibited more dorsal–ventral convexity than Pseudoatrypa sp. A. Perhaps, P. lineata may have provided a larger surface area for episkeletobiont settlement relative to Pseudoatrypa sp. A. In both the host species, encrustation was heaviest on the convex dorsal valve. This suggests that most of the encrustation occurred in a reclining, dorsal-valve-up life orientation of both species, in which the convex dorsal valve was exposed in the water column and the ventral valve remained in contact with the substrate. However, life orientations of these atrypid species could not be confidently predicted simply from the location preferences of episkeletobionts alone, as the life orientation of the host would also have been a hydrodynamically stable orientation of the articulated shell after death. Most episkeletobionts encrusted the posterior region of both dorsal and ventral valves of the two species, which suggests that the inflated areas of these valves, when exposed, favored the settlement of most episkeletobiont larvae.
Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace: Emerging Research and Practice

This chapter is an introduction to and an overview of the Handbook for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace. It provides a brief description of the spiritual context out of which the faith and spirituality in the workplace movement has emerged. The evolution of the history of management is reviewed from Taylor (Principles of scientific management, Harper, NY, 1911) to the current emergence of “Management, Spirituality and Religion” field of study. Next is a description of the design of this book, and then a list of key questions being addressed by the field are listed. The chapter concludes with a summary of the seven parts of the Handbook.
An angiographic and clinical study of coronary collateral circulation

An anteriographic study has been made of the coronary collateral circulation of 100 consecutive patients who had complete occlusion of at least one coronary artery on coronary arteriography but who had contracting myocardium in the area once supplied by the occluded artery. Twenty-four additional patients were included who had coronary occlusion with a ventricular aneurysm. When there was contracting myocardium the distal end of the occluded artery which supplied it always filled with contrast material through collaterals and the better the myocardium contracted the more quickly and densely it filled and the more arterial branches were seen. Furthermore, the visibility of collateral was related directly to the density of filling of the obstructed segment of the coronary artery and to the quality of contraction of the myocardium in the distribution of the distal obstructed segment. By contrast in those with ventricular aneurysm, where contracting muscle was not seen in the peripheral distribution of the obstructed artery, the distal end of the obstructed artery filled slowly and poorly, had few branches and its collateral supply was not seen clearly. It is concluded that collateral vessels are functionally very important to the myocardium in the presence of coronary disease. The present study provides evidence in man that when coronary occlusion occurs whether an aneurysm develops or functioning myocardium remains depends on the presence of adequate collateral coronary circulation to the obstructed distal segment.
Role of Lysophospholipids in Cell Growth and Survival

Lysophospholipids are not only metabolites in membrane phospholipid synthesis, but also extracellular bioactive mediators of multiple biological processes. The best characterized of these are lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which have both emerged as important regulators of cell growth and survival. Identification of LPA and S1P receptors in the past several years has led to the accumulation of evidence that most cellular responses to LPA and S1P are mediated through activation of their cognate G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). There are at least three high-affinity receptors for LPA—named LPA1, LPA2 and LPA3—and five receptor subtypes for S1P, designated S1P1–5. The widespread expression of these receptors and their downstream G proteins of various classes allow activation of a variety of signal transduction pathways that are integrated to trigger diverse cellular responses to LPA or S1P.
Men's and Women's Approaches to Disclosure About BRCA-Related Cancer Risks and Family Planning Decision-Making

Little is known about how men and women who test positive for a BRCA gene mutation or have a strong family history of carrying a BRCA mutation manage disclosures about their BRCA-related cancer risks and family planning decision-making. By conducting interviews with 25 men and 20 women, this study investigated men's and women's approaches to disclosing their BRCA-related cancer risks and family planning decision-making. Guided by the Disclosure Decision-Making Model (DD-MM), this study demonstrates that men and women assess both information and the recipients of disclosures when making disclosure decisions. Theoretical implications for the DD-MM are discussed along with practical implications for hereditary cancer risk and family planning.
Essential Market Squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) Embryo Habitat: A Baseline for Anticipated Ocean Climate Change

ABSTRACT The market squid Doryteuthis opalescens deposits embryo capsules onto the continental shelf from Baja California to southern Alaska, yet little is known about the environment of embryo habitat. This study provides a baseline of environmental data and insights on factors underlying site selection for embryo deposition off southern California, and defines current essential embryo habitat using (1) remotely operated vehicle–supported surveys of benthos and environmental variables, (2) SCUBA surveys, and (3) bottom measurements of T, S, pH, and O2. Here, embryo habitat is defined using embryo capsule density, capsule bed area, consistent bed footprint, and association with [O2] and pH (pCO2) on the shelf. Spatial variation in embryo capsule density and location appears dependent on environmental conditions, whereas the temporal pattern of year-round spawning is not. Embryos require [O2] greater than 160 µmol and pHT greater than 7.8. Temperature does not appear to be limiting (range: 9.9°C–15.5°C). D...
The impact of C1/D1 treatment follow-up calls on emergency room visits for chemotherapy patients.

289Background: One of the more challenging aspects of managing patients receiving chemotherapy is to reduce Emergency Room (ER) visits and ultimately hospital readmissions. Patients may not underst...
Associations among student conflict management style and attitudes toward empathy

Abstract Introduction Pharmacy education standards include a focus on interprofessional education and communication skills, specifically naming conflict management and patient-centered communication as key areas. This study aimed to explore the association between conflict management style and attitudes toward empathy among first year pharmacy students (P1s) in professional encounters. Methods A cross-sectional design was implemented among two cohorts of P1s who completed an online survey including the Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument professional version (TKCI-P) and the Kiersma–Chen Empathy Scale (KCES). Results Those scoring higher on the competing mode reported significantly lower attitudes toward empathy (p Conclusions These results suggest that awareness and training in empathy and conflict management should be incorporated in curricular content to support the likelihood of future pharmacists to be effective in their future patient and interprofessional interactions.
Semantic Location

Mobile web-services often use location information for service customisation. Most such services operate on the user’s physical/geographical location. Unfortunately, such common forms of location carry little context information. In the CoolTown project at HP Labs, we have addressed this deficiency by defined an orthogonal form of location – Semantic location. Use of this form of location can also help lower the risk of invasion of privacy.
Neuropsychological Features of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease

Detectable cognitive decline occurs in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) well before the clinical diagnosis can be made with any certainty. Studies examining this preclinical period identify decline in episodic memory as the earliest manifestation of the disease (i.e., a condition of amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment). The episodic memory impairment is characterized by deficits in a number of processes including delayed recall, the recollective aspect of recognition memory, associative memory necessary for “binding” representations of two or more stimuli, pattern separation necessary to distinguish between two similar memory representations, prospective memory required to remember a delayed intention to act at a certain time in the future, and autobiographical memory for specific episodes that occurred in one’s past. A growing body of evidence suggests that cognitive changes in preclinical AD may be more global in nature. Deterioration of semantic knowledge is evident on demanding naming and category fluency tasks, and “executive” dysfunction is apparent on tasks that require concurrent mental manipulation of information (e.g., working memory) or cue-directed behavior (e.g., set-shifting). Asymmetric cognitive test performance may also be apparent prior to significant decline in cognitive ability. The pattern and progression of these neuropsychological changes fit well with the proposed distribution and spread of AD pathology and serve as important cognitive markers of early disease.
Aqueous metal-free hydrothiolation of enamides and enecarbamates

Abstract An efficient and metal-free, anti-Markovnikov selective, hydrothioaltion reaction of enamides and enecarbamates in an aqueous medium is presented. This protocol is operationally simple, mild, and atom-economical. This process provides access to thioethers from available thiols and a variety of enamides and enecarbamates.
Perception of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Teachers’ Usage of Modern

Regardless of the fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria is taking proactive measures to provide various types of modern technology for effective professional practices, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teachers do not seem to perceive these technologies for use in their teaching activities.
O2 Effect of treatment on antiphospholipid antibodies in SLE

Background Unlike primary antiphospholipid syndrome patients, most SLE patients with antiphospholipid antibodies are on one or more treatments for their SLE that might affect levels of their antiphospholipid antibodies. We examined the effect of prednisone and hydroxychloroquine on antiphospholipid antibodies in an SLE longitudinal cohort. Methods 943 SLE patients, who were tested for each anticardiolipin isotype (aCL IgG, IgM and IgA; INOVA) and lupus anticoagulant (LAC; dRVVT with further confirmatory testing) for at least 10 quarterly clinic visits, were included. We compared visits positive for antiphospholipid antibodies (aCL>20 and aCL>40; dRVVT>45) to visits negative for antiphospholipid antibodies, with respect to treatment, using conditional logistic regression and conditioning on the patient. Results Prednisone treatment significantly reduced the levels of aCL IgG isotypes (aCL IgG>40 and some prednisone but less than 10 mg/day, OR 0.61 95% CI 0.46–0.80 p=0.0004), but not aCL IgM, IgA, or LAC. Hydroxychloroquine treatment significantly reduced aCL IgG (aCL IgG>40, OR 0.35 95% CI 0.22–0.55 p 40, OR 0.56 95% CI 0.36–0.87 p=0.010) and LAC (OR 0.71 95% CI 0.58–0.86 p=0.007) but not aCL IgA. Conclusions Prednisone does not reduce IgM or IgA isotypes of anticardiolipin, or LAC. These results explain why prednisone does not reduce thrombosis in SLE. Hydroxychloroquine, on the other hand, significantly reduces all antiphospholipid types except for the IgA isotype of anticardiolipin. This may explain why IgA isotypes are more common in SLE. It may also explain why hydroxychloroquine leads to only a 50% reduction in thrombosis, as IgA isotypes do confer some risk of thrombosis. Acknowledgements The Hopkins Lupus Cohort is supported by NIH Grant RO1 AR 69572.
Using a Standardized Patient Model for Interprofessional Team Training in Social Work

The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a single-session Interprofessional Team (IPT) Training that incorporates the practice of interprofessional teamwork using a health care case study. We will share how a large-scale training that requires interprofessional teams of students to create a treatment plan of care for a standardized patient developed over time and how this experiential learning activity affects learning outcomes for social work students related to interprofessional awareness and teamwork skills. Additionally, we will explore the use of video technology as a pedagogical approach to presenting standardized patients to students. Student responses from three IPT Training sessions provided the data discussed in this article. While overall results are mixed about students’ learning outcomes, trends in the data show this single-session, interprofessional training involving a standardized patient as a promising practice. Lessons learned for social work education are also discussed. The present study advances the field of interprofessional simulation by contributing to our understanding of how a team-based training combined with a standardized patient can be used to increase social work students’ professional awareness about interprofessional teamwork.
Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Mechanisms Used by Patients With Esophageal Cancer After Esophagectomy.

Abstract Background Esophagectomy patients have high rates of postoperative complications. Maladaptive coping mechanisms such as smoking, alcoholism, and obesity-related reflux are risk factors for esophageal cancer and could affect recovery after surgery. In this study, coping mechanisms used among postesophagectomy patients were identified and maladaptive mechanisms correlated with smoking, alcohol use, or BMI. Materials and methods Patients who received an esophagectomy from 2017 to 2018 at an academic medical center were surveyed using the validated Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced, which includes 14 coping mechanisms (both adaptive and maladaptive) using a 4-point Likert scale. A Fischer's exact and chi-square was performed to measure the significance of difference between groups. Results There was a 67.2% response rate (43/64). 61.3% (27/43) were obese. Sixty-three percent (62.8%, 27/43) had at least 10 pack-years smoking tobacco history; average smoking tobacco usage was 27 pack-years. 30.2% (13/43) had alcohol use. All 14 coping strategies were used by at least one patient. Twenty patients used only adaptive coping strategies, with acceptance being the most used (100%, 20/20 patients). Twenty-three patients used at least one maladaptive coping strategy, with self-distraction being the most used (91.3%, 21/23). All patients used some adaptive coping. There was a significant difference in mean number of coping strategies between groups (P-value Conclusions Most postesophagectomy patients use at least one maladaptive coping strategy; however, history of smoking, alcohol use, or obesity does not predict maladaptive coping in the postesophagectomy period.
Predictive Model for Risk of 30-Day Rehospitalization Using a Natural Language Processing/Machine Learning Approach Among Medicare Patients with Heart Failure

Introduction Nearly 80% of all patients with heart failure (HF) are older adults (≥65 years of age). Prior studies have built predictive models that relied on structured data from electronic health records (EHRs) to predict the risk of 30-day rehospitalization for patients with HF. Structured data mostly included simple vocabularies such as age, and ethnicity. Rarely do prior studies include clinical narrative data in a free-text format (i.e., unstructured data). No previous study has focused on using clinical narrative notes specifically for Medicare patients with HF in the acute-care setting. Aim To identify clinical notes for building a predictive model for risk of 30-day rehospitalization among Medicate patients with HF. Methods This study first used free-text discharge summary notes and nursing care plans collected from June 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019, for a randomly selected 500 Medicare patients with HF. Natural Language Processing (NLP) : we iterated over standard text pre-processing steps, exploring the impact of n-gram length, term document-frequency, word stemming, and the added value of parts-of-speech. We chose two models: 1) the classification model called Bag-of Words (BOW), where each document is represented by a vector based on the pre-processed text, and 2) Document Embedding, where document terms are mapped to a dimension-reducing layer (length equals 300). The latter runs exceptionally fast (on the order of tens-of-seconds for 2,000 documents). Machine Learning (ML) : the output of the NLP BOW and Document Embedding models were fed to six different conventional machine learning systems (logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, k-nearest neighbor clustering, a three-layer neural network, and Naive Bayes). Results The mean age was 77±7.9, and the average of length of hospital stay was 4.9 days ± 4.8. The best BOW model we found using discharge summaries (n=387) produced an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics Curve (AUC) of 0.71 and F1 score of 0.65. The best Document Embedding model yielded an AUC of 0.65 and an F1 score of 0.61. Using nursing care notes as the unit of analysis (n = 2,046), the NLM/ML performed far better. The best BOW model on care plans found an AUC of 0.85 and F1 score of 0.77. The best Document Embedding produced an AUC of 0.83 and an F1 score of 0.75. In all cases we held out 33% of the data set for validation, repeating a random draw 10 times and averaging the performance results. Conclusions We conclude that nursing care plans are a better predictor of 30-day rehospitalization risk than discharge summaries. Because nursing care plans are shorter than discharge summaries, they have the added advantage of faster processing. Since the faster Document Embedding model's performance is comparable to that of BOW, we suggest its use in future work in the area of 30-day rehospitalization risk in Medicare patients with HF.
Novel doses of sacubitril/valsartan in patients unable to tolerate traditional therapy: Effects on N‐terminal pro B‐type natriuretic peptide levels

BACKGROUND Widespread use of angiotensin receptor blocker and neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) remains low, and many patients are unable to tolerate the medication due to hypotension at the currently recommended starting dose. HYPOTHESIS The aim of this study is to assess if lower than standard doses of ARNI, sacubitril/valsartan (S/V), significantly reduces NT-proBNP and leads to any change in diuretic dose, serum potassium, or creatinine. METHODS In a retrospective study of 278 patients who were started on a low dose S/V at a single medical center, 45 patients were selected for the study cohort. Patients were subcategorized to Group 1 (n = 10): very low dose S/V (half a tab of 24/26 mg BID), Group 2 (n = 10): very low dose titrated to low dose S/V, and Group 3 (n = 25): low dose S/V (24/26 mg BID). NT-proBNP, diuretic dose, serum potassium, and creatinine were compared before and after initiation of S/V. RESULTS Among all groups, there was a significant reduction in NT-proBNP level (Group 1: p < .01, Group 2: p < .01, and Group 3: p < .001). In addition, there was a significant reduction in diuretic dose across all groups combined (furosemide 53 mg/day vs. 73 mg/day; p = .03), with 17.8% (8/45) patients being able to discontinue their diuretic completely. There was no significant change in potassium or creatinine. CONCLUSIONS Lower than standard dose of S/V significantly reduces NT-proBNP and diuretic requirement without change in potassium or creatinine, which provides hope that patients who cannot tolerate standard doses of S/V due to hypotension may be able to receive the benefits of S/V therapy.
The effect of colour matching on perceptual integration of pictures and frames

A black frame presented around one of 12 pictures during rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) was frequently misperceived as surrounding the preceding or following picture in the sequence (tempo...
Role of the Type II Protein Secretion Pathway in Pathogenesis of Legionella pneumophila

To test whether the phenotype of the pilD mutant is due to loss of the type II protein secretion system and/or the type IV pilus assembly apparatus, the authors employed a genetic approach. First, the authors mutated two loci involved in type II protein secretion. Second, the authors analyzed the phenotypes of two mutants defective in the biogenesis of Legionella pneumophila type IV pilus. The protease, acid phosphatase, and pnitrophenyl phosphorylcholine (PNPPC) hydrolase activities were similarly reduced in the supernatant of the pilD, lspDE, and lspG mutants compared with the wild type and the pilE L and pilQ mutant strains. In addition, the lipase and phospholipase A activities were also reduced in the supernatants of both Isp mutants relative to the wild type and the pilE L mutant. These results demonstrate that five pilD-dependent activities are secreted by the L. pneumophila type II protein secretion pathway. Indeed, the small growth defect exhibited by some pilQ mutants in U937 cells could hint at a minor role of the type IV pilus assembly apparatus itself for macrophage infection. This defect, added to the small defect due to the loss of type II secretion, could account for the growth impairment of the pilD mutant in macrophages. Alternatively, PilD could control a third unidentified pathway promoting macrophage infection. Thus, continued analysis of L. pneumophila pilD, lsp, and pilus mutants should not only expand our understanding of Legionnaires’ disease but may provide new paradigms for protein secretion systems.
Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Adults Following Epilepsy Surgery

People with epilepsy often report the negative impact of their condition on many aspects of quality of life (QOL). While surgical intervention is aimed at reducing or stopping seizures, there is an implicit assumption among both patients and physicians that successful surgery will result in beneficial changes in quality-of-life measures (see Chap. 16). This chapter reviews the quality-of-life (QOL) outcome literature in epilepsy surgery. The majority of studies in this field have utilized follow-up intervals of no more than 1–2 years. The literature is diverse and a wide range of surgical procedures, QOL measures, sample sizes, ages at onset, follow-up intervals, and controlled versus noncontrolled study designs have been reported. Improvements in QOL do not automatically accompany seizure freedom, in the short term at least. Psychiatric comorbidities, employment status, ability to drive, and antiepileptic drug (AED) cessation appear to be better predictors of health-related quality-of-life measures than seizure freedom alone. Improvements in QOL measures may be more common following right versus left temporal lobe resections. There is a complex relationship between measures of cognitive decline and seizure freedom following surgery with respect to their impact on QOL measures. At present, little is known about the impact of surgery at different stages in adulthood. It is likely that QOL changes are different for those who have surgery in the 20s compared to those in middle age or later. Future research in this area should incorporate standardized measures of seizure outcome and QOL measures with normative data. Studies must also employ valid measures that capture meaningful change in QOL from the patient’s perspective at different time points after epilepsy surgery. It is likely that meaningful changes in QOL will take many years to develop after surgery, particularly for those patients who have lived most of their lives with epilepsy. Outcome studies with follow-up periods of 12–24 months are likely to underestimate the benefits of seizure freedom conferred by surgery. Only studies with longer-term follow-ups are able to accurately measure the impact in this domain.
A Closed-Form Asymptotic Variance-Covariance Matrix for the Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimator of the Garch(1,1) Model

This paper presents a closed-form asymptotic variance-covariance matrix of the Quasi-Maximum Likelihood Estimator (QMLE) for the GARCH(1,1) model. The robust 'sandwich' asymptotic variance matrix is shown to be a product of the function of higher moments of innovation and the inverse of negative expected Hessian, whose closed-form in terms of only model parameters is then derived via a local approximation. Taking inverse of it, the variance-covariance matrix is readily obtained. A Monte Carlo simulation experiment demonstrates that this analytical formula works well for both normal and non-normal innovations in admissible parameter regions.
Packaging of prophage and host DNA by coliphage lambda.

Bacteriophage λ can package headfuls of prophage and host DNA. The resulting particles are not infective without removal in vitro of unpackaged DNA that protrudes from the head and prevents the attachment of tails. After tail attachment the particles can transduce a large number of host genes.
PREVENTION OF INTRAVENTRICULAR HAEMORRHAGE IN PRETERM INFANTS BY PHENOBARBITONE: A Controlled Trial

Abstract Sixty infants with birth-weights less than 1500 g and who were less than 6 h old were randomly assigned to a group given phenobarbitone or a control group. Intravenous phenobarbitone was given in doses sufficient to achieve anticonvulsant serum levels within 12-18 h. Maintenance therapy was continued for one week. Periventricular/intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) occurred in 133% (4/30) of the phenobarbitone group and in 46.7% (14/30) of the control group. The occurrence of risk factors related to IVH was similar in the two groups. Phenobarbitone may reduce the incidence of IVH in small preterm infants.
A commentary on short-term efficacy of N-carbamylglutamate in a patient with N-acetylglutamate synthase deficiency.

A commentary on short-term efficacy of N -carbamylglutamate in a patient with N -acetylglutamate synthase deficiency
Phospholipid-nucleoside conjugates. 5. The interaction of selected 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-5′-diphosphate-L-1,2-diacylglycerols with serum lipoproteins☆

The phospholipid-nucleoside conjugates 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-5′-diphosphate-L-1,2-dipalmitin (1), -distearin (2), and -diolein (3) have been shown to interact rapidly with canine high density lipoprotein and with both high density and low density lipoproteins isolated from human serum. The extent of interaction with the high density lipoproteins appears to be dependent upon the characteristic gel-liquid crystalline phase transition of the conjugate's phospholipid. Since the phospholipid-nucleoside conjugates under study represent sustained release forms of the antileukemic agent 1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, the therapeutic efficacy of these conjugates should now be considered in light of these interactions.
A radioassay for serum B12 using unsaturated transcobalamin I as the B12 binding protein.

A radioisotopic assay for serum vitamin B 12 is described based on the fact the unlabeled B 12 will competitively inhibit the binding of Co 57 B 12 to a specific B 12 binding protein, transcobalamin I. This protein is stable in dilute solution and at the concentration of Co 57 B 12 used for the assay, its binding capacity increases much less than IF or normal serum as the concentration of B 12 increases in the reaction mixture. Because of the stability of the binding capacity of stored frozen TC-I containing serum, only a single standard curve need be established with each lot of binding protein. When a limited quantity of TC-I is incubated with 60 pg of CO 57 B 12 and crystalline B 12 concentrations ranging from 10 to 160 pg/ml, a linear standard curve is obtained when the reciprocal of the fraction of Co 57 B 12 bound to TC-I is plotted as a function of unlabeled B 12 concentration. This permits use of a simple arithmetic expression to determine the B 12 concentration of unknown extracts after experimentally determining the fraction of Co 57 B 12 bound to TC-I. The serum B 12 concentration of 25 normal subjects ranged from 154 to 674 pg/ml while the range in 15 B 12 deficient patients was 0-126 pg/ml. The B 12 concentration in 4 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia was greater than 1000 pg/ml. The mean variance of 15 serum extracts frozen and reassayed several weeks later was 7.4 per cent. The range of recovery of B 12 added to serum extracts was 84-118 per cent.
Graphs and Their Degree Sequences: A Survey.

Some recent work on the relationship between an integer sequence and various graph theoretic properties which a realization of the sequence may or must possess is surveyed.
Satisfaction Profiles in Men Using Intracavernosal Injection Therapy

ABSTRACT Introduction Intracavernosal injection therapy (ICI) is a well‐established second‐line therapy used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Controversy exists as to whether oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) or injection therapy lead to higher satisfaction. Aim This study addressed ICI satisfaction in a modern cohort of patients in the PDE5i era. Methods Patients on ICI for at least 6 months were included in our study. Patients were administered the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) at the initial visit. On subsequent visits, patients were administered the IIEF and the Erection Hardness Scale (EHS). Main Outcome Measures Study end points were change in baseline scores in the satisfaction domains (SD) of the IIEF, type of injection medication used, and predictors of satisfaction. Multiple logistic regressions were performed for predictors of satisfaction. Results One hundred twenty‐two patients met inclusion criterion. Mean time to follow‐up was 25 ± 12 months (range 6–106 months). Sixty‐five percent of patients continued injections at the time of follow‐up. When SD scores were examined, intercourse SD scores increased from 4.8 ± 1.7 at baseline to 12.3 ± 3.1 ( P P Conclusions We have evaluated satisfaction in a modern cohort of ICI patients. While dropout rates are significant, for those patients who continue to inject, we have found high levels of satisfaction using the IIEF, the gold standard for evaluation of erectile function. On multivariate analysis, we found that older age, younger partner age, and fully rigid erections were predictors of increased satisfaction. ICI remains a robust second‐line therapy in the treatment of ED even in the era of PDE5i. Hsiao W, Bennett N, Guhring P, Narus J, and Mulhall JP. Satisfaction profiles in men using intracavernosal injection therapy.
Robust tomography via network traffic maps leveraging sparsity and low rank

Mapping origin-to-destination network-traffic-state is pivotal for network management and proactive security tasks. However, lack of flow-level measurements as well as potential anomalies pose major challenges toward achieving these goals. Leveraging the spatiotemporal correlation of nominal traffic, and the sparse nature of anomalies, this paper proposes a novel estimator to map out both nominal and anomalous traffic components, based on link counts along with a small subset of flow-counts. Adopting a Bayesian approach with a bilinear charactrization of the nuclear- and the l1-norm, a nonconvex optimization problem is formulated which takes into account inherent patterns of nominal traffic and anomalies, captured through traffic correlations, via quadratic regularizers. Traffic correlations are learned from (cyclo)stationary historical data. The nonconvex problem is solved using an alternating majorization-minimization technique which provably converges to a stationary point. Simulated tests confirm the effectiveness of the novel estimator.
EFFECT OF TWO REINFORCEMENT RATIOS ON HUMAN SKIN CONDUCTANCE LEVELS

Recently Berry (in press) showed that maximum recall for verbal pairedassociates was associated with a narrow range of palrnar skin conductance levels. This range was the same for both the beginning of the learning session and the beginning of the recall session 17 min. later. The best recall was associated with a palrnar skin conductance, in log pnhos, of 1.40. The unusual treatment of the data from the present experiments was motivated by this earlier finding. It was conjectured that one of the general effects of an external reinforcer might be a change in the organism toward a more optimal physiological level, more specifically toward the optimal skin conductance level already established for the verbal learning situation. METHOD Since absolute values of conductance are dependent on measurement procedures, the essentials of the technique used in the present experiments, as well as in the previous experiment, will be described. The electrodes on S were plastic cups, l/z in. in internal diameter, with a zinc disc at the botrom The disc was covered with manganese dioxide paste, and the rest of the cup was filled with saline-soaked cotton. One lead was attached to the left palm and the other to the upper left zrm. The arm lead was placed over a 7-in. X l%-in. X %-in. foam pad dampened with saline solution. The direct current impressed between the two leads was held constant at 30 pamp. The electronic circuits for the continuous ink-recording apparatus, with some minor modifications, are those described by Davis, Siddons, and Stout (1954). To be described are three consecutive and very similar experiments which used as Ss a total of 76 male volunteers from an elementary psychology course. The number of Ss in each experiment is indicated in row N of Table 1. Although the complete procedures of the three experiments were not identical, the routine of the first 16 min., which is the only interval considered here, was essentially the same. All Ss were presented with either a 400-cycle or a 650-cycle tone at either 56 or 70 db. In a:] three experimencs, each frequency and decibel combination was presented to an equal number of Ss in each of the two reinforcement conditions. 'The author is greatly indebted to the late Prof. R. C. Davis for invaluable assistance in the conduct of both the earlier experiment and the ones described in this report. Financial assistance has been provided by Contract Nonr 908-15 and by a research grant (M-4987) from he National Institute of Mental Health, United States Public Health Service.
Valles Marineris dune fields as compared with other martian populations: Diversity of dune compositions, morphologies, and thermophysical properties

Abstract Planetary dune field properties and their bulk bedform morphologies relate to regional wind patterns, sediment supply, climate, and topography. On Mars, major occurrences of spatially contiguous low-albedo sand dunes are primarily found in three major topographic settings: impact craters, high-latitude basins, and linear troughs or valleys, the largest being the Valles Marineris (VM) rift system. As one of the primary present day martian sediment sinks, VM holds nearly a third of the non-polar dune area on Mars. Moreover, VM differs from other regions due to its unusual geologic, topographic, and atmospheric setting. Herein, we test the overarching hypothesis that VM dune fields are compositionally, morphologically, and thermophysically distinct from other low- and mid-latitude (50°N–50°S latitude) dune fields. Topographic measurements of dune fields and their underlying terrains indicate slopes, roughnesses, and reliefs to be notably greater for those in VM. Variable VM dune morphologies are shown with topographically-related duneforms (climbing, falling, and echo dunes) located among spur-and-gully wall, landslide, and chaotic terrains, contrasting most martian dunes found in more topographically benign locations (e.g., craters, basins). VM dune fields superposed on Late Amazonian landslides are constrained to have formed and/or migrated over >10s of kilometers in the last 50 My to 1 Gy. Diversity of detected dune sand compositions, including unaltered ultramafic minerals and glasses (e.g., high and low-calcium pyroxene, olivine, Fe-bearing glass), and alteration products (hydrated sulfates, weathered Fe-bearing glass), is more pronounced in VM. Observations show heterogeneous sand compositions exist at the regional-, basinal-, dune field-, and dune-scales. Although not substantially greater than elsewhere, unambiguous evidence for recent dune activity in VM is indicated from pairs of high-resolution images that include: dune deflation, dune migration, slip face modification (e.g., alcoves), and ripple modification or migration, at varying scales (10s–100s m2). We conclude that VM dune fields are qualitatively and quantitatively distinct from other low- and mid-latitude dune fields, most readily attributable to the rift’s unusual setting. Moreover, results imply dune field properties and aeolian processes on Mars can be largely influenced by regional environment, which may have their own distinctive set of boundary conditions, rather than a globally homogenous collection of aeolian sediment and bedforms.
Effect of MS-222 on response to light and rate of metabolism of the little skate Raja erinacea

The effect of tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) on the standard (SMR) and routine (RMR) metabolic rates of Raja erinacea was estimated from oxygen-consumption measurements. Data were gathered from a computerized, flow-through respirometry system. Individual trials were run for 96 h at 10 °C on anesthetized and untreated fish. The resulting rates, SMR = 20.1 ± 1.99 SE and RMR = 48.3± 2.5 SE mg O2 kg−1 h−1, for an unanesthetized skate of 0.5 kg standardized weight, are the lowest reported for any elasmobranch. Periodogram analysis revealed a significant light-response component to the oxygen consumption of these fish, indicating a pattern of nocturnal and crepuscular activity. This activity pattern was disrupted in skates subjected to anesthesia. The use of low-dosage MS-222 in conjunction with the respirometry trials provides positive preliminary evidence that this technique may be useful in giving quick, accurate estimates of SMR in the more intractable elasmobranch fishes.
The Politics of Environmental Health Hazards: Interdisciplinary Developments of Interest to Anthropologists

Rene Dubos once remarked that every civilization suffers from a characteristic set of diseases. In the Third World, infectious diseases still remain a constant threat. In industrial societies, on the other hand, these diseases have been largely controlled and are no longer a leading cause of death and disability. The diseases now approaching epidemic proportions in industrialized soceties are the exogenously caused diseases—the diseases associated with industrial pollution.
An aerodynamic model for a hemispherically-capped biconic reentry vehicle with six drag flaps

The development of an aerodynamic model for a hemispherically-capped biconic reentry vehicle with six drag flaps is presented. The aerodynamic model is primarily based on wind tunnel test results, with the use of computational fluid dynamic codes. For Mach numbers from 4 to 15, the inviscid axial force coefficient was computed for drag flap deflections from 6 to 36. Axial force coefficient was found to vary significantly with ablating flap shape as well as with changing flight conditions. The aerodynamic model can be used for input to vehicle recovery trajectory simulations.
Analgesic and toxic effects of neonicotinoid insecticides in mice.

Abstract Several nicotinic agonists with the 6-chloro-3-pyridinyl moiety are potent insecticides (e.g., the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and thiacloprid) while others are candidate nonopioid and nonantiinflammatory analgesics (i.e., epibatidine and several heterocyclic analogs). This study examines the hypothesis for the first time that the neonicotinoid insecticides and their imine metabolites and analogs display analgesic (antinociceptive) activity or adverse toxic effects associated with their action on binding to the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) subtype. Seven 6-chloro-3-pyridinyl compounds were studied, i.e., imidacloprid and thiacloprid, the corresponding imines and an olefin derivative, a nitromethylene analog, and (±)-epibatidine. Like (−)-nicotine and carbachol, they all act as full agonists in the 86 rubidium ion efflux experiment with intact mouse fibroblast M10 cells stably expressing the α4β2 nicotinic AChR. Their agonist action is correlated with binding affinity to the α4β2 receptor from M10 cells. Imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and their imine analogs are not antinociceptive agents in mice by abdominal constriction and hot plate analgesic tests. Their agonist actions at the α4β2 receptor correlate instead with their toxicity. Surprisingly, the nitromethylene analog, a weak agonist, is as potent as (−)-nicotine in inducing antinociception, and the effect persists longer than that caused by (−)-nicotine. However, mecamylamine (1 mg/kg) prevents antinociception induced by (−)-nicotine but not by the nitromethylene analog. Interestingly, this nitromethylene neonicotinoid insecticide gives 80–100% mortality within 15 min at 3 mg/kg with mecamylamine pretreatment at 2 mg/kg, doses at which each agent alone gives no lethality. Therefore, analgesic and toxic effects of the nitromethylene analog differ in their mechanism of action from (−)-nicotine and (±)-epibatidine.
Size dependent mechanical properties of single crystalline nickel nanowires

Using a simple micromechanical device, in situ tensile testing of single crystalline nickel (Ni) nanowires (NWs) with different diameters (100 to 300 nm) and crystalline orientations was performed inside a scanning electron microscope. With the aid of a quantitative nanoindenter and corresponding theoretical analysis, the load applied to the sample and the sample displacement were ascertained from nanoindenter load versus displacement curves so as to obtain engineering stress-strain curves. Limited plasticity and brittle-like fracture modes were evident in the Ni NWs investigated, and the breaking strength values were found to be much higher than that of the bulk material. More important, the critical resolved shear stress was found to increase as the NW diameter decreased, showing strong size dependence. The quantitative experimental results from this work could offer important insights into the origin of the size dependent mechanical behaviors of metals at the nano-scale.
Mechanistic alternatives in Lewis acid-catalyzed acyl halidealdehyde cyclocondensations

Abstract An investigation of the operative reaction mechanisms in Lewis acid-catalyzed acyl halidealdehyde cyclocondensations is presented. Aluminum-based catalysts promote cyclocondensation via a ketene-dependent reaction pathway while acyl halide enolates are implicated as reactive intermediates in Ti(IV)-catalyzed reactions.
Work Ethic and Ethical Work: Distortions in the American Dream.

Economic progress in the United States has been attributed to the successful combination of two social structures – capitalism as an economic system and democracy as a political system. At the heart of this interaction is a particular work ethic in which hard work is considered the path to both immediate and future rewards. This article examines the evolution of work ethic in the United States, as well as the returns experienced through various adaptations in the country’s history. From this grounding, the information is structured into a proposal that key messages contained in the current, accepted work ethic are subject to distortions that may contribute to unethical decision making. These distortions result from two potentials: (1) efforts to reconcile the work ethic with contradictory messages and (2) exaggerations of the work ethic that become dysfunctional. The intent is to provide a framework that may explain to organizational leaders how people with the same basic work ethic can behave differently in terms of ethical work. Along with this understanding comes the potential to offset possible distortions and to encourage more ethical behavior.
Some thermal properties of a polyfurfuryl alcohol bonded graphite

Abstract Results of some thermophysical property measurements made on a graphite rod are reported. The graphite used was a polyfurfuryl alcohol bonded material which had been extruded with a nominal 1 2 in. dia. and was heat-treated to a maximum temperature of 2800°C. Linear thermal expansions and thermal conductivities were measured both parallel and perpendicular to the direction of extrusion in the temperature interval –150°–2500°C. Measurements were also made on the electrical resistivity of this material over the temperature interval.