cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in Nucleic Acids in Phytochrome-dependent Elongation of the Alaska Pea Epicotyl

Red light, which produces the physiologically active form of phytochrome (Pfr), inhibited epicotyl elongation in intact dark-grown Alaska pea seedlings. This red light response was detectable 3 hours after the light treatment and became pronounced after 5 hours. The growth inhibition was completely reversed by far red light applied immediately after the red or by pretreatment of the seedlings with the plant hormone gibberellin A(3).Comparison of the total (32)P-labeled nucleic acids from control and red light-treated Alaska pea epicotyls on methylated albumin-kieselguhr columns revealed a marked alteration of the pattern of nucleic acid synthesis in this plant material with little or no effect on total isotope incorporation into nucleic acids. A single 5-minute red light perturbation caused a 2-fold stimulation of (32)P incorporation into the tRNA fraction while, simultaneously, (32)P incorporation into tenaciously bound RNA was reduced to 50% of control levels. Red light treatment had no effect on (32)P incorporation into the DNA-RNA, rRNA, or mRNA fractions. Far red light reversed the effect of red light on tRNA synthesis but did not restore tenaciously bound RNA levels to the control value. Gibberellin A(3) treatment did not cause reversal of any of the red light effects on RNA synthesis.These light-induced changes in nucleic acids were measurable before any changes in the physiological response (epicotyl elongation) could be detected. These results are consistent with a phytochrome-mediated differential gene activation mechanism in the Alaska pea epicotyl elongation system.
Use of a capacitance measurement device for surrogate noncontact conductance measurement.

Abstract A capacitance to digital converter (AD7746) is used in the same mode as noncontact conductance detectors. The detector output is linearly proportional to specific conductance (σ) at low σ values but becomes nonlinear and reaches a plateau value at σ ∼>0.75 mS/cm, regardless of the nature of the electrolyte. For all applications at sub- to low-mM concentrations, the device, available as an evaluation board, provides a very affordable nothing-else-required means of contactless surrogate conductivity detection from capillary scale to larger bore conduits. For the same measurement cell volume, the detector provides virtually the same limits of detection (LODs) as a standard galvanic contact conductivity detector in conventional scale suppressed conductometric ion chromatography. The detection limits deteriorate as the conduit inner diameter deceases.
Ageing and blood pressure modulate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and aortic stiffness in never-treated essential hypertensive patients. A comparative study

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III on arterial stiffness in untreated hypertensive patients. Methods This was a cross sectional multi-center study performed in 46 healthcare centers, from 14 countries involved in the Complior study. Four hundred and forty patients (55% male) aged 18–73 years, with untreated essential hypertension were selected at inclusion. All patients underwent a full evaluation for all the risk factors representing the MS and an assessment of arterial stiffness using automatic measurement of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). Results In the overall population significant correlations were found, respectively, between PWV, MS ( R =0.2, P R =0.11, P =0.023) where PWV was higher in women. After adjustment for age and systolic blood pressure (SBP), analysis of covariance showed an independent effect of the MS on PWV, this effect increased with ageing and SBP especially after 47 years (age median, P =0.0047). Moreover, increase of mean PWV was highly associated with the number of MS factors in global population ( P Conclusions Presence of MS induces an increase of arterial stiffness in untreated hypertensive patients independently from age and SBP. The increase of PWV is proportional to number of risk factors and affects principally patients after mid-age of 47 years where MS has ageing effects on arterial stiffness.
Optimal parallel time bounds for the maximum clique problem on intervals

In this paper, we derive two optimal parallel time bounds for the maximum clique problem on intervals. Given a set S of intervals on a real line, a clique C is a subset of S such that any two intervals in C intersect. A maximum cardinality clique, or simply a maximum clique, is a clique with the maximum cardinality. The cardinality of the maximum clique is called the clique number. The maximum (cardinality) clique problem is to compute the clique number. If each interval is associated with a number called weight, then the weight of a clique is the summation of the weights of the intervals in the clique. A maximum weighted clique is a clique of the maximum weight. The maximum weighted clique problem is to compute the weight of such a clique. If the weight of each interval is 1, then the maximum weighted clique problem is equivalent to the maximum cardinality clique problem. Therefore, the maximum cardinality clique problem is a special case of the maximum weighted clique problem. A set of A of intervals is said to be equivalent to a set B of intervals if there exists a bijection f : A ~ B such that any two intervals x and y in
Do Models of Discretionary Accruals Detect Actual Cases of Fraudulent and Restated Earnings? An Empirical Evaluation

We examine the association between the existence and the magnitude of a fraudulent event that overstated earnings, non-fraudulent restatements of financial statements, and nine competing models of discretionary accruals, accrual estimation errors (Dechow and Dichev 2002 and McNichols 2002), and the Beneish (1997 and 1999) M-score. We use the size of the downward earnings restatement following the discovery of the fraud to proxy for the degree of discretion exercised to perpetrate the fraud. We find that the accrual estimation errors exhibit the strongest association with the existence and the magnitude of fraud and non-fraud restatements. Further, our results suggest that total accruals could be a low-cost alternative to many commonly used measures of discretionary accruals in detecting smaller fraud. The accrual estimation errors have incremental explanatory power over total accruals for both smaller and larger frauds.
The Market in Iraqi Antiquities 1980–2009 and Academic Involvement in the Marketing Process

In the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, the large-scale looting of archaeological sites in Iraq started, and worsened around the time of the 2003 Coalition invasion, when the National Museum and other cultural institutions in Baghdad were also ransacked. These events were a source of public and political consternation, and prompted some legislative and law enforcement responses aimed at protecting Iraq’s archaeological heritage (Emberling and Hanson 2008; Rothfield 2008; Stone and Farchakh Bajjaly 2008). Since 1974, it had been illegal under Iraqi domestic law to export archaeological artefacts from Iraq.
Social Wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Foraging Behavior

▪ Abstract Social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) forage for water, pulp, carbohydrates, and animal protein. When hunting, social wasps are opportunistic generalists and use a variety of mechanisms to locate and choose prey. Individual foragers are influenced by past foraging experience and by the presence of other foragers on resources. A forager’s ability to learn odors and landmarks, which direct its return to foraging sites, and to associate cues such as odor or leaf damage with resource availability provide the behavioral foundation for facultative specialization by individual foragers. Social wasps, by virtue of their behavior and numbers, have a large impact on other organisms by consuming them directly. Indirect effects such as disruption of prey and resource depletion may also be important. Community-level impacts are particularly apparent when wasps feed upon clumped prey vulnerable to depredation by returning foragers, or when species with large, long-lived colonies are introduced into island com...
Lifestreams: an alternative to the desktop metaphor

We contend that managing one's own electronic world can be a frustrating task for most computer users, re- quiring too many separate applications, too many file transfers and format translations, the invention of too many pointless names and the construction of organi- zational hierarchies that too quickly become obsolete. What is needed is a metaphor and system for organiz- ing the electronic "bits of paper" we all so easily collect, whether we create them ourselves or they come to us in the form of email, downloaded images, web pages, or scheduling reminders. Lifestreams is such a system.
Computational studies of conductivity in wide-band-gap semiconductors and oxides

The ability to control conductivity is essential for design and fabrication of (opto)electronic devices. Such conductivity control has traditionally been very difficult in wide-band-gap semiconductors, and native point defects have often been invoked to explain these problems. State-of-the-art first-principles calculations based on density functional theory have been used to elucidate these issues. Approaches for overcoming the 'band-gap problem', including the LDA+U method, allow more accurate comparisons and predictions of defect levels. The methodology is illustrated with the case of native point defects in zinc oxide. Computations reveal that the prevailing n-type conductivity cannot be attributed to native defects; it must thus be caused by impurities that are unintentionally incorporated. Hydrogen is shown to be an excellent candidate for such an impurity.
The Gender Digital Divide in the Research Sectors of Ghana, Kenya, and Kerala Are Women More Connected Over Time?

AbstractThis article uses panel data gathered in 2001 and 2005 to assess the gendered digital divide among researchers employed in three developing countries: Ghana, Kenya, and India (the state of Kerala). We move the digital divide discussion from an early focus on differentials in adoption and access to an assessment of use as measured by the diversity and intensity of Internet and e-mail activity. Using both bivariate and multivariate analyses, our results indicate clear gender disparities within an increasingly technologically saturated environment. Over time, both women and men report significant increases in access to and use of various technologies, yet even after controlling for other factors, women continue to be less technologically oriented than their male counterparts. Although women adopt new technologies around the same time and display similar patterns of e-mail use as men, they are less intense users of both e-mail and the Web, and they use the Web less diversely than men. We conclude by s...
Stenting of the vertebral artery origin with ostium dilation: technical note

Endovascular treatment of vertebral artery (VA) origin stenosis typically requires placement of the proximal end of the stent within the lumen of the subclavian artery or aorta to provide complete coverage of the ostial lesion. This configuration may complicate subsequent endovascular access into the stented VA. We describe a technique modification of VA origin stenting and angioplasty with a monorail angioplasty balloon system designed specifically for dilation of the ostial origin which may be helpful in conforming the proximal portion of the stent to the VA origin. Simplified endovascular access to the VA origin after angioplasty is demonstrated.
Magnesium in single skeletal muscle cells of Balanus.

Single skeletal muscle cells of Balanus contain 48 ± 1 mmoles magnesium/kg dry weight. Although 28Mg can be shown either to enter the cells or to be bound to the cell surface within less than 10 min, only 2.1 ± 0.3% of cellular or cell surface Mg exchanges with this isotope even after several hours. Glycerinated cells washed out in Tris buffer at low ionic strength retain ∼70% of the Mg present in intact cells. About 85% of this Mg is removed by extraction with KCl or NaCl at concentrations of K and Na which prevail in intact cells, as well as by pyrophosphate, Tris-ATP, or reduction of the ionized Mg concentration to 1 µM. Lowering the ionized Mg concentration to 0.1 µM does not further reduce the Mg content of glycerinated cells. The pH dependence of KCl-inextractable Mg suggests that more than one class of binding sites is involved. A significant fraction of the KCl-inextractable Mg bound to glycerinated cells fails to exchange with 28Mg even after long equilibration. It is suggested that this fraction may be actin-bound Mg incorporated into the thin filaments during the polymerization of actin.
Analysis of the roles of kinesin and dynein motors in microtubule-based transport in the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system.

The heteromeric kinesins constitute a subfamily of kinesin-related motor complexes that function in several distinct intracellular transport events. The founding member of this subfamily, heterotrimeric kinesin II, has been purified and characterized from early sea urchin embryos, where it was shown using antibody perturbation to be required for the synthesis of motile cilia, presumably by driving the anterograde transport of raft complexes. To further characterize heteromeric kinesin transport pathways, and to attempt to identify cargo molecules, we are using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans to exploit its well-characterized nervous system and simple genetics. Here we describe methods for large-scale nematode growth and partial purification of kinesin-related holoenzymes from C. elegans, and an in vivo transport assay that allows the direct labeling and visualization of motor complexes and putative cargo molecules moving in living C. elegans neurons. This transport assay is being used to characterize the in vivo transport properties of motor enzymes in living cells, and to exploit a number of existing mutations in C. elegans that may represent constituents of heteromeric kinesin-driven transport pathways, for example, the retrograde intraflagellar transport motor CHE-3 dynein, as well as cargo molecules and/or regulatory molecules.
The organic anion transporter family: from physiology to ontogeny and the clinic

The organic anion transporter (OAT) family handles a wide variety of clinically important compounds (antibiotics, nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.) and toxins. However, little is known about their appearance during development despite documented differences in the handling of anionic drugs among neonates, children, and adults. A similar spatiotemporal pattern of mRNA expression of the OATs (OAT1-4) during kidney development suggests that OAT genes may be useful in understanding the mechanisms of proximal tubule maturation. Moreover, OAT expression in unexpected extrarenal sites (e.g., spinal cord, bone, skin) has also been detected during development, possibly indicating a role for these transporters in the formation or preservation of extrarenal tissues. The cloning of these transporters also paves the way for computer-based modeling of drug-transporter interactions at the molecular level, potentially aiding in the design and assessment of new drugs. Additionally, increased understanding of single nucleotide polymorphisms in OATs and other transporters may eventually allow the use of a patient's expression profile and polymorphisms to individualize drug therapy.
Hitting times for random walks on vertex-transitive graphs

Author(s): Aldous, D | Abstract: For random walks on finite graphs, we record some equalities, inequalities and limit theorems (as the size of graph tends to infinity) which hold for vertex-transitive graphs but not for general regular graphs. The main result is a sharp condition for asymptotic exponentiality of the hitting time to a single vertex. Another result is a lower bound for the coefficient of variation of hitting times. Proofs exploit the complete monotonicity properties of the associated continuous-time walk. © 1989, Cambridge Philosophical Society. All rights reserved.
Farm Prices, Retail Prices, and Directed Graphs: Results for Pork and Beef

Such studies say little about contemporaneous relationships among the variables X, Y, and Z. If one models data on X, Y, and Z as a vector autoregression, some assumption about contemporaneous correlation between innovations must be made. Early work applied the Choleski factorization, which is a recursive ordering between X, Y, and Z: XYZ. A more recent approach to dealing with the contemporaneous correlation problem is the so-called structural factorization, following the similar approaches of Bernanke and Sims. A problem with the former (Choleski) is that the world might not be recursive (Cooley and LeRoy, Sims). A problem with the latter is tha correct structural information might be unknown outside of a particular deductive model.
Agreement and error rates using blinded review to evaluate surgical pathology of biopsy material

Blinded review has been shown to be an excellent method to detect disagreements and errors and improve performance in gynecologic cytology. Preliminary studies suggest it may be valuable in surgical pathology. We reviewed 5,000 sequential outpatient surgical pathology biopsy cases without knowledge of the original diagnosis or history and compared the results with those of the original diagnosis. Complete agreement was obtained in 91.12% of cases. The technique of blinded review of surgical pathology biopsy material had a sensitivity of more than 99%, failing to identify an abnormality in 19 cases. Although there was a significant level of diagnostic disagreement (444 cases), primarily due to differences in diagnostic thresholds (292 cases), diagnoses that resulted in a change in the original report (true errors) were present in only 5 cases, and only 4 were clinically significant. This clinically significant error rate of 0.08% is significantly lower than previously published error rates. Blinded review is a sensitive (99%) and effective method to identify areas of disagreement and errors in surgical pathology biopsy material. The relatively high rate of disagreement found with blinded review coupled with the very low rate of error highlights the substantial potential for bias in nonblinded reviews. Diagnostic accuracy in surgical pathology is critical for appropriate patient care, measuring quality, and medicolegal evaluation. Although diagnostic agreement has been assessed in cytopathology and surgical pathology, 1-11 many of these studies did not distinguish between diagnostic agreement and accuracy and were not blinded with respect to the initial diagnosis. The potential bias of nonblinded review has been studied extensively in gynecologic cytology, and blinded review, which may be less biased than nonblinded review, is known to be an effective method to measure performance in cytopathology. 12-17 Recent preliminary reports suggest that the same technique is sensitive and effective for evaluating surgical pathology material. 18 We sought to evaluate this technique in a large series of outpatient surgical pathology biopsy material.
Infants' ERP Responses to Novel and Familiar Stimuli Change Over Time: Implications for Novelty Detection and Memory

Detection of novelty is an important cognitive ability early in development, when infants must learn a great deal about their world. Work with adults has identified networks of brain areas involved in novelty detection; this study investigated electrophysiological correlates of detection of novelty and recognition of familiarity in 9-month-old infants, using event-related potentials (ERPs). Infants were familiarized with an event in the laboratory, then ERPs were recorded as they viewed repeated presentations of pictures of this familiar event and a novel event, along with single presentations of 30 trial-unique events. A middle-latency negative component was sensitive to degree of novelty, differing in amplitude and latency by stimulus condition and across repeated presentations. Long-latency slow-wave activity also related to stimulus condition. Findings have implications for our understanding of infants' detection of novel information and the processes that render the novel familiar.
Effect of rubber reactivity on the morphology of polybenzoxazine blends investigated by atomic force microscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is employed to study the hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTBD) rubber-modified polybenzoxazine resin. The morphology exhibits a submicron phase separation when HTBD with low epoxy contents are used. No distinguishable phase sep- aration appears in the blend modified with high epoxy content HTBD. The rubber and resin phases are identified by the change of nanoscale indentation as a function of external load imposed on the cantilever. The existence of an inter- phase between the glassy matrix and the rubbery domain is shown by comparing the pulling distances from force- dis- tance (F- d) curve measurements. The extent of rubber cav- itation is investigated by the particle analysis on the fracture surface and is found to increase with the particle diameter. The amount of dissolved rubber, estimated by the Fox equa- tion, increases with the rubber reactivity, and the data cor- roborates well with the observed morphology. © 2006 Wiley
The timing and sequence of events in the development of the human reproductive system during the embryonic period proper

A documented scheme of the early development of the human reproductive system is presented. It is based on (1) reports of workers who personally studied staged embryos, and (2) personal observations and confirmations. The necessity of using staged embryos in order to determine the precise sequence of developmental events is stressed.
Control of a multiunit heterogeneous azeotropic distillation process

An investigation of the design and control of a system in which a heterogeneous azeotrope permits the use of a decanter to cross a distillation boundary is reported. The specific numerical example is the classical production of anhydrous ethanol from an ethanol/water mixture using benzene as the entrainer. The feed is an ethanol/water mixture with composition that is near the binary azeotrope, which has been produced in an upstream binary distillation column. The process consists of two columns in which the addition of benzene takes the water out the top of the first column, producing high-purity ethanol out the bottom. The overhead vapor is condensed and forms two liquid phases. The organic benzene-rich phase provides reflux to the first column. The aqueous phase is fed to a second distillation column that produces high-purity water out the bottom and recycles the distillate back to the first column. The steady-state convergence of this two-column system with two-recycles if very difficult. Convergence is achieved by using a dynamic model. A plantwide control scheme is developed and is shown to provide stable base-level regulatory control for very large disturbances. The control structure has a counter-intuitive feature. The aqueous level in the decanter is controlled by manipulating the flow rate of the aqueous stream from the decanter. The action of the level controller is the reverse of what is used conventionally, that is, if the level is increasing, the exit flow rate is decreased.
Risk factors for central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma: A National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) study

Background There is no consensus regarding prophylactic central lymph node dissection (pCLND) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Identification of risk factors for central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with PTC could assist surgeons in determining whether to perform selective pCLND. Methods The National Cancer database was queried from 1998 to 2011 for patients with clinical staging T1-4cN0M0 PTC. All patients underwent near, sub-, or total thyroidectomy with or without pCLND. Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions were performed on the following clinical variables: age, sex, race and tumor size as risk factors for pathologic CLNM (pN1a). Results In 39,562 patients with T1-4cN0M0 PTC, 61% underwent pCLND. Patients with age >45 years, African American race, tumor size ≤1 cm, unifocal tumors, follicular variant PTC, no insurance, and treatment at community cancer facilities were less likely to have pCLND (P Conclusion Age ≤45 years, Asian race, male sex, and larger tumors are associated with the presence of CLNM, which allows for selective pCLND in PTC.
Neighborhood-level social processes and substantiated cases of child maltreatment

Child maltreatment is a preventable public health problem. Research has demonstrated that neighborhood structural factors (e.g. poverty, crime) can influence the proportion of a neighborhood's children who are victims of maltreatment. A newer strategy is the identification of potentially modifiable social processes at the neighborhood level that can also influence maltreatment. Toward this end, this study examines neighborhood-level data (maltreatment cases substantiated by Illinois' child protection agency, 1995-2005, social processes measured by the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, U.S. Census data, proportions of neighborhoods on public assistance, and crime data) that were linked across clusters of contiguous, relatively homogenous Chicago, IL census tracts with respect to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic composition. Our analysis-an ecological-level, repeated cross-sectional design utilizing random-intercept logit models-with a sensitivity analysis using spatial models to control for spatial autocorrelation-revealed consistent associations between neighborhood social processes and maltreatment. Neighborhoods higher in collective efficacy, intergenerational closure, and social networks, and lower in disorder had lower proportions of neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse substantiated cases, controlling for differences in structural factors. Higher collective efficacy and social network size also predicted a lower proportion of substance-exposed infants. This research indicates that strategies to mobilize neighborhood-level protective factors may decrease child maltreatment more effectively than individual and family-focused efforts alone.
Entrepreneurship Perspective for Trade and Management of Horticulture Sector in Kashmir Himalayan Valley

Horticulture sector plays an extremely important role in trade and economy of Jammu and Kashmir State, India. Productivity and export of horticultural produce are vital for supplementing farm income and overall employment in the agricultural sector. J&K State, renowned for its diverse fruits supports more than 5 lac families, and plays an important role (directly or indirectly) in the employment of nearly 25 lac people annually. Survey reports indicate that about 2.175 lac ha is under fruit crops with prospectus of bringing 1.70 lac ha more under fruit plantation crops. Apple has distinction of being principal fruit crop of the state in terms of production, and accounts for about 60-65 % of the total area of 2.95 lac hectares under all temperate fruits. Horticultural production systems hold promising and flourishing trade prospects for enthusiastic entrepreneurs, and as such warrant intense structural changes through diversification, value addition, harmonious integration of modern and indigenous know-how, organized marketing strategies and infrastructure development for the sustainable production of fruits and their processed products. Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-2, issue-3: 284-289 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v2i3.12986
New Colleges for a New Century: Organizational Change and Development in Community Colleges

What if community colleges operated like successful businesses? What if administrators and instructors owned shares? What if community colleges were built of processes, not departments? What if their lines of power and control were horizontal, not vertical? What if all staff were “professionals” and shared ownership? What if community colleges no longer meant bricks and mortar? What if a college’s revenue depended on how much its students earned after leaving? What if an instructor’s salary depended on how much students learned or how well they were taught?
Methemoglobin Formation and Characterization of Hemoglobin Adducts of Carcinogenic Aromatic Amines and Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines

Arylamines (AAs) and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are structurally related carcinogens formed during the combustion of tobacco or cooking of meat. They undergo cytochrome P450 mediated N-hydroxylation to form metabolites which bind to DNA and lead to mutations. The N-hydroxylated metabolites of many AAs also can undergo a co-oxidation reaction with oxy-hemolgobin (HbO2) to form methemoglobin (met-Hb) and the arylnitroso intermediates, which react with the β-Cys93 chain of Hb to form Hb-arylsulfinamide adducts. The biochemistry of arylamine metabolism has been exploited to biomonitor certain AAs through their Hb arylsulfinamide adducts in humans. We examined the reactivity of HbO2 with the N-hydroxylated metabolites of 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP, HONH-ABP), aniline (ANL, HONH-ANL), and the HAAs 2-amino-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole (AαC, HONH-AαC), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP, HONH-PhIP), and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx, HONH-MeIQx). HONH-ABP, HO-ANL, and HONH-A...
Improved 5-year overall survival (OS) in breast cancer (CA) patients from 1994 to 2008.

e13126 Background: A Canadian Study (Chia, ASCO 2003, Abstract 22) comparing OS across 4 time cohorts in patients with metastatic Breast CA demonstrated OS benefit at 1 and 2 years that appears rel...
Phonons and phase stability in Ti-V approximants to gum metal

The stability of competing phases within body-centered-cubic Ti-V approximants to gum metal is considered from the perspective of phonon dispersion. Phonons are associated with the potential to form the $\ensuremath{\omega}$ and ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}$ phases. It is argued that alloys can be designed to be linearly stable with respect to the formation of both phases, even as the ideal shear strength approaches zero. The reduction in ideal strength is associated with softening of the phonons along $\ensuremath{\Gamma}\ensuremath{-}N$ and is reflected in diffuse-scattering diffraction experiments.
Research Note: Chick Mortality in Bobwhite Quail as Affected by Supplemental Ascorbic Acid

In two experiments, bobwhite quail chicks were given 0, 50, or 500 ppm ascorbic acid (AA) in the drinking water from 1 to 7 days of age. Both levels of AA significantly decreased mortality for the first 7 days and for the 3-wk average. Feed conversion during the entire 3-wk study was improved by 500 ppm AA. Body weight was not affected by AA supplementation.
Abnormal liver enzyme levels: Clinical evaluation in asymptomatic patients

PreviewWhen elevated liver enzyme levels are found in asymptomatic patients, the differential diagnostic considerations are broad. A carefully taken patient history, together with the pattern of liver enzyme abnormalities (as discussed in the article beginning on page 113), helps in narrowing the diagnostic possibilities and in directing the search. In this article, Dr Herrera discusses evaluation according to type of liver injury—hepatocellular or cholestatic.
Anxiety and Depression with First Seizure

Anxiety and depressive signs were investigated in 22 children (mean age, 12+/-2.7 years SD) with a first unprovoked afebrile seizure, in a study at Alberta Children’s Hospital, University of Calgary, Canada.
Atrioventricular Conduction Abnormalities: Preexcitation, Heart Block, and Other Ventricular Conduction Abnormalities

Each cardiac impulse originates in the sinus node with the ultimate objective of producing normal atrial and then ventricular contractions. Each heartbeat traverses the atrial tissue, AV node, bundle of His, and right and left bundle branches on the way to smaller branches in the His-Purkinje system and ultimately ventricular myocardium. Abnormalities in any of these structures produce varying degrees of atrioventricular conduction or heart block. This chapter reviews these disturbances to distinguish benign observations from pathological aberrations of cardiac electrical conduction.
Spatial Analysis of Climate-Viticulture Indices for the Eastern United States

This study characterizes the climate structure in the Eastern United States for suitability of winegrape growth. For this study, the Eastern US is defined as the 44 contiguous Eastern most states. This excludes the premium wine growing states of California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. For this characterization, a comparative study is performed on the four commonly used climate-viticulture indices i.e., Average Growing Season Temperature, Growing Degree Days, Heliothermal Index and Biologically Effective Degree Days, and a new climate-viticulture index, the Modified-GSTavg Mod-GSTavg. This is accomplished using the 1971-2000 PRISM 800-meter resolution dataset of climate temperature normal for the study area of 44 states and 62 American Viticultural Areas across the Eastern United States. The results revealed that all the climate indices have similar spatial patterns throughout the US with varying magnitudes and degrees of suitability.
Non ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.

INTRODUCTION Non ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS, here defined as unstable angina and non ST-elevation MI) is characterised by episodes of chest pain at rest or with minimal exertion, which increase in frequency or severity, often with dynamic ECG changes. Between 9% and 19% of people with NSTE-ACS die in the first 6 months after diagnosis, with about half of these deaths occurring within 4 weeks of diagnosis. METHODS AND OUTCOMES We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of: antiplatelet; antithrombin; anti-ischaemic; lipid-lowering; and invasive treatments? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to December 2009 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). RESULTS We found 32 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. CONCLUSIONS In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: aspirin, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, clopidogrel, direct thrombin inhibitors, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (oral or intravenous), heparin (low molecular weight, unfractionated), fondaparinux, nitrates, routine early cardiac catheterisation and revascularisation, statins, and warfarin.
Routine Inpatient Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening: Missed Prevention Opportunities.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES This article reviews the current guidelines for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening among inpatients and explores adherence to the guidelines and barriers to their implementation. BACKGROUND In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated recommendations suggesting HIV screening for all patients in all healthcare settings. DESCRIPTION A nonsystematic review of current HIV screening guidelines, as well as research and nonresearch literature, addressing rates of inpatient screening was performed. RESULTS Between 2000 and 2010, there was a significant increase in testing in healthcare settings. Despite these advances, 10 years after the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines were released, many hospitals still have not fully implemented the recommendations. Barriers to implementation of the guidelines include provider misconceptions and lack of time and reimbursement. CONCLUSIONS Screening for HIV identifies new infections, reduces transmission, prevents complications, and encourages a discussion about prevention. Increasing adherence to screening recommendations can help prevent new cases and disease progression. The nursing focus on prevention makes clinical nurse specialists and other advanced practice registered nurses uniquely positioned to increase screening. Clinical nurse specialists should implement research projects to understand adherence in their facilities and identify and address site-specific barriers. Quality improvement programs can then be implemented to improve screening rates.
Longitudinal Examination of Symptom Profiles Among Breast Cancer Survivors.

Abstract Context Identification of cancer patients with similar symptom profiles may facilitate targeted symptom management. Objectives To identify subgroups of breast cancer survivors based on differential experience of symptoms, examine change in subgroup membership over time, and identify relevant characteristics and quality of life (QOL) among subgroups. Methods Secondary analyses of data from 653 breast cancer survivors recruited within eight months of diagnosis who completed questionnaires at five time points. Hidden Markov modeling was used to 1) formulate symptom profiles based on prevalence and severity of eight symptoms commonly associated with breast cancer and 2) estimate probabilities of changing subgroup membership over 18 months of follow-up. Ordinal repeated measures were used to 3) identify patient characteristics related to subgroup membership and 4) evaluate the relationship between symptom subgroup and QOL. Results A seven-subgroup model provided the best fit: 1) low symptom burden, 2) mild fatigue, 3) mild fatigue and mild pain, 4) moderate fatigue and moderate pain, 5) moderate fatigue and moderate psychological, 6) moderate fatigue, mild pain, mild psychological, and 7) high symptom burden. Seventy percent of survivors remained in the same subgroup over time. In multivariable analyses, chemotherapy and greater illness intrusiveness were significantly related to greater symptom burden, while not being married or partnered, no difficulty paying for basics, and greater social support were protective. Higher symptom burden was associated with lower QOL. Survivors who reported psychological symptoms had significantly lower QOL than did survivors with pain symptoms. Conclusion Cancer survivors can be differentiated by their symptom profiles.
The value of using seasonality and meteorological variables to model intra-urban PM2.5 variation.

Abstract A yearlong air monitoring campaign was conducted to assess the impact of local temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed on the temporal and spatial variability of PM2.5 in El Paso, Texas. Monitoring was conducted at four sites purposely selected to capture the local traffic variability. Effects of meteorological events on seasonal PM2.5 variability were identified. For instance, in winter low-wind and low-temperature conditions were associated with high PM2.5 events that contributed to elevated seasonal PM2.5 levels. Similarly, in spring, high PM2.5 events were associated with high-wind and low-relative humidity conditions. Correlation coefficients between meteorological variables and PM2.5 fluctuated drastically across seasons. Specifically, it was observed that for most sites correlations between PM2.5 and meteorological variables either changed from positive to negative or dissolved depending on the season. Overall, the results suggest that mixed effects analysis with season and site as fixed factors and meteorological variables as covariates could increase the explanatory value of LUR models for PM2.5.
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Mitigates High Intracranial Pressure (ICP) Induced Microvascular Shunting (MVS) in Rats.

Objective: High-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation is an emerging noninvasive therapy that we have shown increases cerebral blood flow (CBF) and tissue oxygenation in the healthy rat brain. In this work, we tested the effect of PEMF on the brain at high intracranial pressure (ICP). We previously showed that high ICP in rats caused a transition from capillary (CAP) to non-nutritive microvascular shunt (MVS) flow, tissue hypoxia and increased blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability.
A causal theory of ramifications and qualifications

This paper is concerned with the problem of determining the indirect effects or ramifications of actions. We argue that the standard framework in which background knowledge is given in the form of state constraints is inadequate and that background knowledge should instead be given in the form of "causal laws." We represent "causal laws" first as inference rules and later as sentences in a modal, conditional logic Gflat- For the framework with "causal laws," we propose a simple fixpoint condition defining the possible next states after performing an action. This fixpoint condition guarantees minimal change between states, but also enforces the requirement that changes be "caused." Ramification and qualification constraints can be expressed as "causal laws."
On the Mechanisms of Mind

When the inevitable topic of consciousness is approached in the light of modern brain research, the experienced student has come to brace himself for the mellifluous intonations of someone’s personal experience and ideas on the matter, as opposed to data. Yet, we all listen dutifully, because ultimately the business of the serious neuroscientist is to figure out the mechanisms of brain and mind.
Quantitative Overhead Analysis for Python

Dynamic programming languages such as Python are becoming increasingly more popular, yet often show a significant performance slowdown compared to static languages such as C. This paper provides a detailed quantitative analysis of the overhead in Python without and with just-in-time (JIT) compilation. The study identifies a new major source of overhead, C function calls, for the Python interpreter. Additionally, we study the interaction of the run-time with the underlying processor hardware and find that the performance of Python with JIT depends heavily on the cache hierarchy and memory system. We find that proper nursery sizing is necessary for each application to optimize the trade-off between cache performance and garbage collection overhead. Although our studies focuses on Python, we show that our key findings can also apply to other dynamic languages such as Javascript.
A comparative study of the depth, breadth, and perception of pharmacogenomics instruction in a subgroup of US pharmacy curricula.

Abstract Introduction This study was designed to assess the depth, breadth, and perception of pharmacogenomics education in pharmacy curricula in the United States (US). Methods A modified, online questionnaire from previous studies was sent to all accredited US schools and colleges of pharmacy. The survey covered three distinct areas related to the schools' educational environments, the depth and the extent of pharmacogenomics core competencies and topics taught, and the institutions' perceptions of the importance of pharmacogenomics in the curriculum and future plans for expanded pharmacogenomics education. Multiple approaches were used to increase the response rate, and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the 133 eligible programs, 32 participated in the survey. Six invalid surveys were excluded from our study, resulting in a 19.6% response rate. Results revealed that all responding schools included pharmacogenomics in the curriculum. Interestingly, 76.9% of the respondents believed pharmacists do not have the appropriate knowledge of pharmacogenomics. However, only 30.7% indicated that their programs planned to expand pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. Conclusions The responding schools all included some pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. However, the depth and the extent of pharmacogenomics topics covered varied. Respondents perceived that pharmacists today do not possess the appropriate level of pharmacogenomics knowledge. Despite this, there is limited emphasis on expanding pharmacogenomics instruction in the responding schools' curriculums.
Adjuvant Management of Advanced High-Risk Salivary Gland Malignancy

Salivary gland malignancies (SGM) are a rare group of head and neck cancers. Surgical resection is the primary treatment modality but in patients with high risk features (close or positive margins, advanced T stage, high grade histology, nodal metastasis, bone invasion, perineural invasion, and extracapsular spread) there is debate on whether adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), systemic therapy or both might improve locoregional control and improve survival. We reviewed the literature surrounding the use of adjuvant therapy for the treatment of SGM with high risk features in patients who had already undergone surgical resection. Evidence based on retrospective series and database studies suggest that it is reasonable to offer adjuvant RT to these patients as it might improve locoregional control and offer possible survival benefit (quality of evidence: weak, strength of recommendation: weak). Regarding the use of adjuvant systemic therapy, evidence based on retrospective series and database studies suggest that it should not be offered to these patients as it has shown no benefit to locoregional control or survival (quality of evidence: weak, strength of recommendation: weak). Finally, we briefly discuss a clinical trial currently under way that should add to our understanding of the survival and toxicity outcomes of adding systemic therapy to radiation in this patient population.
David Oliver: Fighting phantom policies in hospitals.

Much has been written about the informal “hidden curriculum” in clinical training that can influence our behaviours, perceptions, and values.12 Hospital medicine has a parallel problem of hidden or “phantom” policies, which aren’t formally written but become accepted custom and practice. I’m aware of this from working in older people’s acute care, but readers in other specialties will have their own bugbears. This is no exhaustive list, but I’ll give some examples. Contrary to popular belief, patients discharging themselves against medical advice (for whatever reason) can still be offered transport and medication. And people who aren’t self discharging shouldn’t have to wait for medicine to be dispensed before they leave the ward if someone can pick it up later or it can be sent after them. Despite a regulatory impetus for patients to be reviewed by a senior clinician,3 it’s not the case on clinical …
Asymmetric Synthesis of γ-Amino Alcohols by Copper-Catalyzed Hydroamination

Asymmetric synthesis of γ-amino alcohols from unprotected allylic alcohols by a copper-catalyzed hydroamination strategy has been developed. Using easily accessible starting materials, a range of c...
Reputation matters: parasocial attachment, narrative engagement, and the 2018 Taylor Swift political endorsement

This study examined the processing of a celebrity political social media post in terms of parasocial attachment and narrative engagement. Taylor Swift’s 2018 election endorsement Instagram post was...