cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Approaches to Macroevolution: 2. Sorting of Variation, Some Overarching Issues, and General Conclusions.

Approaches to macroevolution require integration of its two fundamental components, within a hierarchical framework. Following a companion paper on the origin of variation, I here discuss sorting within an evolutionary hierarchy. Species sorting—sometimes termed species selection in the broad sense, meaning differential origination and extinction owing to intrinsic biological properties—can be split into strict-sense species selection, in which rate differentials are governed by emergent, species-level traits such as geographic range size, and effect macroevolution, in which rates are governed by organism-level traits such as body size; both processes can create hitchhiking effects, indirectly causing the proliferation or decline of other traits. Several methods can operationalize the concept of emergence, so that rigorous separation of these processes is increasingly feasible. A macroevolutionary tradeoff, underlain by the intrinsic traits that influence evolutionary dynamics, causes speciation and extinction rates to covary in many clades, resulting in evolutionary volatility of some clades and more subdued behavior of others; the few clades that break the tradeoff can achieve especially prolific diversification. In addition to intrinsic biological traits at multiple levels, extrinsic events can drive the waxing and waning of clades, and the interaction of traits and events are difficult but important to disentangle. Evolutionary trends can arise in many ways, and at any hierarchical level; descriptive models can be fitted to clade trajectories in phenotypic or functional spaces, but they may not be diagnostic regarding processes, and close attention must be paid to both leading and trailing edges of apparent trends. Biotic interactions can have negative or positive effects on taxonomic diversity within a clade, but cannot be readily extrapolated from the nature of such interactions at the organismic level. The relationships among macroevolutionary currencies through time (taxonomic richness, morphologic disparity, functional variety) are crucial for understanding the nature of evolutionary diversification. A novel approach to diversity-disparity analysis shows that taxonomic diversifications can lag behind, occur in concert with, or precede, increases in disparity. Some overarching issues relating to both the origin and sorting of clades and phenotypes include the macroevolutionary role of mass extinctions, the potential differences between plant and animal macroevolution, whether macroevolutionary processes have changed through geologic time, and the growing human impact on present-day macroevolution. Many challenges remain, but progress is being made on two of the key ones: (a) the integration of variation-generating mechanisms and the multilevel sorting processes that act on that variation, and (b) the integration of paleontological and neontological approaches to historical biology.
A Long War in the East: Doctrine, Diplomacy, and the Prospects for a Protracted Sino-American Conflict

Increasing diplomatic tension between China and the United States has led to concerns about military conflict, possibly including rapid nuclear escalation. Scholars have spent less time considering...
Diagnosis of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review of Point-of-Care Diagnostic Tests

Diagnosis of Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review of Point-of-Care Diagnostic Tests
Persistent Hiccups as the Only Presenting Symptom of ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Clinical manifestations of acute myocardial infarction can be more than just chest pain. Patients can present with dyspnea, fatigue, heart burn, diaphoresis, syncope, and abdominal pain to name a few. Our patient was a 74-year-old male with a past medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and COPD due to chronic tobacco use, who presented with persistent hiccups for 4 days and no other complaints. Coincidently, he was found to have a diabetic foot ulcer with sepsis and acute kidney injury and hence was admitted to the hospital. A routine 12-lead EKG was done, and he was found to have an inferior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction. He underwent diagnostic catheterization which demonstrated 100% right coronary artery occlusion and a thallium viability study which confirmed nonviable myocardium; hence, he did not undergo percutaneous coronary intervention. Elderly patients who present with persistent hiccups should be investigated for an underlying cardiac etiology.
Urban Science Teachers in Isolation: Challenges, Resilience, and Adaptive Action

High school physics teachers in the United States are often in a position of isolation, particularly in urban schools where access to physics is relatively limited. This study explored the issue of...
Internationalization, Higher Education, and Competitiveness

Competitiveness, higher education and internationalization are deeply intertwined. However due to changing conditions, the existing university business model is becoming unsustainable. Universities will have to adapt in order to meet future challenges, attract students and maintain quality while making higher education more accessible. In addition to increasing the reach and quality of higher education in America and thereby fueling our international competitiveness, we also need to ensure that students get the most from their experiences while at college thus allowing them to be more competitive in the global marketplace. One important way we are doing this is through internationalization. In terms of enhancing our competitiveness through the internationalization of higher education, the United States is falling behind, particularly when compared to China. This paper provides policy recommendations such as increasing the length of study abroad programs, including a language component and developing more joint degree programs that will ensure that the US and its graduates continue to remain competitive in the future.
Microscopy and the Discovery of Endometriosis and Adenomyosis

Study of histologic sections of uterine tissue was essential to discover the new disease uterine endometriosis (adenomyosis) and to differentiate it from a degenerating uterine leiomyoma (fibroid) and from uterine cancer. Unfortunately, the Imperial reform of 1786 had demoted the mission and status of pathological anatomy by transferring microscopy to the department of physiology and thus deprived all subsequent pathological anatomic prosectors – including Rokitansky – use of the microscope.2 Then two publications appeared in the 1830s that demonstrated the importance of microscopy in pathological anatomy. Between 1835 and 1840 Johannes Muller of Berlin published his highly acclaimed Handbook of Human Physiology. Between 1837 and 1844, Joseph Berres of Vienna published the first atlas of the histology of the human body entitled Anatomy of the Microscopic Formations of the Human Body.3 Both works appeared at a crucial point in Rokitansky’s career and they undoubtedly aroused his interest in microscopy.
The Problem of Motivation in the Education of the Mentally Retarded

One possible reason for the failure to demonstrate the efficacy of self contained classes for the EMR lies in the failure of such classes to balance the emphasis on motivational and cognitive variables. Several motivational variables have been isolated experimentally and the research findings have been interpreted to suggest that children who have experienced excessive amounts of failure dramatically differ from children with little history of failure on these variables. Three specific motivational variables are discussed and the related research evidence presented. The variables are (a) expectancy for failure, (b) outer-directedness, and (c) positive and negative reaction tendencies. Implications are drawn and suggestions made regarding ways of dealing with these behaviors.
Perron–Frobenius theorem for hypermatrices in the max algebra

Abstract Recently, there have been many intriguing new developments in the study of hypermatrices and their associated eigenvalue problems. In particular, results coming from the matrix setting when studying the max algebra have shown especially attractive combinatorial features. We now extend this max algebra setting into the realm of hypermatrices. Considering that the max algebra has shown particular significance in optimization problems for the matrix setting, we look to examine and extend these results in the higher order conditions. Furthermore, we establish some algebraic properties for hypermatrices and then proceed to extend the Perron–Frobenius Theorem for this setting and prove the existence of a unique eigenvalue. We continue by stating a result from Nussbaum, that the Min–Max theorem holds, and provide a proof for completeness. For strongly increasing hypermatrices, an iterative algorithm which converges to our unique eigenvalue is given. Finally, we conclude with an analysis of our results in the hypergraph setting.
Management of Myasthenia Gravis in Pregnancy

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by fluctuating weakness of extraocular and proximal limb muscles. It occurs in 1 in 5000 in the overall population and is 2 times more common in women than men. The onset in women is most common in the third decade, and risk of severe exacerbation occurs most frequently in the year after presentation. The disease does not have an impact on fertility and overlap with pregnancy is expected. This article provides a description of the disease process and its impact on the expecting mother, fetus, and newborn. Management options in pregnancy and lactation are discussed.
Needs and Challenges for Radiation Oncology in the Era of Precision Medicine

Modern medicine, including the care of the cancer patient, has significantly advanced, with the evidence-based medicine paradigm serving to guide clinical care decisions. Yet we now also recognize the tremendous heterogeneity not only of disease states but of the patient and his or her environment as it influences treatment outcomes and toxicities. These reasons and many others have led to a reevaluation of the generalizability of randomized trials and growing interest in accounting for this heterogeneity under the rubric of precision medicine as it relates to personalizing clinical care predictions, decisions, and therapy for the disease state. For the cancer patient treated with radiation therapy, characterizing the spatial treatment heterogeneity has been a fundamental tenet of routine clinical care facilitated by established database and imaging platforms. Leveraging these platforms to further characterize and collate all clinically relevant sources of heterogeneity that affect the longitudinal health outcomes of the irradiated cancer patient provides an opportunity to generate a critical informatics infrastructure on which precision radiation therapy may be realized. In doing so, data science-driven insight discoveries, personalized clinical decisions, and the potential to accelerate translational efforts may be realized ideally within a network of institutions with locally developed yet coordinated informatics infrastructures. The path toward realizing these goals has many needs and challenges, which we summarize, with many still to be realized and understood. Early efforts by our group have identified the feasibility of this approach using routine clinical data sets and offer promise that this transformation can be successfully realized in radiation oncology.
Internal gravity waves generated by an impulsive plume

Laboratory experiments demonstrate the generation of internal waves by a short-duration impulsive plume. After the plume descends to a maximum depth, it rebounds to an equilibrium level where the ensuing oscillation results in the generation of a propagating internal wave field.
Abstract LB-171: Global variation in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates, 1980-2013

Context: Previous studies documented significant international variation in prostate cancer rates due to differences in detection practices, availability of treatment, and genetic factors. Objective: To provide updated contemporary prostate cancer incidence and mortality patterns across five continents using the most recent cancer incidence data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and mortality data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Evidence acquisition: We present estimated age-standardized prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates by country and WHO regions for 2012 based on GLOBOCAN. We examined long-term (1980 onwards) trends in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates for 38 countries with high quality population-based incidence and mortality data. Trends were expressed as annual percent change using Joinpoint model. We also examined short-term (most recent 5 years) trends in prostate cancer among 44 countries with available incidence data and 71 countries with available mortality data. Evidence synthesis: The highest incidence rates during the most recent 5 years are found in Brazil, Lithuania, and Australia, whereas the lowest incidence rates are found in Asia (India, Thailand, and Bahrain). The highest mortality rates are found in the Caribbean (Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba), sub-Saharan Africa (South Africa), parts of former Soviet Union (Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia), whereas the lowest rates are found in Asia (Thailand and Turkmenistan). Of the 44 countries with high quality incidence data, prostate cancer incidence rates during the most recent five data years increased in 4 countries (with Bulgaria showing the largest increase), decreased in 7 countries (with the biggest decrease in the United States), and stabilized in the remaining 31 countries. During the same time period, in contrast, among the 71 countries considered for the mortality trend, rates decreased in 14 countries, increased in 3 countries, and remained stable in 54 countries. Conclusions: In 2012, prostate cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in 96 countries and the leading cause of death in 51 countries. In the most recent 5 years of data examined, prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are decreasing or stabilizing in most parts of the world. Future studies should monitor trends in mortality rates and late-stage disease to assess the impact of reduction in PSA testing in several countries. Citation Format: MaryBeth Freeman, Ahmedin Jemal. Global variation in prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates, 1980-2013 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-171.
Frugal following: power thrifty object detection and tracking for mobile augmented reality

Accurate tracking of objects in the real world is highly desirable in Augmented Reality (AR) to aid proper placement of virtual objects in a user's view. Deep neural networks (DNNs) yield high precision in detecting and tracking objects, but they are energy-heavy and can thus be prohibitive for deployment on mobile devices. Towards reducing energy drain while maintaining good object tracking precision, we develop a novel software framework called MARLIN. MARLIN only uses a DNN as needed, to detect new objects or recapture objects that significantly change in appearance. It employs lightweight methods in between DNN executions to track the detected objects with high fidelity. We experiment with several baseline DNN models optimized for mobile devices, and via both offline and live object tracking experiments on two different Android phones (one utilizing a mobile GPU), we show that MARLIN compares favorably in terms of accuracy while saving energy significantly. Specifically, we show that MARLIN reduces the energy consumption by up to 73.3% (compared to an approach that executes the best baseline DNN continuously), and improves accuracy by up to 19× (compared to an approach that infrequently executes the same best baseline DNN). Moreover, while in 75% or more cases, MARLIN incurs at most a 7.36% reduction in location accuracy (using the common IOU metric), in more than 46% of the cases, MARLIN even improves the IOU compared to the continuous, best DNN approach.
Validation of normalized singular spectrum area as a classifier for targeted microbubble enhancement

Molecularly targeted microbubbles (MBs), comprising a gas core and a functionalized shell, 1-5 μm in diameter, enable visualization of disease marker concentration using a method termed ultrasound molecular imaging (USMI). The current state-of-the-art method for USMI based quantification of molecular markers is differential targeted enhancement (dTE), which employs destructive pulses of ultrasound to quantify the amount of targeted MB adherence. In this study, we sought to quantify the signal from adherent MBs non-destructively using a statistical parameter termed normalized singular spectrum area (NSSA) in a murine tumor model. The sensitivity and specificity of NSSA-based signal classification was compared to matched dTE measurements in a mouse hindlimb tumor.
Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Teaching Math: Relations With Teacher and Student Outcomes

Abstract Social cognitive theory posits that teacher self-efficacy beliefs should be related to not only their own well-being outcomes but also classroom processes and student outcomes in the general ecology of the classroom environment. However, little research has directly examined the associations of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs with these teacher and student-level outcomes simultaneously. The present study proposes and tests an integrative model of the relations of teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching math with their job satisfaction and student math achievement both directly and indirectly via interaction quality as a critical dimension of the quality of classroom processes. Additionally, student level relational and motivational predictors of math achievement, including individual perceptions of student-teacher interaction quality and math self-concept, are included per the ecology of the classroom environment. Based on data from over 6000 4th grade students and 450 teachers, results of multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs for teaching math were positively associated with teachers’ job satisfaction and class levles of math achievement and interaction quality. At the individual student level, individual levels of math self-concept were positively associated with math achievement, and individual perceptions of interaction quality were positively associated with math self-concept. However, a negative association between residualized interindividual perceptions of interaction quality and math achievement was observed.
Pearls and Pitfalls. Congenital Absence of the Pericardium

Congenital absence of the pericardium is a very uncommon condition that may be focal, unilateral or bilateral but most frequently involves the left sided pericardium. Clinical signs and symptoms are often absent or nonspecific, overlapping with many other more common conditions. Imaging findings are distinctive if the features are sought and recognized.
“Not Having Family as One Makes It even Harder for My Kids to Learn:” Understanding Benefits of Family-Based Migration

Current literature demonstrates the benefits of family-based migration and the impact that separation from family has on children. However, less is known about the specific role of extended family in shaping the development of immigrant youth. This article focuses on answering the question: How do low-income immigrants utilize extended families to aide in physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of their preschool children? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Hispanic or Asian families in a diverse urban community located outside of New York City. In addition, to build a more thorough understanding of each immigrant child, teachers were interviewed, and classroom experiences were observed for a duration of 3 months. Using this data, the article describes specific ways immigrants leverage family ties for the well-being of children. Several, for example, pooled resources in the form of time, skills, and finances to support children’s needs. Some indicated that separation from extended family related to minimal support with children’s learning. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory is utilized to highlight this intricate connection between immigration policy and educational opportunity.
Müllerian Duct Anomalies: Role in Fertility and Pregnancy.

US and MRI are essential to classifying mullerian duct anomalies and identifying commonly associated urinary tract anomalies.
VITAMIN B6 AND AMINO ACIDS--RECENT RESEARCH IN ANIMALS.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on recent studies of certain aspects of vitamin B 6 and amino acid metabolism in animals. All these topics re-emphasize the importance of vitamin B 6 in every aspect of amino acid utilization. With limited amino acid intakes, a high intake of the vitamin can improve the ability of the animal to synthesize and interconvert dietary and tissue amino acids so that the limiting amino acid may be used more efficiently. As the protein intake increases, the intake of nonutilizable amino acids may increase, with the result that the need for vitamin B 6 in amino acid catabolism becomes a more dominant factor. This aspect of vitamin B 6 function appears even more important in view of the evidence that activities of enzymes in amino acid metabolism may vary constantly in relation to protein intake or to other dietary changes. Both activation and synthesis of vitamin B 6 -dependent enzymes may depend upon the vitamin B 6 intake, and the activities of these enzymes may control the pathway by which an amino acid will be metabolized.
International Labor Rights and the Sovereignty Question: NAFTA and Guatemala, Two Case Studies

Excerpt] Labor rights advocates in the United States and allied organizations abroad attempting to establish international fair labor standards run up against traditional notions of sovereignty in formulating national labor policies and development strategies. In the same way that entrenched sovereignty principles gradually yielded to international human rights claims after World War E, sovereignty is now being challenged by claims of international labor rights in the field of employment standards and industrial relations. This Article seeks to illuminate this challenge to sovereignty in two case studies of labor rights advocacy. Part I sets the stage with an overview of the growing importance of labor rights and labor standards as the world economy shifts from a nation-based economy to a single, global economy. Part II examines the case studies: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Guatemala. NAFTA is a case study of advocacy to establish fair international labor standards. The Guatemala case study exemplifies advocacy by U.S. labor rights supporters on behalf of workers and trade unions in Guatemala, where recourse is sought through worker rights provisions in U.S. trade laws and through a litigation strategy that views U.S. courts as a forum for asserting international labor rights claims.
Sum rule of the correlation function

Abstract We derive a sum rule satisfied by the correlation function of two particles with small relative momenta, which results from the completeness condition of the quantum states.
DENSITY-GRADIENT PATTERNS OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS CELLS AND CELL WALLS DURING GROWTH AND MECHANICAL DISRUPTION

Huff, Eskin (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Md.), Harriet Oxley, and Carol S. Silverman. Density-gradient patterns of Staphylococcus aureus cells and cell walls during growth and mechanical disruption. J. Bacteriol. 88: 1155–1162. 1964.—Procedures capable of rapid disruption of Staphylococcus aureus cells with optimal release of intact cell walls were investigated. This search was implemented by observation of the flotation patterns of cells and subcellular particulate matter after centrifugation in a cesium chloride density gradient. A quantitative evaluation of the light-scatter throughtout the gradient was achieved by transfer of the entire density gradient into an optical cell with wedge-shaped cross section. When this cell was photographed under indirect illumination, each band of light-scattering material appeared on the negative as a shaded curve, with an area proportional to amount of that material present. A series of photographs of known amounts of cells and cell walls was used to estimate the amounts of these materials in mixtures of the two occurring during mechanical disruption. With the methods employed, time studies established the optimal time for release of cell walls as 5 min in a Braun shaker. The use of sucrose gradients in the further purification of cell walls, and chemical analysis of the isolated walls, are described. Images
Role of nitrosative stress in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular dysfunction

Here we overview the role of reactive nitrogen species (nitrosative stress) and associated pathways in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. Increased extracellular glucose concentration, a principal feature of diabetes mellitus, induces a dysregulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen generating pathways. These processes lead to a loss of the vascular endothelium to produce biologically active nitric oxide (NO), which impairs vascular relaxations. Mitochondria play a crucial role in this process: endothelial cells placed in increase extracellular glucose respond with a marked increase in mitochondrial superoxide formation. Superoxide, when combining with NO generated by the endothelial cells (produced by the endothelial isoform of NO synthase), leads to the formation of peroxynitrite, a cytotoxic oxidant. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species trigger endothelial cell dysfunction through a multitude of mechanisms including substrate depletion and uncoupling of endothelial isoform of NO synthase. Another pathomechanism involves DNA strand breakage and activation of the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). PARP-mediated poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase importantly contributes to the development of diabetic vascular complications: it induces activation of multiple pathways of injury including activation of nuclear factor kappa B, activation of protein kinase C and generation of intracellular advanced glycation end products. Reactive species generation and PARP play key roles in the pathogenesis of 'glucose memory' and in the development of injury in endothelial cells exposed to alternating high/low glucose concentrations.
Relationship between Measures of Adaptive Functioning and Community Adjustment for Adults with Mental Retardation

This study investigated the concurrent relations between measures of adaptive/maladaptive behavior and community adjustment in a sample of 239 adults with mild to severe degrees of mental retardation. Using canonical correlation procedures and multidimensional community adjustment measures, the investigators found significant relations between the measures of behavior and several community adjustment dimensions. The results provided evidence for the criterion-related validity of measures of adaptive/maladaptive behavior and suggested that such skills provide an important contribution to community adaptation and to program planning and decision making for individuals with mental retardation.
Opportunities for Natural Language Processing Research in Education

This paper discusses emerging opportunities for natural language processing (NLP) researchers in the development of educational applications for writing, reading and content knowledge acquisition. A brief historical perspective is provided, and existing and emerging technologies are described in the context of research related to content, syntax, and discourse analyses. Two systems, e-rater® and Text Adaptor , are discussed as illustrations of NLP-driven technology. The development of each system is described, as well as how continued development provides significant opportunities for NLP research.
Thrombocytopenia as a Prognostic Factor in Encephalitis (P4.318)

Objective: To determine whether thrombocytopenia is associated with poor prognosis in hospitalized patients with encephalitis Background: Few prognostic factors for patients with all-cause encephalitis have been defined. We had previously identified thrombocytopenia as a risk factor for death in critically ill patients with encephalitis. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of all inpatient acute encephalitis cases at a single institution between 1997-2012, and identified those with thrombocytopenia ( platelet counts<150,000 cells/mm3). Outcome at discharge was assessed using the Modified Ranking Score categorized into 3 groups - good (0-2), fair (3-4), and poor (5-6). Using univariate analysis, we analyzed clinico-demographic variables predicting poor outcomes at discharge. Results: Of 396 encephalitis patients, 74 (18.69%) had thrombocytopenia. Overall, thrombocytopenic patients had poorer outcomes after adjusting for age and gender (OR 5.27, p<0.001). Among the thrombocytopenic patients, 39 (53%) were male, mean age was 47 years (± 20), 29 (39%) had good outcome, 28 (38%) had fair outcome, while 17 (23%) had poor outcome. The mean nadir platelet count of individuals with poor outcome differed from those with good or fair outcome (51x103/mm3 (± 35) vs. 88x103/mm3 (± 41))(p<0.001). Further analysis among the thrombocytopenic patients revealed the following significant associations with poor outcome: thrombocytopenia of 蠅3 weeks duration (OR 4.96, p=0.02), and platelet count levels < 70x103 cells/mm3 (OR 8.33, p<0.001). Heparin use (OR 2.23, p=0.31) and presence of malignancy (OR 1.67, p=0.39) were not significantly associated with poor outcome. Conclusions: Thrombocytopenia is associated with poor outcomes in patients with encephalitis of all causes. Platelet levels below 70,000 cells/mm3 and thrombocytopenia lasting greater than 3 weeks were associated with poor discharge outcomes. Significance: Thrombocytopenia represents a potentially modifiable risk factor for poor prognosis in encephalitis. Investigation of underlying etiologies and treatment of thrombocytopenia in order to optimize platelet counts and minimize duration of thrombocytopenia may be critical to improving outcomes for encephalitis patients. Disclosure: Dr. Asemota has nothing to disclose. Dr. Thakur has nothing to disclose. Dr. Geocadin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Venkatesan has nothing to disclose.
Environment, Culture, and The Great Lakes Fisheries

The commercial fisheries of the United States and Canadian Great Lakes are in a long period of decline. Detailed statistics kept for well over a century document a fluctuating pattern of harvests o...
Biliary Actinomycosis Mimicking a Klatskin Tumor

A 59-year-old White woman presented with painless jaundice, pruritus, and 10-lb weight loss over a month to an outside facility. She did not have any fever. There was no past history of pancreatitis, abdominal surgery, or trauma. She had no history of smoking. Her labs were: total bilirubin 11.0 mg/dL, direct bilirubin 10.2 mg/dL, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 655 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 92 U/L, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 96 U/L. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 4.5-cm mass at the porta hepatis with compression of the common bile duct and portal lymphadenopathy. CA 19-9 was elevated at 96 U/ml. She underwent a placement of two external biliary drains and had resolution of the jaundice. She was presumed to have Klatskin tumor, based on her clinical and radiological presentation, and the mass was unresectable given its proximity to the portal vein and hepatic artery. She was referred to our center for medical management of cholangiocarcinoma. Patients initially choose to be palliative and refused biopsy considering the high mortality of the tumor. She presented a few days later with abdominal pain and agreed for a biopsy. A few days after a computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy of the mass, she developed fever, chills, hematemesis, and abdominal pain. On examination, she had a temperature of 99.6°F, blood pressure of 105/60 mmHg, pulse of 105/min, and respiration of 20/min. Her lungs were clear to auscultation. She had tenderness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. A repeat CT scan showed a 4.7-cm porta hepatis mass with encasement of the hepatic artery and with loss of fat planes between the mass and the gall bladder and duodenum (Fig. 1). A 1.7-cm gall stone was visualized. A 1-cm gastrohepatic lymph node was seen along with scattered lymph nodes measuring up to 1 cm in the retrocaval, aortocaval, and periaortic regions. Two biliary stents were in place. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed fresh blood oozing from the ampulla of Vater, which was felt to be due to her mass. Digital subtraction angiography of the celiac trunk and superior mesenteric artery showed an 8-mm pseudoaneurysm of the third segmental branch of the left hepatic artery (Fig. 2). The bleeding was successfully stopped with coil and gel foam embolization. The pathology of the bile duct mass was negative for malignancy but showed acute and chronic inflammation and granulomas with gram-positive filamentous bacteria consistent with actinomycetes species (Fig. 3). Cultures grew Streptococcus constellatus, Prevotella intermedia, and Prevotella oris. The patient was started on IV penicillin, oral metronidazole and levaquin while in the hospital and made a slow recovery. M. Bansal (*) :A. Agarwal Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA e-mail: mbansal@uams.edu
High-throughput cryopreservation of spermatozoa of blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus): Establishment of an approach for commercial-scale processing.

Abstract Hybrid catfish created by crossing of female channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and male blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) are being used increasingly in foodfish aquaculture because of their fast growth and efficient food conversion. However, the availability of blue catfish males is limited, and their peak spawning is at a different time than that of the channel catfish. As such, cryopreservation of sperm of blue catfish could improve production of hybrid catfish, and has been studied in the laboratory and tested for feasibility in a commercial dairy bull cryopreservation facility. However, an approach for commercially relevant production of cryopreserved blue catfish sperm is still needed. The goal of this study was to develop practical approaches for commercial-scale sperm cryopreservation of blue catfish by use of an automated high-throughput system (MAPI, CryoBioSystem Co.). The objectives were to: (1) refine cooling rate and cryoprotectant concentration, and evaluate their interactions; (2) evaluate the effect of sperm concentration on cryopreservation; (3) refine cryoprotectant concentration based on the highest effective sperm concentration; (4) compare the effect of thawing samples at 20 or 40 °C; (5) evaluate the fertility of thawed sperm at a research scale by fertilizing with channel catfish eggs; (6) test the post-thaw motility and fertility of sperm from individual males in a commercial setting, and (7) test for correlation of cryopreservation results with biological indices used for male evaluation. The optimal cooling rate was 5 °C/min (Micro Digitcool, IMV) for high-throughput cryopreservation using CBS high-biosecurity 0.5-ml straws with 10% methanol, and a concentration of 1 × 109 sperm/ml. There was no difference in post-thaw motility when samples were thawed at 20 °C for 40 s or 40 °C for 20 s. After fertilization, the percentage of neurulation (Stage V embryos) was 80 ± 21%, and percentage of embryonic mobility (Stage VI embryo) was 51 ± 22%. There was a significant difference among the neurulation values produced by thawed blue catfish sperm, fresh blue catfish sperm (P = 0.010) and channel catfish sperm (P = 0.023), but not for Stage VI embryos (P ⩾ 0.585). Cryopreserved sperm from ten males did not show significant variation in post-thaw motility or fertility at the neurulation stage. This study demonstrates that the protocol established for high-throughput cryopreservation of blue catfish sperm can provide commercially relevant quantities and quality of sperm with stable fertility for hybrid catfish production and provides a model for establishment of commercial-scale approaches for other aquatic species.
HlyU Is a Positive Regulator of Hemolysin Expression in Vibrio anguillarum

The two hemolysin gene clusters previously identified in Vibrio anguillarum, the vah1 cluster and the rtxACHBDE cluster, are responsible for the hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of V. anguillarum in fish. In this study, we used degenerate PCR to identify a positive hemolysin regulatory gene, hlyU, from the unsequenced V. anguillarum genome. The hlyU gene of V. anguillarum encodes a 92-amino-acid protein and is highly homologous to other bacterial HlyU proteins. An hlyU mutant was constructed, which exhibited an ∼5-fold decrease in hemolytic activity on sheep blood agar with no statistically significant decrease in cytotoxicity of the wild-type strain. Complementation of the hlyU mutation restored both hemolytic activity and cytotoxic activity. Both semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to examine expression of the hemolysin genes under exponential and stationary-phase conditions in wild-type, hlyU mutant, and hlyU complemented strains. Compared to the wild-type strain, expression of rtx genes decreased in the hlyU mutant, while expression of vah1 and plp was not affected in the hlyU mutant. Complementation of the hlyU mutation restored expression of the rtx genes and increased vah1 and plp expression to levels higher than those in the wild type. The transcriptional start sites in both the vah1-plp and rtxH-rtxB genes' intergenic regions were determined using 5' random amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE), and the binding sites for purified HlyU were discovered using DNA gel mobility shift experiments and DNase protection assays.
A microscopic comparison of clinically and artificially produced changes in enamel.

Abstract Microscopic changes very closely duplicating those observed in early smooth-surface caries of the white spot variety can be produced by the exposure of enamel to sterile inorganic solutions having calcium, phosphate, and hydrogen ion concentrations related to each other in certain ways.
Grain boundary self-diffusion in Ni: Effect of boundary inclination

We examined the influence of the boundary plane on grain-boundary diffusion in Ni through a series of molecular dynamics simulations. A series of 〈010〉 Σ5 tilt boundaries, including several high symmetry and low symmetry boundary planes, were considered. The self-diffusion coefficient is a strong function of boundary inclination at low temperature but is almost independent of inclination at high temperature. At all temperatures, the self-diffusion coefficients are low when at least one of the two grains has a normal with low Miller indices. The grain boundary self-diffusion coefficient is an Arrhenius function of temperature. The logarithm of the pre-exponential factor in the Arrhenius expression was shown to be nearly proportional to the activation energy for diffusion. The activation energy for self-diffusion in a (103) symmetric tilt boundary is much higher than in boundaries with other inclinations. We discuss the origin of the boundary plane density–diffusion coefficient correlation.
Plasmonic Nano-Apertures for Lensfree On-chip Sensing

We demonstrate lensfree on-chip sensing within a microfluidic channel using plasmonic nanoapertures illuminated by a partially-coherent source. Our results confirm lensfree sensing of refractive index changes as small as ~0.002 using this modality.
Aharonov-Bohm shift as a shift in normal coordinates

The Aharonov-Bohm shift in a closed system is considered. The solenoid is a charged, rotating cylinder which is electrically neutral. This model of Henneberger and Opatrny has a Hamiltonian which is a quadratic form. This quadratic form is transformed to normal coordinates, so that the stationary states become self-evident. It is shown that, in the original system, it is the kinetic angular momentum which is quantized. Solutions of the problem for an electron inside the solenoid are discussed. It is shown that the rotating cylinder exhibits different behavior if the electron is in the magnetic field or if it is in the external region. An external field approximation which replaces the cylinder by a constant magnetic field therefore cannot yield a correct solution of the Schrodinger equation which is continuous at the surface of the solenoid.
Quantum gravity and life

Abstract New physical effects predicted by a quantum mechanistic model of gravity (the fluctuon model) may contribute significantly to the control and information processing capabilities of cells and organisms.
Biophysical Characterization of a β-Peptide Bundle: Comparison to Natural Proteins

We recently described the high-resolution X-ray structure of a helical bundle composed of eight copies of the β-peptide Zwit-1F. Like many proteins in Nature, the Zwit-1F octamer contains parallel and antiparallel helices, extensive inter-helical electrostatic interactions, and a solvent-excluded hydrophobic core. Here we explore the stability of the Zwit-1F octamer using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation (AU), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and NMR. These studies demonstrate that the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of Zwit-1F closely resemble those of α-helical bundle proteins. Together these studies should provide a model for the design of β-peptide proteins with biological functions.
Scalable Preparation of Benzimidazole Compounds

Abstract The preparation of benzimidazole compound 7, an ORL‐1 agonist, is described. The four‐step procedure gave the compound 7 in 29% overall yield.
Laboratory Evaluation of Doryphorophaga doryphorae (Diptera: Tachinidae), a Parasite of the Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Doryphorophaga doryphorae (Riley) is a parasite of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). In our tests, male parasites emerged a few days earlier than females, with a 3:1 numerical advantage in the first 3 days. The female parasite is larviparous and the prelarviposition period averaged 7.8 days. The average larviposition period was 21 days, with the longest period being 45 days. On the average, the female parasite larviposited 215 times in her lifetime and at the rate of 10.8 times per day. When hosts were withheld for a few days and then made available to the flies, the rate of parasitism and superparasitism was substantially higher than normal for a brief period. Under laboratory conditions, the female did parasitize 1st-instar CPB larva, although at a lower rate (3 to 11%) than it did the other larval instars
Management of land/inland water ecotones : needs for regional approaches to achieve sustainable ecological systems

Evidence suggests that the boundaries between rivers, floodplain wetlands, and adjacent upland communities are among the most important components of landscapes. In a landscape context, floodplain wetlands and their ecotones are important transition zones between uplands and aquatic ecosystems. Management of wetland patches and ecotones to achieve sustainable ecosystems requires action on a broad scale, giving consideration to all factors affecting wetlands and the drainage basins of which they are a part. In northeastern United States, a struggle to identify new sources of water has focussed attention on the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.
Behavior of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) within Aggregations, and Morphometric Correlates of Fighting

Within aggregations of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), males varied in the intensity of their aggressive interactions with other males. Most interactions between males consisted of either an immediate parting or a short single bout of abdominal flicking before parting. Escalated aggressive interactions between a pair of males included several bouts of abdominal sparring (males flipping their abdomens at each other), followed by one male that climbed on and grabbed his opponent. His opponent continued abdominal flipping. Females that entered the aggregations generally mated with the 1st male they encountered. Within Gloxinia blossoms, females were approximately evenly distributed across different floral parts, whereas males, fighting, and mating occurred primarily on the corolla lobes. Sizes and shapes of males were examined by multivariate techniques to determine whether there were morphological differences among groups of males exhibiting different behaviors. Both size-included and size-free discriminant functions described differences that separate fighters from those not observed fighting. Fighting males had generally wider abdomens, longer legs and wings, and greater weight than males not observed fighting. Shape-dependent character contrasts determined by the size-free discriminant function indicated that fighters also had relatively larger foreleg femora, longer legs and wider abdominal segments than expected based on their increased size. Less aggressive males had longer but narrower abdominal segments and smaller legs than expected based on their overall smaller size. Size-related fighting activity has not been reported in the context of mating in the thysanopteran suborder, Terebrantia.
Stability of plane waves in two-phase porous media flow

We examine the Saffman–Taylor instability for oil displaced by water in a porous medium. The model equations are based on Darcy's law for two-phase flow, with dependent variables pressure and saturation. Stability of plane wave solutions is governed by the hyperbolic/elliptic system obtained by ignoring capillary pressure, which adds diffusion to the hyperbolic equation. Interestingly, the growth rate of perturbations of unstable waves is linear in the wave number to leading order, whereas a naive analysis would indicate quadratic dependence. This gives a sharp boundary in the state space of upstream and downstream saturations separating stable from unstable waves. The role of this boundary, derived from the linearized hyperbolic/elliptic system, is verified by numerical simulations of the full nonlinear parabolic/elliptic equations.
Cell Cycle Control by an Essential Bacterial Two-Component Signal Transduction Protein

Dividing cells must coordinate cell cycle events to ensure genetic stability. Here we identify an essential two-component signal transduction protein that controls multiple events in the Caulobacter cell cycle, including cell division, stalk synthesis, and cell cycle-specific transcription. This protein, CtrA, is homologous to response regulator transcription factors and controls transcription from a group of cell cycle-regulated promoters critical for DNA replication, DNA methylation, and flagellar biogenesis. CtrA activity in the cell cycle is controlled both transcriptionally and by phosphorylation. As purified CtrA binds an essential DNA sequence motif found within its target promoters, we propose that CtrA acts in a phosphorelay signal transduction system to control bacterial cell cycle events directly at the transcriptional level.