cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dermatitis as a characteristic phenotype of a new autoinflammatory disease associated with NOD2 mutations

Objectives We sought to characterize a new category of autoinflammatory disease associated with nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 ( NOD2 ) gene mutations. Methods A total of 22 patients were identified, inclusive of those reported previously. All had autoinflammatory phenotypes and NOD2 gene mutations that were prospectively studied between January 2009 and February 2012. Results All 22 patients were non-Jewish whites (13 women and 9 men). The mean age at diagnosis was 40.1 years (range 17-72), with a mean disease duration of 4.7 years (range 1-13). Three female patients were siblings. Common clinical features were weight loss (13/22), episodic self-limiting fever (13/22), dermatitis (19/22), and inflammatory polyarthritis/polyarthralgia (20/22). Gastrointestinal symptoms occurred in 13 patients, sicca-like symptoms in 9, and recurrent chest pain in 5. All patients carried the NOD2 gene mutations, with the intervening sequence 8 +158 variant in 21 and the R702W variant in 8. Limitations The NOD2 allelic frequency may need to be examined in a larger population with systemic autoimmune diseases. Conclusions The characteristic clinical phenotype, notably dermatitis, coupled with certain NOD2 variants constitutes a new autoinflammatory disease entity, which we have named as NOD2 -associated autoinflammatory disease.
Effects of High Salt Concentrations on the Micellization of Octyl Glucoside: Salting-Out of Monomers and Electrolyte Effects on the Micelle−Water Interfacial Tension1

The effects of two added electrolytes up to high concentrations, 0−4 M NaCl and 0−6.6 M LiCl, on the critical micellization concentration (cmc) of octyl glucoside (OG), a nonionic surfactant, in aqueous solution have been measured. The fluorescence probe 6-p-toluidino-2-naphthalene sulfonate was used to determine the cmc values. Log cmc values were found to vary linearly with the molar electrolyte concentration, CS, up to the highest concentrations. A theoretical approach based on the salting-out of the monomeric chain, presented in 1965, has been expanded by incorporating an additional effect of added electrolytes on the interfacial tension of the micelle−water interface. A group additivity relationship for the salting-out of hydrocarbon chains, also proposed in 1965, has been shown to give a good account of the salting-out coefficients of some hydrocarbons, primary alcohols, and methyl esters of carboxylic acids of different chain lengths obtained from literature data. Salting-out coefficients for the o...
Inhalants: not to be taken lightly anymore.

Purpose of review Until recently, inhalant abuse and dependence have been overlooked as serious problems, perhaps because of their relatively low prevalence. The purpose of this review is to summarize recent advances in our understanding of the consequences, pharmacology, and etiology of inhalant use, and how we might develop preventive and management strategies to combat abuse and dependence on these drugs. Recent findings Animal models have cast light on how reinforcement of inhalant use occurs, and on mechanisms of development of tolerance and dependence. The reinforcing effects occur principally through GABA and dopamine-mediated mechanisms (rather than NMDA-mediated mechanisms). Assays for inhalants provide greater opportunities for accurate diagnosis. In addition to known medical consequences of inhalant use (including death), other risks associated with inhalant use and addiction include addiction to other substances, major depression, suicide, and impaired learning and memory. Summary The extensive medical, psychiatric, and psychological damage that can be caused by inhalant use argues for much greater attention to be paid to developing prevention and treatment programmes for inhalant abuse and dependence. These are currently nonexistent, but are badly needed.
Joint asymptotic normality of kernel estimates under dependence conditions, with application to hazard rate

et Xtt =…, ‐1, 0, 1…be R d -valued (d≧1) random variables forming a strictly stationary sequence satisfying a weak dependence condition, and let f be the probability density function of the X's. On the basis of n successive random variables, recursive and nonrecursive kernel estimates of f are considered and the joint asymptotic normality of the proposed estimates, evaluated at a finite number of distinct continuity points of f, is established. By means of an example, it is demonstrated that the recursive estimate may be superior to the nonrecursive one, in the sense of reducing the variance of the asymptotic distribution. The results are applied to the problem of estimating the hazard rate and in establishing the joint asymptotic normality of the proposed estimates. The above mentioned variance reduction possibility carries over to the hazard rate estimation problem.
Managing Coronary Artery Disease in the Cancer Patient

The cancer patient with coronary disease presents particular challenges that directly impact on the management of coronary disease, both stable and acute. The frequent need for surgery in the cancer patient is an important consideration in avoiding a coronary artery stent or any percutaneous coronary intervention for management of chronic stable angina, which will delay surgery or pose of risk of stent thrombosis during surgery. Cancer surgery is considered low or intermediate cardiac risk so revascularization before surgery is needed only in exceptional circumstances. Medical treatment in most patients or coronary artery bypass graft in high risk situations may be preferable if the cancer is being actively treated. The likelihood of thrombocytopenia, either primary from bone marrow disease, or secondarily during chemotherapy causes concern about the need for continuous use of platelet suppressing agents, aspirin for all patients, or double antiplatelet therapy in all patients after receiving a coronary artery stent. Drug-eluting stents pose special problems and should be avoided. Even bare metal stents may have a higher long-term risk of stent thrombosis in the cancer patient. The increase in propensity for venous clotting, either as a result of the cancer itself, or especially with selected chemotherapeutic agents may be an issue after stenting and certainly early after coronary bypass surgery. Aggressive medical treatment to reduce risk factors, especially with statins is essential to stabilize the underlying coronary disease.
Heart transplant for dilated cardiomyopathy associated with polymyositis

Cardiac involvement is one of the most significant factors in the poor clinical outcome of polymyositis. The case of a 39 year old African American woman with polymyositis, cardiomyopathy, and severe heart failure who had orthotopic heart transplantation is described. Review of the literature reveals that cardiac manifestations of polymyositis are frequent and include conduction system abnormalities, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, coronary artery atherosclerosis, valvar disease, and pericardial abnormalities.
Oral nonprescription treatment for insomnia: an evaluation of products with limited evidence.

Purpose To evaluate the level of evidence regarding the safety and efficacy of nonprescription therapies used for insomnia. Reviewers Members of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's Clinical Practice Review Committee. Methods A search of the World Wide Web was conducted using the terms insomnia, herbal remedies, and alternative treatments to develop a list of therapies. Therapies in this review include passionflower, valerian, Jamaican dogwood, hops, California poppy, chamomile, lemon balm, St. John's wort, kava kava, wild lettuce, scullcap, Patrinia root, first-generation histamine-1-receptor antagonists, alcohol, calcium, vitamin A, nicotinamide, magnesium, vitamin B12, I-tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan, dietary changes, Natrum muriaticum, and Yoku-kan-san-ka-chimpi-hange. A search of the PubMed database was conducted in October 2002 using MeSH terms insomnia and each product listed in this paper, including only articles published in English between 1980 and 2002. Additional relevant articles from reference lists were also reviewed. Given the paucity of pediatric publications, this age group was excluded from this review. Results and conclusions Although randomized, placebo-controlled studies were available for a few compounds, rigorous scientific data supporting a beneficial effect were not found for the majority of herbal supplements, dietary changes, and other nutritional supplements popularly used for treating insomnia symptoms. Nevertheless, such treatments are described as alternative remedies for insomnia. Studies are limited by small numbers of participants and, in some instances, inadequate design, lack of statistical analysis, and sparse use of objective measurements. Sparse or no scientific data were found to support the efficacy of most products as hypnotics, including chamomile and St. John's wort. There is preliminary but conflicting evidence suggesting Valerian officinalis L. and first-generation histamine-1-receptor antagonists have efficacy as mild hypnotics over short-term use. There are significant potential risks associated with the use of Jamaican dogwood, kava kava, alcohol, and I-tryptophan. Physicians may find this information useful in counseling their patients.
Asparagine and Glutamine: Using Hydrogen Atom Contacts in the Choice of Side-chain Amide Orientation

Small-probe contact dot surface analysis, with all explicit hydrogen atoms added and their van der Waals contacts included, was used to choose between the two possible orientations for each of 1554 asparagine (Asn) and glutamine (Gln) side-chain amide groups in a dataset of 100 unrelated, high-quality protein crystal structures at 0.9 to 1.7 A resolution. For the movable-H groups, each connected, closed set of local H-bonds was optimized for both H-bonds and van der Waals overlaps. In addition to the Asn/Gln "flips", this process included rotation of OH, SH, NH3+, and methionine methyl H atoms, flip and protonation state of histidine rings, interaction with bound ligands, and a simple model of water interactions. However, except for switching N and O identity for amide flips (or N and C identity for His flips), no non-H atoms were shifted. Even in these very high-quality structures, about 20 % of the Asn/Gln side-chains required a 180 degrees flip to optimize H-bonding and/or to avoid NH2 clashes with neighboring atoms (incorporating a conservative score penalty which, for marginal cases, favors the assignment in the original coordinate file). The programs Reduce, Probe, and Mage provide not only a suggested amide orientation, but also a numerical score comparison, a categorization of the marginal cases, and a direct visualization of all relevant interactions in both orientations. Visual examination allowed confirmation of the raw score assignment for about 40 % of those Asn/Gln flips placed within the "marginal" penalty range by the automated algorithm, while uncovering only a small number of cases whose automated assignment was incorrect because of special circumstances not yet handled by the algorithm. It seems that the H-bond and the atomic-clash criteria independently look at the same structural realities: when both criteria gave a clear answer they agreed every time. But consideration of van der Waals clashes settled many additional cases for which H-bonding was either absent or approximately equivalent for the two main alternatives. With this extra information, 86 % of all side-chain amide groups could be oriented quite unambiguously. In the absence of further experimental data, it would probably be inappropriate to assign many more than this. Some of the remaining 14 % are ambiguous because of coordinate error or inadequacy of the theoretical model, but the great majority of ambiguous cases probably occur as a dynamic mix of both flip states in the actual protein molecule. The software and the 100 coordinate files with all H atoms added and optimized and with amide flips corrected are publicly available.
Mandopop under siege: culturally bound criticisms of Taiwan’s pop music

This article examines the cultural biases embedded in critiques of Mandopop (Mandarin Chinese pop music). Contemporary commercialised Mandopop is generally recognised as beginning around 1980, drawing on musical traditions from the early twentieth century. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Taiwan’s popular music swept across China and many in the PRC government reacted to the values embedded in Taiwan’s lyrics with mistrust and disdain, expressing a fear that Taiwan and Hong Kong’s cultural incursion would result in the PRC’s loss of national identity. On the other side of the strait, people in Taiwan complained of Mandopop’s fast pace and changing nature and linked this to similar trends in Taiwan’s society. More recently, several of Taiwan’s scholars have critiqued Mandopop for promoting patriarchal gender roles, and English language publications complain of a lack of individualism in that songs are produced in teams of composers, lyricists and performers. I examine the cultural contexts of these critiques in order to come to a better understanding of the most popular Chinese language music in the world. [Jay Chou (Zhou Jielun)] saw them come and go, pretty boys who could barely carry a tune, divas who had the attitude but not the talent, boy bands whose members were chosen for their dance steps instead of their voice chops. (Drake 2003, p. 76) These highly commoditized performers are young, good-looking, stylish, and usually possess little or no talent at all. (Ching 1995, p. 271) But pop is not only a dream machine: perhaps, like witchcraft in another age, it is the unofficial chronicle of its times, a history of desires existing in the margins of official history, which, except at rare moments of rupture, do not speak but act. In setting out a history of today, popular culture etches the contours of a history of tomorrow in that it ‘feels’ a social atmosphere in its earliest, unformulated stages [. . .]. (Hennion 1983, p. 205) In 1980, contemporary Mandopop (Mandarin Chinese language pop music) evolved out of Taiwan’s 1970s Campus Songs Folk movement, drawing on several previous or coexisting musical traditions in East Asia, including Shanghai’s 1930’s jazz era, Japanese enka, Taiwan’s Taiyupop (Minnan dialect pop music: Taiyu gequ), and Hong Kong’s Cantopop (Cantonese pop music). In spite of its wild popularity, Taiwan’s musical production has virtually been ignored in English language scholarship. Taiwan’s music sales are the third largest in Asia – behind Japan and South Korea but ahead of much bigger countries such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and India (Wells 1997, p. 206). In the 1980s and early 1990s, Taiwan shared its musical
Assembly proteins of CS1 pili of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Summary Some strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli associated with human diarrhoeal disease produce a class of pili represented by those called CS1. For the assembly of the major-pilin subunit, CooA, into pili, each of four linked genes, cooB,A,C, and D, is required. In this study, we have determined the subcellular localization of CooB, C and D, and investigated the molecular interactions of these proteins using specific antisera. CooD appears to be an integral pilus protein because it co-purifies with, and is strongly associated with, CS1 pili. In keeping with its role as an assembly protein, the CooD minor pilin (when overexpressed in CS1-piliated strains) was detected in periplasmic inter-molecular complexes with the major-pilin subunit CooA. CooB is an assembly protein found exclusively in the periplasm of CS1-piliated strains. CooB also forms periplasmic intermolecular complexes with CooA, but does not constitute part of the final pilus structure. Immunoblot analysis of cell fractions showed that CooC is an outer membrane protein of CS1-piliated E. coli. Based on this information, we have proposed a model for CS1 -pilus assembly which is very similar to the model for polymerization of the PapA pilin of uropathogenic E. coli. As the assembly proteins of Pap and CS1 pili are structurally unrelated, this may represent a case of convergent evolution.
A note on “Explicit exact solutions to the compound Burgers–Korteweg–de Vries equation”

Abstract In this Letter, the method of variation of parameters is applied to the study of the compound Burgers–Korteweg–de Vries equation. A more general result is obtained in terms of elliptic functions and several periodic solutions are presented.
Aberrant Synthesis of Indole-3-acetic Acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Triggers Morphogenic Transition, a Virulence Trait of Pathogenic Fungi

Many plant-associated microbes synthesize the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and several IAA biosynthetic pathways have been identified in microbes and plants. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has previously been shown to respond to IAA by inducing pseudohyphal growth. We observed that IAA also induced hyphal growth in the human pathogen Candida albicans and thus may function as a secondary metabolite signal that regulates virulence traits such as hyphal transition in pathogenic fungi. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (Ald) is required for IAA synthesis from a tryptophan (Trp) precursor in Ustilago maydis. Mutant S. cerevisiae with deletions in two ALD genes are unable to convert radiolabeled Trp to IAA, yet produce IAA in the absence of exogenous Trp and at levels higher than wild type. These data suggest that yeast may have multiple pathways for IAA synthesis, one of which is not dependent on Trp.
Short-Range Order and Nanocrystallization in Amorphous Zr-Ti-Cu-Ni-Al

We have examined the effect of Ti content on the crystallization kinetics of Zr-based amorphous alloys. In Zr59Ti3Cu20Ni8Al10, annealing above the glass transition temperature produces 50-100 nm crystalline precipitates, as seen in transmission electron microscope images. In contrast, TEM images and diffraction patterns from annealed Zr54.5Ti7.5Cu20Ni8Al10 show no evidence of crystalline phase formation. Structural changes upon annealing do occur in this alloy, however, as revealed by field ion microscopy. The effect of Ti is to favor the formation of clusters of short-range order; this tendency for clustering is apparently the cause of difference in crystallization behavior between the two alloys.
Young Children's Understanding of Fact Beliefs versus Value Beliefs.

Recent research on the development of children's knowledge about the mind has shown that young 3-year-olds have difficulty inferring that another person holds a false belief about a matter of verifiable fact, even when provided with considerable help. 4 studies tested the hypothesis that they would have less difficulty inferring that another person holds an odd, nonnormative belief about a matter of taste or value--one which, like the false fact belief, they themselves do not hold. On fact-belief tasks, an experimenter acted as if, or even explicitly stated that, she believed that the contents of a container were other than what the children knew to be the case. On value-belief tasks, she behaved as if she believed that a stimulus had a good or bad taste, smell, or appearance, whereas they thought it had the opposite. The results of all 4 studies confirmed the hypothesis.
Characterization of Hynix 16M Feram Adopted Novel Sensing Scheme

16M FeRAM was successfully developed using a (Bi1 − X La X )4Ti3O12, BLT, film with excellent imprint characteristic as a ferroelectric film to decrease capacitor size, current gain cell operation (CGCO) sensing scheme, and split word line (SWL) cell array architecture with hierarchical-double bit line in order to increase cell array efficiency. The chip size of 16M FeRAM could be reduced down to about 63% compared with a conventional one by the adoption of the novel ferroelectric material and the design architectures. The read/write access time and cycle time are 70 ns and 100 ns in operation voltage of 3.0 at room temperature, respectively. The operation and standby current are less than 20 mA and 10 μA, respectively.
The age of fine-root carbon in three forests of the eastern United States measured by radiocarbon

Using a new approach involving one-time measurements of radiocarbon (14C) in fine (<2 mm diameter) root tissues we have directly measured the mean age of fine-root carbon. We find that the carbon making up the standing stock of fine roots in deciduous and coniferous forests of the eastern United States has a mean age of 3-18 years for live fine roots, 10-18 years for dead fine roots, and 3-18 years for mixed live+dead fine roots. These 14C-derived mean ages represent the time C was stored in the plant before being allocated for root growth, plus the average lifespan (for live roots), plus the average time for the root to decompose (for dead roots and mixtures). Comparison of the 14C content of roots known to have grown within 1 year with the 14C of atmospheric CO2 for the same period shows that root tissues are derived from recently fixed carbon, and the storage time prior to allocation is <2 years and likely <1 year. Fine-root mean ages tend to increase with depth in the soil. Live roots in the organic horizons are made of C fixed 3-8 years ago compared with 11-18 years in the mineral B horizons. The mean age of C in roots increases with root diameter and also is related to branching order. Our results differ dramatically from previous estimates of fine-root mean ages made using mass balance approaches and root-viewing cameras, which generally report life spans (mean ages for live roots) of a few months to 1-2 years. Each method for estimating fine-root dynamics, including this new radiocarbon method, has biases. Root-viewing approaches tend to emphasize more rapidly cycling roots, while radiocarbon ages tend to reflect those components that persist longest in the soil. Our 14C-derived estimates of long mean ages can be reconciled with faster estimates only if fine-root populations have varying rates of root mortality and decomposition. Our results indicate that a standard definition of fine roots, as those with diameters of <2 mm, is inadequate to determine the most dynamic portion of the root population. Recognition of the variability in fine-root dynamics is necessary to obtain better estimates of belowground C inputs.
Mediterranean Diet and White Matter Hyperintensity Volume in the Northern Manhattan Study

Objective To examine the association between a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) and brain magnetic resonance imaging white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV). Design A cross-sectional analysis within a longitudinal population-based cohort study. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire was administered, and a score (range, 0-9) was calculated to reflect increasing similarity to the MeDi pattern. Setting The Northern Manhattan Study. Participants A total of 1091 participants, of whom 966 had dietary information (mean age, 72 years; 59.3% women, 64.6% Hispanic, 15.6% white, and 17.5% black). Main Outcome Measures The WMHV was measured by quantitative brain magnetic resonance imaging. Linear regression models were constructed to examine the association between the MeDi score and the log-transformed WMHV as a proportion of total cranial volume, controlling for sociodemographic and vascular risk factors. Results On the MeDi scale, 11.6% scored 0 to 2, 15.8% scored 3, 23.0% scored 4, 23.5% scored 5, and 26.1% scored 6 to 9. Each 1-point increase in MeDi score was associated with a lower log WMHV (β = −.04, P = .01). The only MeDi score component that was an independent predictor of WMHV was the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat (β = −.20, P = .001). Conclusions A MeDi was associated with a lower WMHV burden, a marker of small vessel damage in the brain. However, white matter hyperintensities are etiologically heterogenous and can include neurodegeneration. Replication by other population-based studies is needed.
Now what do we do with all these genes? Yeast-based two-hybrid analysis: an emerging technology for molecular urology in the post-genome era

By the year 2005, the Human Genome Project is expected to have mapped and sequenced all of the estimated 100,000 genes that encode the various proteins found in human cells. Defining the role of each gene, and using that information to redirect its action when therapeutic intervention is required, is one of the major assignments for molecular medicine and molecular urology in the post-genome era. This challenge to determine gene function, and to do it cost-effectively and on a large scale, has driven development of new technologies that can more efficiently flag genes that are likely targets for therapeutic intervention. Yeast-based genetic assays that detect protein-protein interactions in vivo offer many of the features required of a practical "gene-flagging" strategy for identifying genes that might be functionally manipulated to achieve therapeutic goals. In the past few years, the yeast-based assays collectively referred to as "two-hybrid interaction traps" or simply "two-hybrid systems" have become increasingly important tools for experimental analysis of gene function. This review presents an overview of the principles of yeast-based two-hybrid analysis, examines some specific applications of the technique of interest to urologic investigators, and discusses some key points that a basic urologic investigator new to the technology would want to consider when designing or evaluating a yeast-based two-hybrid project.
Public Safety and Emergency Case Communications: Opportunities from the Aspect of Cognitive Radio

Recent developments in wireless communications systems and the introduction of new technologies such as cognitive radios are expected to bring beneficial methodologies and solutions to the problems of public safety and emergency case communications, especially related to interoperability issues. Physical layer adaptiveness and spectrum sensing methodology of cognitive radios are commonly emphasized related to spectral efficiency and frequency domain interoperability of public safety communications. However, wide range of opportunities introduced by the awareness, learning and intelligence features of cognitive radios necessitate the reassessment of opportunities to the public safety and emergency case communications from a more complementary aspect. One aspect can be the development of applications that will lead to communicate, locate and reach victims who are stuck in disaster areas, underground (e.g. underground mine explosions) or behind obstacles. It is aimed to discuss how communication with survivors can be accomplished and how the estimation of their locations utilizing received signals can be achieved by benefiting from the advantages of cognitive radio technology. Second objective is to define the scope of the research required for adaptive and secure physical layer reconfigurability to overcome communication congestion and to satisfy the interoperability and security requirements of public safety communications systems during emergency cases and extreme situations.
A Non-Genetic Basis for Cancer Progression and Metastasis: Self-Organizing Attractors in Cell Regulatory Networks

It is commonly assumed that somatic evolution drives the multi-step process that produces metastatic cancer. But it is difficult to reconcile the inexorable progression towards metastasis in virtually all carcinomas and the associated complex change of cancer cell phenotype, characterized by an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, with the random nature of gene mutations. Given their irreversible nature, it is also difficult to explain why certain metastatic carcinomas can reform normal tissue boundaries and remain dormant for years at distant sites. Here we propose an encompassing conceptual framework based on system-level dynamics of gene regulatory networks that may help reconcile these inconsistencies. The concepts of gene expression state space and attractors are introduced which provide a mathematical and molecular basis for an "epigenetic landscape". We then describe how cancer cells are trapped in "embryonic attractors" because of distortions of this landscape caused by mutational rewiring of the regulatory network. The implications of this concept for a new integrative understanding of tumor formation and metastatic progression are discussed. This formal framework of cancer progression unites mainstream genetic determinism with alternative ideas that emphasize non-genetic influences, including chronic growth stimulation, extracellular matrix remodeling, alteration of cell mechanics and disruption of tissue architecture.
Health-Related Quality of Life as a Predictor of Mortality among Survivors of AKI

Summary Background and objectives This study examined the relationship between health-related quality of life and subsequent mortality among AKI survivors treated with renal replacement therapy. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Multivariable Cox regression models were used to assess the associations between Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) and ambulation, emotion, cognition, and pain scores at 60 days and all-cause mortality at 1 year in 60-day AKI survivors (n=439 with evaluable HUI3 assessments) from a randomized multicenter study comparing less- with more-intensive renal replacement therapies. Results The median 60-day HUI3 index score was 0.32. Patients with evaluable HUI3 data who died between 60 days and 1 year (n=99) were more likely to have lower 60-day median HUI3 scores, higher comorbidity scores, and longer initial hospital stays, and they were more likely to be dialysis-dependent. A 0.1 higher HUI3 index score was associated with a 17% decrease (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval 0.77–0.89) in all-cause mortality after controlling for clinical risk factors. Similar associations were observed for HUI3 ambulation, emotion, cognition, and pain attribute scores. Conclusions Health-related quality of life measured by HUI3 is an independent predictor of mortality among survivors of AKI after adjusting for clinical risk variables. Poor ambulation and other health-related quality of life attributes are also associated with increased risk of death. Health-related quality of life may provide clinicians with additional information to help identify patients at high risk of mortality after AKI that required renal replacement therapy.
Irreducible Infeasible Sets in Convex Mixed-Integer Programs

In this paper, we address the problem of infeasibility of systems defined by convex inequality constraints, where some or all of the variables are integer valued. In particular, we provide a polynomial time algorithm to identify a set of all constraints which may affect a feasibility status of the system after some perturbation of the right-hand sides. We establish several properties of the irreducible infeasible sets and infeasibility sets in the systems with integer variables, proving in particular that all irreducible infeasible sets and infeasibility sets are subsets of the set of constraints critical to feasibility. Furthermore, the well-known Bohnenblust---Karlin---Shapley Theorem, which requires that a system of convex inequality constraints must be defined over a compact convex set, is generalized to convex systems without the assumption on compactness of the convex region. Extension of the latter result to convex systems defined over the set of integers is also provided.
Diphenyl(methoxymethyl)phosphine

[43139-94-2] C14H15OP (MW 230.26) InChI = 1S/C14H15OP/c1-15-12-16(13-8-4-2-5-9-13)14-10-6-3-7-11-14/h2-11H,12H2,1H3 InChIKey = NTZMQOXRONKNAZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (one-carbon homologation of hindered ketones to the corresponding aldehydes via the methyl enol ethers1) Physical Data: bp 134–135 °C/0.25 mmHg);2 n20D 1.6085;3 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ 7.70–7.20 (m), 4.14 (d, J = 8 Hz), 3.38 (s).2 Solubility: sol THF, ether. Preparative Methods: from the reduction of diphenyl(methoxymethyl)phosphine oxide with Hexachlorodisilane (50% yield)2 or Lithium Aluminum Hydride (ca. 50% yield).7 Nucleophilic addition of methoxymethylmagnesium chloride to diphenylchlorophosphine3 furnishes the reagent 1 in 80% yield. An alternative synthesis (eq 1), which is suitable for large scale preparation, involves reductive lithiation of diphenylchlorophosphine with 2.2 equiv of Lithium in liquid ammonia, followed by trapping of the phosphide anion at low temperature with Chloromethyl Methyl Ether (caution: carcinogen).1 Workup of the reaction is performed under argon. (1) Handling, Storage, and Precautions: stench. Undergoes oxidation to the phosphine oxide on standing in air.
Hyperbolicity, Change of Type, Wave Speeds and Related Matters

In this paper 1 will review some consequences of instantaneous elasticity for the numerical analysis of flows of viscoelastic liquids. 1 will consider situations which are associated with hyperbolic waves of vorticity. The vorticity equation may change type in steady and unsteady flow. In the latter case we get instability to short waves, ill-posedness, and, in the former, transonic flow. The two types of change are related. The regularizing effect of an effective Newtonian viscosity and the physical origins of viscosity are briefly reviewed.
Use of High Speed Dialysis to Prepare Bovine Sperm for MetaboliC Studies

Biochemical characteristics were compared for bovine sperm prepared by (a) simple dilution of semen with buffer, (b) dilution followed by centrifugation at 300g for 10 mm and resuspension (no washing), (c) dilution followed by centrifugation and washing, and (d) dilution followed by high speed dialysis using a Dow Bio-Fiber 50 dialyzer. This sperm preparation has all high molecular weight (>5,000 daltons) components of semen, including the free floating cytoplasmic droplets. Parameters determined were sperm motility, intracellular ATP, ADP and AMP levels, energy charge, glucose consumption, pyruvate oxidation, total oxygen consumption and estimated endogenous oxidation rate in the presence of exogenous glucose. No difference in motility, adenine nucleotide levels or energy charge was noted when sperm prepared by each treatment were compared. All metabolic parameters of sperm prepared by methods b and d were identical to those for treatment a. Sperm prepared by treatment c use less endogenous substrate and were more dependent on consumption of exogenous glucose to satisfy energy requirements than sperm prepared by procedure d. Thus, high speed dialysis is a useful method of preparing sperm for metabolic studies which minimizes alteration of cellular function.
Role of the Cyclic AMP Response Element in the bcl-2 Promoter in the Regulation of Endogenous Bcl-2 Expression and Apoptosis in Murine B Cells

We have previously shown for B-cell lines that the cyclic AMP response element (CRE) is a major positive regulatory site in the bcl-2 promoter. However, the role of the CRE in the regulation of endogenous bcl-2 expression in vivo has not been characterized. We used gene targeting to generate knock-in mice in which a mutated CRE was introduced into the bcl-2 promoter region (mutCRE-bcl2 mice). Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that mutation of the CRE abolished the binding of CREB/ATF and CBP transcription factors to the bcl-2 promoter and greatly diminished the binding of NF-κB factors. The mutant CRE significantly reduced the expression of Bcl-2 in B cells and rendered them susceptible to surface immunoglobulin- and chemotherapeutic agent-induced apoptosis. The low levels of Bcl-2 were not changed with activation of the cells. The numbers of pre-B, immature B, and mature B cells in the bone marrow were decreased, as were the numbers of splenic B cells in mutCRE-bcl2 mice. Our findings indicate that the CRE in the bcl-2 promoter has an important functional role in the regulation of endogenous Bcl-2 expression and plays a critical role in the coordination of signals that regulate B-cell survival.
Supplemental Fat and Metabolizable Energy-to-Nutrient Ratios for Growing Turkeys

Abstract Supplementing diets with an animal-vegetable fat (increasing dietary metabolizable energy) at levels ranging from 1 to 8% improved rate of gain and feed efficiency of male turkeys from 1 to 140 days of age. Average body weight increased linearly (P Regression analysis showed that, with one exception, 140-day body weights of toms were increased from .6 to 1.5% for each 1% supplemental fat. Improvements in feed efficiency ranged from .8 to 1.9% for each 1% of supplemental fat. Supplemental fat decreased the amount of protein consumed per kilogram weight gain of toms fed the nonadjusted diet series in four experiments. The ME consumed per kilogram gain was not affected significantly (P
Sensitivity of a Global Forecast Model to Initializations with Reanalysis Datasets

A global research model is initialized with reanalysis datasets obtained from NCEP and ECMWF. The globally averaged accuracy of the resulting 120-h predictions varies little between the different initializations, but a perceptible difference arises in the mid- to high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, where ECMWF initialized forecasts have somewhat greater skill. Most of this benefit is explained by differences of the longer-wave components (wavenumbers 0‐15) of the initial data. This motivates further diagnoses of globally computed sensitivity measures to initial data changes. Approximately 67% of the 120-h forecast difference produced by changing initial data from ECMWF to NCEP reanalyses is due to initial changes only in wavenumbers 0‐15, and more than 85% of this difference is produced by initial changes in wavenumbers 0‐20. The result implies downscale uncertainty growth and contradicts several recent predictability investigations based upon singular vector analyses, which emphasize upscale uncertainty growth. The results do not imply that singular vector analyses are in error. They only suggest that large-scale errors of the initial state may play a more prominent role than suggested in some singular vector analyses. Downscale uncertainty evolution may be due to greater analysis uncertainty at large spatial scales than considered in prior recent studies emphasizing upscale predictability loss.
A Constructivist View of a Major Developmental Shift in Early Childhood

A decade ago, Sheldon White (1965) reviewed some of the “behavior changes” in children in the 5-year to 7-year age range. In that chapter, he examined the evidence for a hierarchical organization of learning processes in children. He compiled an impressive list of important changes in learning processes, transitions in orientation and localization abilities, changes in performance on intellective measures, and other changes that appeared either to begin or to complete themselves between 5 and 7 years. Although some of the evidence for these changes was acknowledged as weak and requiring further follow-up work, White made the point that the changes occurring in this age range are part of a broad spectrum of change in the child’s learning processes.
Control Techniques for Complex Networks: Simulation and Learning

The chief motivation for performance evaluation is to compare candidate policies. For example, many of the policies described in Chapters 4 and 10 depend upon static or dynamic safety-stock parameters, and we would like to know how to choose the best parameter values in order to optimize performance. We have seen in Chapter 8 that linear programming techniques can provide bounds on performance for the CRW model. This approach can be successfully applied in network models with many buffers and stations. However, linear programming techniques are not flexible with respect to the operating policy. For example, in order to distinguish similar policies with different safety-stock levels, constraints must be introduced in the LP specific to each safety-stock parameter. It is not clear how to introduce such constraints in the approaches that have been developed to date. While not a topic of this book, there are classes of networks for which the invariant measure π is known. The crucial property required is reversibility , from which it follows that π has a product form, π( x ) = π 1 ( x 1 ) … π l ( x l ) for x ∈ X [502, 290]. Outside of this very special class of models the computation of π is essentially impossible in large networks. We are thus led to simulation techniques to evaluate performance. The simulation techniques surveyed in this chapter all involve a Markov chain X on a state space X .
TEMPORAL TRENDS IN ACUTE DECOMPENSATED HEART FAILURE HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE U.S., 1998-2011

Acute decompensated heart failure hospitalization (ADHF) estimates are central to the efforts to improve patient care and reduce costs. Current estimates focus on ICD-9-CM code 428 in the primary position which underestimates ADHF hospitalizations, thus the burden and trends of ADHF hospitalizations
Study of Three-Dimensional Synthetic Jet Flowfields Using Direct-Numerical Simulation

The formation and evolution of 3D synthetic jets is examined using direct numerical simulations. The primary focus of the current study is on examining the formation of 3D synthetic jets and the effect of changes in the jet aspect-ratio on the flow produced by the jet. Jets in quiescent and cross-flow cases are investigated. The study compares the vortex dynamics, velocity profiles and the other dynamical characteristics of the jet for the various cases which allows us to extract some insight into the effect of these modifications on the jet performance. It is expected that the study will lead to a better understanding of the behavior of 3D synthetic jets.
Short range dispersal of mass-reared Psyttalia fletcheri (Hymenoptera : Braconidae), parasitoids of Bactrocera cucurbitae (Diptera : Tephritidae)

Approximately 288,000 adult Psyttalia fletcheri (Silvestri), parasitoids of melon fly larvae, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), were mass reared in an insectary and released over a 9-wk period in a field containing cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini. Dispersing parasitoids were recaptured on yellow sphere traps arranged in a rosette pattern of concentric rings from 10 to 40 m from the release point. At a distance of 10 m from the release point, ≈85% of the recaptured females and 67% of the recaptured males were caught on traps higher than the tallest crop height. Males had a strongly unimodal directional distribution with a mean dispersal vector of 202°, which is downwind from prevailing northeasterly trade winds. Female movement was more variable in direction than males, with a bimodal dispersal distribution to both upwind and downwind directions.
The Structure and Development of Trichobolus Zukalii

(1966). The Structure and Development of Trichobolus Zukalii. Mycologia: Vol. 58, No. 2, pp. 289-306.
Network Effects in Mexico–U.S. Migration: Disentangling the Underlying Social Mechanisms

Scholars have long noted how migration streams, once initiated, obtain a self-feeding character. Studies have connected this phenomenon, called the cumulative causation of migration, to expanding social networks that link migrants in destination to individuals in origin. While extant research has established a positive association between individuals’ ties to prior migrants and their migration propensities, seldom have researchers interrogated how multiple social mechanisms—as well as exposure to common environmental factors—might account for these interdependencies. This article uses a mixed-methods strategy to identify the social mechanisms underlying the network effects in Mexico–U.S. migration. Three types of social mechanisms are identified, which all lead to network effects: (a) social facilitation, which is at work when network peers such as family or community members provide useful information or help that reduces the costs or increases the benefits of migration; (b) normative influence, which op...
Unified Model for Small-Strain Shear Modulus of Variably Saturated Soil

AbstractThe small-strain shear modulus G0 is a property fundamental to the deformation response of soils to dynamic loading. It depends on soil mineralogy, particle characteristics, void ratio, effective stress, and the degree of saturation. Some theories have been established to predict G0 of soils under variably saturated conditions. Accordingly, a new unified model was developed for G0 of different soils under variably saturated conditions. The model is based on two conceptual mechanisms: material hardening/softening, which is considered using the degree of saturation as a variable, and interparticle contact forces carried by the soil skeleton, which is considered using the effective stress as a variable. By utilizing suction stress theory, it is demonstrated that G0 can be correlated to the parameters of the soil-water retention curve. Results from the literature for 22 soils along with new results for 7 soils were used to validate the model under variably saturated conditions and a range of total str...
Epidemiological analysis of class-A and class-B infectious diseases in Jiading district of Shanghai from 2007 to 2011

Objective: To find out the incidence trends and popular features of notifiable class A and B infectious diseases in Jiading District from 2007 to 2011. Method: The data were analyzed by descriptive epidemiological methods. Result: From 2007 to 2011, a total of 8228 cases of 17 kinds of class A and B infectious diseases and 34 deaths were reported, whose average annual incidence rate was 124.24/lakh, the mortality rate 0.52/lakh and fatality rate 0.41%. Among the class A infectious diseases reported, one case was cholera. Eighty two hundred-twenty seven cases of class B infectious diseases were reported, of which 2 579 cases were respiratory diseases, 626 cases intestinal infectious diseases, 4976 cases blood and sexual transmitted diseases, 46 cases natural foci and vector-borne diseases, and 1 case neonatal tetanus. Conclusion: The task of prevention and control of infectious disease is still arduous in Jiading District, and prevention and treatment of blood and sexually transmitted diseases, respiratory diseases and intestinal infectious diseases should be focused on.
Phonon Focusing Near a Conic Point

Phonon focusing in crystals is an intriguing result of elastic anisotropy. The sharp caustics formed by the channeling of the phonon wavevectors create a wide variety of focusing patterns — a different one in each material. Since the focusing pattern depends solely on the ratios of the elastic constants, cubic crystals may be mapped into a two-dimensional “parameter space” according to their values of the ratios a=C11/C44 and b=C12/C44 [1,2]. With this classsification, the focusing patterns of individual materials are seen as a logical evolution of a few general caustic patterns. The patterns become more complex as the elastic anisotropy, characterized by the parameter Δ=a-b-2, increases. Figure 1 shows the location in this parameter space of various materials and their values for a, b, and Δ.
Nonlinear Control of Distributed Parameter Processes with Disturbances

Abstract This article focuses on systems of quasi-linear first-order hyperbolic partial differential equations with time-varying disturbances, for which the manipulated input and the disturbances are distributed in space. For these systems, we address and solve the problem of complete elimination of the effect of disturbances on the output via distributed state feedback and distributed feedforward/state feedback control laws. Conditions for the solvability of this problem are derived and explicit control laws are synthesized which in addition to elimination of the effect of disturbances on the output, enforce a prespecified input/output response and guarantee stability of the closed-loop system.