cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Why, Who, What, and Where to Implement a Simulation Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology

When implementing a simulation program, the initial question is WHY? Why are you embarking on a simulation program? Is it for residency training, team performance improvement, or improvement of your unit workflow with identification of latent system errors? After the WHY is clearly defined, the subsequent questions, who, what, and where, are easily answered. WHO do you need to accomplish the predetermined goal, and how do you best engage them. The WHO includes identifying your learners, team members, and the stakeholders. All must be committed to ensure the program will be a success. Strategies to engage WHO vary and options are discussed. The WHAT encompasses the curriculum and equipment including creating a safe zone where learners can practice new and difficult skills without judgment. WHERE defines the site of the simulation whether it is a simulation lab, in situ on labor and delivery, or a classroom, each offering pros and cons. Strategies for a careful and thoughtful introduction of a simulation program are presented. Successful planning will ensure your effort will become an integral component of a comprehensive patient safety program.
Patient-Derived Phenotypic High-Throughput Assay to Identify Small Molecules Restoring Lysosomal Function in Tay–Sachs Disease:

Tay-Sachs disease is an inherited lysosomal storage disease resulting from mutations in the lysosomal enzyme, β-hexosaminidase A, and leads to excessive accumulation of GM2 ganglioside. Tay-Sachs patients with the infantile form do not live beyond 2-4 years of age due to rapid, progressive neurodegeneration. Enzyme replacement therapy is not a therapeutic option due to its inability to cross the blood-brain barrier. As an alternative, small molecules identified from high-throughput screening could provide leads suitable for chemical optimization to target the central nervous system. We developed a new high-throughput phenotypic assay utilizing infantile Tay-Sachs patient cells based on disrupted lysosomal calcium signaling as a monitor of diseased phenotype. The assay was validated in a pilot screen on a collection of Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to identify compounds that could reverse or attenuate the disease. Pyrimethamine, a known pharmacological chaperone of β-hexosaminidase A, was identified from the primary screen. The mechanism of action of pyrimethamine in reversing the defective lysosomal phenotype was by improving autophagy. This new high-throughput screening assay in patient cells will enable the screening of larger chemical compound collections. Importantly, this approach could lead to identification of new molecular targets previously unknown to impact the disease and accelerate the discovery of new treatments for Tay-Sachs disease.
Leukemic-like membrane properties acquired by B lymphocytes when depleted of 185,000-dalton macromolecular insoluble cold globulin

Human peripheral blood lymphocytes can be phenotypically identified by the presence of one or both of two proteins, 225,000-dalton macromolecular insoluble cold globulin (225-MICG) and 185,000-dalton MICG (185-MICG). T cells synthesize and insert into their plasma membrane 225-MICG, null cells 185-MICG, and B cells both 225 and 185- MICG. In contrast, the monoclonal B cells of chronic lymphocytic leukemia are characterized by the presence of 225-MICG and the absence of 185-MICG. We have recently found it possible to chemically deplete 185-MICG from viable normal B cells by treating them with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), thus making normal B cells phenotypically resemble leukemic cells. In the present report we determined whether certain peculiar properties of these leukemic cells would be associated with the normal B cells chemically depleted of 185- MICG. In normal B cells, SIg diffuses in the lipid bilayer to form clusters and caps under appropriate conditions, while in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells this does not occur. Normal B cells depleted of 185-MICG fail to undergo capping of SIg or surface MICG under appropriate conditions. Both DFP-treated B cells and CLL cells tend to rupture when smeared on a glass slide. Both CLL cells and DFP- treated B cells fail to secrete 225-MICG after it has been synthesized intracellularly. The relationship of these findings to the mechanisms of secretion and capping are discussed.
On parameter estimation approaches for predicting disease transmission through optimization, deep learning and statistical inference methods

In this paper, we consider compartmental disease transmission models and discuss the importance of determining model parameters that provide an insight into disease transmission and prevalence. After a brief review and comparison of the performance of some heuristic approaches, the paper introduces three approaches including an optimization approach, a physics informed deep learning and a statistical inference method to estimate parameters and analyse disease transmission. The deep learning framework utilizes the hidden physics of infectious diseases and infer the latent quantities of interest in the model by approximating them using deep neural networks. The performance of the deep learning method is validated against representative small and big data sets corresponding to a well-known benchmark example and the results indicate that deep learning is a viable candidate to determine model parameters. The paper also presents the need for researchers to understand different types of dependencies exhibited in a typical data set and discovering the most appropriate approaches for statistical inference. Specifically, in this work we apply a time-series inferential method with a variety of statistical models. Our results indicate the efficiency and importance of statistical inference methods for researchers to understand and analyse time-series data to make confident predictions.
Textbook Broke: Textbook Affordability as a Social Justice Issue

In light of rising textbook prices, open education resources (OER) have been shown to decrease non-tuition costs, while simultaneously increasing academic access, student performance, and time-to-graduation rates. Yet very little research to date has explored OER’s specific impact on those who are presumed to benefit most from this potential: historically underserved students. This reality has left a significant gap of understanding in the current body of literature, resulting in calls for more empirically-based examinations of OER through a social justice lens. For each of these reasons, this study explored the impact of OER and textbook pricing among racial/ethnic minority students, low-income students, and first-generation college students at a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Southern California. Drawing upon more than 700 undergraduate surveys, our univariate, bivariate and multivariate results revealed textbook costs to be a substantial barrier for the vast majority of students. However, those barriers were even more significant among historically underserved college students; thus, confirming textbook affordability as a redistributive justice issue, and positing OER as a potential avenue for realizing a more socially just college experience.
Cost-Minimization Analysis and Treatment Trends of Surgical and Nonsurgical Treatment of Proximal Humerus Fractures.

Purpose Recent evidence demonstrated similar outcomes between nonsurgical and surgical management of displaced proximal humerus fractures. We analyzed treatment trends and performed a cost-minimization analysis comparing nonsurgical treatment, open reduction and internal fixation, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, and hemiarthroplasty. We hypothesized that rates of surgical treatment have increased and that the costs associated with surgery are greater compared with nonsurgical management of proximal humerus fractures. Methods We used a US private-payer claims database of 22 million patient records from 2007 to 2016 to compare (1) cost for the episode of care from the payer perspective between each surgical group and nonsurgical treatment of proximal humerus fractures, and (2) annual trends and complication rates of each group. Cost data, including facility fees, physician fees, physical therapy, and clinic visits, were used to complete a cost-minimization analysis. Results Nonsurgical treatment was associated with lower average total costs compared with surgical intervention. Facility and physician fees accounted for most of this difference. Physical therapy costs and number of physical therapy visits were higher in each surgical group compared with nonsurgical treatment. Surgical treatment was associated with higher complications, revision rates, and length of stay. There was a small but statistically significant decrease in nonsurgical management of proximal humerus fractures between 2007 and 2016. No change was observed in rates of open reduction and internal fixation, whereas rates of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty increased and rates of hemiarthroplasty decreased. Conclusions Nonsurgical management of proximal humerus fractures decreased during the study period. In the setting of treatment equipoise, cost-minimization analysis favors nonsurgical management of proximal humerus fractures. Surgical management is associated with higher complication rates, revision rates, and length of stay. Type of study/level of evidence Economic Decision Analysis IV.
Hobnail variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The hobnail variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (HVPTC) has emerged as a rare and aggressive variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We aim to determine the prevalence and clinicopathologic factors of HVPTC. A systematic review of the literature for studies examining HVPTC was performed. Four databases (PubMed, Scopus, OVID, Cochrane library) were queried from inception of databases through March 20th, 2020. Sixteen studies with 124 cases of HVPTC were included. The mean age for all patients was 52.3 years. HVPTC had a prevalence of 1.08% out of all PTC cases, with a mean tumor size of 3.1 cm. In 62% and 50% of cases, lymphovascular invasion and extrathyroidal extension were present, respectively. Follow-up data, with a mean of 49.9 months, revealed a 66% rate of lymph node metastasis and 23% rate of distant metastasis. Tumors with ≥30% hobnail morphology had a 2.6-fold increased odds of developing lymph node metastasis compared with <30% hobnail morphology, however did not differ in rates of distant metastasis. Patients ≥55 years old had a 4.5-fold increased odds of distant metastasis and a 4.7-fold increased odds of lymphovascular invasion over patients <55. High rates of locoregional and distant disease as well as high-risk pathological factors reveal the aggressive nature of HVPTC. Diagnostic criteria regarding percentage of hobnail morphology requires further refinement. Further studies are warranted in order to better understand how recognition of this high-risk variant impacts clinical treatment.
Trigonometric Caputo Fractional Approximation of Stochastic Processes

Here we encounter and study very general stochastic positive linear operators induced by general positive linear operators that are acting on continuous functions in the trigonometric sense. These are acting on the space of real fractionally differentiable stochastic processes. Under some very mild, general and natural assumptions on the stochastic processes we produce related trigonometric fractional stochastic Shisha-Mond type inequalities of \(L^{q}\)-type \(1\le q\, 0\), \(\alpha \notin \mathbb {N}\). The impressive fact is that only two basic real Korovkin test functions assumptions, one of them trigonometric, are enough for the conclusions of our trigonometric fractional stochastic Korovkin theory. We give applications to stochastic Bernstein operators in the trigonometric sense. See also [11].
The International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine (ICIBM) 2020: Scalable techniques and algorithms for computational genomics

In this introduction article, we summarize the 2020 International Conference on Intelligent Biology and Medicine (ICIBM 2020) conference which was held on August 9–10, 2020 (virtual conference). We then briefly describe the nine research articles included in this supplement issue. ICIBM 2020 hosted four scientific sections covering current topics in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, biomedical informatics, among others. A total of 75 original manuscripts were submitted to ICIBM 2020. All the papers were under rigorous review (at least three reviewers), and highly ranked manuscripts were selected for oral presentation and supplement issues. This genomics supplement issue included nine manuscripts. These articles cover methods and applications for single cell RNA sequencing, multi-omics data integration for gene regulation, gene fusion detection from long-read RNA sequencing, gene co-expression analysis of metabolic pathways in cancer, integrative genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of subcortical imaging phenotype in Alzheimer’s disease, as well as deep learning methods for protein structure prediction, metabolic pathway membership inference, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) insertion sites prediction.
Wunderlich Syndrome: Wonder What It Is

Wunderlich syndrome (WS) refers to spontaneous renal or perinephric hemorrhage occurring in the absence of known trauma. WS is much less common than hemorrhage occurring after iatrogenic or traumatic conditions. Lenk's triad of acute onset flank pain, flank mass, and hypovolemic shock is a classic presentation of WS but seen in less than a quarter of patients. The majority of patients present only with isolated flank pain and often imaged with an unenhanced CT in the emergency department. The underlying etiology is varied with most cases attributed to neoplasms, vascular disease, cystic renal disease and anticoagulation induced; the etiology is often occult on the initial exam and further evaluation is necessary. Urologists are familiar with this unique entity but radiologists, who are more likely to be the first to diagnose WS, may not be familiar with the imaging work up and management options. In the last decade or so, there has been a conspicuous shift in the approach to WS and thus it will be worthwhile to revisit WS in detail. In our review, we will review the multimodality imaging approach to WS, describe optimal follow up and elaborate on management.
Accountability in Adult Basic Education: The Marginalization of Adults with Difficulty Reading.

Federal accountability policies requiring rapid, measurable outcomes have increasingly shaped the nature and type of public literacy services available to adults. However, little empirical research...
Prognostic role of 11C-choline PET/CT scan in patients with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer undergoing primary docetaxel chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND We sought to assess the prognostic utility of 11C-choline positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) undergoing primary docetaxel chemotherapy. METHODS We performed a single institution retrospective analysis of 77 mCRPC patients who were treated with 6 cycles of docetaxel chemotherapy, and who also underwent 11C-choline PET/CT scans at baseline (before chemotherapy), mid-course (after 3 cycles), and posttherapy (after 6 cycles). We evaluated treatment response based on percent change in blood pool-corrected maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the target lesion on PET/CT, as well as percent change in serum prostate specific antigen (PSA). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with complete treatment response. Progression free survival (PFS) analysis was performed using log-rank test and shown on Kaplan-Meier plot. RESULTS Percent change in blood pool-corrected SUVmax on mid-course scan was a significant predictor of complete response (odds ratio [OR]: 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96-0.99, p = .0003), whereas percent change in PSA was not (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.99-1.01, p = .6025). 57 of 77 patients (74%) achieved ≥20% reduction in blood pool-corrected SUVmax on mid-course; these patients were 3.6 times more likely to achieve complete response after full 6 cycles of docetaxel chemotherapy, compared to patients with <20% reduction in blood pool-corrected SUVmax (OR: 3.56, 95% CI: 1.04-16.52, p = .0420). Median PFS in the complete response group was 35.1 months (95% CI: 26.0-52.7 months), compared to 9.4 months (95% CI: 6.9-13.0 months) in the incomplete response group (p = .0005). CONCLUSIONS Our study showed that mid-course and posttherapy 11C-choline PET/CT evaluation for mCRPC patients undergoing primary docetaxel chemotherapy can predict full course treatment response and PFS, respectively. 11C-choline PET/CT imaging may provide valuable prognostic information to guide treatment choices for patients with mCRPC.
Identification of CSNK1E and MELK as essential kinases to GBM and as future therapeutic targets (P3.130)

OBJECTIVE: To identify kinases essential to GBM tumor cell survival, test their efficacy in multiple cell lines including primary tumor cells, and mice xenografts. BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma is the most common primary central nervous system tumor, mean survival is 14 months with treatment. There is a need for effective therapy specifically targeting GBM tumor cells while sparing normal brain cells. Our kinase screens revealed CSNK1E & MELK as potential novel therapeutic targets for GBM. DESIGN/METHODS: Cell viability following infection with one of four shRNAs (2 CSNK1E and 2 MELK) was evaluated using CellTiter Blue assay in 10 different GBM immortalized and primary cell lines. Cell death pathway analysis was conducted on U87MG cells using Caspase 3/7 activity assay. Mouse xenografts were generated using LN229/glioblastoma stem cells intracranial injections and treated with IC261 (CSNK1E inhibitor) or DMSO. RESULTS: shRNA screen reveals CSNK1E & MELK as potential essential kinases for GBM survival because they are highly expressed in GBM cells compared to brain tissue & when silenced lead to decrease cell survival. In vitro experiments in GBM immortalized and primary cancer cell lines demonstrate decreased viability of cancer cells when CSNK1E & MELK are silenced using shRNA. In vivo experiments with mouse xenografts of GBM cancer stem cells LN229/GSC with commercially available inhibitors of CSNK1E showed decreased tumor size after 20 days compared to control. CONCLUSIONS: MELK has been indicated in the literature an essential kinase for GBM, and in certain cell lines CSNK1E has proven to be more effective at inducing cell death. CSNK1E is an essential kinase for GBM and is a promising target for GBM treatment due to its effect on decreasing cell viability in numerous cell lines as well as GBM primary cells. Results in vitro are supported by in vivo suppression of tumor cell growth using CSNK1E inhibitors. Disclosure: Dr. Pham has nothing to disclose. Dr. Liang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sheng has nothing to disclose.
Combining local search with co-evolution in a remarkably simple way

The authors explore a new general-purpose heuristic for finding high-quality solutions to hard optimization problem. The method, called extremal optimization, is inspired by self-organized criticality, a concept introduced to describe emergent complexity in physical systems. In contrast to genetic algorithms, which operate on an entire gene-pool of possible solutions, extremal optimization successively replaces extremely undesirable elements of a single sub-optimal solution with new, random ones. Large fluctuations, or avalanches, ensue that efficiently explore many local optima. Drawing upon models used to simulate far-from-equilibrium dynamics, extremal optimization complements heuristics inspired by equilibrium statistical physics, such as simulated annealing. With only one adjustable parameter, its performance has proved competitive with more elaborate methods, especially near phase transitions. Phase transitions are found in many combinatorial optimization problems, and have been conjectured to occur in the region of parameter space containing the hardest instances. We demonstrate how extremal optimization can be implemented for a variety of hard optimization problems. We believe that this will be a useful tool in the investigation of phase transitions in combinatorial optimization, thereby helping to elucidate the origin of computational complexity.
The urbanization process and economic growth: the so-what question

There is an extensive literature on the urbanization process looking at both urbanization and urban concentration, asking whether and when there is under or over-urbanization or under or over urban concentration. Writers argue that national government policies and non-democratic institutions promote excessive concentration—the extent to which the urban population of a country is concentrated in one or two major metropolitan areas—except in former planned economies where migration restrictions are enforced. These literatures assume that there is an optimal level of urbanization or an optimal level of urban concentration, but no research to date has quantitatively examined the assumption and asked the basic “so-what” question—how great are the economic losses from significant deviations from any optimal degrees of urban concentration or rates of urbanization? This paper shows that (1) there is a best degree of urban concentration, in terms of maximizing productivity growth (2) that best degree varies with the level of development and country size, and (3) over or under-concentration can be very costly in terms of productivity growth. The paper shows also that productivity growth is not strongly affected by urbanization per se. Rapid urbanization has often occurred in the face of low or negative economic growth over some decades. Moreover, urbanization is a transitory phenomenon where many countries are now fully urbanized.
Thermodynamic Properities of Octane and Air for Engine Performance Calculations

A digital computer and special program were used, along with new thermodynamic data, to recalculate and extend the scope and range of the classic combustion gas charts of Hottel and co-workers. A series of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon fuels was treated over a range of fuel-air ratios, with temperatures extended up to 7200 R and pressures up to 15,000 psia. This, the first paper of a series, incorporates the resulting charts for isooctane at four mixture ratios ranging from 20% lean to 40% rich. Auxiliary charts for inducted mixture properties determination and a set of sample calculations are also included.
The Baroclinic Circulation Of The West Spitsbergen Current

The baroclinic circulation of the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) is described based on a dense network of CTD stations acquired in September 1985. Near 78°N the baroclinic flow extends to 200 m with a transport of 1.3 Sv northward. Westward turning of the WSC to join the southward flowing East Greenland Current occurs from 76°to about 81°N, being interrupted between 79° and 80°N by the Molloy Fracture Zone. Near 80°N the WSC bifurcates to form an eastern branch which transports about 20% of its initial flow into the Arctic basin, observed as the warm, salty Atlantic Layer. No northward flow of WSC water is observed along the western flank of the Yermak Plateau. A cyclonic recirculation of the eastern branch of the WSC is noted east of the Yermak Plateau.
I thought she knew that would hurt my feelings: developing psychological knowledge and moral thinking.

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with developing psychological knowledge and moral thinking. It outlines a framework for understanding why and how children's psychological understandings are implicated in their moral thinking and discusses the role of interpretation in moral thinking, putting forth the proposition that children make moral judgments about the world as they understand it or construe it. The chapter argues for the view that children's understandings of persons–persons' beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions are a central component of how children construe the world and present evidence of the multiple ways in which children's developing psychological concepts inform, and differently constrain, their moral thinking. This chapter concludes by speculating broadly about the nature of the relation between psychological knowledge and moral reasoning and discusses the implications that this relation may have for future research in moral development.
The Effective Temperature of the DBV’s, and the Sensitivity of DB Model Atmospheres to Input Physics

A new grid of DB models is applied to the problem of the DBV temperatures and the DB gap. It is found that the DBV instability strip lies lower than thought before. This has consequences for the calibration of mixing-length theories and the reality of the DB gap. The DBV GD358 is discussed in detail.
Generation and compaction of mixed broadside and skewed-load n-detection test sets for transition faults

This paper describes an n-detection test generation strategy for mixed test sets, which consist of both broadside and skewed-load tests, targeting transition faults. The strategy consists of a test generation procedure without test compaction heuristics and a static test compaction procedure. The test generation procedure decides, every time a fault is targeted, whether to generate a broadside or a skewed-load test. The static test compaction procedure allows tests and test types to be modified in order to obtain more effective tests. Experimental results demonstrate the following. (1) The size of the test set produced by the test generation procedure grows slower than linearly with n. After static test compaction the increase in test set size with n is closer to the linear increase that is typical of compacted n-detection test sets. (2) For an individual fault, the n-detection test set may contain a mix of broadside and skewed-load tests to reach the target of n detections. (3) For the higher values of n, static test compaction typically improves the quality of the test set while reducing its size significantly.
Interferon-like sequence of ovine trophoblast protein secreted by embryonic trophectoderm

In most species the length of a pregnancy exceeds that of the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle. The conceptus within the uterus, therefore, is believed to produce a substance or substances which directly or indirectly prolong the lifespan of the corpus luteum and prevent a return to ovarian cyclicity. This phenomenon is known as maternal recognition of pregnancy1. The active substance implicated in signalling maternal recognition of pregnancy in the sheep is an embryonic secretory protein, known as ovine trophoblast protein-1 (oTP-1) (refs 2–4), which is targeted in a paracrine manner to the uterine epithelium of the mother5. We report here the primary amino-acid sequence of oTP-1 as inferred from a cloned complementary DNA and demonstrate that the protein is most probably an interferon-alpha.
Developmental cholinotoxicity of lead: loss of septal cholinergic neurons and long-term changes in cholinergic innervation of the hippocampus in perinatally lead-exposed rats.

Abstract The effects of perinatal lead exposure on choline acetyltransferase-immunoreactive (ChAT-IR) cell counts in the medial septum and AChE-positive fiber counts in the hippocampus were examined in relation to changes in cholinergic markers in the septohippocampal pathway of the rat. Maternal exposure to 0.2% lead acetate in drinking water from gestational day 16 through weaning at post-natal day 21 (P21) induced in the offspring a 30% reduction in septal ChAT activity and a 20% reduction in ChAT-IR cell profile counts in the medial septum/vertical diagonal band (MS/vDB). These changes were seen as early as P7, persisted through 2 months post-exposure (P81), and were followed by recovery of ChAT activity but not the ChAT-IR cell numbers, at 3 months post-exposure (P112). The loss of ChAT activity and ChAT-IR neurons in the septum was temporally associated with a reduction of ChAT activity (30%), hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) binding (40%), and AChE-positive fiber counts (13–15%) in the hippocampus. The hippocampal ChAT activity and AChE-positive fiber counts returned to control levels by P112 whereas HC-3 binding was restored to normal levels by P200. These results indicate that perinatal, low-level lead exposure induces loss of septohippocampal cholinergic projection neurons in neonate animals, resulting in a deficit in hippocampal cholinergic innervation that persists into young adulthood. The disruption of cholinergic septohippocampal system may be an important factor in lasting cognitive impairments associated with early Pb exposure.
Network mapping services for dynamic selection of web services: promises and challenges

Web services provide the possibility of dynamically integrating distributed service components scattered over the Internet to fulfill sophisticated business demands. The effectiveness of service integration depends critically on the selection of best-fit service components. In this paper, we first review several research streams related to server selection. We then propose a framework of dynamic service discovery, termed Network Mapping Services (NMS), which combines prior efforts on network-aware applications and server selection into a coherent structure. As successful implementation of NMS requires the collaboration among all participating service providers, we also discuss several incentive schemes and compare their effectiveness in supporting collaboration.
Passive smoking as a risk factor of anemia in young children aged 0-35 months in Jordan.

Passive smoking unfavorably affects pregnancy, child birth and child health. Passive smoking associates with still-birth, premature birth as well as acute respiratory infection, asthma, disorder in red blood cell metabolism in children. This study examined the effects of passive smoking on anemia in young children in Jordan. The analysis based on the information from 740 children aged 0–35 months that were tested for hemoglobin levels included in the 2002 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey. This study used multivariate logistic regression method to analyze the effect of passive smoking on anemia in young children in Jordan, controlling for a number of risk factors and confounding factors for anemia. Results indicated that independent of other risk factors and confounding factors, anemia in young children was strongly positively associated with exposure to passive smoking from both parents (OR= 2.99, p < 0.01). Severely undernourished children were at higher risk of anemia independent of passive smoking and other risk factors (OR= 5.29, p < 0.05). Children age 24–35 months, children born to mothers age 35–49, and children lived in households with a hygienic toilet facility were less likely to suffer from anemia. Passive smoking from both parents was strongly positively associated with anemia in young children in Jordan independent of other risk factors and confounding factors. The results support the importance of smoking prevention during and after pregnancy that prevent childhood anemia and others morbidities in young children.
Aerosolized terbutaline in asthmatics: Comparison of dosage strength, schedule, and method of administration

Sixteen patients with bronchial asthma participated in three studies of inhaled terbutaline. Onset of action, duration, and peak effects were compared for a dose of 0.5 mg given in one, two, or four inhalations at 1 min intervals from a freon-propelled, metered-dose aerosol. There was no significant difference in the response between the schedules. Dose-response curves were compared for terbutaline from a metered-dose aerosol, and pressure nebulized with and without intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB). There was no difference between the response with IPPB and simple nebulization. Improvement continued to the total dose administered of 9.0 mg. For a given bronchial response, six to eight times as much terbutaline was required by pressure nebulization as from the metered-dose aerosol.
Role of adult living liver donation in patients with hepatocellular cancer

Key points 1. Transplantation represents the best therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as compared with resection. 2. On an intention-to-treat basis, living donor transplantation (LDLT) represents a better alternative to cadaveric transplantation (CLT). 3. Current criteria for transplantation for patients with HCC using cadaveric organs may be appropriate for living donor transplantation.
Prospective study of subclinical atherosclerosis as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism

Summary. Background: Whether atherosclerotic disease predisposes to venous thrombosis is uncertain. Objective: To determine whether subclinical atherosclerosis, manifested as increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) or presence of carotid plaque, is associated with increased incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Patients and methods: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study is a prospective cohort of adults aged 45–64 years, examined at baseline (1987–89) and followed for cardiovascular events. Bilateral carotid ultrasound for IMT measurements was done at baseline for portions of the common and internal carotid arteries, and carotid bifurcation and also to detect the presence of carotid plaque. Exclusion criteria included baseline anticoagulant use, history of coronary heart disease, stroke, or VTE, and incomplete data. First VTE during follow-up was validated using abstracted medical records. Results: Among 13 081 individuals followed for a mean of 12.5 years, 225 first VTE events were identified. Unadjusted hazard ratios (HR) (95% CI) of VTE across quartiles of baseline IMT were 1.0, 1.16 (0.77–1.75), 1.64 (1.12–2.40), and 1.52 (1.03–2.25). However, this association disappeared after adjustment for age, sex, and ethnicity (HRs: 1.0, 1.06, 1.40, and 1.18). Further adjustment for body mass index and diabetes weakened the relative risks even further. Presence of carotid plaque at baseline also was not associated with VTE occurrence; adjusted HR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.72–1.29. Conclusion: Increased carotid IMT or presence of carotid plaque was not associated with an increased incidence of VTE in this middle-aged cohort, suggesting subclinical atherosclerosis itself is not a VTE risk factor.
Syntheses of 2,5-Disubstituted Dihydrofurans from γ-Substituted Chiral Allenamides

Details of a synthesis of dihydrofurans using γ-substituted chiral allenamides are described here. Some transformations of these dihydrofurans are also examined including a highly stereoselective dihydroxylation and a rare account of a Lewis acid-mediated removal of an N-acyl substituent at the anomeric carbon of a tetrahydrofuran ring system. These studies provide further support for the synthetic utility of allenamides.
Adhesion and XPS studies on a fluoropolymer-metal interface

Adhesion between a glass-fiber-filled Teflon PFAR (tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkoxyvinyl ether co-polymer) film and chromium-coated copper foil was studied. Excellent PFAcopper adhesion was achieved by high temperature lamination at 380°C. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies revealed chemical reactions, defluorination reactions, and metal fluoride formation at the interface. The PFA surface created by etching the laminated copper foil in a ferric chloride solution was found to be quite different in surface properties from that of pure PFA.
Neurophysiological Model of the Normal and Abnormal Human Pupil

A model of the pathways controlling the size of the human pupil is presented. Computer simulation of this model demonstrates the role played by each of the elements in the pupil pathways. Simulations of the effects of drugs and a few common abnormalities in the system also help to illustrate the workings of the internal processes. Computer models of this type can be used as teaching aids or as tools for testing of hypotheses regarding the system.
Stratigraphy and sedimentology of Upper Cretaceous rocks in coastal southwest Oregon: Evidence for wrench-fault tectonics in a postulated accretionary terrane: Alternative interpretation and reply

No Abstract Available. The article which evoked this Alternative Interpretation was published in the Bulletin , v. 96, p. 1007–1019.
Ischemic Encephalopathy in Raccoons (Procyon lotor)

An acute and chronic case of cerebral infarction syndrome in two raccoons (Procyon lotor) respectively is described. The raccoon with an acute form of the condition had clinical neurologic signs whereas the raccoon with a chronic form of the condition had no evident clinical signs. In neither raccoon were significant vascular lesions seen. This is the first report of cerebral infarctions in raccoons.
A re‐examination of relational repair and reconciliation: Impact of socio‐communicative style on strategy selection

This study examines some of the reconciliation and repair/maintenance strategies in the relational communication literature. These strategies were compared with Bell and Daly's (1984) affinity‐seeking strategies. It was concluded that Bell and Daly's strategies could identify many of the same relational strategies with less contextual confusion. It is argued that affiliation strategies represent a true multiphasic relational communication typology that applies to the range of repair/reconciliation contexts. The study then looks at the degree to which assertiveness, and responsiveness predicts the use/non‐use of affinity seeking strategies in the context of relational repair. The study indicates that self perceived assertiveness and responsive play a role in strategy selection as well. Finally, how others are perceived in terms of assertiveness and responsiveness was found to predict the types of strategies used and not used in relational repair contexts.
Beam Emittance Measurements with a Dispersion-Matched Magnetic Spectrograph

The technique of dispersion-matching a beam to the split pole magnetic spectrograph at the MSU Cyclotron Laboratory was employed to eliminate the broadening of the beam spot size due to the coherent energy variations which come mainly from fluctuations of the amplitude of the cyclotron dee voltage. The incoherent emittance can therefore be measured directly. This was accomplished by observing the spot size in the focal plane of the spectrograph with a high magnification television system and by measuring the beam divergence angle with a simple intercepting probe placed upstream. The emittance for proton beams was in agreement with previous indirect measurements. The luminosity of a proton beam was approximately equal to that inferred from previous d.c. test stand measurements. Measurements for 3He2+ and 12C4+ beams are also presented. The contribution to the divergence angle by the coherent energy spread was found to be negligible, in agreement with calculation. The correlation of observed line width with ion source slit width suggests that the complete optical system from ion source to the spectrograph is linear, and that an image of the ion source slit was observed in the spectograph focal plane.
Non-associative defensive responses of rats to ferret odor

Predators and their odors offer an ethologically valid model to study learning processes. The present series of experiments assessed the ability of ferret odor to serve as an unconditioned stimulus and examined behavioral and endocrine changes in male Sprague–Dawley rats with single or repeated exposures in a defensive withdrawal paradigm or in their home cages. Rats exposed to ferret odor avoided the ferret odor stimulus more, exhibited greater risk assessment and displayed higher adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone release compared with control odor exposed rats and these measures did not significantly habituate over repeated exposures. Ferret odor exposure did not show associative conditioning effects during extinction trials. However, rats that were pre-exposed to ferret odor only once, as compared to control and repeatedly exposed rats, displayed a sensitized ACTH and corticosterone response to an additional ferret odor exposure in small cages. These experiments suggest that ferret odor is a highly potent unconditioned stimulus that has long lasting effects on behavior and endocrine responses, and further suggests the independence of habituation and sensitization processes.
Effect of Heat Treatment on the Redox Properties of Iron Porphyrins Adsorbed on High Area Carbon in Acid Electrolytes: An in Situ Fe K-Edge X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure Study

Electronic aspects of an iron porphyrin, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine iron(III) chloride (FeTMPPCl) molecularly dispersed on a high area carbon black (Black Pearls 2000, BP) and then heat-treated (or thermally activated) at 800 °C in a flowing inert atmosphere, were investigated in situ in 1.0 M H3PO4 by Fe K-edge X-ray near-edge structure (XANES). Profound differences were observed between the ex situ (dry) XANES of electrodes incorporating FeTMPPCl/BP before and after heat treatment and, likewise, in the case of the thermally treated FeTMPPCl/BP before and after immersion of the electrodes in the electrolyte. Monotonic shifts in the absorption edge toward higher energies were observed for heat-treated FeTMPPCl/BP as the potential was increased over a range of over 1 V. The overall magnitude of the shift, ca. 2.5 eV, was virtually the same as that obtained with non-heat-treated (or intact) FeTMPPCl/BP, which occurred in a much narrower potential range, ca. 0.2 V. In contrast to t...
Chromatic content of spectral lights.

Abstract Using three novel formats, we compare four estimates of the spectral sensitivity of the opponent stage channels: a Linear Model, Jameson and Hurvich's [ Journal of the Optical Society of America, 45 , 546–552 (1955)] hue cancellation sensitivities, Gordon and Abramov's [ Optical Society of America Technical Digest Series, 15 , 12–15 (1987)] hue scaling, and hue matching. The three formats are: the spectrum locus in the opponent equiluminant plane, null lines in the CIE XYZ chart and response functions for unique hues. All sensitivities show departures from the Linear Model and from each other. Relative to the model, common features of all estimates are that violets are compressed; long-wavelength reds are amplified; the redness component of violet lights is greatly attenuated; and saturation of violet stimuli is underestimated.
Mean global and regional distributions of MOPITT carbon monoxide during 2000 - 2009 and during ENSO

Abstract The MOPITT (Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere) CO measurements over a 10-year period (2000–2009) reveal consistently positive trends on the order of 0.13–0.19 × 10 16 mol cm −2 per month in CO total column concentrations over the entire globe and the hemispheres. Two maxima in globally averaged CO concentrations are identified: one in April and one in October, with two minima in July and December. These maxima and minima are attributable to the respective maxima and minima in CO concentrations over the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Over the Tropics, maximum and minimum CO concentrations are noted in October and June, respectively, due primarily to biomass burning. During El Nino DJF (December–January–February) and JJA (June–July–August), predominantly positive anomalies in CO total column are noted over the entire globe except for the high latitudes of both hemispheres and the central part of the South America where negative anomalies are identified. La Nina DJF and JJA are largely opposite to El Nino DJF and JJA in CO total column anomalies. Negative (positive) anomalies in CO total column tend to be associated with wet (dry) anomalies in precipitation over the major polluted areas during ENSO. It is suggested that changes in the atmospheric circulations during ENSO either enhance or weaken precipitation systems with the associated precipitation modulating CO total column. The correspondence between anomalies in CO total column and anomalies in Terra MODIS fire pixels during ENSO is rather poor over many parts of the world.
Reward vs. Reciprocity as Related to Attraction1

Groups of six subjects participated in a study to investigate the effect of obligation upon attraction. Each subject received offers of monetary aid from other members of the group. Amount of aid offered was varied along with the obligation attached to the aid. The effect of the offer upon the recipient's attraction to the donor was assessed. Both attraction and desire for coalition were greatest when the offer of aid was high and the obligation to return the benefits received was low.
Antigen processing sites in gp120 are conserved across HIV virus clades.

Background A puzzling observation in HIV vaccine research is the fact that recombinant gp120 is able to adsorb bNAbs from HIV+ patient sera, but unable to elicit such bNAbs. To account for its poor immunogenicity, we wondered if the epitopes recognized by bNAbs might be proteolyzed in vivo. Cathepsins L, S, and D are the major proteases responsible for antigen processing and presentation. Previously, we defined the cathepsin cleavage sites on MN rgp120 and found that they co-localized with epitopes recognized by bNAbs. Although examination of gp120 sequences suggested that these sites were conserved, the recognition motifs for cathepsins are poorly defined and it was important to verify their presence by protease digestion studies. Methods Purified gp120s from three clades of HIV were digested with cathepsins L, S, and D. These included envelope proteins from the from the 108060 (clade B), A244 (CRF01_AE) and 97001 (clade C) isolates. N-terminal sequencing was used to identify the cathepsin cleavage sites. Results When combined with the previous MN-rgp120 results, we found that 6 out of 10 cathepsin cleavage sites were conserved in four viruses from three different clades of HIV. We found that polymorphisms that inactivate cleavage sites often result in the formation of an alternate nearby site. Although cleavage is an ordered processing beginning in the V3 domain, the cleavage sites in this domain are more polymorphic than other sites. Conclusion Our results suggest that cathepsin cleavage sites are highly conserved in gp120 and co-localize to regions recognized by bNAbs. These results are consistent with our hypothesis that the poor immunogenicity of gp120 epitopes results from protease digestion in vivo. Current studies are in progress to determine whether inactivation of these sites or enzymes may provide a new approach to improving the immunogenicity of epitopes recognized by bNAbs.