cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Model in Hydrodynamics

In December 1976, at a conference at Ecole Centrale in Lyon, France, I presented a result in periodic homogenization for a model which I devised, by playing with the equations of hydrodynamics with the idea of understanding something concerning turbulence. After my talk, Jacques-Louis LIONS gave me pedagogical advice, to never put more than one idea in a talk!
Elastic knowledge base of bcc Ti alloys from first-principles calculations and CALPHAD-based modeling

Abstract Titanium alloys are being investigated as suitable materials for load-bearing implants because of their biocompatibility and mechanical properties. Stress shielding, a common issue with the current load-bearing implant materials, occurs due to a Young’s modulus (E) mismatch between bone (∼10–40 GPa) and implants (such as Ti-6Al-4V ∼110 GPa), which leads to bone dying around the implant and ultimately implant failure. Reducing the Young’s modulus of Ti alloys may overcome the issues of stress shielding and improve implant materials. In the present work, first-principles calculations have been used to predict the single crystal elastic stiffness coefficients (cij’s) for the Ti-containing ternary alloys Ti-X-Y (X ≠ Y = Mo, Nb, Sn, Ta, Zr) in the bcc lattice. It is found that the ternary Ti-X-Y (X ≠ Y = Mo, Nb, Ta) alloys behave similarly; so do the ternary Ti-X-Sn (X = Mo, Nb, Ta) alloys and the Ti-X-Zr (X = Mo, Nb, Ta) alloys. This is expected due to the similarity between the Mo, Nb and Ta elements. The results also show that the Ti-Zr-X alloys stabilized the bcc phase at lower alloying concentrations. The polycrystalline aggregate properties are also estimated from the cij’s, including bulk modulus, shear modulus and Young’s modulus. The results show that Ti-alloys with compositions close to the bcc stability limit have the lowest E. In combination with previous predictions, a complete elastic database has been established using the CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagram) based modeling approach. The database results are compared with the E of higher order Ti alloys and shown to be able to predict the E accurately. This complete database forms a foundation to tailor Ti alloys for desired elastic properties.
Durable renal response after combination of bortezomib, corticosteroids, rituximab, and plasmapheresis for late antibody-mediated renal transplant rejection .

Late occurrence of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), defined as occurring 6 months after transplantation, is associated with poor renal allograft survival, compared to early acute AMR and acute cellular rejection. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has multiple immunomodulatory effects on plasma cells, the source of donor-specific HLA antibodies which mediate AMR. Materials and methods Consecutive patients who presented with biopsy-proven AMR and donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) at a single institution between July 2011 and February 2015 were included. They received rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 1, bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 and methylprednisolone on days 1, 4, 8, 11, and plasmapheresis on days -1, 4, 8, 11, 14, 15, 17, with herpes zoster prophylaxis. The primary outcome was graft survival independent of dialysis. Patients were prospectively assessed with serial monitoring of renal function and proteinuria, and neuropathy symptoms. Toxicity determination was made by medical record review for hospitalizations within 3 months of therapy, or documentation of opportunistic infection. Results Eleven patients were treated for late AMR (diagnosed at a median of 38 months post renal transplant) with this bortezomib-based protocol; 2 patients underwent the regimen twice. Of the 11 patients, 9 have functioning allografts (82% graft survival) with a median creatinine of 2.1 mg/dL (range 1.1 - 3.4 mg/dL), at a median follow-up of 50 months after AMR therapy (range 24 - 63 months). One patient was re-transplanted at 4 years post AMR treatment with no AMR recurrence to date at 2-years' follow-up, and a second patient re-initiated dialysis at 2 years post AMR treatment. Patient survival is 91% (10/11): 1 patient relocated out of state and was reported to have died from complications of hypertensive encephalopathy. The majority of patients (7/11) had several class I and class II DSA specificities; of these, 4 patients had negative class I DSA but persistent class II DSAs at 2 - 3 months post therapy. Only 1 patient who was positive for class II DSAs alone (DR53 and DQ2) converted to negative DSA, although DSA testing was delayed to 2 years' follow-up. Two patients were hospitalized within 1 month of the protocol, 1 for ileus and 1 for urinary tract infection and ruptured ovarian cyst. One other patient had herpes zoster. Conclusion Renal allograft survival was 82% at 4 years after bortezomib-based therapy for late onset AMR; toxicity profile of this regimen was acceptable. Eradication of DSAs may not be necessary for meaningful and durable renal response. .
Pennies for Our Thoughts.

When I tell people that I am a pediatric infectious diseases (PID) specialist (insert comment about hoping I’m not contagious; funny every time), I am often asked what exactly it is I do. It is a good question. A surgeon might describe a consultation as telling a patient, “I am going to take you to surgery.” A gastroenterologist might say “I am going to scope you.” In PID, we essentially tell patients, “I am going to think about you.” Specialists such as those in PID, neurology, rheumatology, developmental pediatrics, hospital medicine, primary care, and many more are commonly referred to as “cognitive” specialists. These are physicians with additional training in a specific field of medicine who primarily provide evaluation and …
Synergistic effects of nuclear and electronic energy deposition on damage production in KTaO3

Ion irradiation of KTaO3 has been performed to investigate the evolution of irradiation damage with and without significant electronic energy deposition. Damage accumulation under irradiation with ...
Desorden y vida cotidiana en Barrancabermeja

Este articulo examina como anos de violencia politica y neoliberalismo han desorganizado la vida social en Barrancabermeja. ?Como es posible, pregunta la autora, que la clase trabajadora capte el futuro sin la estabilidad de entender el presente y la manera en que el presente emerge del pasado pero al mismo tiempo es diferente? Explora como una forma extrema del neoliberalismo fragmento varias formas de solidaridad social, infundo la vida cotidiana con miedo y genero redes violentas de clientelismo que florecieron en la ausencia de derechos. Sostiene que el poder y la violencia descontrolados privaron a los barranquenos de la coherencia necesaria para cuidarse a si mismos y para captar las conexiones entre el pasado, el presente, y el futuro que son necesarias "para hacer historia".
Kinetics of Motor Protein Translocation on Single Stranded DNA

The translocation of nucleic acid motor proteins along DNA or RNA can be studied in ensemble experiments by monitoring either the kinetics of the arrival of the protein at a specific site on the nucleic acid filament (generally one end of the filament) or the kinetics of ATP hydrolysis by the motor protein during translocation. The pre-steady state kinetic data collected in ensemble experiments can be analyzed by simultaneous global non-linear least squares (NLLS) analysis using a simple sequential "n-step" mechanism to obtain estimates of the rate-limiting step(s) in the translocation cycle, the average "kinetic step-size," and the efficiency of coupling ATP binding and hydrolysis to translocation.
Causative Gene Discovery for Sheep Inherited Disorders

Chondrodysplasia, inherited rickets and lower motor neuron disease are three sheep disorders in New Zealand that have been recently shown to be inherited apparently in a recessive manner. To discover the causative genes involved in the above diseases, around 50,000 genetic differences called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the genome were tested to define homozygous regions, one of which should harbor the causative mutation. Fine mapping of these regions for each disease was performed by discovering new SNPs located on candidate genes in these regions. To date, responsible mutations were successfully identified for inherited rickets and lower motor neuron disease. Our findings will benefit sheep breeding practices by providing a tool that can be used to avoid atrisk mating and may benefit science by providing animal disease models for human studies.
Digital devices and continuous telemetry: opportunities for aligning psychiatry and neuroscience.

The prevalence of wearable devices and smart phones, together with increasingly sophisticated computational approaches such as machine learning, can make extraordinarily large data sets available to psychiatrists, caregivers, and researchers. Beyond merely documenting compliance and representing methods of communicating with patients, they hold the promise of being able to identify antecedents with meaningful advance notice—minutes, hours, days—that allow patients to modify their behavior, or caregivers to intervene. Although important ethical and validation concerns remain, the ability to predict future behaviors on the basis of objective data would be transformative for conditions such as addiction, depression, and psychosis, where support systems are often effective in preventing catastrophic outcomes such as overdose and suicide. Areas of active research include understanding the ways in which behavioral events can predict one another, and the corresponding timescales for which the predictions are meaningful. Alignment of end points in humans and laboratory animals should be prioritized so that translationally relevant working hypotheses can be developed, tested, and validated, thereby ushering in a new era of more effective diagnoses, treatment, and prevention of psychiatric illness while eliminating the types of anthropomorphic interpretation of rudimentary behavior that promote broad skepticism regarding the utility of animal models. The application of new technologies to psychiatry and neuroscience has already enabled appreciation of cross-species homologies in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurogenetics. We are entering an era in which establishing the corresponding existence of behavioral homologies could have transformative impact on our ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent psychiatric illness.
Indoor dust acts as an adjuvant to promote sensitization to peanut through the airway.

Background There is growing evidence that environmental peanut exposure through non-oral routes, including the skin and respiratory tract, can result in peanut sensitization. Environmental adjuvants in indoor dust can promote sensitization to inhaled antigens, but whether they contribute to peanut allergy development is unclear. Objective We investigated whether indoor dust promotes airway sensitization to peanut and peanut allergy development in mice. Methods Female and male C57BL/6J mice were exposed via the airways to peanut, indoor dust extract, or both for 2 weeks. Mice were then challenged with peanut and assessed for anaphylaxis. Peanut-specific immunoglobulins, peanut uptake by lung conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), lung innate cytokines, and T cell differentiation in lung-draining lymph nodes were quantified. Innate cytokine production by primary human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to indoor dust was also determined. Results Inhalational exposure to low levels of peanut in combination with indoor dust, but neither alone, resulted in production of peanut-specific IgE and development of anaphylaxis upon peanut challenge. Indoor dust triggered production of innate cytokines in murine lungs and in primary human bronchial epithelial cells. Additionally, inhaled indoor dust stimulated maturation and migration of peanut-laden lung type 1 cDCs to draining lymph nodes. Inhalational exposure to peanut and indoor dust induced peanut-specific T helper 2 cell differentiation and accumulation of T follicular helper cells in draining lymph nodes, which were associated with increased B cell numbers and peanut-specific immunoglobulin production. Conclusions & clinical relevance Indoor dust promotes airway sensitization to peanut and development of peanut allergy in mice. Our findings suggest that environmental adjuvants in indoor dust may be determinants of peanut allergy development in children.
The Kelmans-Seymour conjecture II: 2-Vertices in K4−

Abstract We use K 4 − to denote the graph obtained from K 4 by removing an edge, and use T K 5 to denote a subdivision of K 5 . Let G be a 5-connected nonplanar graph and { x 1 , x 2 , y 1 , y 2 } ⊆ V ( G ) such that G [ { x 1 , x 2 , y 1 , y 2 } ] ≅ K 4 − with y 1 y 2 ∉ E ( G ) . Let w 1 , w 2 , w 3 ∈ N ( y 2 ) − { x 1 , x 2 } be distinct. We show that G contains a T K 5 in which y 2 is not a branch vertex, or G − y 2 contains K 4 − , or G has a special 5-separation, or G − { y 2 v : v ∉ { w 1 , w 2 , w 3 , x 1 , x 2 } } contains T K 5 . This result will be used to prove the Kelmans-Seymour conjecture that every 5-connected nonplanar graph contains T K 5 .
The sensitivity of repeat and near repeat analysis to geocoding algorithms

Abstract Purpose To determine if repeat and near repeat analysis is sensitive to the geocoding algorithm used for the underlying crime incident data. Methods The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department provided 2016 crime incident data for five crime types: (1) shootings, (2) robberies, (3) residential burglaries, (4) theft of automobiles, and (5) theft from automobiles. The incident data were geocoded using a dual ranges algorithm and a composite algorithm. First, descriptive analysis of the distances between the two point patterns were conducted. Second, repeat and near repeat analysis was performed. Third, the resulting repeat and near repeat patterns were compared across geocoding algorithms. Results The underlying point patterns and repeat and near repeat analyses were similar across geocoding algorithms. Conclusions While detailing geocoding processes increases transparency and future researchers can conduct sensitivity results to ensure their findings are robust, dual ranges geocoding algorithms are likely adequate for repeat and near repeat analysis.
How should clinicians interpret conflicting cost-effectiveness analyses for the treatment of lymphoma across nations and payer models?

The growing costs of cancer therapy for an aging population [1] and the increasing cost burden of novel drugs in particular for the treatment of hematologic and other malignancies [2] continue to c...
Atrial Flutter as an Initial Presentation of Malignant Pericardial Effusion Caused by Lung Cancer.

Pericardial effusion is a common cardiac condition that can be lethal if left untreated. Patients who have pericardial effusion often present with dyspnea, chest discomfort, chest tightness, and cough. Cardiac arrhythmia as an initial presentation of pericardial effusion is not common. While the most common cardiac arrhythmia associated with pericardial effusion is atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter as a presenting symptom of malignant pericardial effusion has been described rarely. Herein, we present the case of an elderly man who had developed atrial flutter due to malignant cardiac effusion, which subsequently led to the diagnosis of lung cancer. Clinicians should broaden the differential diagnosis of patients who present with atrial flutter. Also, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may help determine the etiology of a new-onset atrial flutter.
Wind Flow Estimation in Thermal Sky Images for Sun Occlusion Prediction

Moving clouds affect the global solar irradiance that reaches the surface of the Earth. As a consequence, the amount of resources available to meet the energy demand in a smart grid powered using Photovoltaic (PV) systems depends on the shadows projected by passing clouds. This research introduces an algorithm for tracking clouds to predict Sun occlusion. Using thermal images of clouds, the algorithm is capable of estimating multiple wind velocity fields with different altitudes, velocity magnitudes and directions.
Undergraduate Medical Education: Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum Implementation Standards:

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is an emerging specialty that is gaining momentum and support from around the world. The American Medical Association passed a resolution to support incorporating LM curricula in medical schools in 2017. Since then, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Undergraduate Medical Education Task Force has created a framework for incorporating LM into medical school curricula. This article provides competencies for medical school LM curriculum implementation and illustrates how they relate to the Association of American Medical College's Core Entrustable Professional Activities and the LM Certification Competencies from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Finally, standards are presented for how medical schools may receive certification for integrating LM into their curriculum and how medical students can work toward becoming board certified in LM through an educational pathway.
Mixed logit approach to analyzing pedestrian injury severity in pedestrian-vehicle crashes in North Carolina: Considering time-of-day and day-of-week.

The objective of this research is to identify and compare contributing factors to pedestrian injury severities in pedestrian-vehicle crashes considering both time-of-day and day-of-week.The pedestr...
Long-acting buprenorphine injectables: Opportunity to improve opioid use disorder treatment among rural populations.

Abstract The opioid epidemic continues with escalating overdose deaths further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, despite having efficacious medication treatments for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Most persons with OUD remain undiagnosed, without ever receiving MOUD, and even among those who initiate MOUD, retention is infrequently longer than 6 months (Williams et al., 2019). Treatment access remains particularly problematic in rural areas that often have few providers and limited resources ( Ghertner, 2019 ). There are two new injectable long-acting buprenorphine (LAB) formulations recently approved in the United States and abroad (Lofwall et al., 2018; Walsh et al., 2017 ; Haight et al., 2019 ). They hold promise to improve treatment access and retention by decreasing risks of nonadherence, diversion and misuse and may be particularly attractive during a pandemic in order to minimize provider and pharmacy contacts (Roberts et al., 2020) and help improve access to care in rural areas. There are several ongoing evaluations of LAB injectables in large multi-site randomized clinical trials sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Veterans Administration Office of Research and Development in settings with special populations that exist in both urban and rural settings. Understanding the potential clinical benefits of LAB injectables along the care continuum, particularly for rural areas is essential to successful implementation in the complex healthcare system.
Disparities in cervical cancer incidence and neighborhood socioeconomic inequality in New York City

Objectives: In the United States, access to healthcare services is linked to socioeconomic status (SES). Cervical cancer is a preventable malignancy, and risk of developing the disease is linked to accessibility of preventive services such as screening and vaccination. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between neighborhood SES and the incidence of cervical cancer in women in New York City. Methods: We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of women residing in New York City from 2012-2016. We abstracted cases of cervical cancer and age-adjusted incidence rates by neighborhood (defined in terms of 55 Public Use Microdata Areas) from the New York State Cancer Registry and linked these data with the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey. We calculated an SES index for each neighborhood using a weighted combination of measures of crowding, real-estate values, poverty rates, incomes, educational attainment, and unemployment, which was developed and validated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. We fit a Poisson regression model with robust standard errors to estimate the association between cervical cancer incidence and neighborhood SES index, modeling SES as a continuous variable. We estimated the incidence rates, and rate ratio, associated with residence in lowest SES neighborhoods (10th percentile) compared with highest SES neighborhoods (90th percentile). Download : Download high-res image (260KB) Download : Download full-size image Results: There were 932 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed between 2012-2016, corresponding to an age-adjusted incidence rate of 9.1 cases per 100,000 women years (95% CI 8.7-9.5). There was variation in age-adjusted cervical cancer incidence rates by neighborhoods, ranging from 4.4 cases (95% CI 2.9-7.4) to 14.7 cases (95% CI 10.8-19.5) per 100,000 women years. We identified substantial variation in socioeconomic and demographic factors among neighborhoods. Neighborhoods with the highest SES index values (top decile) were predominately populated by white residents (68.9%), with relatively few Hispanic (11.6%) and Black residents (4.5%). Conversely lowest SES index neighborhoods (bottom decile) were principally populated by Hispanic (60.1%) and Black residents (33.5%), and few White residents (3.0%). Neighborhood SES index was strongly associated with cervical cancer incidence. After adjustment for age, women residing in the lowest SES neighborhoods were 73% more likely to develop cervical cancer than those in the highest SES neighborhoods (inter-decile incidence rate ratio 1.73, 1.52-1.96, p Conclusions: In New York City, cervical cancer rates in neighborhoods with low SES are substantially higher than those in neighborhoods with high SES, despite their geographic proximity. Neighborhood-level preventive interventions may be an important component in eliminating inequities in cervical cancer incidence.
Strengthening of tungsten by coherent rhenium precipitates formed during low fluence irradiation

Experimental data show that the accumulation of rhenium and osmium from transmutation reactions severely affect the microstructural evolution and property degradation of tungsten-based materials under neutron irradiation. Theory and modeling have confirmed that Re atom transport in W is by irradiation-produced migrating self-interstitial atoms. With this diffusion mode in operation, a specific microstructure evolution is realized when at relatively low neutron fluence the Re-rich precipitates are formed, while the void and interstitial loop population development is suppressed, affecting the mechanical properties. This research shows the effect of small coherent Re-rich precipitates on the dislocation glide under stress, investigated using the molecular dynamics approach with empirical interatomic potentials. The results are compared with an earlier simulation of void hardening in W. It is demonstrated that small coherent Re-rich precipitates of less than 6 nm diameter represent relatively weak obstacles for moving edge dislocations. The implication of these results on the interpretation of experimental results is discussed.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Induced Anti-Neuroinflammation Against Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a pervasive and damaging form of acquired brain injury (ABI). Acute, subacute, and chronic cell death processes, as a result of TBI, contribute to the disease progression and exacerbate outcomes. Extended neuroinflammation can worsen secondary degradation of brain function and structure. Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation has surfaced as a viable approach as a TBI therapeutic due to its immunomodulatory and regenerative features. This article examines the role of inflammation and cell death in ABI as well as the effectiveness of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (BM-MSC) transplants as a treatment for TBI. Furthermore, we analyze new studies featuring transplanted BM-MSCs as a neurorestorative and anti-inflammatory therapy for TBI patients. Although clinical trials support BM-MSC transplants as a viable TBI treatment due to their promising regenerative characteristics, further investigation is imperative to uncover innovative brain repair pathways associated with cell-based therapy as stand-alone or as combination treatments.
Reverberation! A New Wave in Disability Art

Graduate student scholar/artists Sydney Erlikh, Maggie Bridger, and Sandie Yi reflect on their experiences of having attended VIBE: Challenging Ableism and Audism Through the Arts. The three were struck by the diversity and range of unique experiences reflected in the work of the presenting artists. Each author takes the lead on one of three themes they collectively identified: what constitutes disability art, how community shapes artistic and scholarly practice, and how boundaries of the field are evolving. The article explores the ways in which disabled artists are defining creative processes and aesthetic approaches outside of the mainstream art world and its ableist productivity demands. They also take note of how artists with non- apparent disabilities are actively moving the field in new directions. Finally, they examine the ethical dimensions of artistic “ownership” in the collaboration between artists with and without disabilities, particularly around those with intellectual disabilities and their allies. The authors ultimately offer a description of a new wave of disability art that is pushing the field to think through questions of process, collaboration, ethics, visibility, creative scholarship, and relationship to disability studies. This new work, they argue, is creating space for a more sustainable, community-based practice.
Functional impact of relative versus absolute sarcopenia in healthy older women.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether adjustment of muscle mass for height2 or for body mass represents a more-relevant predictor of physical performance. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study, using baseline data from a trial comparing upper- and lower-body training. SETTING: Women recruited from the community and gynecological practices in Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-nine healthy older (aged 67.5 ± 4.8), active women receiving estrogen for osteoporosis over 2 years. MEASUREMENTS: Total and appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) and fat mass (AFM) were determined using dual x-ray absorptiometry. Physical performance, muscle strength, and fitness measures were obtained at baseline. RESULTS: Adjusting ASM for height2 identifies lean women who are sarcopenic according to published standards yet fails to identify overweight and obese women whose ASM adjusted for body mass is low. ASM divided by body mass (ASM/body mass) is a stronger physical performance predictor, explaining 32.5%, 13.5%, 11.6%, 6.3%, and 6.8% of the variance in maximum time on treadmill, 6-minute walk, gait speed, 8-foot walk, and single leg stance, respectively, whereas ASM divided by height in m2 (ASM/height2) explained only 2.9%, 0.2%, 2.0%, 0.04%, and 0.1%. Multivariate modeling demonstrated considerable overlap in aspects of ASM/body mass and AFM/body mass associated with performance, with ASM/body mass dominant. In contrast, ASM/height2 is a much stronger predictor of leg press 1 repetition maximum and maximum power. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that relative sarcopenia with ASM adjusted for body mass is a better mobility predictor, with absolute sarcopenia a better indicator of isolated muscle group function in healthy postmenopausal women receiving estrogen replacement.
Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate as the Intracellular Mediator of the Action of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone on the Adrenal Cortex

Abstract Several pieces of evidence have been established which indicate that adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate is the intracellular mediator of the action of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) on the adrenal cortex. 1. Increases in adrenal cyclic AMP concentrations induced by ACTH occurred before increases in the rate of adrenal steroidogenesis. 2. Increasing doses of ACTH produced increasing concentrations of adrenal cyclic AMP as steroidogenesis was progressively stimulated, and adrenal concentrations of cyclic AMP remained elevated while the rate of steroidogenesis was maintained. 3. The potency of analogues of ACTH in producing stimulation of adrenal steroidogenesis was reflected in their potency in producing increases in adrenal cyclic AMP concentration. 4. ACTH increased cyclic AMP levels not only in adrenal quarters in vitro and in intact adrenals in vivo but also in adrenal homogenates under conditions which suggested that ACTH was acting to increase adenyl cyclase activity. In addition, cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, although known to inhibit the steroidogenic effects of ACTH or exogenous cyclic AMP did not antagonize the increase in cyclic AMP concentration induced by ACTH. Thus, cycloheximide and, by inference, the newly synthesized protein thought to be involved in steroidogenesis would appear to act at a site past adenyl cyclase. NADPH, which stimulates steroidogenesis but is not antagonized by cycloheximide, had no effect on cyclic AMP levels. This suggests that NADPH acts either at a point distal to both the mechanism producing increased cyclic AMP and past that at which inhibitors of protein synthesis interfere with the reactions leading to stimulation of steroidogenesis, or by a different mechanism. Finally, at a time after hypophysectomy when adrenal weight had fallen and the acute adrenal steroidogenic response to ACTH had disappeared, the sensitivity of the adrenal cyclic AMP response to ACTH was undiminished. The ability of the atropic adrenal to accumulate cyclic AMP in response to ACTH was compatible with the hypothesis that cyclic AMP is involved in the mechanism for the restitution of adrenal growth and steroidogenic capacity.
A multilevel security model for object-oriented database systems

One of the current research areas is to integrate database technology with object-oriented concepts. This dissertation addresses the problems involved with object-oriented data models and provides additional proposals for multilevel security in such an environment. A new object-oriented data model is presented, using formal specifications to provide a concise description of the data model, which includes aggregate and composite objects as well as versioning of objects. Multilevel security is addressed with the introduction of a multilevel security policy which describes the security needs and protection requirements of an object-oriented database system. Mandatory security and discretionary security are part of the security model which represents the security policy and specifies security properties that must exist for various entities in an object-oriented system, such as classes, methods and objects. All entities in the system are required to have a security classification level and all users must have a security clearance. In addition, various entities may contain negative authorization lists, specifying restricted access to certain users or groups of users. This security policy, which also addressed information flow violation, is then integrated into the new object-oriented data model. Protection in an object-oriented database system is further extended by providing secure transaction processing. New locking algorithms are introduced to enforce the security policy. At the user level, strategies for secure query processing are addressed. The concept of a virtual class is used to implement a secure view for users. Simple, content-based and context-based security constraints are enforced by integrating a rule base with the database to perform query modification. The rule base contains security constraints as well as environmental information to protect against user inference.
An experiment to measure the electron-ion thermal equilibration rate in a strongly coupled plasma

Summary form only given, as follows. As part of the stockpile stewardship program, we are developing the capability to produce strongly coupled plasmas at high density and modest temperature. In the conditions of strong coupling, where the particle thermal energy is less than the average inter-particle electrostatic energy, many of the fundamental plasma properties, like equations-of-state and thermal equilibration rates, are not well understood. A new experiment at Los Alamos has recently been funded to measure the electron-ion thermal equilibration rate in a strongly coupled plasma. There is the possibility that this rate is modified from that given by the usual weakly coupled model (Landau/Spitzer) by coupled collective modes. To make this measurement, a neon gas volume will be heated with a short pulse laser to give warm electrons, of order 100 eV, and cold ions, of order 5 eV. Several diagnostics will then be used to observe the time dependent equilibration of the electron and ion temperatures.
MX: Mobile Object Exchange for Collaborative Applications

MX is a new mobile caching system for collaborative applications accessing data residing in large storage repositories. MX supports mobile exchange – a direct user-to-user object transfer. Mobile exchange (MX) makes mobile computing more effective because it enables certain kinds of collaborative work that would be impossible otherwise. MX allows disconnected peers to learn of recent unknown updates, and to apply these updates to locally-cached data. MX validates the exchange, merging the more recent and modified data. MX combines efficient support for coarse-grained data transfer with efficient fine-grained validation, in a way that avoid the problem of false sharing. Performance evaluation of the MX prototype indicates that for transactional applications, the extra cost required to support mobile exchange is moderate. Moreover, the extra cost is offset by the cost of accessing remote repositories over high-latency networks.
Graham Johnson, Gabriel Fauré: The Songs and Their Poets

Finally, Anglophone readers have a serious book on Faure's songs. The major studies by Vladimir Jankelevitch, Marie-Claire Beltrando-Patier, and Klaus Strobel remain untranslated, and aside from Ro...
Neuromuscular Junction Physiology and Pathophysiology

The aim of this chapter is to increase the readeris understanding of five factors: 1) the structure of the neuromuscular junction; 2) the mechanism triggering release of vesicles of acetylcholine from the nerve terminal; 3) the two ion channels on the postsynaptic membrane (Na+ channels and acetylcholine receptors) that are critical for converting the chemical signal from the nerve terminal into a propagated action potential on the muscle fiber; 4) the safety factor for neuromuscular transmission and characteristics of the neuromuscular junction that contribute to the safety factor; and 5) the mechanism by which disease compromises the safety factor, leading to neuromuscular transmission failure.
Polypeptide Composition of Poliovirions, Naturally Occurring Empty Capsids, and 14S Precursor Particles

The three serotypes of poliovirus were compared with respect to their polypeptide composition. Type 1, 2, and 3 strains were clearly different from each other in the electrophoretic mobilities of their larger structural polypeptides. Some of the viral polypeptides formerly identified as single peaks (e.g., VP 2) were shown to contain multiple components, indicating that purified virions contain at least six polypeptides. Three type 1 strains were indistinguishable in their viral polypeptides. A quantitative estimate was made of the polypeptide composition of the type 1 Mahoney poliovirion, as well as of naturally occurring empty capsids and 14S precursor particles. The data are discussed in light of the antigenic differences among polioviruses and the possible modes of virion morphogenesis.
Distributed amplification: how Raman gain impacts other fiber nonlinearities

The gain and noise figure of distributed amplifiers can be integrated and lumped at the end of each fiber span. This paper investigates whether this convenient simplification is valid in the presence of fiber nonlinearities. Distributed Raman amplification affects other fiber nonlinearities by changing the evolution of signal power along the fiber. Depending on system parameters can impact on self phase modulation and four wave mixing when gain is greater than -15 dB and increases the signal-to-signal Raman power transfer for all system at much lower gain values.
TARGETED SELECTION EXPERIMENTS AND ENZYME POLYMORPHISM: NEGATIVE EVIDENCE FOR OCTANOATE SELECTION AT THE G6PD LOCUS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Published studies have reported significant selection with respect to the G6pd locus for Drosophila melanogaster reared on Na-octanoate food. We have reexamined the selective effects of Na-octanoate on egg to adult viability with respect to the G6pd polymorphism using specially constructed X chromosomes. Four experiments were carried out using different 6Pgd backgrounds in two recombinant sets of chromosomes segregating for the G6pd locus but constructed so as to minimize variation over most of the X chromosome. In addition, two measures of viability were used, and the size of the experiments and their associated degrees of freedom are approximately double those reported in the former studies. Our results find no evidence for differential selection on G6pd genotypes (males and females) by Na-octanoate and, therefore, do not corroborate the positive results of selection reported by other investigators. The reasons for our different results are discussed.
Cdc20 hypomorphic mice fail to counteract de novo synthesis of cyclin B1 in mitosis

Cdc20 is an activator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome that initiates anaphase onset by ordering the destruction of cyclin B1 and securin in metaphase. To study the physiological significance of Cdc20 in higher eukaryotes, we generated hypomorphic mice that express small amounts of this essential cell cycle regulator. In this study, we show that these mice are healthy and not prone to cancer despite substantial aneuploidy. Cdc20 hypomorphism causes chromatin bridging and chromosome misalignment, revealing a requirement for Cdc20 in efficient sister chromosome separation and chromosome-microtubule attachment. We find that cyclin B1 is newly synthesized during mitosis via cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein-dependent translation, causing its rapid accumulation between prometaphase and metaphase of Cdc20 hypomorphic cells. Anaphase onset is significantly delayed in Cdc20 hypomorphic cells but not when translation is inhibited during mitosis. These data reveal that Cdc20 is particularly rate limiting for cyclin B1 destruction because of regulated de novo synthesis of this cyclin after prometaphase onset.
Facilitating parental participation in preparing the therapy component of the stutterer's individualized education program

Abstract An eight-step evaluation and therapy enrollment process for the school-age stutterer to facilitate parental involvement in the development of the therapy component of the stutterer's Individualized Education Program (IEP) is described. Various evaluation tools that may be used in the process are noted, as is a resulting parent-clinician note of agreement, which may serve as the stutterer's therapy component of the IEP.
The Evolution of Crystal Shape During Dissolution: Predictions and Experiments

A comparison between a priori model predictions and experimental results for crystal shapes of succinic acid crystals dissolving in aqueous solution is presented. The model is the simplest possible model which neglects all effects other than a determination of which faces to include on the crystal habit and their perpendicular growth rates. The experiments are carried out in a thermostatted peltier cell and are imaged in situ using a microscope with digital imaging capabilities. The predicted and experimentally measured crystal shapes are very similar throughout the dissolution process. Thus, the experiments provide support for the model’s predictive power.
New Insights into Central Roles of Cerebral Oxygen Metabolism in the Resting and Stimulus-Evoked Brain:

The possible role of oxygen metabolism in supporting brain activation remains elusive. We have used a newly developed neuroimaging approach based on high-field in vivo17O magnetic resonance spectro...
Neutral amino acid symport in larval Manduca sexta midgut brush-border membrane vesicles deduced from cation-dependent uptake of leucine, alanine, and phenylalanine

Abstract Uptake of tritiated leucine, alanine, and phenylalanine was measured at the physiological pH of 10 by rapid filtration in brush-border membrane vesicles from the midgut of the larval tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. A 20-fold excess of unlabeled leucine, isoleucine, methionine, valine, alanine, lysine, histidine, phenylalanine, and glutamine inhibited uptake of leucine and phenylalanine, and six of these amino acids inhibited uptake of alanine, by more than 50% both in the presence and absence of a potassium ion gradient. These inhibitory amino acids also drove countertransport of leucine, alanine, and phenylalanine with accumulation ratios exceeding 2. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that leucine, alanine, and phenylalanine share a common uptake system — a broad scope B type symporter — which interacts strongly with half of the commonly occurring amino acids, interacts moderately with an additional quarter of them, but does not interact with cysteine, arginine, glutamate, aspartate, or proline.
Integrated safety analysis : Statistical issues in the assessment of safety in clinical trials

The emphasis in this essay will be on statistical issues in the assessment of safety, and in particular, in putting these issues in context. The present status and future goals for the assessment o...
Evaluation of a clinical decision support algorithm for patient-specific childhood immunization

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) implementing standard childhood immunization guidelines, using real-world patient data from the Regenstrief Medical Record System (RMRS). Methods: Study subjects were age 6-years or younger in 2008 and had visited the pediatric clinic on the campus of Wishard Memorial Hospital. Immunization records were retrieved from the RMRS for 135 randomly selected pediatric patients. We compared vaccine recommendations from the CDSS for both eligible and recommended timelines, based on the child's date of birth and vaccine history, to recommendations from registered nurses who routinely selected vaccines for administration in a busy inner city hospital, using the same date of birth and vaccine history. Aggregated and stratified agreement and Kappa statistics were reported. The reasons for disagreement between suggestions from the CDSS and nurses were also identified. Results: For the 135 children, a total of 1215 vaccination suggestions were generated by nurses and were compared to the recommendations of the CDSS. The overall agreement rates were 81.3% and 90.6% for the eligible and recommended timelines, respectively. The overall Kappa values were 0.63 for the eligible timeline and 0.80 for the recommended timeline. Common reasons for disagreement between the CDSS and nurses were: (1) missed vaccination opportunities by nurses, (2) nurses sometimes suggested a vaccination before the minimal age and minimal waiting interval, (3) nurses usually did not validate patient immunization history, and (4) nurses sometimes gave an extra vaccine dose. Conclusion: Our childhood immunization CDSS can assist providers in delivering accurate childhood vaccinations.
The incidence and management of inability to advance Arrow FlexTip Plus epidural catheters in obstetric patients.

Abstract Background Difficulty advancing epidural catheters is troublesome to obstetric anesthesiologists. Flexible epidural catheters have been shown to reduce paresthesiae and intravascular catheter placement in parturients, but the cause of inability to advance these catheters past the epidural needle tip remains undefined. Specifically, its incidence and effective management strategies have not been described. Methods All labor epidural catheters were recorded for a 22-week period. Difficulty advancing the epidural catheter was defined as an inability to advance the catheter beyond the needle tip after obtaining loss of resistance. Anesthesiologists completed a survey when difficulty advancing a catheter occurred. Results A total of 2148 epidural catheter placements were performed. There were 97 cases of an inability to advance the epidural catheter (4.5%, 95% CI 3.7 to 5.5%). This occurred in 4.2% of combined spinal-epidural and 4.6% of epidural placements (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.62). On a 0 to 10scale, the median [IQR] provider confidence in loss of resistance was 9 [8, 10]. A total of 230 corrective maneuvers were performed, using nine distinct approaches. The incidence of accidental dural puncture was 3.1% if an inability to advance occurred (n=97) compared to 1.2% for other placements (n=2051, P =0.12). Discussion Inability to advance Arrow FlexTip Plus® epidural catheters was relatively common (4.5%) and occurred despite confidence in obtaining loss of resistance. Injecting saline may be corrective and appears to have little disadvantage. However, removing the needle and performing a new placement was the most successful corrective maneuver.
Genetic organization of the region upstream from the Campylobacter jejuni flagellar gene flhA

Abstract Campylobacter jejuni (Cj) is a Gram− bacterium that causes a diarrheal disease in humans. A Cj homolog of the LcrD/FlhA family of proteins was recently described [Miller et al., Infect. Immun. 61 (1993) 2930–2936]. This family includes proteins that are involved in flagellar biogenesis, such as the Cj FlhA protein, but also includes proteins found in invasive pathogens, such as the Yersinia pestis LcrD protein, that play a role in the regulation and/or secretion of virulence-related proteins. Hybridization studies indicated that both the flhA gene and upstream DNA are present in several bacterial species closely related to Cj, including C. fetus, C. lari, C. upsaliensis and C. hyointestinalis. The presence of a second flhA/lcrD homolog was not detected in Cj, indicating that a separate homolog involved in secretion of virulence proteins may not be present. The 4-kb region immediately upstream from CjflhA was analyzed. Three open reading frames (ORFs) were found: a 408-nucleotide (nt) gene encoding a homolog of proteins present in Escherichia coli and Desulfovibrio vulgaris, but of unknown function, a 266-nt rpsO gene and a 2823-nt gene encoding a homolog of the Bacillus subtilis SpoIIIE protein. The Cj SpoIIIE homolog had 53% similar or identical amino acids when compared to the B. subtilis protein, and like the B. subtilis protein contained a nt-binding domain and potential transmembrane (TM) regions. All three ORFs were expressed in E. coli minicells, apparently from their own promoters. Northern analysis and primer extension experiments suggested that these genes have their own promoters and that none of them are cotranscribed with flhA, even though one overlapped flhA by 14 nt. This extends the pattern of monocistronic operons found so far in Cj.
Systems Design, Process Performance, and Economic Outcomes in International Banking

Information technology (IT) value remains a serious concern of management today, especially how it should be measured and how it is created. Although we have made significant progress at the firm and aggregate levels of analysis, process-level analysis is still in its infancy, and there is a need for a systematic basis for identifying IT effects. We provide such an approach by developing two models: a process performance model of how system characteristics enhance process output and quality and an economic performance model linking process performance to the economic performance of the firm. We apply these models to global trade services in international banking. We obtained estimates for key variables in both models and general support for the approach. We interpret our results and discuss the merits of the process-level approach for the assessment of IT-reliant work systems.