cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adult congenital heart disease physical activity recommendation form: a feasibility study

Adults with Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) follow the same physical inactivity patterns as the general population. It is well known that physical inactivity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and even more significant in the ACHD population. Health fears and misconceptions are common barriers to physical activity despite evidence supporting safety and efficacy of many activities for ACHD patients. Feasibility Study with a convenience sample of 65 participants. The participants represented more moderate and complex diagnosis categorization. Participants completed the Stanford Brief Activity Survey (SBAS) and the Stanford Patient Education Research Questionnaire for Chronic Disease during enrollment. Participants received a Physical Activity Recommendation Form (PARF) with written instructions for utilization of the form at their next routine ACHD Provider clinic visit. Following use of the PARF, study participants completed a second SBAS and a PARF Utilization Satisfaction Survey, both returned in a pre-addressed envelope via regular mail to the investigators. Baseline data central tendency analysis determined 33% were not active, 43% were insufficiently active, and 24% were sufficiently active to obtain activity related health benefits. The majority of the lifestyle scores for all four indicators were in the (8–10 range) indicative of participant confidence in managing symptoms impacting activity of daily living. Much less confidence (3–5 range) in managing symptoms of fatigue, pain, and emotional distress. 80% of the PARF Utilization Surveys reported that use gave them more confidence in increasing activity level and less anxiety about exercise. 90% recommended PARF use for other ACHD patients. 50% reported an increase in physical activity following use of the PARF and study participation. The ACHD Physical Activity Advocacy Study raised awareness and increased confidence in discussing physical activity with specialty ACHD healthcare providers for the ACHA study participants. Perceived benefit from the utilization of the PARF was paramount, but several interesting results related to activity and lifestyle were also demonstrated: only 24% were identified as sufficiently active and less than half expressed confidence in managing anxiety. Therefore, more research in this population is needed to better define the relationship between anxiety and activity levels to determine appropriate interventions for patient empowerment. Trial registration, retrospective/pending, exempt low risk study per IRB approval and not indicated.
Association between Hospital volume of cardiopulmonary resuscitation for in-hospital cardiac arrest and survival to Hospital discharge.

BACKGROUND Prior studies have shown that hospital case volume is not associated with survival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, how case volume impact on survival for in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is unknown. METHODS We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) in the U.S. 2005-2011 to identify cases in which in-hospital CPR was performed for IHCA. Restricted cubic spine was used to evaluate the association between hospital annual CPR volume and survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS Across more than 1000 hospitals in NIS, we identified 125,082 cases (mean age 67, 45% female) of IHCA for which CPR was performed over the study period. Median [Q1, Q3] case volume was 60 [34, 99]. Compared to those in the 1 st quartile of case volume, hospitals in the 4th quartile tends to have younger patients (mean = 66 vs 68 yrs), higher comorbidities (median Elixhauser score = 4 vs 3), and in low income areas (37 vs 30%). Overall, 23% of the patients survived to hospital discharge. There was a non-linear association between CPR volume and survival: a non-significant trend towards better survival was observed with increasing annual CPR volume that reached a plateau at 51-55 cases per year, after which survival began to drop and became significantly lower after 75 cases per year (p for non-linearity<0.001). Compared to those in first quartile of case volume, hospitals in 4th quartile had higher length of stay (median = 8 vs 10 days, respectively) and higher rate of non-routine home discharge (64% vs 67%) among those who survived. CONCLUSION Unlike OHCA, low CPR volume is an indicator of good performing hospitals and increasing CPR case volume does not translate to improve survival for IHCA.
Biologic and Absorbable Prosthetic: When, Why, and Where Are We Going

Although synthetic mesh has dramatically reduced recurrence, its use in contaminated surgical fields and high-risk patients is a heavily debated topic. Deciding which type of mesh to use is a choice surgeons make commonly despite no existent guidelines. Biologic meshes emerged in the late 1990s with a rapid popularity fueled largely by the demand for an appropriate substitute in these complex cases. However, high cost and questions regarding hernia recurrence tempered the initial enthusiasm. Absorbable synthetic meshes were developed as a potentially more cost-effective alternative to synthetic and tissue-derived products, and their use in temporary abdominal closure was first described by Levasseur et al. in 1979 (Chirurgie 105:577–81, 1979). Herein, we review the current use of biologic and absorbable synthetic meshes for hernia repair.
Poststroke seizure: optimising its management.

Seizure after stroke or poststroke seizure (PSS) is a common and very important complication of stroke. It can be divided into early seizure and late seizure, depending on seizure onset time after the stroke. It has been reported that ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke accounts for about 11% of all adult epilepsy cases and 45% of epilepsy cases over 60 years of age. However, there are no reliable guidelines in clinical practice regarding most of the fundamental issues of PSS management. In recent years there has been an increased interest in the study of PSS which may give clinical practitioners a better picture of how to optimise PSS management. Studies have indicated two peaks in PSS occurrence—the first day and 6–12 months after a stroke. Haemorrhagic stroke, cortical involvement, severity of initial neurological deficit, younger patients (
Pediatric deep venous thrombosis.

Abstract Background Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the pediatric population is rare, occurring in about 10 to 14 out of 10,000 pediatric admissions annually, but with serious consequences such as pulmonary embolism and/or post-thrombotic syndrome. There is a dearth of surgical literature regarding this entity, its pathophysiology, its treatment and its long-term sequelae. Methods An extensive search of available surgical and medical literature in Medline, PubMed was obtained by searching terms synonymous with pediatric DVT. Case reports and opinion articles were excluded. Ongoing clinical trials were culled from clinicaltrial.gov by searching for pediatric DVT studies. Institutional guidelines, where available, were included in this summary. Results We provide a clinically relevant summary with the aims of improving prevention, early identification and treatment of pediatric DVT. Conclusions Although rare and frequently with subtle presentations, pediatric DVT can be serious. Early identification and treatment can be instrumental in limiting sequelae and in improving outcomes for these patients.
Ritonavir- or cobicistat-boosted antiretroviral therapy and direct oral anticoagulants: A case for apixaban:

The potential for drug-drug interactions (DDIs) between direct oral anticoagulants and antiretroviral therapy (ART) is vast. Ritonavir and cobicistat are used as pharmacokinetic enhancers with either concurrent protease inhibitors or the integrase strand transfer inhibitor, elvitegravir, to optimize therapeutic concentrations by cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition. To date, only rivaroxaban and dabigatran have reported cases of use with ritonavir-boosted ART. Apixaban is metabolized similarly to rivaroxaban, but offers a dose reduction in the case of major DDIs. We report the successful use of reduced-dose apixaban to treat and prevent thromboembolic complications in six persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on ritonavir- or cobicistat-boosted ART. This case series and available literature support the use of apixaban or dabigatran, depending on the boosted ART regimen.
Theory, Practice, and Non-reductive (Meta)Science

Are the theoretical frameworks of phenomenology and of science compatible? And, if so, what would a reconciliation entail for science as it is practiced? Gallagher [2019] poses these two questions,...
An Introduction to the Problem of Authority

By general consensus, there is a presumption against coercion: Only in a relatively narrow range of circumstances may an individual or group deploy physical force, or threats of physical force, against other individuals or groups. However, these circumstances do not include most of the circumstances in which governments actually deploy force. In other words, the typical behav- ior of governments is behavior that would be considered unacceptable, if adopted by any non-governmental person or group. This happens because the government is thought to have a special kind of authority (political authority), which private individuals and groups lack. The central contention of this paper is that there is nothing special about the state that explains why it would have authority over everyone else. The state, therefore, has only political power, not political authority. That is, it has the ability to coerce other agents and to take their resources, but it has no more moral right to do so than any other agent has. This view leads to a libertarian political philosophy. Keywords: political authority, political legitimacy, political obligation coercion, libertarianism JEL Classification: D63, D74, Z18 Resumen: Por consenso general, existe una presuncion contra la coercion: solo en un rango relativamente estrecho de circunstancias puede un individuo o grupo desplegar fuerza fisica, o amenazas de fuerza fisica, contra otros indi- viduos o grupos. Sin embargo, estas circunstancias no incluyen la mayoria de las circunstancias en las que los gobiernos realmente implementan la fuerza. En otras palabras, el comportamiento tipico de los gobiernos es un comportam- iento que se consideraria inaceptable si fuera adoptado por cualquier persona o grupo no gubernamental. Esto sucede porque se piensa que el gobierno tiene un tipo especial de autoridad (autoridad politica) de la cual carecen los individuos y grupos privados. El argumento central de este articulo es que no hay nada especial en el estado que explique por que deberia tener autoridad sobre todos los demas. El estado, por lo tanto, solo tiene poder politico, no autoridad politica. Es decir, tiene la capacidad de coaccionar a otros agentes y de tomar sus recursos, pero no tiene mas derecho moral de hacerlo que cualquier otro agente. Esta vision conduce a una filosofia politica libertaria. Palabras clave: autoridad politica, legitimidad politica, obligacion politica, coercion, libertarianismo Clasificacion JEL: D63, D74, Z18
Microfluidic deformability-activated sorting of single particles.

Mechanical properties have emerged as a significant label-free marker for characterizing deformable particles such as cells. Here, we demonstrated the first single-particle-resolved, cytometry-like deformability-activated sorting in the continuous flow on a microfluidic chip. Compared with existing deformability-based sorting techniques, the microfluidic device presented in this work measures the deformability and immediately sorts the particles one-by-one in real time. It integrates the transit-time-based deformability measurement and active hydrodynamic sorting onto a single chip. We identified the critical factors that affect the sorting dynamics by modeling and experimental approaches. We found that the device throughput is determined by the summation of the sensing, buffering, and sorting time. A total time of ~100 ms is used for analyzing and sorting a single particle, leading to a throughput of 600 particles/min. We synthesized poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel beads as the deformability model for device validation and performance evaluation. A deformability-activated sorting purity of 88% and an average efficiency of 73% were achieved. We anticipate that the ability to actively measure and sort individual particles one-by-one in a continuous flow would find applications in cell-mechanotyping studies such as correlational studies of the cell mechanical phenotype and molecular mechanism. Researchers in the United States have developed a microfluidic device that sorts particles in real-time based on their deformability. The deformability of cells changes in diseases such as cancer and malaria, as well as disorders like sickle cell anemia, making it an attractive biomarker. A team at Pennsylvania State University led by Weihua Guan engineered a device to sort mixed samples based on real-time deformability measurements. The device determines deformability based on how long a particle takes to squeeze through a sensing pore. A pair of valves then directs the particle to the appropriate outlet through pneumatic control. A test sorting of hydrogel beads revealed a throughput of 600 particles/min with a sorting efficiency of 73% and an 88% accuracy. The device will be useful for researchers investigating the mechanical properties and dynamics of cells.
Sinus node depolarization — Present during all sinus rhythms but never seen on the 12-lead ECG: An illustrative case-report that provides its recording

Because it is not visible on the 12-lead ECG, few if any electrocardiographers have seen the waveform of sinus node (SN) depolarization. Yet, SN depolarization is present before every P wave during all sinus rhythms. Herein, a case is presented in which a recorded SN depolarization waveform is observed.
Associations Between Health Status, Training Level, Motivations for Exercise, and Supplement Use Among Recreational Runners

Dietary supplement use continues to increase, with athlete use surpassing non-athlete utilization. Most research has been conducted on dietary supplement use in elite or collegiate-level athletes. ...
The addition of chemotherapy to adjuvant radiation is associated with inferior survival outcomes in intermediate-risk HPV-negative HNSCC.

BACKGROUND Only high-risk tumors with extranodal extension (ENE) and/or positive surgical margins (PSM) benefit from adjuvant therapy (AT) with concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) compared to radiation therapy (RT) in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Optimal treatment for intermediate-risk tumors remains controversial. We categorized patients based on their surgical pathologic risk factors and described AT treatment patterns and associated survival outcomes. METHODS Patients were identified from CHANCE, a population-based study, and risk was classified based on surgical pathology review. High-risk patients (n = 204) required ENE and/or PSM. Intermediate-risk (n = 186) patients had pathological T3/T4 disease, perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), or positive lymph nodes without ENE. Low-risk patients (n = 226) had none of these features. RESULTS We identified 616 HPV-negative HNSCC patients who received primary surgical resection with neck dissection. High-risk patients receiving AT had favorable OS (HR 0.50, p = 0.013) which was significantly improved with the addition of chemotherapy compared to RT alone (HR 0.47, p = 0.021). When stratified by node status, the survival benefit of AT in high-risk patients persisted only among those who were node-positive (HR: 0.17, p < 0.0005). On the contrary, intermediate-risk patients did not benefit from AT (HR: 1.26, p = 0.380) and the addition of chemotherapy was associated with significantly worse OS compared to RT (HR: 1.76, p = 0.046). CONCLUSION In high-risk patients, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy improved OS compared to RT alone. The greatest benefit was in node-positive cases. In intermediate-risk patients, the addition of chemotherapy to RT increased mortality risk and therefore should only be used cautiously in these patients.
Doctoral Students Living, Leading, and Learning During a Pandemic

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 on doctoral students’ personal, professional, and academic roles and factors contributing to their persistence during the pandemic.Research Methods: The researchers engaged in qualitative research at a California State University CPED-inspired Ed.D. program, using semi-structured interviews, document analysis and a focus group. Data were analyzed through the CPED mentoring and advising framework, transformative learning theory, and self-authorship theory.Results: Three themes emerged: a convergence of roles within home and virtual spaces, leading in a complex and uncertain time, and caring relationships encourage persistence.Implications: Participants experienced increased self-awareness and development of cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal dimensions of self. Relationships between cohort members and with faculty were integral to student persistence during a time of significant change and uncertainty. Recommendations for practice within Ed.D. programs and for future research are offered.
Evaluation of Insurance Coverage and Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Among Low-Income Adults With Renal Cell Carcinoma After Passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Importance The association of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) with insurance status and cancer stage at diagnosis among patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is unknown. Objective To test the hypothesis that the ACA may be associated with increased access to care through expansion of insurance, which may vary based on income. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort analysis included patients diagnosed with RCC from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2016, in the National Cancer Database. Data were analyzed from July 1 to December 31, 2020. The periods from 2010 to 2013 and from 2014 to 2016 were defined as pre- and post-ACA implementation, respectively. Patients were categorized as living in a Medicaid expansion state or not. Exposures Implementation of the ACA. Main Outcomes and Measures The absolute percentage change (APC) of insurance coverage was calculated before and after ACA implementation in expansion and nonexpansion states. Secondary outcomes included change in stage at diagnosis, difference in the rate of insurance change, and change in localized disease between expansion and nonexpansion states. Adjusted difference-in-difference modeling was performed. Results The cohort included 78 099 patients (64.7% male and 35.3% female; mean [SD] age, 54.66 [6.46] years), of whom 21.2% had low, 46.2% had middle, and 32.6% had high incomes. After ACA implementation, expansion states had a lower proportion of uninsured patients (adjusted difference-in-difference, -1.14% [95% CI, -1.98% to -1.41%]; P = .005). This occurred to the greatest degree among low-income patients through the acquisition of Medicaid (APC, 11.0% [95% CI, 8.6%-13.3%]; P < .001). Implementation of the ACA was also associated with an increase in detection of stage I and II disease (APC, 4.0% [95% CI, 1.6%-6.3%]; P = .001) among low-income patients in expansion states. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with RCC, ACA implementation was associated with an increase in insurance coverage status in both expansion and nonexpansion states for all income groups, but to a greater degree in expansion states. The proportion of patients with localized disease increased among low-income patients in both states. These data suggest that ACA implementation is associated with earlier RCC detection among lower-income patients.
Integrating a Grassroots Well-Being Curriculum into a Radiation Oncology Residency Program

Abstract Purpose/Objective(s) The burnout rate among United States radiation oncology residents was 33% in 2016. To our knowledge there are no published interventions addressing burnout among radiation oncology residents. We describe the implementation of a well-being curriculum, co-created by a psychologist, medical humanities professional, and radiation oncology attending and resident physicians. Methods Radiation oncology residents at our institution were surveyed to determine themes that induced burnout. A curriculum was developed, with monthly small group sessions focused on one identified topic. Sessions alternated between psychological tool-focused approaches and humanities exercises. These were led by a psychologist or medical humanities professional. Residents were given protected time to attend sessions during business hours. Participation was optional. Participants were assigned a random identifier, and the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) was assessed at baseline and three-month intervals. PFI trends were analyzed after one year. At the end of the year, a focus group was held to evaluate work satisfaction and self-reported interactions with patients and coworkers. This information was used to improve the curriculum. Results All twelve residents in the radiation oncology program participated in the curriculum. There were an equal number of residents of postgraduate years 2 through 5. Six of the participants were female. Of the participants, eleven completed the PFI. At baseline, 80% of residents met criteria for burnout. This decreased to 67%, 50%, and 33% at three, six, and nine months, respectively. The proportion of residents meeting criteria for very good professional fulfillment was 30%, 56%, 38%, and 22% at baseline, three, six, and nine months, respectively. On average, nine of twelve residents attended each session. Conclusions Our experience demonstrates the feasibility of collaborating with residents in the development of a well-being curriculum to cater programming to their needs, which we believe led to excellent engagement and attendance at each session.
A shape-shifting nuclease unravels structured RNA

RNA turnover pathways ensure appropriate gene expression levels by eliminating unwanted transcripts that may otherwise interfere with cellular programs. The enzyme Dis3-like protein 2 (Dis3L2) is a 3′-5′ exoribonuclease that, through its RNA turnover activity, plays a critical role in human development1. Dis3L2 can independently degrade structured substrates and its targets include many coding and non-coding 3′-uridylated RNAs1-5. While the basis for Dis3L2 substrate recognition has been well-characterized6, the mechanism of structured RNA degradation by this family of enzymes is unknown. We characterized the discrete steps of the degradation cycle by determining electron cryo-microscopy structures representing snapshots along the RNA turnover pathway and measuring kinetic parameters for single-stranded (ss) and double-stranded (ds) RNA processing. We discovered a dramatic conformational change that is triggered by the dsRNA, involving repositioning of two cold shock domains by 70 A. This movement exposes a trihelix-linker region, which acts as a wedge to separate the two RNA strands. Furthermore, we show that the trihelix linker is critical for dsRNA, but not ssRNA, degradation. These findings reveal the conformational plasticity of this enzyme, and detail a novel mechanism of structured RNA degradation.
Expanded phase of ZrO2: An ab initio constant-pressure study

The stability of ZrO2 in the tensile regime is studied using an ab initio constant-pressure technique. A first-order phase transformation from the baddeleyite structure to an anatase-like structure (I41/amd) is predicted through the constant-pressure simulation. A transformation mechanism at the atomistic level is discussed. Furthermore this phase transformation is studied from the energy-volume calculations.
Temporary subcutaneous peritoneal shunts for the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid fistulas following operations on the spine for congenital anomalies

Results The CSF fistulas were resolved in all. Two patients required revisions of the shunt prior to resolving the fistula and subsequent shunt removal. Three patients acquired a lumbar wound/shunt infection, which necessitated shunt removal. Subsequent to removal, the infection resolved and there was no recurrence of the CSF leak. All patients but two had their shunts completely removed within one year of placement (Range: 2–21 months, Mean: 8.7 ± 5.0 months SD). Two patients did not have their shunts removed due to parental decision for no further surgery. Conclusion We conclude that spinal postoperative subcutaneous CSF fistulas may be successfully treated with temporary subcutaneous peritoneal shunts. This reduces hospital stay and more extensive or multiple surgical interventions. from 50th Annual Meeting of the Society for Research into Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida Cambridge, UK. 30 August – 2 September 2006
Psychosocial impact of lymphedema: a systematic review of literature from 2004 to 2011

Objective This systematic review aimed to evaluate the level of evidence of contemporary peer-reviewed literature published from 2004–2011 on the psychosocial impact of lymphedema.
Fatores associados à capacidade funcional de idosos cadastrados na Estratégia Saúde da Família

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar o nivel de capacidade funcional em individuos de 60 anos ou mais da Estrategia Saude da Familia "Vila Sao Paulo", em Bauru, Sao Paulo, e sua associacao com as variaveis sociodemograficas, comportamentais, ergonomicas e de saude referidas. Realizou-se um estudo transversal com 363 idosos amostrados no local da analise, pela tecnica de conglomerado em dois estagios, entrevistados nos domicilios pelo instrumento multidimensional (sociodemograficos, comportamentais, ergonomicas e de saude referida); pelo questionario Nordico e pelas escalas de Katz e Lawton. Analises descritiva, bivariada e multivariada por regressao logistica foram utilizadas. Notou-se que 36,9% dos idosos eram dependentes nas atividades de vida diaria e 51,0% nas atividades instrumentais de vida diaria; a incapacidade funcional para as atividades de vida diaria foi associada a faixa etaria, aos movimentos repetitivos, ao sedentarismo, ao numero de doencas referidas e a dor musculoesqueletica, enquanto que anos de estudo, movimentos repetitivos, numero de doencas referidas e sedentarismo mostraram associacao com a diminuicao das atividades instrumentais de vida diaria. As caracteristicas identificadas que se relacionaram a incapacidade para as atividades de vida diaria e instrumentais de vida diaria sugerem uma complexa rede causal, sendo necessarias acoes preventivas especificamente voltadas para certos fatores, propiciando beneficios a qualidade de vida dos idosos.
Software engineering for Web application development

A methodology for Web-based application development is presented. The methodology serves as a road map to guide student project development. Project development proceeds in three phases: structural design, detailed design, and implementation. Structural design views a system at the Web-page level, detailed design deals with intra-page issues, and implementation is logically segmented into four steps: implementation of the visual interface, client-side scripting, sever-side scripting for the visible interface, and server-side scripting for pages and tasks without a visual interface. The methodology is illustrated with a design example. The tasks to be performed in each phase and the significant considerations to aid decision-making in each phase are detailed, emphasizing those issues that are unique in Web application development.
Aufgabe VII.47 of Polya-Szego Implies Robbins's Multi-Integral Evaluation

It is remarked that Dave Robbins's Expression for the integral of an alternant over the unit simplex (math.CO/9805108) follows immediately from an excercise in Polya-Szego.
Two-Phase Flow, Boiling and Condensation: Two-Phase Flow Modeling

General Remarks The design and analysis of systems often require the solution of mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations. This is routinely done for single-phase flow systems, where the familiar Navier–Stokes equations are simplified as far as possible and then solved. The situation for two-phase flow systems is more complicated, however. The solution of the rigorous differential conservation equations is impractical, and a set of tractable conservation equations is needed instead. To derive tractable and at the same time reasonably accurate conservation equations, one needs deep physical insight (to make sensible simplifying assumptions) and mathematical skill. Fortunately, the subject has been investigated for decades, and at this time we have well-tested sets of tractable two-phase conservation equations that have been shown to do well in comparison with experimental data. Generally speaking, conservation equations can be formulated and solved for multiphase flows in two different ways. In one approach, every phase is treated as a continuum, and all the conservation equations are presented in the Eulerian frame (i.e., a frame that is stationary with respect to the laboratory). This approach is quite general and can be applied to all flow configurations. In another approach, which is applicable when one of the phases is dispersed while the other phase is contiguous (e.g., in dispersed-droplet flow), the contiguous phase (the gas phase in the dispersed-droplet flow example) is treated as a continuum and its conservation equations are formulated and solved in the Eulerian frame.
The cytoplasmic region of the erythropoietin receptor contains nonoverlapping positive and negative growth-regulatory domains.

Abstract The erythropoietin (EPO) receptor (EPO-R), a member of a large cytokine receptor superfamily, has a 236-amino-acid cytoplasmic region which contains no obvious tyrosine kinase or other catalytic domain. In order to delineate the linear functional domains of the cytoplasmic tail, we generated truncated mutant cDNAs which were transfected into a murine interleukin-3-dependent cell line, Ba/F3, and the EPO-dependent growth characteristics of the stable transfectants were assayed. We identified two unique domains of the cytoplasmic tail. A membrane-proximal positive signal transduction domain of less than or equal to 103 amino acids, in a region highly similar to the interleukin-2 receptor beta chain, was sufficient for EPO-mediated signal transduction. A carboxy-terminal negative-control domain, a serine-rich region of approximately 40 amino acids, increased the EPO requirement for the Ba/F3 transfectants without altering EPO-R cell surface expression, affinity for EPO, receptor oligosaccharide processing, or receptor endocytosis. Truncation of this negative-control domain allowed the Ba/F3 transfectants to grow maximally in only 1 pM EPO, 1/10 the concentration required for growth of cells expressing the wild-type EPO-R. All truncated EPO-R mutants which retained the transmembrane region of the EPO-R polypeptide bound to the gp55 envelope protein of Friend spleen focus-forming virus. Only the functional EPO-R mutants were activated by the gp55, however, suggesting that gp55- and EPO-mediated signaling occur via a similar mechanism.
Affordability of health care under publicly subsidized insurance after Massachusetts health care reform: a qualitative study of safety net patients

Introduction The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the 2006 Massachusetts (MA) health reform law, on which the ACA was based, aimed to improve the affordability of care largely by expanding publicly sponsored insurances. Both laws also aimed to promote consumer understanding of how to acquire, maintain and use these public plans. A prior study found an association between the level of cost-sharing required in these plans and the affordability of care. Preparatory to a quantitative study we conducted this qualitative study that aimed to examine (1) whether cost sharing levels built into the public insurance types that formed the backbone of the MA health reform led to unaffordability of care and if so, (2) how insurances with higher cost sharing levels led to unaffordability of care in this context.
Fast approximate convex decomposition using relative concavity

Approximate convex decomposition (ACD) is a technique that partitions an input object into approximately convex components. Decomposition into approximately convex pieces is both more efficient to compute than exact convex decomposition and can also generate a more manageable number of components. It can be used as a basis of divide-and-conquer algorithms for applications such as collision detection, skeleton extraction and mesh generation. In this paper, we propose a new method called Fast Approximate Convex Decomposition (FACD) that improves the quality of the decomposition and reduces the cost of computing it for both 2D and 3D models. In particular, we propose a new strategy for evaluating potential cuts that aims to reduce the relative concavity, rather than absolute concavity. As shown in our results, this leads to more natural and smaller decompositions that include components for small but important features such as toes or fingers while not decomposing larger components, such as the torso, that may have concavities due to surface texture. Second, instead of decomposing a component into two pieces at each step, as in the original ACD, we propose a new strategy that uses a dynamic programming approach to select a set of n"c non-crossing (independent) cuts that can be simultaneously applied to decompose the component into n"c+1 components. This reduces the depth of recursion and, together with a more efficient method for computing the concavity measure, leads to significant gains in efficiency. We provide comparative results for 2D and 3D models illustrating the improvements obtained by FACD over ACD and we compare with the segmentation methods in the Princeton Shape Benchmark by Chen et al. (2009) [31].
COMPARISON OF PUDDING, SOUP AND CUSTARD PREPARED FROM SOYMILK OR LOWFAT MILK

Soymilk (4% and 6% solids) was substituted for lowfat milk in chocolate pudding, tomato soup and baked egg custard. The substitution of soymilk produced a less viscous pudding that was darker in color and less sweet than that made with lowfat milk. Pudding prepared with 6% solids soymilk was also less smooth than the control. In tomato soup, soymilk increased viscosity and produced a lighter color product with a less intense tomato flavor than soup made with lowfat milk. Baked custard prepared with soymilk was less smooth, darker in color and less sweet. All products were judged to have less characteristic flavors than controls.
Age Polyethism for Hive Duties in Honey Bees — Illusion or Reality?

Recently Seeley (1982) claimed that bees working inside the hive exhibit three age castes: cell cleaning, brood care, and food storage. In a subsequent paper, Kolmes (1985) stated that “honey bees do not appear to pass through a temporal sequence of tasks while performing hive duties” and that previous findings of this age polyethism are due to subjective interpretations of data. Here we report new behavioral data and statistical analyses substantiating the claim that age polyethism exists in bees working inside the hive. We followed a cohort of bees until they were 15 days old; they underwent two behavioral transitions. The first took place when the bees were approximately 3–4 d old and was associated with a switch from cell cleaning to other activities, mainly in the broodnest. The second occurred when the bees were approximately 10–12 d old and was associated with a switch from brood care to food-storage activities and foraging. Thus we present strong statistical evidence of a cell-cleaning age caste and a brood-care age caste for bees, but further evidence is needed to demonstrate fully that bees also pass through a distinct food-storage age caste before starting to work outside the hive. In addition, we demonstrate that Kolmes‘s previous denial of age polyethism in hive workers was caused neither by unusual behavior of his bees nor by weakness of his Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test, but by sampling errors due to a small but critical flaw in his method of labelling bees.
Shoot pruning of a hedgerow perennial legume alters the availability and temporal dynamics of root-derived nitrogen in a subtropical setting

There is increasing interest in the ecology of tree-based intercropping systems, particularly alley cropping, in temperate settings. Shoot pruning of the tree component is an integral practice to alley cropping. Shoot pruning likely results in an input of belowground C and N to soil, with potential, but unknown impacts on the time pattern of N availability. We evaluated the impacts of pruning of Amorpha fruticosa L. on (a) its root dynamics; (b) mineral N and microbial N, and (c) the fate of root-derived N and its importance in determining N availability. For this, we conducted repeated partial pruning and foliar labeling with 15N under field conditions in Georgia, USA. Pruning altered root dynamics by initially decreasing biomass and later preventing increases, likely due to root death. Pruning modified the time pattern of mineral N by substantially increasing concentrations during the 3 months following pruning. 15N labeling indicated that root-derived N was an important source of this extra N and that pruning caused the availability of root-derived N to microbes to be extended until the following growing season. Greater concentrations of mineral N, a greater pool of microbial N and prolonged microbial access and storage of root-derived N with pruning has the potential to positively impact system productivity.
Effect of pacing speech with a miniature electronic metronome on the frequency and duration of selected disfluency behaviors in the spontaneous speech of adult stutterers

Ten adult male stutteres spoke between 4 and 8 hr about what they were observing on a television set which had the sound turned off. Approximately 75% of the time they paced their speech with a miniature metronome (Pacemaster) and the remainder they spoke in their usual manner. Their frequency of each of the following disfluency behaiiors per 100 words was determined under both Metronome and No-Metronome Conditions: (1) part-word repetition, (2) word repetition, (3) phrase repetition, (4) interjection of sounds and syllables, (5) prolongation, (6) revision, and (7) broken word. The mean duration of their prolongations, part-word repetitions, and word repetitions was also determined under each condition. The subjects, as a group, produced fewer instances of all disfluency behaviors but revision and their prolongations, part-word repetitions, and word repetitions tended to be shorter under the Metronome Condition. It would appear, therefore, that many behaviors which contribute to moments of stuttering can be reduced in frequency, duration, or both by pacing with a metronome. Implications for metronome-conditioned speech retraining are discussed.
Applications of the polymerase chain reaction in retroviral-mediated gene transfer and the analysis of gene-marked human TIL cells.

ABSTRACT The polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a widely used new technology, was applied to several aspects of retroviral-mediated gene transfer. Ten oligonucleotide primer pairs were analyzed for their ability to amplify specific regions of a retroviral vector, including the long terminal repeat (LTR), and a NeoR selectable marker gene. By using the appropriate oligonucleotide primers, cells transduced by retroviral vectors could readily be detected and analyzed for deletions in proviral sequences by PCR, without Southern blotting. In combination with a simplified RNA isolation/reverse transcription protocol, an approximate titer of vector producer cell lines could be estimated by PCR in a single day, eliminating the need for time-consuming transductions and biological selection. Quantification of data obtained from PCR dilution experiment indicates that, under appropriate conditions, amplification is linear with respect to the amount of input DNA, permitting estimations of gene dosage in unknown samples....
Concentration Dependence of Photoluminescence and Electroluminescence in 2,5 Bis[2'-(4”-Hydroxyhexanol Benzyl)-l'-Ethyl]3,4-Dibutyl Thiophenes

A new thiophene-based compound 2,5 bis[2s'-(4”-hydroxyhexanol benzyl)-l’-ethyl]3,4-dibutyl thiophene (HBDT) as well as a copolymer (HBDT-PU) consisting of alternating HBDT and urethane spacer units were synthesized. Absorption and luminescence properties of both compounds were studied in solution and in different polymer matrices. Absorption and luminescence spectra of HBDT and HBDT-PU coincide indicating that emission in HBDT-PU occurs from the thiopene containing unit. Photoluminescence (PL) is emitted in the blue-green region of the visible spectrum with a maximum at 460 nm. The PL efficiency of both compounds is strongly enhanced when dispersed in a PVK or PMMA matrix indicating that concentration quenching occurs in the pure material. Light emitting devices were fabricated utilizing a PVK/PBD blend doped with HBDT and HBDT-PU at different concentrations as emitter material. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra coincided with the PL spectra of HBDT indicating that EL emission originates from the dopant molecules. The dependence of the EL efficiency on the doping concentration was measured and found to be close to the concentration dependence of the PL quantum yield.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure and Multiple Exemplar Instruction on Tact and Listener Responses in Children with Autism

The stimulus pairing observation procedure (SPOP) combined with multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) has been shown to be effective with typically developing preschoolers in establishing the joint stimulus control required for the development of naming. The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the SPOP in establishing speaker and listener responses in children with autism. Participants were presented with pairings of auditory and visual stimuli during instruction. Participants' tacting and listener responses of the visual stimuli were then evaluated during a test phase. MEI with novel pairs of auditory and visual stimuli was conducted if participants did not demonstrate criterion performance on tact and listener probes. SPOP in conjunction with MEI was shown to be effective in establishing some of the tact and listener relations for the three participants. However, accuracy on tact probes was always lower than listener probes. The participant who responded with the highest accuracy on untaught tact and listener probes also displayed echoic responding on the lowest proportion of SPOP instruction and listener test trials.
Alzheimer's disease in a patient on long-term hemodialysis: A case report

This case report describes a progressive dementia in a 49-year-old black male on long-term hemodialysis. The initial presentation simulated depression. The dementia persisted after an unsuccessful cadaver homograft transplant. The character of the dementia was nonspecific but typical features of dialysis dementia were lacking. Autopsy revealed a ruptured cerebral aneurysm, polycystic kidneys, moderately severe atherosclerosis, miliary tuberculosis, and neurofibrillary degeneration of the hippocampus. The significance of a possible relationship between end-stage renal disease (ESRD), hemodialysis, and Alzheimer's disease in this case is discussed.
Advanced diode-laser absorption sensors for combusion monitoring and control

A multiplexed diode-laser absorption sensor system, comprised of two distributed feedback (DFB) InGaAsP diode lasers and fiber-optic components, has been developed to non-intrusively measure gas temperature and H2O concentration over a single path in the combustion region of a 50-kW purposed annular dump combustor. The wavelengths of the DFB lasers were independently current-tuned at 10-kHz rates across H2O transitions near 1343 nm and 1392 nm. Temperature and water vapor concentration were determined from the measured absorbances. In addition, measurements of CO, C2H2, and C2H4 concentrations in the exhaust were determined from absorption spectra recorded using a fast-sampling probe, a multi-pass absorption cell, an external cavity diode laser (ECDL), and a distributed feedback diode laser (DFB). The ECDL was tuned over the CO R(13) transition near 1568 nm and the C2H2 P(17) transition near 1535 nm, and the DFB laser was tuned over selected C2H4 transitions near 1646 nm. A correlation was established between the magnitude of the measured temperature oscillations in the combustion region and measured concentrations of CO and hydrocarbons in the exhaust. Adaptive control strategies were applied to maximize the coherence of the temperature oscillations and thus optimize the combustor performance. The closed-loop control system was able to adaptively optimize the phase and amplitude of the applied forcing within 100 ms, and the forcing frequently within 10 seconds. These results demonstrate the applicability of multiplexed diode-laser absorption sensors for rapid, continuous measurements and control of multiple flowfield parameters, including trace species concentrations, in high-temperature environments.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Emotion Suppression: A Preliminary Experimental Investigation of Its Immediate Effects and Role in Subsequent Reactivity to Novel Stimuli

This study details a preliminary investigation of the subjective and physiological effects of emotion suppression, relative to the allowance of emotional experience, within one distressing situation on responses to another, unrelated situation. Thirty-four men were instructed to suppress or allow their emotional responses to a distressing film clip. Immediately following the film clip, participants responded to a mildly emotionally evocative interpersonal scenario. There was evidence of significantly different patterns of change in subjective distress and heart rate (HR) from one situation to the next as a function of whether participants received instructions to suppress or allow their emotional experience to the film clip. Specifically, allowance participants exhibited a significant decrease in subjective distress, whereas suppression participants exhibited no change in distress. Further, suppression participants' distress was significantly higher than that of allowance participants following the interp...
Highways and Population Change.

In this paper we return to an issue often discussed in the literature regarding the relationship between highway expansion and population change. Typically it simply is assumed that this relationship is well established and understood. We argue, following a thorough review of the relevant literature, that the notion that highway expansion leads to increased population growth in the vicinity of the improved
Temperature Modulation of Growth and Physiology of Juvenile Guadalupe Bass

Abstract Fingerling Guadalupe Bass Micropterus treculii were cultured in 18, 21, 24, 27, or 30°C water for 6 weeks. Temperature affected the growth of the Guadalupe Bass when it was measured by increases in TL but not when measured by increase in mass. The optimal temperature for growth of Guadalupe Bass was 27–28°C. Condition factor increased linearly with temperature, indicating that the fish were plumper at warmer temperatures. The mean hematocrit was 37 and not significantly affected by temperature, although a trend of increasing hematocrit with increasing temperature was apparent. The liver index varied significantly with temperature, and the maximum index was at 24°C. The results of this study provide basic thermal information and some base line hematological values for hatchery production and management of Guadalupe Bass. Received September 24, 2012; accepted March 9, 2013
SERUM BIOMARKERS IN ADULT CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients are often described as having a chronic heart failure (HF) syndrome. It is well known that acquired HF patients have serum biomarkers that may provide diagnostic and prognostic data. We sought to characterize these biomarkers in ACHD patients and