cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Testing in Dermatology: A Survey Analyzing Obstacles to Appropriate Care.

Background/Objectives The past several decades have witnessed unprecedented advances in genomic technology, bringing genetic testing to the forefront of medical practice and moving us towards the practice of personalized medicine. Genetic testing has become an important aspect in preempting and successfully treating diseases in dermatology, yet difficulty remains in regards to obtaining genetic testing for patients. We conducted a survey for pediatric dermatologists in order to try to gauge and understand where difficulties lie in obtaining genetic testing and to analyze how best these issues can be resolved. Methods An 18-question survey was emailed to 480 dermatologists who have attended at least one of the last three annual Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) meetings. Results Virtually all providers encountered at least one situation in which they required genetic testing for a patient (97.3% [n = 108]) and 37.4% indicated needing genetic testing more than six times per year. Of the respondents who had attempted to obtain genetic testing, half were unsuccessful in obtaining coverage more than 75% of the time (45% [n = 32]) and only 7.0% (n = 5) achieved success 75% to 100% of the time. The most common reasons for obtaining genetic testing included the need to provide an accurate diagnosis, followed by the need to provide prognostic information and appropriate medical management. Conclusion The role of genetic testing in the practice of dermatology is expanding, yet obtaining coverage for genetic testing remains a challenge. We propose several solutions as to how this can be remedied.
El cantar fúnebre atribuido al Inca Yupanqui: Estudio semántico

Los cronistas de la conquista espanola de los Andes recogieron en sus textos algunas muestras de la tradicion oral ancestral de los pueblos avasallados. Asi, Juan de Betanzos incluyo en su Suma y narracion de los incas ([?1551?] 1987) un cantar funebre atribuido al inca Tupac Yupanqui cuya interpretacion semantica y semiolinguistica es presentada en este articulo.
Rebeliões metropolitanas e planejamento insurgente no século XXI | Insurgent cities and urban citizenship in the 21st Century

A insurgencia inaugurou o seculo XXI com uma serie de rebelioes metropolitanas. Buenos Aires, Atenas, Reykjavik, Tunes, Cairo, New York, Madri, Phnom Penh, Istambul, Sao Paulo e inumeras outras cidades ao redor do mundo rebelaram-se de formas diferentes, rejeitando as politicas existentes e assaltando o Estado com alternativas. Muitas dessas alternativas surgiram da propria producao da vida cotidiana urbana dos manifestantes e foram prefiguradas em seus proprios meios de assembleias e deliberacao. Este artigo examina, por um lado, se essas rebelioes metropolitanas constituem um novo tipo de cidadania urbana insurgente que realizaria e demandaria novas formas de democracia direta, e, por outro, como elas podem inspirar um planejamento urbano insurgente. Esse exame e feito por meio da analise da intersecao entre os processos de “fazer a cidade acontecer” (city-making), “ocupar espacos urbanos” (city-occupying) e “reivindicar direitos” (rights-claiming). Ademais, e-se considerada a transformacao da esfera politica e do planejamento por elas produzida.
Tweeting the Gendered City: Analysis of Harassment, Reflections on Justice

Street harassment is a gender-based injustice experienced in public spaces. In this research, I draw on feminist perspectives and explore the stages of social movements to study how social media platform Twitter is used to share and process experiences with street harassment, pass along resources and media about street harassment, and to engage in anti-street harassment organizing and movement building activities. I detail a qualitative approach to social media research, introduce the concept of listening in Twitter-based research, and conclude with ideas for future research.
Nurse practitioner-led transitional care interventions: An integrative review.

Background and purpose Chronically ill patients 65 and above have an increased risk of preventable readmission within 30 days of discharge from the hospital. The Transitional Care Model (TCM) introduced by Naylor and colleagues was implemented to improve the transition between hospital and home while decreasing readmissions. This article examines whether nurse practitioner (NP)- led TCM interventions as compared to standard care decrease hospital readmission rates in older adults. Methods A literature review was conducted from June 2016 to March 2017 using Cochrane Library, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Health Literature (CINAHL) PLUS, Joanna Briggs Institute, and ProQuest Central to seek out the highest level of evidence. Search results were refined to focus on randomized control trials (RTCs) containing NP-led TCM interventions with older adults. Conclusions Synthesis of three RTCs, one meta-analysis, and four nonrandomized studies reviewed TCM interventions that included these interventions: follow-up phone calls post discharge, home visits, and handoff of information to the patient's primary care provider. These interventions, although not exclusively led by NPs, decreased hospital readmission rates. Implications for practice NP-led TCM interventions have the potential to decrease readmissions, but the level of evidence is insufficiently high to allow for generalizability, warranting further study.
Movies On The Brain

This chapter reviews movies from Hollywood that illustrate the effects of many diseases on the brain. These movies cover developmental disorders, disease in the spinal cord, brain stem, and cerebrum. The causes of these disparate injuries include congenital malformations, genetic abnormalities, trauma to the brain, vascular insufficiencies, tumors and infections. All of these selected movies are very entertaining and informative.
Radial, Ulnar, and Hand Injuries

Trauma to the forearm and hand comprises nearly one-third of all upper extremity vascular injuries, often leading to complex injuries leading to significant loss of function due to concomitant nerve and muscle injury. Penetrating trauma is the most common cause of upper extremity vascular injury, and mastery of the anatomy of the distal upper extremity is essential to appropriate surgical management. Stabilization of any accompanying fractures precedes vascular repair; temporary shunting can be utilized in cases of profound ischemia. Primary repair can often be accomplished, but conduit using autogenous vein can be used when direct apposition of the vessel is not appropriate. Trauma to the radial artery can sometimes be addressed with simple ligation. However, this is not an option in patients who do not have a normally dominant ulnar artery. Duplication of the digital arteries typically permits loss of one of the two vessels to the fingers. Endovascular techniques have been described for the management of distal upper extremity trauma, but are not yet mainstream options. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of upper extremity trauma is essential to maximizing limb salvage rates and avoiding unnecessary morbidity and mortality.
Incidentally Discovered Adrenal Mass on CT Scan

A 55-year-old female was involved in a motor vehicle accident several weeks ago at which time she underwent an abdominal CT scan which was negative for any injury. However, a 1.7-cm right adrenal nodule was incidentally noted. The patient complains of difficulty losing weight but denies any recent weight gain, abnormal hair growth, or muscle weakness. She has a long-standing history of diabetes and hypertension. She denies headache, palpitations, and flushing. Physical exam is significant for central obesity, but she does not have supraclavicular fat accumulation or purple striae. Workup for the adrenal mass revealed an elevated 24-h urine cortisol level (170 mcg/24 h; normal <45). This was followed by a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test, which resulted in lack of cortisol suppression (AM cortisol 14.2 mcg/dl, normal <2). Further biochemical workup including catecholamines and metanephrines as well as plasma aldosterone and renin levels was normal.
Higher efficacy and complete response with administration of eribulin for recurrent squamous cell breast carcinoma: A case report

Squamous cell carcinoma is a rare histological type of breast cancer classified as metaplastic carcinoma. Metaplastic carcinoma involves differentiation of the breast glandular duct cells into mesenchymal tissues. While the chemotherapy regimen for metaplastic carcinoma is often similar to that for invasive ductal carcinoma, recurrence is associated with a poor prognosis due to the inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the regimen. We herein present the case of a 42-year-old female patient who underwent mastectomy of the right breast and right axillary node lymphadenectomy for T4N3aM0 breast cancer stage. The cancer was histopathologically diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of the breast. Adjuvant cyclophosphamide-epirubicin-fluorouracil (CEF) postoperative chemotherapy was administered, and lymphadenectomy of right-sided parasternal lymphatic metastases with pleural drainage was subsequently performed. Radiotherapy was administered to the thoracic wall and supraclavicular lymph nodes at 60 Gy. Positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) examination 3 months after the radiotherapy identified accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in a supraclavicular lymph node and the thoracic wall; hence, a chemotherapeutic regimen with eribulin was initiated. At 11 months after initiation of eribulin, complete response was achieved, indicated by the absence of FDG accumulation in both the supraclavicular lymph node and the thoracic wall on PET-CT. The treatment efficacy of eribulin is considered to be a result of the mixed morphology of squamous cell carcinoma, including the presence of an epithelial component, such as adenocarcinoma cells, and a mesenchymal component, in the form of sarcomatoid cells. Eribulin displayed an effect similar to that of adriamycin against malignant soft tissue tumors and was shown to effectively target mesenchymal components. In cases of reduced expression of the DNA repair pathway components, such as in metaplastic carcinomas, eribulin may be more effective compared with adriamycin, the mechanism of action of which involves inhibition of DNA synthesis. A superior therapeutic effect was obtained with eribulin in squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, eribulin appears to be a promising, effective therapeutic choice for the management of metaplastic carcinomas, including squamous cell carcinomas.
When Good Ribosomes Go Bad

Ribosome biogenesis, beyond being a critical requirement for growth in all eukaryotic cells, has a broad impact on the etiology of numerous human disorders. Human genetic diseases caused by mutatio...
An Antidote for Gobbledygook: Organizing the Judge's Partisan Gerrymandering Toolkit into Tests of Opportunity and Outcome

Abstract Despite recent setbacks, litigation-based challenges to extreme partisan gerrymandering continue, and quantitative methods for detection are more important than ever. Many measurement tool...
The Transindividual Unconscious

AbstractI follow Etienne Balibar in understanding Freud as not only an important thinker of transindividuality alongside Spinoza and Marx, but also the one that pushes an ontology of relations to its full development. In response to Balibar I critically examine Freud, who, outside of Group Psychology and the Analysis of Ego, often referred individual and collective development to the family as the primal scene. I also explore how it would be possible to conceive of a concept of social relations that recognizes the social and transindividual basis of subjectivity. Ultimately, it is not a matter of deciding whether Freud is a transindividual thinker, but of understanding that an ontology of relations can privilege no particular scene or social institution, such as family or the, economy.
Sumagic (Uniconazole) Promotes Flower Bud Set on Camellia japonica

Abstract Three-year-old container-grown plants of Camellia japonica ‘Grace Albritton’, ‘Paulette Goddard’, and ‘Sea Foam’ were sprayed with a water control, B-Nine (daminozide) at 5000 ppm, Bonzi (...
Cocalibrated Functional Score and Subsequent Post-Acute-Care (PAC) Utilization

Date Presented 04/06/19 This study is the first examining the relationship between cocalibrated functional score and subsequent PAC utilization for Medicare beneficiaries. Examining functional scores across PAC settings for patients with stroke, lower extremity joint replacement, and hip/femur fracture allows OTs to estimate clients' needs for postacute services. Primary Author and Speaker: Chih-Ying Li Additional Authors and Speakers: Amol Karmarkar, Yong-Fang Kuo, Allen Hass, Kenneth Ottenbacher
mSphere of Influence: a Controlled Burn-Pathogen Manipulation of the Dynamic Chemistry That Results from Inflammation

Neal Hammer works in the field of bacterial pathogenesis, metabolism, and antibiotic resistance. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how "Gut inflammation provides a respiratory electron acceptor for Salmonella" by Winter and colleagues (S. E. Winter, P. Thiennimitr, M. G. Winter, B. P. Butler, et al., Nature 467:426-429, 2010, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09415) made an impact on him by demonstrating that Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium metabolism is uniquely suited to exploit the chemical by-products that result from the host's inflammatory response.
Telemetry Tracing After Pacemaker Implant

A 63-year-old woman with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and rapid ventricular response and intermittent presyncope is found to have symptomatic sinus pauses >3 s on Holter monitoring as well as an intermittent accelerated junctional rhythm. In sinus rhythm, her PR interval is 180 ms, and she has normal QRS complex morphology. She undergoes placement of a St. Jude Identity ADx dual chamber pacemaker without any apparent complications. Notably, the majority of the right atrial sites tested for capture and sensing thresholds exhibited low intracardiac voltage, and an acceptable atrial sensitivity could be achieved only in the low right atrium. Telemetry findings concern the on-call hospitalist, but the implanting electrophysiologist is reassured. The reasons for this reassurance are discussed.
Racial disparities in pedestrian-related injury hospitalizations in the United States

Racial/ethnic disparity has been documented in a wide variety of health outcomes, and environmental components are contributors. For example, food deserts have been tied to obesity rates. Pedestrian injuries are strongly tied to environmental factors, yet no studies have examined racial disparity in pedestrian injury rates. We examine a nationally-representative sample of pedestrian-related hospitalizations in the United States to identify differences in incidence, severity, and cost by race/ethnicity. Patients with ICD diagnosis E-codes for pedestrian injuries were drawn from the United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2009–2016). Rates were calculated using the United States Census. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear regression were used to examine characteristics (age, sex, severity of illness, mortality rates, hospital admissions, length of stay, total costs) associated with hospitalizations for pedestrian injuries. The annual average of pedestrian-related deaths exceeded 5000 per year and hospitalizations exceeded 47,000 admissions per year. The burden of injury from pedestrian-related hospitalizations was higher among Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial/Other groups in terms of admission rates, costs per capita, proportion of children injured, and length of stay compared to Whites and Asian or Pacific Islander race/ethnicities. Compared to Whites, hospital admission rates were 1.92 (95% CI: 1.89–1.94) and 1.20 (95% CI: 1.19–1.21) times higher for Multiracial/Other and Blacks, respectively. Costs per capita ($USD) were $6.30, $4.14, and $3.22 for Multiracial/Others, Blacks, and Hispanics, compared to $2.88 and $2.32 for Whites and Asian or Pacific Islanders. Proportion of lengths of stay exceeding one week were larger for Blacks (26.4%), Hispanics (22.6%), Asian or Pacific Islanders (23.1%), and Multiracial/Other (24.1%), compared to Whites (18.6%). Extreme and major loss of function proportions were also highest among Black (34.5%) and lowest among Whites (30.2%). Results from this study show racial disparities in pedestrian injury hospitalization rates and outcomes, particularly among Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial/Other race/ethnicity groups and support population and system-level approaches to prevention. Access to transportation is an indicator for health disparity, and these results indicate that access to safe transportation also shows inequity by race/ethnicity.
The impact of provider recommendation on human papillomavirus vaccine and other adolescent vaccines

This study explored the association between provider recommendation and adolescent vaccine coverage. We analyzed data from the 2008 to 2018 National Immunization Survey-Teen including coverage with one dose of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY), Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap), and one and three doses of Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. We compared vaccine coverage between those who recalled a provider recommendation and those who did not. Among those who received a provider recommendation for MenACWY, coverage trended from 67.8% (2008) to 88.1% (2013), contrasted to those who did not, trending from 30.9% to 73.1%. Among those with a provider recommendation for Tdap, coverage trended from 47.6% to 89.7%, contrasted to those who did not, trending from 35.6% to 82.2%. Among females with a provider recommendation for HPV vaccine, receipt of initial dose of HPV vaccine trended from 57.5% (2008) to 74.3% (2018), contrasted to those who did not, trending from 18.1% to 49.8%, and among males, trended from 17.2% (2010) to 75.1% (2018) for those with a provider recommendation, compared to 0.5% to 44.7% for those without. In 2013, coverage difference by provider recommendation was 26.0% among females for one dose of HPV vaccine and 21.9% for three doses, and among males was 44.8% and 20.8%, respectively, while it was lower at 15% for MenACWY and 7.6% for Tdap. For each vaccine, coverage was higher with a provider recommendation; the largest difference was noted for HPV vaccine. This finding verifies for providers the importance of their recommendation, especially for the HPV vaccine.
Quantum Gravitational Effects on the Boundary

Quantum gravitational effects might hold the key to some of the outstanding problems in theoretical physics. We analyze the perturbative quantum effects on the boundary of a gravitational system and the Dirichlet boundary condition imposed at the classical level. Our analysis reveals that for a black hole solution, there is a contradiction between the quantum effects and the Dirichlet boundary condition: the black hole solution of the one-particle-irreducible action no longer satisfies the Dirichlet boundary condition as would be expected without going into details. The analysis also suggests that the tension between the Dirichlet boundary condition and loop effects is connected with a certain mechanism of information storage on the boundary.
Cultural Linguistics and Treaty Language: A Modernized Approach to Interpreting Treaty Language to Capture the Tribe's Understanding

Language is a reflection of a thought world. A worldview that has been shaped by place to describe one’s identity in space and time does not equate to species relatedness as a default to know one another. In the legal system of the United States, there is acknowledgement of treaties in colonized lands that there are rights granted from the tribes and not to them, and those rights are landbased. Yet, the Indigenous voice is dead before arrival, before it enters the room of science, justice, academe, or otherwise. The exclusion of Indigenous peoples at the table of knowledge and from the power to make decisions within their homelands has proven a detriment to the land, waterways, flora and fauna, and human beings. Nowhere would tribal peoples have agreed to our own destruction, it is and has been a forced hand. This Article explores the changing interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court canon to construe treaties with Native American tribes as the tribe would have understood them, and why mere translation of Native language to English fails to capture a Native understanding. Through the juxtaposition of western legal analysis and the powerful voice of a Native scientist, this Article illustrates how difficult and yet how necessary it will be to bridge that divide if this powerful western nation is to fulfill its sacred promises to Native people. As a contribution to the Issue on the fiftieth anniversary of United States v. Oregon, this Article looks to the future of federal jurisprudence on the interpretation of treaties with American Indians and envisions one in which reconciliation through an understanding of different worldviews is possible.
Case Report: Fulminant Infantile Beriberi: A Report of Six Cases

Thiamine deficiency disorders are an under-recognized public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. Infantile beriberi, the most important symptom for children, is suspected to significantly contribute to infant mortality and lifelong neurodevelopmental morbidity. Lack of awareness, varied clinical presentation, and lack of a readily available diagnostic marker lead to frequent misdiagnoses. We report six thriving infants who presented with an acute fulminant illness with varied clinical manifestations mimicking common childhood illnesses like pneumonia and sepsis. Four of them presented with the severe cardiovascular form, called Shoshin beriberi, and severe pulmonary arterial hypertension. Empirical intravenous thiamine administered to four of the six infants resulted in dramatic recovery. Awareness of the clinical definition of infantile beriberi and treatment with empirical thiamine can be lifesaving.
Abstract 2487: disrupting binding of p53 mutants to PEPD unleashes their tumor suppressor activities

Background & Goals: The p53 tumor suppressor is one of the most important determinants of cell fate and is critical for tumor suppression. It functions by regulating the expression of a plethora of genes via sequence-specific DNA binding and also by transcription-independent, mitochondria-mediated mechanisms. Not surprisingly, the TP53 gene, which encodes p53, is frequently mutated in human cancer. For example, TP53 is mutated in about 75% of HER2-positive breast cancer and about 85% of triple negative breast cancer. The majority of TP53 mutations are missense mutations, changing one amino acid per mutant, most of which occur in its DNA-binding domain. p53 mutants show loss of tumor suppressor functions or gain of oncogenic functions. We recently found that peptidase D (PEPD), also known as prolidase, binds via its C-terminal sequence to the proline-rich domain (PRD) of wild type p53 and that disrupting the binding activates p53. The enzymatic activity of PEPD is not required for this function. Our objective in the present study is to determine whether PEPD also regulates p53 mutants. We focused on some of the most common oncogenic p53 mutants, including R175H, R248Q, R273H and R280K. Results: Our study shows that 1) each p53 mutant binds directly to PEPD and binds to PEPD in cells in a significant quantity, 2) disrupting their binding in cells by PEPD knockdown reactivates each p53 mutant, unleashing both transcription-dependent and -independent tumor suppressing activities, 3) after leaving PEPD, p53 mutants undergo acetylation, mono-ubiquitination and phosphorylation, which drive their refolding and reactivation, 4) Lysine 373 acetylation is essential for their reactivation, and 5) p53 mutants and p53WT show almost no difference in PEPD-binding and response to PEPD KD. Conclusions & Therapeutic Relevance: In conclusion, we have identified a cellular mechanism by which the tumor suppressor functions of p53 mutants are strongly reactivated, which is neither cell-specific nor mutant-specific. Mainly, p53 mutants bind to PEPD in cancer cells, and disrupting the complex causes posttranslational modifications of mutants freed from PEPD, which drive their refolding and unleash their tumor suppressor activities. This discovery advances our understanding of the function and regulation of p53 mutants and breaks new ground for developing novel cancer treatment strategies. Citation Format: Lu Yang. disrupting binding of p53 mutants to PEPD unleashes their tumor suppressor activities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2487.
Gap Analysis and Services Marketing: Does Understanding Your Customers Really Improve Sales?

Most prior research in services marketing has been strongly influenced by the GAPs model of service quality, which emphasizes understanding customer expectations. While prior work in this area focused upon understanding customer expectations, few studies dealt with the linkage between service provider understanding of customer expectations and profitability. This study attempts to extend the previous research by examining the effects of understanding customer expectations on sales of dental service providers. It also investigates the demographic and marketing correlates of sales of dental services.
Ten Years After: Regulatory Developments in the Securities Markets Since the 1987 Market Break

It has been approximately 10 years since uncertainty, panic, and confusion wrested control from the forces of supply and demand and sent the U.S. securities markets plummeting. After much review, discussion, and analysis, it is widely agreed that certain aspects of the financial system contributed to that event. Since October 1987, many reforms have been implemented to address the weaknesses in the system highlighted by the 1987 market break. They include, among others, the implementation of circuit breakers, the approval of the Order Execution Rules, the reduction of the standard settlement time frame to T+3, the conversion to a same-day funds settlement system, the initiation of programs that regularly test the capacity of the market’s automated systems, the augmentation of firms’ capital levels, and improved coordination with regulators in other countries. The market has improved significantly because these changes have reduced or eliminated risk by improving coordination, increasing efficiency, sharing information, or ensuring sufficient system or capital capacity exists. Nevertheless, every market event is unique. Therefore, it remains important to identify and address new issues before they become problems.
Adenosine 5'-triphosphate-citrate lyase activity in mammalian spermatozoa. A new radiometric method and characterization of the enzyme in spermatozoa.

Abstract A simple radiochemical method was developed for determining the ATP-citrate lyase activity in mammalian spermatozoa. The determination of enzyme activity was followed by the measurement of the incorporation of the [1- 14 C]acetyl group from [1,5- 14 C]citrate into [1- 14 C]acetylcoenzyme A (ACoA). Separation of 14 C-labeled ACoA from the reactants and their products was achieved by rapid anion exchange chromatography. The optimum pH was 6.4 for rat spermatozoal ATP-citrate lyase. The activity was not altered by dithiothreitol. MgCl 2 (l0mM) caused a 50 per cent inhibition in the enzyme activity. ATP-citrate lyase activities in rat and human spermatozoa were 154 ± 14 and 90 ± 12 nmoles of ACoA formed/mg of protein/5 min. Citrate may serve as an acetyl source for acetylcholine formation by spermatozoa.
The effects of megestrol acetate suspension for elderly patients with reduced appetite after hospitalization: a phase II randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: To provide preliminary evidence on the effectiveness and optimal dosage of megestrol acetate for older persons with impaired appetite after hospitalization. Design: Randomized clinical trial. Setting: Acute care hospital. Participants: Forty-seven older persons (mean age 83) who were recently discharged from an acute care hospital and had fair or poor appetite. Intervention: Participants were randomized to placebo or megestrol acetate suspension 200 mg, 400 mg, or 800 mg daily for 9 weeks. Measurements: Appetite, health-related quality of life, and adverse effects were measured at baseline and 20, 42, and 63 days. Serum nutritional markers were measured at baseline and 20 and 63 days. Results: During the course of the study, there were no significant differences between treatment groups on any of the appetite questions, although participants in the 400-mg and 800-mg groups demonstrated significant improvement from baseline on some questions. At 20 days, prealbumin increased in a dose-response relationship across the four groups (by 0.4, 5.1, 7.5, and 9.0 mg/dL, respectively). Participants in the 400-mg and 800-mg groups demonstrated greater improvement in prealbumin levels at 20 days than those receiving placebo (P=.009 and P=.004, respectively) and those in the 400-mg group also demonstrated improvement at 63 days (P=.02). At 20 days, no participant taking placebo had a morning serum cortisol level less than 8 ng/mL (the lower limit of normal). In contrast, 33%, 70%, and 78% of those taking 200 mg, 400 mg and 800 mg, respectively, had values below this level; by 63 days, these percentages were 11%, 30%, 56%, and 37%, respectively. No patient reported clinical symptoms of adrenal insufficiency. Diarrhea developed in three subjects, and thromboembolism occurred in two receiving active treatment. Conclusion: Megestrol acetate at doses of 400 mg and 800 mg increases prealbumin in recently hospitalized older persons. Cortisol suppression is common at higher doses and may be persistent. In this small study, the drug did not confer benefit on other nutritional or clinical outcomes.
Orthographic stereo correlator on the terrain model for Apollo metric images

A stereo correlation method on the object domain is proposed to generate the accurate and dense Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from lunar orbital imagery. The NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) aims to produce high-quality terrain reconstructions of the Moon from Apollo Metric Camera (AMC) data. In particular, IRG makes use of a stereo vision process, the Ames Stereo Pipeline (ASP), to automatically generate DEMs from consecutive AMC image pairs. Given camera parameters of an image pair from bundle adjustment in ASP, a correlation window is defined on the terrain with the predefined surface normal of a post rather than image domain. The squared error of back-projected images on the local terrain is minimized with respect to the post elevation. This single dimensional optimization is solved efficiently and improves the accuracy of the elevation estimate.
Identification of endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol in myocardium and its effective utilization by choline phosphotransferase.

Recently we have identified a novel choline and ethanolamine specific phospholipase C in myocardium and have hypothesized that this enzyme is responsible for the introduction of the vinyl ether linkage into plasmenylcholine by shuttling 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol fragments from plasmenylethanolamine to plasmenylcholine (Wolf, R. A., and Gross, R. W. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7295-7303). The present study demonstrates that rabbit myocardium contains endogenous 1-O-hexadec-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (0.46 micrograms/g) and that these moieties are selectively utilized by myocardial choline phosphotransferase to generate plasmenylcholine. The apparent Michaelis constant of CDP-choline for microsomal choline phosphotransferase was 9 microM with a corresponding Vmax of 18 pmol/mg.min utilizing endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol as substrate. The flux of CDP-choline into plasmenylcholine or phosphatidylcholine was similar despite the fact that the mass of endogenous 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol was over 20 times the mass of endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol. Augmentation of endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol content by pretreatment of myocardial microsomes with exogenous phospholipase C resulted in an 8-fold increase in plasmenylcholine synthesis. The results suggest that myocardial plasmenylcholine biosynthesis occurs by polar head group remodeling utilizing endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol as a synthetic intermediate. Flux through this pathway is likely regulated by physiologic increments in endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol content and cytosolic CDP-choline concentration.
Helping Couples Fulfill the “Highest of Life’s Goals”: Mate Selection, Marriage Counselling, and Genetic Counseling in United States

This article traces the history of modern genetic counseling to mate selection and marriage counselling practices of the early-20th century. Mate selection revolved around a belief that human heredity could be improved and genetic diseases eradicated through better breeding. Marriage counselling, though interested in reproduction, was also concerned with the emotional and psychological well-being of couples. These two practices coalesced most obviously in the work of well-known geneticist Sheldon Reed. Even as marriage and genetic counselling diverged in the post-WWII period, vestiges of these practices remain in contemporary counseling experiences with family planning and genetic screening programs. Emphasizing points of continuity between "positive" eugenic ideologies and modern genetic practices elaborates the diverse origins of genetic counseling. It also exposes how genetic counselors have become involved in genetic enterprises beyond standard clinical settings, and prods at key issues in the interaction between genetic science and social values.
Bandwidth analysis of multibus parallel subnetworks

An analysis is presented of the bandwidth of parallel subnetworks of multiprocessor multibus systems in closed queuing networks. Past bandwidth analyses have used unit connection time between a processor and any shared-memory module, so no memory modules are accessed at the beginning of a memory cycle. This model uses arbitrary connection time and allows busy memory modules at the start of a memory cycle. A two-state arbitration scheme is used to handle memory and bus access conflicts. Numerical results are computed with some approximations. When unit connection time is specified, local access is disallowed, and the service demand time of a processor is fixed to zero, this model reduces to the models of past studies. The following performance measures are derived: bandwidth, bandwidth utilization, acceptance probability of requests, expected retrying time to access a shared memory module, and the number of processors in processing, accessing, and retrying states. >
STORAGEDB: enhancing the storage sub-system with DBMS functionalities

This paper proposes STORAGEDB; a paradigm for implementing storage virtualization using databases. It describes details for storing the logical-to-physical mapping information as tables within the database; handling the incoming I/O requests of the application as database queries; bookkeeping of the I/O operations as database transactions. In addition, STORAGEDB uses built-in DBMS features to support storage virtualization functionalities; as an example we describe how online table space migration can be used to support reallocation of logical disks. Finally, we describe our modifications to a traditional RDBMS implementation, in order to make it light-weight. Improving the performance of a traditional DBMS is critical for the acceptance of STORAGEDB since the performance overheads are considered a primary challenge in replacing existing storage virtualization engines. Our current lightweight RDBMS has a 19 times shorter invocation path length than the original. In comparison to the open-source virtualization software, namely LVM, the extra cost of STORAGEDB is within 20% of LVM in trace-driven tests, (unlike STORAGEDB, LVM did not have logging overhead). We consider these initial results as the "stepping stone" in the paradigm of applying databases for storage virtualization.
Effect of stimulation with a gonadotropin mixture on reproductive outcome in nulliparous ewes bred during seasonal anestrus and early breeding season

Abstract To evaluate the effect of gonadotropic stimulation on the reproductive response of nulliparous acyclic female sheep during mid-anestrous and early breeding season, fall-born ewe lambs of mixed breeding ( N = 191; ∼7 months old; study 1) and yearlings (Dorset X Texel (DT), N = 120, study 2) were assigned randomly during May to July to be either pre-treated with progesterone using CIDR-g (0.3 g of progesterone) devices for 5 days or to also receive gonadotropins (240 IU eCG and 120 IU hCG, 3 mL i.m. injection of P.G. 600 ® ) at CIDR-g removal. Study 3 was conducted with nulliparous acyclic DT yearling ewes ( N = 104) in late August and was similar to study 2 except that a group of control ewes that were not treated was included. Gonadotropic stimulation increased estrous response ( P = 0.0002), pregnancy rate to the first service period ( P = 0.0007), proportion of ewes lambing ( P = 0.03) and the lambing rate ( P = 0.01) in fall-born ewe lambs (study 1), but did not modify reproductive outcome in yearling females (study 2) during mid-anestrus. During the transition into the breeding season (study 3), progesterone pre-treatment increased the pregnancy rate and the proportion of ewes lambing to first service after ram introduction ( P = 0.003 and P = 0.02, respectively). However, gonadotropic stimulation of progesterone pre-treated yearlings did not modify reproductive performance variables. In conclusion, gonadotropic stimulation improved reproductive outcome in fall-born ewe lambs bred during the mid-anestrous period, but did not affect reproductive outcome in yearling females.
Clinical impact of biopsy method on the quality of surgical management in melanoma.

Background and Objectives Though guidelines recommend excisional biopsy for diagnosing melanoma, partial biopsy techniques are commonly performed, risking underestimation of Breslow depth and altering surgical management. Biopsy choice patterns by specialty and subsequent impact on surgical management was examined. Methods Retrospective review of the University of Vermont Cancer Registry. All patients with a single, primary cutaneous melanoma from 1/02 to 6/12 analyzed. Results Among 853 lesions analyzed, 606 had Breslow depth <1 mm. Dermatologists perform 62.6% of biopsies, favoring shave biopsies; surgeons favor excisional biopsies (48%), and primary care doctors favor punch biopsies (44.8%), (P < 0.001). Final Breslow depth was upstaged in 107 (12.5%); however, only 23 of 488 partial biopsies (4.7%) displayed a discrepancy great enough to change surgical recommendations (P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant relationship with presence of ulceration, regression, high Clark level, or high mitotic index. Conclusions Partial biopsy techniques are commonly performed in diagnosing melanoma; especially among dermatologists, who perform the majority of biopsies. Though partial biopsies were less accurate in determining Breslow thickness; they rarely alter recommendations for surgical management. Predictive features could not be determined to identify the few cases where a Breslow discrepancy was clinically relevant. J. Surg. Oncol. 2014 109:775–779. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Balancing investments in federally qualified health centers and Medicaid for improved access and coverage in Pennsylvania

Two common health disparities in the US include a lack of access to care and a lack of insurance coverage. To help address these disparities, healthcare reform will provide $11B to expand Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) over the next 5 years. In 2014, Medicaid rules will be modified so that more people will become eligible. There are, however, important tradeoffs in the investment in these two programs. We find a balanced investment between FQHC expansion and relaxing Medicaid eligibility to improve both access (by increasing the number of FQHCs) and coverage (by FQHC and Medicaid expansion) for the state of Pennsylvania. The comparison is achieved by integrating multi-objective mathematical models with several public data sets that allow for specific estimations of healthcare need. Demand is estimated based on current access and coverage status in order to target groups to be considered preferentially. Results show that for Pennsylvania, FQHCs are more cost effective than Medicaid if we invest all of the resources in just one policy. However, we find a better investment point balancing those two policies. This point is approximately where the additional expenses incurred from relaxing Medicaid eligibility equals the investment in FQHC expansion.
Comparison of human papillomavirus Type 1 serotyping by monoclonal antibodies with genotyping by in situ hybridization of plantar warts

Thirty plantar warts were analyzed for the presence of HPV-1 type-specific and PV genus-specific capsid antigens by immunofluorescence (IF) using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies and type-specific HPV-1 DNA employing in situ hybridization methods. Fifteen of 30 plantar warts were positive by IF for PV genus-specific structural viral antigens. Thirteen of the 15 productively infected plantar warts expressed intranuclear HPV-1 type-specific capsid antigens and viral DNA, which were detected in the same distribution in each individual wart. The 2 productively infected plantar warts that did not react with HPV-1 type-specific MoAbs did not react with HPV-1 type-specific DNA by in situ hybridization. Thus, serotyping of HPV-1 capsid antigens by monoclonal antibodies is concordant with genotyping of HPV-1 viral DNA by in situ hybridization in productively infected plantar warts.
Unraveling the Enigma Mayor Harold Washington and the Black Political Tradition

The study uses a historical analysis to examine the thesis that since the Chicago Democratic machine's inception during the Great Depression, black voters have been torn between supporting the machine out of socioeconomic necessity and opposing it because of cultural values rooted in the church, producing a paradoxical political tradition. Four configurations of the paradox are identified, resulting in four distinctive stages of black political behavior. The paradox is resolved during the fourth stage, at which point black voters overcome the socioeconomic constraint and give Harold Washington strong, uniform support against the machine. Washington's own paradoxical political orientation is tracked through the four configurations of the paradox.
Sexual selection in harvester ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Pogonomyrmex )

1. In mating aggregations of some Pogonomyrmex harvester ants (P. desertorum and P. barbatus), communally displaying males compete for females, and large males are disproportionately successful in gaining access to mates (Figs. 1 and 2). 2. Males indiscriminately seize females and attempt to mate, but females actively resist copulation. As a result, large females mate disproportionately with large males in both P. desertorum and P. barbatus (Figs. 3 and 4). 3. In P. desertorum, significant between-colony differences in male body size are approximately correlated with the total reproductive biomass of the parental colony (Fig. 5). Female coyness may have evolved in response to sexual selection for females to choose mates from large and, presumably, long-lived colonies. 4. Pogonomyrmex males are much larger in relation to conspecific females than are males of many species in which males spend long time periods in hovering flight. As Pogonomyrmex males display in vegetation or on the ground, they are not constrained to small body size by the energetics of flight, and have been free to evolve large body size under the influence of sexual selection. 5. Two factors may explain why selection for large males does not escalate indefinitely. Since a male's probability of mating depends on the sizes of his competitors as well as on his own size, selection for large male body size should be frequency-dependent and inversely related to the magnitude of the trade-off in the production of large and small males. Secondly, in P. barbatus the mating advantage shows a significant decline at very large body sizes. 6. Over all colony offspring, the ratio of investment in the sexes is significantly less than 1:1. The female bias also slightly but consistently exceeds that predicted by worker control of sexual investment, and this excessive bias is not well explained by local mate competition.
Effects of reward and methylphenidate on heart rate response morphology of augmenting and reducing children

Abstract In a group of attention and / or learning disordered children referred for a trial on methylphenidate, beat-to-beat analysis of heart rate (HR) to auditory stimuli showed the response to be affected by stimulus intensity, reward level, and drug condition (placebo or active). When the children were classified as augmenters or reducers on the basis of their event-related potentials to the 4 intensity levels, the reducers had significantly higher pretreatment HR response level as well as quicker latencies to reach deceleration trough (anticipatory component) and acceleratory peak (rebound rise to the tones). The clinically titrated methylphenidate dosage levels for the subjects were related both to the augmenter-reducer classification and to pretreatment HR levels; that is, subjects who were ERP reducers and/or had higher HR levels, especially under reward conditions, were blindly titrated at higher levels than those who were augmenters and/or had lower HR levels.
Bloodless surgery: establishment of a program for the special medical needs of the Jehovah's witness community--the gynecologic surgery experience at a community hospital.

Abstract Objective: My purpose was to describe the rationale behind the establishment of a hospital-based program instituted to enhance the health of the Jehovah's Witness community and to evaluate patient profiles and outcomes of gynecologic patients treated surgically at our institution, during the past 5 years, whose intake was through the Bloodless Surgery Program and who were not accepting of blood or most blood products. I further describe how a coordinated program dedicated to serving this particular population might improve outcomes and patient satisfaction. Study Design: A retrospective review of the charts of 89 patients, all Jehovah's Witnesses, who were enrolled through the Bloodless Surgery Program and underwent gynecologic surgery involving at least 1 night's hospitalization at our institution between January 1, 1993, and December 31, 1997, was performed. A comparison of patient length of stay, hospital charges, and surgical blood loss, in a subset of 41 patients who underwent abdominal hysterectomy, with a cohort of patients not affiliated with the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Bloodless Surgery Program was performed. Data regarding patient satisfaction were obtained through surveys and are presented. Results: Patients enrolled through the Bloodless Surgery Program and undergoing abdominal hysterectomy were significantly younger (average age 43.4 vs 47.7 years) and incurred significantly lower hospital charges (average cost $8754 vs $9539). No significant difference between the group studied and the control group could be found in average length of stay or the average change between preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin levels. Data from patient satisfaction surveys suggest a high level of satisfaction with the Bloodless Surgery Program. Conclusion: A program dedicated to the special needs of the Jehovah's Witness community can be instituted in a community-based hospital with no evidence of increased morbidity, as evidenced by length of stay, hospital charges, and surgical blood loss, in a gynecologic patient population. Development of such programs is associated with a high level of patient satisfaction and the potential for improved patient care. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:1491-8.)