cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Slow Neutron Inelastic Scattering Study of Light Water and Ice

The results of an extensive slow neutron inelastic scattering study of H2O at 268° and 299°K are reported. A high‐energy resolution spectrometer was used to obtain the double differential scattering cross sections over a wide range of energy and momentum transfers. Energy transfers to 0.6 eV and momentum wavevector transfers (k = ΔP / ℏ) to 32 A−1 were measured for the liquid and solid phases of H2O. The differential cross sections exhibit considerable structure corresponding to hindered rotational motions of the H2O molecule as well as the intramolecular bending and stretching modes of vibration. In the case of ice the angular dependence of the scattering under the hindered rotation band is in good first‐order agreement with the distribution calculated for a proton assumed to be bound in an isotropic elastic force field. The scattering properties of water and ice are presented in terms of the scattering law. In the latter form the results are compared to the calculated scattering using the McMurry–Russel...
A protein that is highly related to GTPase-activating protein-associated p62 complexes with phospholipase C gamma.

Abstract p62 is a highly tyrosyl phosphorylated protein that was first identified in immunoprecipitates of the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) of p21ras from cells transformed by oncogenic nonreceptor tyrosine kinases or stimulated through tyrosine kinase receptors (C. Ellis, M. Moran, F. McCormick, and T. Pawson, Nature 343:377-381, 1991). In this article we describe a highly related 62-kDa protein that becomes tyrosyl phosphorylated and associated with phospholipase C gamma (PLC gamma) in C3H10T1/2 cells stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transformed by v-src. GAP-associated and PLC gamma-associated p62 comigrated in one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and exhibited nearly identical phosphotryptic peptide patterns. That the association of p62 with PLC gamma was direct and not mediated through binding of GAP-p62 to PLC gamma or to the EGF receptor (and coprecipitation of the receptor with PLC gamma) was demonstrated by (i) the inability to detect GAP in PLC gamma immunocomplexes or PLC gamma in GAP immunocomplexes, (ii) the association of p62 with PLC gamma in v-src-transformed cells in the absence of EGF stimulation, and (iii) in vitro solution binding and direct blotting of p62 with a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing the Src homology 2 (SH2) domains of PLC gamma. Unlike GAP, whose N-terminal SH2 mediates the interaction between GAP and p62, PLC gamma was found to require both its N- and C-terminal SH2 regions for p62 binding. These studies demonstrate that a protein identical to or highly related to GAP-associated p62 binds PLC gamma and suggest a means by which "cross-talk" between PLC gamma- and GAP-mediated signalling may occur.
From How to Why On Luminous Description and Causal Inference in Ethnography (Part I)

Ethnographers often start fieldwork by focusing on descriptive tasks that will enable them to answer questions about how social life proceeds, and then they work toward explaining more formally why...
China’s new-age small farms and their vertical integration: agribusiness or co-ops?

The future of Chinese agriculture lies not with large mechanized farms but with small capital-labor dual intensifying family farms for livestock-poultry-fish raising and vegetable-fruit cultivation. Chinese food consumption patterns have been changing from the old 8:1:1 pattern of 8 parts grain, 1 part meat, and 1 part vegetables to a 4:3:3 pattern, with a corresponding transformation in agricultural structure. Small family-farming is better suited for the new-age agriculture, including organic farming, than large-scale mechanized farming, because of the intensive, incremental, and variegated hand labor involved, not readily open to economies of scale, though compatible with economies of scope. It is also better suited to the realities of severe population pressure on land. But it requires vertical integration from cultivation to processing to marketing, albeit without horizontal integration for farming. It is against such a background that co-ops have arisen spontaneously for integrating small farms with...
Identifying potential areas for biofuel production and evaluating the environmental effects: a case study of the James River Basin in the Midwestern United States

Biofuels are now an important resource in the United States because of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Both increased corn growth for ethanol production and perennial dedicated energy crop growth for cellulosic feedstocks are potential sources to meet the rising demand for biofuels. However, these measures may cause adverse environmental consequences that are not yet fully understood. This study 1) evaluates the longterm impacts of increased frequency of corn in the crop rotation system on water quantity and quality as well as soil fertility in the James River Basin and 2) identifies potential grasslands for cultivating bioenergy crops (e.g. switchgrass), estimating the water quality impacts. We selected the soil and water assessment tool, a physically based multidisciplinary model, as the modeling approach to simulate a series of biofuel production scenarios involving crop rotation and land cover changes. The model simulations with different crop rotation scenarios indicate that decreases in water yield and soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) concentration along with an increase in NO3-N load to stream water could justify serious concerns regarding increased corn rotations in this basin. Simulations with land cover change scenarios helped us spatially classify the grasslands in terms of biomass productivity and nitrogen loads, and we further derived the relationship of biomass production targets and the resulting nitrogen loads against switchgrass planting acreages. The suggested economically efficient (planting acreage) and environmentally friendly (water quality) planting locations and acreages can be a valuable guide for cultivating switchgrass in this basin. This information, along with the projected environmental costs (i.e. reduced water yield and increased nitrogen load), can contribute to decision support tools for land managers to seek the sustainability of biofuel development in this region.
Cancer-associated thrombosis

Cancer-associated thrombosis accounts for almost one-fifth of all cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is a leading cause of death, morbidity, delays in care, and increased costs. Our understanding of risk factors for cancer-associated thrombosis has expanded in recent years, and investigators have begun to use biomarkers and clinical prediction models to identify those cancer patients at greatest risk for VTE. The Khorana Risk Model, which is based on easily obtained biomarkers and clinical factors, has now been validated in several studies. Recent clinical trials of prophylaxis and treatment of VTE in cancer patients are reviewed here. In addition, consensus guidelines and expert opinion regarding management of VTE in specific challenging situations are presented.
Comparison of four techniques to estimate radiation dose to skin during angiographic and interventional radiology procedures.

PURPOSE Four techniques used to estimate radiation risk were compared to determine whether commonly used dosimetry measurements permit reliable estimates of skin dose. Peak skin dose (PSD) is known to be the most reliable estimate of risk to skin. The purpose of this study is to determine peak skin dose with use of real-time software measurements and to correlate other measures of dose with PSD. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred twelve patients undergoing arch aortography and bilateral carotid arteriography (referred to as "carotid"), abdominal aortography and bilateral lower extremity runoff ("runoff"), or tunneled chest wall port placement ("port") were studied. Fluoroscopy time, dose-area product (DAP), and cumulative dose at the interventional reference point were recorded for all procedures; PSD was recorded for a subset of 105 procedures. The dose index, defined as the ratio between PSD and cumulative dose, was also determined. RESULTS In general, correlation values for comparisons between fluoroscopy time and the other measures of dose ( r = .29 to .78) were lower than values for comparisons among DAP, cumulative dose, and PSD ( r = .52 to .94). For all procedures, pair-wise correlations between DAP, cumulative skin dose, and PSD were statistically significant ( P P P P = .22). Within each individual procedure type, the range of values for the dose index varied 156.7-fold for carotid arteriography, 3.2-fold for chest ports, and 175-fold for aortography and runoff. CONCLUSION Fluoroscopy time is a poor predictor of risk because it does not correlate well with PSD. Cumulative dose and DAP are not good analogues of PSD because of weak correlations for some procedures and because of wide variations in the dose index for all procedures.
Link-layer performance of 2×2 780MHz and 2×2 2.3GHz MIMO systems

Link layer capacities of 2.3GHz and 780MHz antennas in 2×2 MIMO systems are compared. Simulation results show comparable performance for these two systems. Although a much better performance was expected from the 2.3 GHz system compared to the 780MHz system, the orientation of the antenna pattern played a significant factor in link layer performance. In the simulated designs, the orientation of the antenna pattern favored the 780MHz antennas.
Using meta-level compilation to check FLASH protocol code

Building systems such as OS kernels and embedded software is difficult. An important source of this difficulty is the numerous rules they must obey: interrupts cannot be disabled for ~too long," global variables must be protected by locks, user pointers passed to OS code must be checked for safety before use, etc. A single violation can crash the system, yet typically these invariants are unchecked, existing only on paper or in the implementor's mind.This paper is a case study in how system implementors can use a new programming methodology, meta-level compilation (MC), to easily check such invariants. It focuses on using MC to check for errors in the code used to manage cache coherence on the FLASH shared memory multiprocessor. The only real practical method known for verifying such code is testing and simulation. We show that simple, system-specific checkers can dramatically improve this situation by statically pinpointing errors in the program source. These checkers can be written by implementors themselves and, by exploiting the system-specific information this allows, can detect errors unreachable with other methods. The checkers in this paper found 34 bugs in FLASH code despite the care used in building it and the years of testing it has undergone. Many of these errors fall in the worst category of systems bugs: those that show up sporadically only after days of continuous use. The case study is interesting because it shows that the MC approach finds serious errors in well-tested, non-toy systems code. Further, the code to find such bugs is usually 10-100 lines long, written in a few hours, and exactly locates errors that, if discovered during testing, would require several days of investigation by an experienced implementor.The paper presents 8 checkers we wrote, their application to five different protocol implementations, and a discussion of the errors that we found.
Ganoderma lucidum for Cancer Treatment: We Are Close but Still Not There

The medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia to improve health and promote longevity. The idea of using G. lucidum for cancer treatment is based on numerous laboratory and preclinical studies with cancer and immune cells as well as animal models demonstrating various biological activities in vitro and in vivo. For example, G. lucidum possesses cytotoxic, cytostatic, antimetastatic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulating activities. Limited clinical studies, including case reports and randomized controlled trials, suggest G. lucidum as an alternative adjunct therapy for stimulating the immune system in cancer patients. To confirm the efficacy of G. lucidum in cancer treatment, systematic translational research programs should be started worldwide. In addition, only standardized preclinically evaluated, biologically active G. lucidum extracts should be used in alternative treatments. This approach will lead to the development of standardized G. lucidum preparations with specific chemical fingerprint-associated anticancer activities.
Impact of ER Protein Homeostasis on Metabolism

Proper regulation of protein homeostasis in a cell is critical for the health of the organism. Proteins, intracellular or secreted, need to be produced and maintained at the right quantity, folded into their three-dimensional conformation with necessary posttranslational modifications, targeted to their correct destinations to insure their optimal function, and degraded efficiently and disposed when needed. The overall process is tightly regulated at many levels to increase or decrease the rate of the synthesis and breakdown of polypeptides. In most cases, failure to properly regulate any one of these control points leads to a dysfunction at the cellular and organismic level resulting in disease. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a cellular organelle consisting of a vast tubular network, where about one-third of all proteins are synthesized. Proteins secreted to extracellular environment, membrane proteins, and proteins that reside inside the ER lumen are all synthesized and folded into their native conformation in this organelle. Later, most of the posttranslational modifications are completed in the Golgi compartment. Similar to cytoplasmic protein synthesis machinery, ER-mediated protein synthesis involves a complex molecular apparatus to insure the quantity and quality of synthesized proteins (1). ER-mediated protein synthesis and folding represent unique challenges compared with its cytoplasmic counterpart due to the high oxidative environment and high calcium concentrations of the ER lumen (2). Problems arising at the synthesis and folding stages lead to the appearance and accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen that have to be efficiently cleared using the primary protein degradation machine, the 26S proteasome, which mediates degradation of most of the ER resident as well as cytoplasmic proteins (3). Misfolded proteins, as well as the organelle itself, can also be removed through autophagy (4). Synthesis and degradation machinery interact with each other closely, and it is widely accepted that dysfunction of …
Influence of Prepartum Protein and Energy Concentrations for Dairy Goats During Pregnancy and Early Lactation

Sixty-three multiparous Alpine does were blocked by pregnancy type (single vs. multiple) on d 90 of pregnancy and assigned to one of nine diets to evaluate the interaction of prepartum protein and energy intake on BW change, kidding, and subsequent production and composition of milk. Treatments were factorial with three percentages of CP (8.5, 11.5, and 14.5% of DM) and three concentrations of metabolizable energy (1.80, 2.16, and 2.53 Mcal/kg of DM). Does were fed for ad libitum intake during pregnancy and switched to a lactation diet (16% CP and 2.35 Mcal of metabolizable energy/kg of DM) after parturition. Milk production and composition were recorded for the first 15 wk of lactation. Prepartum BW gain increased quadratically as protein amount increased but was unaffected by energy. Kidding rate, litter weight, and gestation length were unaffected by protein or energy amounts. Milk production in the subsequent lactation increased quadratically in response to prepartum CP (2.59, 3.26, and 3.07 kg/d for 8.5, 11.5, and 14.5% CP, respectively). Milk production increased linearly in response to prepartum metabolizable energy concentration (2.63, 3.05, and 3.26 kg/d for 1.80, 2.16, and 2.53 Mcal/kg of DM, respectively). Milk fat percentage increased linearly in response to increased prepartum energy. Production of milk fat, protein, SNF, FCM, and SCM were affected quadratically by increased prepartum CP and linearly by prepartum energy, following the pattern for milk production. The present recommendations for prepartum CP and energy appear to be adequate for gestation and subsequent lactation performance of dairy goats.
Cystic synovial sarcoma

A case of synovial sarcoma of the paraspinal region showing massive cystic changes is described. The tumor presented in a 53-year-old white woman who noticed a lump on the upper aspect of her back. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed a heterogeneous paraspinal mass with well-defined margins and a multilocular quality with foci of hemorrhage. Fine needle aspiration of the mass showed clusters of polygonal cells admixed with a scattered spindle cell component. Surgical excision of the mass showed a well-circumscribed but nonencapsulated tumor that showed multiple small cystic structures on cross-section. Histologic examination showed a biphasic neoplasm characterized by bland-appearing glandular elements embedded in a moderately cellular spindle cell stroma. The tumor contained multiple cysts of varying size. Immunohistochemical studies showed the glandular component to be positive for cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen. The spindle cell component was immunoreactive for cytokeratin, vimentin, bcl-2, and CD99. Stains for muscle-specific actin, smooth muscle actin, S-100 protein, and CD34 were negative. Cytogenetic analysis showed a balanced reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes X and 18, in addition to other clonal abnormalities. Synovial sarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cystic lesions involving the soft tissues. Magnetic resonance imaging is considered the procedure of choice for the evaluation of soft tissue tumors because of its superior soft tissue contrast and multiplanar imaging capability. While the imaging features of soft tissue tumors are often nonspecific, magnetic resonance imaging may provide helpful clues, thus narrowing the differential diagnosis. Immunohistochemical studies and cytogenetic analysis may be very helpful for establishing the correct diagnosis in cases with this unusual presentation. Ann Diagn Pathol 5:48-56, 2001.
The History of Euthanasia Debates in the United States and Britain

Debates about the ethics of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide date from ancient Greece and Rome. After the development of ether, physicians began advocating the use of anesthetics to relieve the pains of death. In 1870, Samuel Williams first proposed using anesthetics and morphine to intentionally end a patient's life. Over the next 35 years, debates about the ethics of euthanasia raged in the United States and Britain, culminating in 1906 in an Ohio bill to legalize euthanasia, a bill that was ultimately defeated. The arguments propounded for and against euthanasia in the 19th century are identical to contemporary arguments. Such similarities suggest four conclusions: Public interest in euthanasia 1) is not linked with advances in biomedical technology; 2) it flourishes in times of economic recession, in which individualism and social Darwinism are invoked to justify public policy; 3) it arises when physician authority over medical decision making is challenged; and 4) it occurs when terminating life-sustaining medical interventions become standard medical practice and interest develops in extending such practices to include euthanasia.
Complex oxide nanomembranes for energy conversion and storage: A review

Oxide membranes are the foundation of several electrochemical devices and sensors, where functionality is related to selective transport of electrons and ions through a membrane or physical responses from an external perturbation. The ability to engineer power sources and sensors for the rapidly growing field of autonomous systems requires high power density and specific energy. Clamped free-standing nanoscale membranes provide an experimentally tunable platform to explore the limits of dimensionality reduction for such purposes. This review addresses the following: (i) advancing experimental methods to fabricate nanoscale oxide membranes that can sustain a chemical potential gradient, thermomechanically stable under large thermal cycles, and can be electrically interrogated with negligible parasitic loss; (ii) a representative example of high performance energy devices, solid oxide fuel cells, utilizing such membranes; and (iii) a brief discussion on emerging research directions broadly in the areas of condensed matter sciences and energy conversion and storage intersecting low-dimensional complex oxide materials.
Approximating the distribution of maximally selected McNemar's statistics.

Summary. It is common in epidemiologic analyses to summarize continuous outcomes as falling above or below a threshold. With paired data and with a threshold chosen without reference to the outcomes, McNemar's test of marginal homogeneity may be applied to the resulting dichotomous pairs when testing for equality of the marginal distributions of the underlying continuous outcomes. If the threshold is chosen to maximize the test statistic, however, referring the resulting test statistic to the nominal x2 distribution is incorrect; instead, the p-value must be adjusted for the multiple comparisons. Here the distribution of a maximally selected McNemar's statistic is derived, and it is shown that an approximation due to Durbin (1985, Journal of Applied Probability22, 99–122) may be used to estimate approximate p-values. The methodology is illustrated by an application to measurements of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in matched prostate cancer cases and controls from the Physicians' Health Study. The results of simulation experiments that assess the accuracy of the approximation in moderate sample sizes are reported.
Mating Frequency and Fecundity in the Emerald Ash Borer Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

The consequences of single versus multiple mating on the longevity, fecundity, and fertility of female emerald ash borers Agrilus planipennis (Fairmaire) were examined. In the Þrst treatment, dissections of the common oviduct showed that 43 of 52 singly-mated females had received spermatophores. In the next two treatments, females were observed to mate one time, then housed either alone (observed separate) or with their mate (observed together). In the fourth treatment, females were paired with a randomly chosen male (unobserved together). Weight (0.0428 SE 0.0008 g) and longevity (50.5 SE 1.6 d) of female beetles did not differ among treatments. Fecundity, but not fertility, had a signiÞcant positive correlation with longevity in all treatments. Almost all of the females Oobserved togetherO laid eggs (87%, N 31), while signiÞcantly fewer females Ounobserved togetherO (61%, N 31) and Oobserved separateO (54%, N 31) did. The fecundity of females that did lay eggs did not differ among treatments. Based on our results a single mating may be sufÞcient to ensure maximal fecundity for females, but there is potential for failure of any one mating, and no apparent cost to multiple mating. Thus, multiple mating is likely the best strategy for female emerald ash borers to maximize fecundity. The implications of results for laboratory rearing, and potential population level effects are discussed.
An observer study methodology for evaluating detection of motion abnormalities in gated myocardial perfusion SPECT

To address the task of detecting nonischemic motion abnormalities from animated displays of gated myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography data, we performed an observer study to evaluate the difference in detection performance between gating to 8 and 16 frames. Images were created from the NCAT mathematical phantom with a realistic heart simulating hypokinetic motion in the left lateral wall. Realistic noise-free projection data were simulated for both normal and defective hearts to obtain 16 frames for the cardiac cycle. Poisson noise was then simulated for each frame to create 50 realizations of each heart. All datasets were processed in two ways: reconstructed as a 16-frame set, and collapsed to 8 frames and reconstructed. Ten observers viewed the cardiac images animated with a realistic real-time frame rate. Observers trained on 100 images and tested on 100 images, rating their confidence on the presence of a motion defect on a continuous scale. None of the observers showed a significant difference in performance between the two gating methods. The 95% confidence interval on the difference in areas under the ROC curve (Az/sub 8/-Az/sub 16/) was -0.029-0.085. Our test did not find a significant difference in detection performance between 8-frame gating and 16-frame gating. We conclude that, for the task of detecting abnormal motion, increasing the number of gated frames from 8 to 16 offers no apparent advantage.
The role of composition and aggregation in modeling macromolecular regulatory networks

Today's macromolecular regulatory network models are small compared to the amount of information known about a particular cellular pathway, in part because current modeling languages and tools are unable to handle significantly larger models. Thus, most pathway modeling work today focuses on building small models of individual pathways since they are easy to construct and manage. The hope is someday to put these pieces together to create a more complete picture of the underlying molecular machinery. While efforts to make large models benefit from reusing existing components, unfortunately, there currently exists little tool or representational support for combining or composing models. We have identified four distinct modeling processes related to model composition: fusion, composition, aggregation, and flattening. We present concrete proposals for implementing all four processes in the context of the Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML).
The effects of ownership structure on corporate restructuring

This paper investigates the relationship between ownership structure and corporate restructuring in a sample of 93 surviving public Fortune 500 firms during the period 1981–87. The results show that blockholder ownership is associated significantly with corporate restructuring, suggesting that many managers restructured their corporations during the 1980s only when pressured to do so by large shareholders.
The Role of Cognition and Depression in Predicting Functional Outcome in Geriatric Medical Rehabilitation Patients

The roles depression and cognition play in activities of daily living (ADL) and ambulation recovery in geriatric patients were investigated. Subjects consisted of 423 medical rehabilitation inpatie...
Biofilm models of polymicrobial infection

Interactions between microbes are complex and play an important role in the pathogenesis of infections. These interactions can range from fierce competition for nutrients and niches to highly evolved cooperative mechanisms between different species that support their mutual growth. An increasing appreciation for these interactions, and desire to uncover the mechanisms that govern them, has resulted in a shift from monomicrobial to polymicrobial biofilm studies in different disease models. Here we provide an overview of biofilm models used to study select polymicrobial infections and highlight the impact that the interactions between microbes within these biofilms have on disease progression. Notable recent advances in the development of polymicrobial biofilm-associated infection models and challenges facing the study of polymicrobial biofilms are addressed.
Labels affect preschoolers' tool-based scale errors.

Abstract Scale errors offer a unique context in which to examine the interdependencies between language and action. Here, we manipulated the presence of labels in a tool-based paradigm previously shown to elicit high rates of scale errors. We predicted that labels would increase children’s scale errors with tools by directing attention to shape, function, and category membership. Children between the ages of 2 and 3 years were introduced to an apparatus and shown how to produce its function using a tool (e.g., scooping a toy fish from an aquarium using a net). In each of two test trials, children were asked to choose between two novel tools to complete the same task: one that was a large non-functional version of the tool presented in training and one novel functional object (different in shape). A total of four tool–apparatus sets were tested. The results indicated that without labels, scale errors decreased over the two test trials. In contrast, when labels were present, scale errors remained high in the second test trial. We interpret these findings as evidence that linguistic cues can influence children’s action-based errors with tools.
Induction of an Allogeneic-Like Inhibition by Means of DNA Obtained from Untreated Cells

Several laboratories have recently presented evidence of an apparently nonimmunological phenomenon which bears some resemblance to an immunological reaction (Ginsburg and Sachs, 1965; Holm and Perlman, 1965; Bergheden and Hellstrom, 1966; Hellstrom, 1966; Moller et al., 1966; Fialkow, 1967; Hellstrom et al., 1967; Moller, 1967). Hellstrom (1966) has applied the term “allogeneic inhibition” to this phenomenon, in which cells of one strain are destroyed by cells of another strain because of a difference with respect to certain isoantigens. Such inhibition has been obtained both in vivo and in vitro by means of normal or even lethally X-irradiated cells from nonimmunized animals. Extracts of the allogeneic cells have also been found to cause cell destruction. However, isoantibodies reacting against certain antigenic determinants of the allogeneic cell-line negate the latter’s inhibitory property (Moller, 1967). The mechanism by which “allogeneic inhibition” occurs thus does not appear to be mediated by antibodies. Instead, special antigenic constituents of the inhibitory cell presumably attach to specific antigens of the target cell, thereby causing subtle configurational changes and inducing cell death.
Health-Status Insurance: How Markets Can Provide Health Security

None of us has health insurance, really. If you develop a long-term condition such as heart disease or cancer, and if you then lose your job or are divorced, you can lose your health insurance. You now have a preexisting condition, and insurance will be enormously expensive - if it's available at all. Free markets can solve this problem, and provide life-long, portable health security, while enhancing consumer choice and competition. "Health-status insurance" is the key. If you are diagnosed with a long-term, expensive condition, a health-status insurance policy will give you the resources to pay higher medical insurance premiums. Health-status insurance covers the risk of premium reclassification, just as medical insurance covers the risk of medical expenses. With health-status insurance, you can always obtain medical insurance, no matter how sick you get, with no change in out-of-pocket costs. With health-status insurance, medical insurers would be allowed to charge sick people more than healthy people, and to compete intensely for all customers. People would have complete freedom to change jobs, move, or change medical insurers. Rigorous competition would allow us to obtain better medical care at lower cost. Most regulations and policy proposals aimed at improving long-term insurance - including those advanced in Barack Obama's presidential campaign - limit competition and consumer choice by banning risk-based premiums, forcing insurers to take all comers, strengthening employer-based or other forced pooling mechanisms, or introducing national health insurance. The individual health insurance market is already moving in the direction of health-status insurance. To let health-status insurance emerge fully, we must remove the legal and regulatory pressure to provide employer-based group insurance over individual insurance and remove regulations limiting risk-based pricing and competition among health insurers.
Modern Trends in Demographics and Inpatient Healthcare Utilization for Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in the U.S.A.

Background Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. Extrarenal manifestations complicate HUS, damaging the gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, and respiratory tract. Despite potentially serious sequelae, few studies have characterized demographics, clinical outcomes, and economic burden of HUS in the US. Methods Pediatric admissions with a primary diagnosis of HUS between 2000-2009 were evaluated via the Kids' Inpatient Database of the Healthcare Utilization Project. Results From 2000-2009, 1133 children were hospitalized annually with HUS. Overall hospital length of stay (LOS) decreased significantly. Females predominated (53.7%) and 49.1% of patients were 1-4 years of age. Extrarenal manifestations were associated with increased likelihood of dialysis. Almost one-third received red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, and RBC transfusion frequency increased over time. Overall mortality rate was 2.4% and significantly decreased over time. Neurological and respiratory complications and sepsis were associated with increased mortality. Conclusions Despite serious complications associated with HUS, there is a lack of data describing demographics and impact of HUS on the US healthcare system. This study provides the largest review of HUS cases and provides impetus to prospectively evaluate interventions that reduce morbidity and mortality in HUS patients.
Prevention of formation of end-bulb neuromata.

SummaryOpposing the growth of nerve fibers by encasing the proximal stump of a severed peripheral nerve in a rigid tube will prevent the formation of an end-bulb neuroma. The injection of the nerve with tannic acid or gentian violet likewise inhibits neuroma formation. The mechanisms probably are not identical. In addition to exerting lateral pressure and limiting the blood supply, tannic acid and gentian violet exert chemical inhibition to the growth of the nerve for a varying period following the injection which further favors the encasement of the resting nerve fibers by a connective tissue envelope.This method of preventing the formation of end-bulb neuromata may aid in solving the problem of painful amputation stumps and the phenomenon of the phantom limb. No contraindications to injecting the nerve ends in amputation stumps have been observed.
The Parasitic Behavior of the Bronzed Cowbird in South Texas

Aspects of the breeding ecology of the Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus) were studied from early April to mid-July or August 1980 to 1982 at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas. Female Bronzed Cowbirds, similar to Brown-headed (M. ater) and Shiny (M. bonariensis) cowbirds, are generalists in their egg laying. Of five common host species on the refuge, all were equally and usually repeatedly parasitized. Of these, only the Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) and Longbilled Thrasher (Toxostoma longirostre) are larger than the cowbirds in body size and are better host choices based on their relative success as fosterers. Experimental parasitism of Couch's Kingbirds (Tyrannus melancholicus), Curve-billed Thrashers (Toxostoma curvirostre), and Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) showed that they eject cowbird eggs from the nest. Female Bronzed Cowbirds, like Shiny Cowbirds, pierce both host eggs and previously laid cowbird eggs. Approximately twice as many host eggs were pierced compared to cowbird eggs. In some parasitized nests, more than one cowbird laid eggs and final host clutch size was greatly reduced. The vocal reaction of host species to cowbird intrusion probably provided clues on nest location to nest-searching female cowbirds who were drawn to such stimuli. Like the other four parasitic cowbird species, Bronzed Cowbird nestlings possess no apparent special adaptation for brood parasitism. Their vocal nature, however, appears to give them a competitive edge against less vocal host nestmates.
Editorial. From the Hobbesian international law of coexistence to modern integration law: the WTO dispute settlement system

All contributions to this second issue of the Journal of International Economic Law are devoted to the worldwide dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The purpose of this introductory editorial is to place this special theme in the broader context of international law and to draw attention to some of the many inter-relationships between general international law, international economic law and WTO law.
How to access online full-text medical journals

Five ways to access online full-text medical journals are described. They are the union catalogues of local hospital and medical college library collection, Web, E-mail of the authors, links offered by some secondary document databases, information service agencies.
Critical Assessment of Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory for Excited States of Open-Shell Systems: II. Doublet-Quartet Transitions

Compared with closed-shell systems, open-shell systems place three additional challenges to time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) for electronically excited states: (a) the spin-contamination problem is a serious issue; (b) the exchange-correlation (XC) kernel may be numerically instable; and (c) the single-determinant description of open-shell ground states readily becomes energetically instable. Confined to flip-up single excitations, the spin-contamination problem can largely be avoided by using the spin-flip TD-DFT (SF-TD-DFT) formalism, provided that a noncollinear XC kernel is employed. As for the numerical instabilities associated with such a kernel, only an ad hoc scheme has been proposed so far, viz., the ALDA0 kernel, which amounts to setting the divergent components (arising from density gradients and kinetic energy density) simply to zero. The ground-state instability problem can effectively be avoided by introducing the Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA) to TD-DFT. Therefore, on a g...
The elusive colonic malignancy. A need for definitive preoperative localization.

Colonoscopy with biopsy is the standard of practice for the diagnosis of colonic malignancies. Unfortunately, the inability of endoscopy to obtain precise distance measurements from the anal verge can make localization of lesions at operation difficult. For this reason, preoperative barium enema or intraoperative colonoscopy have been advocated to further pinpoint the sites of those lesions not thought to be easily located at operation. Five patients are presented in whom malignant lesions of the colon were diagnosed and verified histologically, but were later undetectable at operation or subsequent colonoscopic examinations. Four of these patients underwent laparotomy and three received colon resections. None of these patients' tumors were identified during intraoperative colonoscopy, in the resected bowel on pathologic examination, or on follow-up colonoscopy. A fifth patient is presented who spontaneously passed a polyp containing invasive adenocarcinoma, but multiple colonoscopic examinations have failed to identify the site of the lesion. To date, none of these tumors have recurred with periods of follow-up ranging from 6 months to 2 years. These patients demonstrate a poorly documented and little understood aspect of the behavior of colonic malignancies, i.e., the ability to spontaneously regress or slough from the bowel wall. Based on these instances, localization of potentially malignant colon lesions is recommended with submucosal dye injections at initial endoscopy or with colonoscopy in the operating room immediately prior to operation.
Constitutive Lck Activity Drives Sensitivity Differences between CD8 + Memory T Cell Subsets

CD8(+) T cells develop increased sensitivity following Ag experience, and differences in sensitivity exist between T cell memory subsets. How differential TCR signaling between memory subsets contributes to sensitivity differences is unclear. We show in mouse effector memory T cells (TEM) that >50% of lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) exists in a constitutively active conformation, compared with <20% in central memory T cells (TCM). Immediately proximal to Lck signaling, we observed enhanced Zap-70 phosphorylation in TEM following TCR ligation compared with TCM Furthermore, we observed superior cytotoxic effector function in TEM compared with TCM, and we provide evidence that this results from a lower probability of TCM reaching threshold signaling owing to the decreased magnitude of TCR-proximal signaling. We provide evidence that the differences in Lck constitutive activity between CD8(+) TCM and TEM are due to differential regulation by SH2 domain-containing phosphatase-1 (Shp-1) and C-terminal Src kinase, and we use modeling of early TCR signaling to reveal the significance of these differences. We show that inhibition of Shp-1 results in increased constitutive Lck activity in TCM to levels similar to TEM, as well as increased cytotoxic effector function in TCM Collectively, this work demonstrates a role for constitutive Lck activity in controlling Ag sensitivity, and it suggests that differential activities of TCR-proximal signaling components may contribute to establishing the divergent effector properties of TCM and TEM. This work also identifies Shp-1 as a potential target to improve the cytotoxic effector functions of TCM for adoptive cell therapy applications.
Callose-Deposit Formation in Radish Root Hairs

Callose was identified as a substance of characteristic staining and solubility properties more than a century ago (Nageli, 1861; see the review by Currier, 1957). Mangin (1890, 1892) emphasized that there is a wide distribution of this plant-cell constituent among various cells and tissues. The long list of callose deposition sites includes fungal and algal cell walls, pollen tube walls and as plugs in pollen tubes, sieve cells, guard-cell walls, cell plates, freely growing walls of endosperm, plasmodesmata, pit fields, and root hairs. Much callose formation is undoubtedly a part of normal cell differentiation or development. Perhaps the most conspicuous synthesis of callose is that which occurs rapidly on stimulation of plant cells by external factors. “Wound callose” is a phrase coined to describe callose synthesized in response to mechanical injury to plant tissue (Currier, 1957) and can describe equally well that callose formed on chemical damage, in response to fungal, bacterial, or viral infection, or in response to environmental stress.
Shaking the Foundations of the Law: Some Legal Issues Posed by a Detection of Extra-Terrestrial Life

If extra-terrestrial life was detected, this would inevitably raise a number of legal issues. The most important ones may actually shake the very foundations of ‘the law’ as a man-made instrument designed to regulate human behavior in one form or another, given that by definition we would be encountering non-human life. The actual extent of challenges to the concept of ‘the law’ however would also depend upon the level of intelligence and advancement of such extra-terrestrial life. Firstly, it might be much less intelligent and advanced than human life, in which case it would likely have no concept such as ‘law’. Should this mean that we humans could treat these extraterrestrials as animals, as objects of the law with rights requiring advocacy rather than agents with the capacity to speak for themselves? Secondly, extraterrestrial life may be roughly as intelligent and advanced as human life, in which case it is likely to have a concept similar to the concept of law. In which case humanity should probably strive for a compromise ‘meta-law’, arranging the respective spheres of application of human-made law and the comparable extra-terrestrial system. Finally, extra-terrestrial life may be much more intelligent and advanced than we are—in which case humanity is in trouble. The applicability of our concocted terrestrial law, vis-a-vis those extra-terrestrials, or even amongst ourselves, would depend on such extraterrestrial life. Humanity could end up being the ‘object’ of their system of ‘law’, or whatever has taken its place. (A scenario which is reminiscent of the zoo hypothesis: the idea we are here as an object for the observation of superior forms of intelligence.)
In Vehicle Infotainment and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems: Advantages of Knowledge-Based Qualification over Standard-Based Qualification for Solder Joint Reliability

In this paper, we proposed a novel approach of applying Knowledge-based Qualification (KBQ) to calculate temperature cycle (TC) requirements for Ball Grid Array (BGA)s in a given automotive electronics module. Realistic use (UC) condition temperature profiles were constructed by combining weather data, driver cabin environment, user behavior statistical data, and component thermal behavior. Individual package geometry, solder ball pin map and material properties were incorporated through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modeling. Direct translation from use condition to KBQ test condition requirement was achieved by using a physics based damage metric - inelastic strain energy density (ISED). We compared KBQ results to Standard-based Qualification (SBQ) results for In Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) automotive modules to demonstrate and explain why KBQ and SBQ differ and why SBQ requirements can be misleading. We also demonstrate how package geometry and material properties impact KBQ, while they are generally ignored by SBQ.
Use of gut flora as a natural vaccine against autoimmunity

August 20-22, 2012 A it is known that resident gut flora contribute to immune system function and homeostasis, their role in the progression of the autoimmune disease Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is poorly understood. Comparison of stool samples isolated from Bio Breeding (BB) rats, a classic model of T1D, shows that distinct bacterial populations reside in spontaneous diabetesprone (BBDP) and diabetes resistant (BBDR) animals. We have previously shown that the oral transfer of Lactobacillus johnsonii N6.2 (LjN6.2) from BBDR to BBDP rodents conferred T1D resistance to BBDP rodents, whereas Lactobacillus reuteri TD1 (LrTD1) did not. In this study, we show that diabetes resistance in LjN6.2 fed BBDP rodents was correlated to a Th17 cell bias within the mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN). The Th17 bias was not observed in the non-gut draining axillary lymph nodes, suggesting that the Th17 bias was because of immune system interactions with LjN6.2 within the mLN. LjN6.2 interactions with the immune system were observed in the spleens of diabetes resistant, LjN6.2 fed BBDP rats as they also possessed a Th17 bias in comparison to control or LrTD1 fed rats. Using C57BL/6 mouse in vitro assays, we show that LjN6.2 directly mediated enhanced Th17 differentiation of lymphocytes in the presence of TCR stimulation, which required antigen presenting cells. Finally, we show that footpad vaccination of NOD mice with LjN6.2 pulsed dendritic cells was sufficient to mediate a Th17 bias in vivo. Together, these data suggest an interesting paradigm whereby T1D induction can be circumvented by gut flora-mediated Th17 differentiation.
Ultraviolet LED based compact and fast cortisol detector with ultra high sensitivity

A novel label free, compact, fast and noninvasive absorbance based optical sensing technique was devised for the first time to detect cortisol, a physical and psychological stress biomarker, using ultraviolet (UV) LEDs. LEDs at three different UV wavelengths were employed to demonstrate cortisol sensing with different cortisol concentration. From the differential photoresponse versus concentration curves, we calculated the sensitivity of the sensors to be 1 mV/μM, 0.15 mV/μM and 0.08 mV/μM at 240 nm, 250 nm and 260 nm wavelength respectively. The developed sensing technique can be easily incorporated with microfluidic system for point-of-care cortisol detection and such developed protocol can be used in personalized health monitoring.