cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perioperative Educational Interventions and Contemporary Sexual Function Outcomes of Radical Prostatectomy

Abstract Introduction Men undergoing prostatectomy can have unrealistic preoperative expectations regarding sexual function after surgery and may desire more education on recovery and symptom management. Aim To present contemporary data on recovery of sexual function after prostatectomy and characterize how it is impacted by perioperative patient educational interventions. Methods A comprehensive review of the English-language literature available by PubMed search. Main Outcome Measures Rates of sexual function recovery after prostatectomy and the impact of educational interventions on these and related outcomes. Results Available studies describe heterogeneous educational and support interventions that differ by patient selection, content, method of delivery, timing, and duration. Interventions with group-based education or peer support benefitted sexual satisfaction metrics. Many studies included men and their partners in supportive interventions. However, the few randomized controlled trials directly analyzing the effect of partner attendance revealed no additional benefit to outcomes. Interventions within 6 weeks of prostatectomy variably aided measures of sexual recovery. Some studies with greater time between prostate cancer treatment and interventions revealed only temporary improvements in outcomes. Yet durable improvements in sexual satisfaction and sexual function were observed in some men enrolled years after prostate cancer treatment. At times, web-based interventions had lower completion rates, but sexual function outcomes were comparable to traditional in-person interventions within randomized trials. Conclusion Educational interventions imparted variable benefit to sexual function and satisfaction, with group-based designs mostly benefitting satisfaction outcomes. Despite standardized interventions, men reported worse-than-expected outcomes, suggesting an emphasis on counseling regarding changes in erectile function at multiple time points before surgery and during the recovery period may be helpful. Earlier interventions may help with recovery by establishing more accurate patient expectations. Regarding accessibility, future endeavors may be improved with internet-based educational content, as such interventions appeared to provide comparable benefits to in-person sessions. Faris AER, Montague DK, Gill BC. Perioperative Educational Interventions and Contemporary Sexual Function Outcomes of Radical Prostatectomy. Sex Med Rev 2019;7:293–305.
Improved survival in AYAs with NRSTS treated at specialized cancer centers in California.

e23551Background: Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) are a heterogeneous group of soft tissue tumors whose management benefits from a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach, especial...
An Introduction to Latent Variable Growth Curve Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and Application, Second Edition

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Specification of the LGM. LGM, Repeated Measures ANOVA, and the Mixed Linear Model. Multivariate Representations of Growth and Development. Analyzing Growth in Multiple Populations. Accelerated Designs. Multilevel Longitudinal Approaches. Growth Mixture Modeling. Piecewise and Pooled Interruped Time Series LGMs. Latent Growth Curve Modeling With Categorical Variables. Missing Data Models. Latent Variable Framework for LGM Power Estimation. Testing Interaction Effects in LGMs. Summary.
Understanding Aerosol-Cloud-Radiation Interactions Using Local Meteorology and Cloud State Constraints

Abstract. While many studies have tried to quantify the sign and the magnitude of the warm cloud response to aerosol loading, both remain uncertain owing to the multitude of factors that modulate microphysical and thermodynamic processes within the cloud. Constraining aerosol-cloud interactions using the local meteorology and cloud liquid water may offer a way to account for covarying influences, potentially increasing our confidence in observational estimates of warm cloud indirect effects. Four years of collocated satellite observations from the NASA A-Train constellation, combined with reanalaysis from MERRA-2, are used to partition warm clouds into regimes based on stability, the free atmospheric relative humidity, and liquid water path. Organizing the sizable number of satellite observations into regimes is shown to minimize the covariance between the environment or liquid water path and the indirect effect. Controlling for local meteorology and cloud state mitigates artificial signals and reveals substantial variance in both the sign and magnitude of the cloud radiative response, including regions where clouds become systematically darker with increased aerosol concentration in dry, unstable environments. The reverse Twomey effect, as it has been called, is evident even under the most stringent of constraints, confirming it is not an artificial signal or an isolated phenomenon. These results suggest it is not meaningful to report a single global sensitivity of cloud radiative effect to aerosol. To the contrary, we find the sensitivity can range from −.46 to .11 W m −2 ln(AI) regionally.
Pre-almond supplemental forage improves colony survival and alters queen pheromone signaling in overwintering honey bee colonies

Supplemental forage can be used to provide nutrition to bees during winter dearth. We examined the effects of supplemental forage on colony performance, colony survival, worker quality, and queen pheromone signaling in Nosema ceranae-infected overwintering colonies. Colonies were either supplemented with rapini or left unsupplemented for 1 month before almond pollination. Unsupplemented colonies experienced higher mortality than supplemented colonies. Supplemental forage did not affect colony performance, worker mass, or hypopharyngeal gland protein content. However, supplemented queens released more of three queen QMP and QRP compounds (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethanol, methyl oleate, and 1-hexadecanol) that promote queen care among workers. In addition, colonies that survived almond pollination thermoregulated their hives more than colonies that failed. Supplemental forage may prepare overwintering colonies for the stresses of early spring pollination.
Mass Privatization: Virtual Reality, Volatile Rights, and Violent Raiding

The phenomenon of predatory raiding cannot be considered without first looking into the earlier forms of property distribution, including Russia’s mass privatization. This chapter analyzes privatization reforms and crisis raiding. It starts with the mass privatization of the 1990s and argues that despite several attempts made by scholars, establishing the chronology of predatory raiding remains a challenge. If such a chronology is to be formed, it will inadvertently connect to stages of privatization as unequal distribution of property. This chapter argues that the predatory raiding of the 2000s and 2010s as a form of redistribution of property is certainly not the first wave of property redistribution that rolled over Russia. The mass privatization of the 1990s combined with corruption created perfect breeding grounds for predatory raiders.
Survival in Patients with High-Grade Colorectal Neuroendocrine Carcinomas: The Role of Surgery and Chemotherapy

Colorectal neuroendocrine tumors are a rare malignancy, yet their incidence appears to be increasing. The optimal treatment for the high-grade subset of these tumors remains unclear. We aimed to examine the relationship between different treatment modalities and outcomes for patients with high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (HGNECs) of the colon and rectum. The National Cancer Database (2004–2015) was used to identify patients diagnosed with colorectal HGNECs. The primary outcome was overall survival. A Cox Proportional hazard model was used to identify risk factors for survival. Overall, 1208 patients had HGNECs; 452 (37.4%) patients had primary tumors of the rectum, and 756 (62.5%) patients had primary tumors of the colon. A total of 564 (46.7%) patients presented with stage IV disease. The median survival was 9.0 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.2–9.8]. In multivariable analysis, surgical resection [hazard ratio (HR) 0.54, 95% CI 0.44–0.66; p < 0.001], chemotherapy (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.69–0.79; p < 0.001), and rectum as the primary site of tumor (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.51–0.76; p < 0.001) were associated with better overall survival, while older age (HR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.01; p = 0.02) and the presence of metastatic disease (HR 3.34, 95% CI 2.69–4.15; p < 0.001) were associated with worse survival. Patients with colorectal HGNECs selected for chemotherapy and surgical resection of the primary tumor demonstrated better overall survival than those managed without resection. Patients who were able to undergo systemic chemotherapy may benefit from potentially curative resection of the primary tumor.
Abstract 228: Multi-omics Mapping Generates a Molecular Atlas of the Aortic Valve and Reveals Networks Driving Disease

Background: No pharmacological therapy exists for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), which confers a dismal prognosis without valve replacement. The search for therapeutics and early diagnostics...
Concerns most important to parents after their child's suicide attempt: A pilot study and collaboration with a rural mental health facility.

Problem Little is known of the needs of parents after their child has made a suicide attempt. The goal of this research was to create and pilot an acceptable and effective survey for parents whose child has made a suicide attempt so that their needs and concerns are known. Method The Social-Ecological Model was used as a framework to better understand the problem of adolescent suicide from the parent perspective. Collaboration with interdisciplinary staff at a rural mental health facility in the United States occurred to create and pilot the survey tool with content and practice experts validating the survey questions. Findings Five parents completed the pilot survey. Results showed that parents have unmet needs after their child's suicide attempt; reporting the need to ensure safety for their child and the need for understanding how to help their child. Parents stated interest in attending a focus group to discuss their needs and noted transportation and childcare being primary barriers to attending a focus group. Conclusion Results from this research will inform the planning focus groups of parents whose child has made suicide attempt.
Current and new rotavirus vaccines

Purpose of reviewAs of 2019, four rotavirus vaccines have been prequalified by the WHO for use worldwide. This review highlights current knowledge regarding rotavirus vaccines available, and provides a brief summary of the rotavirus vaccine pipeline.Recent findingsData generated from use of currentl
Why Has Strategy Become Irrelevant? Understanding the Complete Strategy Landscape

Developing the firm’s strategy was once seen as the most important task facing a CEO. Yet in the last twenty years, the practice of strategy has been relegated to a routinized function – part of the annual planning process, like performance management and succession planning reviews – necessary and useful, but neither vitally important nor the focus of CEO attention. Why has strategy lost its primacy and relevance? And can it recover its exalted position in C-suite discussions?
Efficacy and mechanisms of a single-session behavioral medicine class among patients with chronic pain taking prescription opioids: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Independent of pain intensity, pain-specific distress is highly predictive of pain treatment needs, including the need for prescription opioids. Given the inherently distressing nature of chronic pain, there is a need to equip individuals with pain education and self-regulatory skills that are shown to improve adaptation and improve their response to medical treatments. Brief, targeted behavioral medicine interventions may efficiently address the key individual factors, improve self-regulation in the context of pain, and reduce the need for opioid therapy. This highlights the critical need for targeted, cost-effective interventions that efficiently address the key psychological factors that can amplify the need for opioids and increased risk for misuse. In this trial, the primary goal is to test the comparative efficacy of a single-session skills-based pain management class to a health education active control group among patients with chronic pain who are taking opioids. Our study is a randomized, double-blind clinical trial testing the superiority of our 2-h, single-session skills-based pain management class against a 2-h health education class. We will enroll 136 adult patients with mixed-etiology chronic pain who are taking opioid prescription medication and randomize 1:1 to one of the two treatment arms. We hypothesize superiority for the skills-based pain class for pain control, self-regulation of pain-specific distress, and reduced opioid use measured by daily morphine equivalent. Team researchers masked to treatment assignment will assess outcomes up to 12 months post treatment. This study aims to test the utility of a single-session, 2-h skills-based pain management class to improve self-regulation of pain and reduce opioid use. Findings from our project have the potential to shift current research and clinical paradigms by testing a brief and scalable intervention that could reduce the need for opioids and prevent misuse effectively, efficiently, and economically. Further, elucidation of the mechanisms of opioid use can facilitate refinement of more targeted future treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov , ID: NCT03950791. Registered on 10 May 2019.
Barriers to Implementing Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) Screening in an Urban Primary Care Clinic

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a recognized childhood epidemic, affecting approximately 34 million children nationally and increasing risk for negative health, behavioral, and developmental outcomes. Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to engage in conversations with families about childhood adversity and toxic stress, and universal ACEs screening can help eliminate selection bias in addressing this topic with families. Several barriers exist in implementing ACEs screening however, leading to questions on how to best incorporate the …
A BNST-Centered Microcircuit Regulating Inflammation-Associated Anorexia and Feeding

Loss of appetite or anorexia associated with inflammation impairs quality of life and increases morbidity in many diseases. Compelling evidence suggests that inflammation-associated anorexia results from the actions of pro-inflammatory factors on the nervous system. However, the exact neural mechanism that mediates inflammation-associated anorexia is still poorly understood. Here we identified a specific population of neurons, marked by the expression of protein kinase C-delta, in the oval region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) that mediates inflammation-associated anorexia. Importantly, our results demonstrated that these neurons mediate bidirectional control of general feeding behaviors. These neurons inhibit the lateral hypothalamus-projecting neurons in the ventral part of BNST to regulate feeding, receive inputs from other canonical feeding circuits. Our data therefore define a unique BNST-centered microcircuit that might function as a central hub for feeding regulation, which could offer therapeutic targets for feeding-related diseases such as anorexia and obesity.
Risk of suicide among U.S. veterans who deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn

There has been concern about the risk of suicide among veterans returning from deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND). This study assessed suicide risk among OEF/OIF/OND veterans by gender and unit component. Firearm related suicide was also briefly examined. The study cohort was identified from records of the US Department of Defense. Vital status and cause of death through 2016 was obtained from the Mortality Data Repository, which obtains data from the National Death Index. Suicide risk was first assessed using standardized mortality ratios (SMR)s, comparing the rate of suicide among all veterans, both collectively and separately by gender and unit component (active vs. reserve/National Guard) to the expected based on the US population adjusted for age, race, sex, and calendar year. Risk of suicide among active duty compared to reserve/National Guard veterans and male compared to female veterans was assessed with hazard ratios (HR) s, generated by Cox proportional hazards models, that included the covariates race, age, marital status, rank, and branch of service. There was an increased risk of suicide when all OEF/OIF/OND Veterans were compared to the US population, (SMR = 1.42; 95%, C.I., 1.38,1.46). Both male and female veterans had an increased risk of suicide when compared to their gender specific non-veteran counterparts, (SMR = 1.40; 95%, C.I., 1.36,1.45 and SMR = 1.85; 95%, C.I., 1.60,2.13), respectively. Active duty veterans had an increased risk of suicide compared to reserve/National Guard veterans, (HR = 1.22; 95%, C.I., 1.14,1.30). Male veterans had an almost 3-fold increased risk compared to female veterans, (HR = 2.85; 95%, C.I., 2.47,3.29). Among all veteran suicides 68.3% involved a firearm, including 68.7% among males and 59.5% among females. All OEF/OIF/OND veterans have an increased risk of suicide compared to non-veterans. Veterans will benefit from enhanced access to mental health services and initiatives to promote suicide prevention. Strategies that emphasize lethal means safety, an evidence based suicide prevention strategy which includes increasing safe storage practices (i.e., storing firearms unloaded and locked) can help address this increased risk of veteran suicide.
Association of STS database variables with repair durability in ischemic mitral regurgitation using machine learning

BACKGROUND Machine learning (ML) can identify nonintuitive clinical variable combinations that predict clinical outcomes. To assess the potential predictive contribution of standardized Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Database clinical variables, we used ML to detect their association with repair durability in ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) patients in a single institution study. METHODS STS Database variables (n = 53) served as predictors of repair durability in ML modeling of 224 patients who underwent surgical revascularization and mitral valve repair for IMR. Follow-up mortality and echocardiography data allowed 1-year outcome analysis in 173 patients. Supervised ML analyses were performed using recurrence (≥3+ IMR) or death versus nonrecurrence (<3+ IMR) as the binary outcome classification. RESULTS We tested standard ML and deep learning algorithms, including support vector machines, logistic regression, and deep neural networks. Following training, final models were utilized to predict class labels for the patients in the test set, producing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The three models produced similar area under the curve (AUC), and predicted class labels with promising accuracy (AUC = 0.72-0.75). CONCLUSIONS Readily-available STS Database variables have potential to play a significant role in the development of ML models to direct durable surgical therapy in IMR patients.
Revisiting the diagnostic criteria for emergence from the minimally conscious state: An empirical investigation

Objective: To determine whether consistent command-following (CCF) should be added to the diagnostic criteria for emergence from the minimally conscious state (MCS) Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation hospital Participants: Patients with severe acquired brain injury and disorders of consciousness (DoC) admitted to a specialized rehabilitation program Main Outcome Measure: Difference between time to recovery of CCF and time to recovery of functional object use [FOU] or functional communication [FC] (the two existing criteria for emergence from MCS) as measured by the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised [CRS-R]). Results: Of 214 patients (median [interquartile range] age: 53 [34, 66] years, male: 134 (62.6%), traumatic etiology: 115 (53.7%), admission CRS-R total score: 10 [7, 13]) admitted to rehabilitation without CCF, FO, or FC, 162 (75.7%) recovered CCF and FOU or FC during the eight-week observation period. On average, recovery of CCF, FOU, and FC was observed within one day of one another, approximately 46 [38.25, 58] days post-injury. One hundred and sixteen patients (71.6%) recovered FOU or FC prior to or at the same time as CCF. Conclusions: In patients recovering from DoC, CCF reemerges around the same time as FOU and FC. This finding likely reflects the shared dependency of these behaviors on cognitive procecess (e.g., language comprehension, attention, motor control) that are essential for effective interpersonal interaction and social participation. Our results support the addition of CCF to the existing diagnostic criteria for emergence from MCS.
Intraoperative monitoring of an unusual brachial plexus tumor.

Abstract This case illustrates the importance of intraoperative monitoring of neuronal function to help separate tumor tissue from neural tissue in a 54-year-old patient with left shoulder pain resulting from a desmoid tumor. Preoperative nerve conduction and electromyographic studies showed a lesion in the lateral cord of the brachial plexus, which was found to be intimately involved with the tumor mass and was splayed into a very thin effaced sheet of neural tissue. Stimulation of the tumor/nerve tissue mass proximal to the lesion was impossible due to the invasion of the brachial plexus by the tumor. The technique that was adapted for this unusual presentation was to stimulate the tumor/nerve tissue mass itself and record compound muscle action potentials distally. With the technique described, a subtotal resection of an aggressive fibromatosis enmeshed in the proximal brachial plexus was possible, and excellent relief of pain symptoms and retention of functional capabilities of the involved extremity were achieve.
IL-16 Is Constitutively Present in Peripheral Blood Monocytes and Spontaneously Released During Apoptosis

Constitutive expression of the pro-molecule of IL-16 has been found in T cells, mast cells, eosinophils, epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and dendritic cells. Here we show that IL-16 is also constitutively present in >98% of freshly isolated human CD14-positive peripheral blood monocytes when analyzed by flow cytometry. Because pro-IL-16 is cleaved to its bioactive mature form by caspase-3, and caspase-3 is also the pivotal effector of apoptosis in monocytes, we asked whether IL-16 release occurs in monocytes that undergo spontaneous apoptosis. As expected, freshly isolated, unstimulated monocytes underwent spontaneous caspase-3 activation. This apoptosis was paralleled by the loss of intracellular IL-16, as detected by flow cytometry, and the concurrent release of IL-16, as detected by ELISA. In contrast, stimulation with bacterial LPS inhibited caspase-3 activation and significantly inhibited the release of IL-16. As a specificity control, IL-1β and IL-8 were not released during spontaneous monocyte apoptosis. In summary, our data demonstrate that monocytes contain IL-16 that is released during spontaneous apoptosis.
Hemodynamic Effects of Intravenous Famotidine in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Study Objective. To determine the hemodynamic effects of famotidine in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Design. A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Setting. A large university teaching hospital. Patients. Twenty-one patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Interventions. The patients received a rapid intravenous bolus injection of famotidine 20 mg or saline placebo after anesthesia induction. A second dose was given 12 hours after surgery in the intensive care unit. Measurements and Main Results. Serial hemodynamic measurements (heart rate, arterial blood pressure, cardiac index, pulmonary arterial pressure, central venous pressure, systemic vascular resistance) were obtained after each famotidine or placebo dose and analyzed by ANOVA. The values were not altered (p>0.05) after intraoperative or postoperative famotidine or placebo administration. Conclusions. Rapid intravenous bolus administration of famotidine does not alter patient hemodynamics after anesthesia induction or in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery
Arrhythmia Analysis, Automated

Arrhythmias are an abnormal electrical activation of the heart, which in some cases can be immediately life threatening. Automated arrhythmia analysis is the detection of arrhythmias through the use of a computer. Examples of medical devices that use automated arrhythmia detection include implantable defibrillators, public access automated external defibrillators, atrial defibrillators, and more. These devices provide treatment for arrhythmias without human oversight. The primary focus of this article is automated arrhythmia detection algorithms developed for the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). An implantable cardioverter defibrillator is a device that provides an electrical shock to ventricular fibrillation and tachycardia to terminate it and restart normal sinus rhythm (NSR). Other medical devices that use automated arrhythmia analysis will also be described briefly. Keywords: ventricular fibrillation; ventricular tachycardia; atrial flutter; atrial fibrillation; supraventricular tachycardia; implantable cardioverter defribrillator; electrocardiogram
The Role of Cultural, Social, and Psychological Factors in Disease and Illness

Understanding the effects of social, psychological, and cultural processes on the body raises age-old questions that remain perplexing puzzles still today. Research by biomedical, social, and behavioral scientists on the role played by these factors in causing disease and people's subjective experience of it promises to advance understanding of issues about the connections between mind and body. This essay summarizes findings from relevant areas of research, identifies the most promising lines of inquiry to date, poses questions that remain to be investigated going forward, and concludes with speculation about possible applications of existing and prospective new knowledge in health-related and other arenas of social practice. Among the various avenues of research relevant to this topic, three in particular stand out. They are (i) studies of the connections between stress and sickness, (ii) studies of persons' subjective experiences of physical symptoms, and (iii) studies of expectancy effects. Studies of stress document the physical effects of long-term exposure to adverse social, psychological, and environmental conditions, the role these play in causing disease, their effects on people's experiences of sickness, and on their ability to recover. Studies of symptom perception focus on people's subjective experiences of being ill, investigating ways in which aspects of culture, social environment, traits of personality, and psychological states affect our awareness of bodily symptoms, and how we interpret and experience them subjectively. Studies of expectancy effects, commonly referred to as the placebo or the healing response, aim to learn if beliefs alone can have physiologically measurable effects on bodily symptoms and on our perceptions of them, on how we feel and on how we respond to the treatments we are given. Taken together, these areas of research support the conclusion that understanding sickness requires simultaneous knowledge of two factors: the biological conditions diagnosed on the basis of physical signs (disease) and an individual's subjective experiences of the physical symptoms that a disease manifests (illness). Keywords: disease; illness; stress; expectancy effects; symptom perception; placebo; healing response
Tetraamine complexes of Cr(III)—I: Kinetics of aquation of cis-bromochlorobis(ethylenediamine)Cr(III) cation

The aquation of cis-bromochlorobis(ethylenediamine)chromium(III) cation was studied at 15.3–24.9°C in 0.10 M and 0.010 M HClO4 (μ = 0.10, NaClO4). The reaction was found, by the observation of spectral change and by the ion-exchange chromatography of reaction mixture, to be the release of bromide ion to produce cis-aquachlorobis(ethylenediamine)chromium(III) cation. The observed psuedo-first order rate constant kobs was found to be independent of hydrogen-ion concentration, and kobs = 1.17 × 10−3 sec−1 at 24.9°C. The activation parameters are as follows: ΔH≠ =61.2 ± 3.5 kJ mol−1 and ΔS≠ = −95 ± 11 J K−1 mol−1.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and Viral Myopericarditis An Association Which Should be Considered in the Differential Diagnosis

De Giorgi et al reviewed the association between Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) and various infectious etiologies. However, the authors did not describe any report suggesting an association between viral myopericarditis and TC. There is increasing evidence suggesting an association between viral myopericarditis and TC. Myopericarditis may either precede the stress-induced cardiomyopathy or develop as one of its complications. When myopericarditis is the primary pathology, it has been suggested that an intense perimyocardial inflammation-induced chest discomfort may trigger an exaggerated sympathetic stimulation or somatic stress resulting in a reversible left ventricular dysfunction/TC. Alternatively, in cases where TC is the initial stressor, pericarditis may result from an extension of myocardial inflammation to the overlying epicardium suggesting an inflammatory hypothesis to TC. In these instances, findings on imaging are often disproportionate to credibly explain the regional dysfunction caused by myopericarditis and thus support the coexistence of these 2 conditions. Due to an increased understanding of stress-induced cardiomyopathy, its diagnostic criteria have evolved with time. In fact, previously proposed criteria by various medical societies, which emphasized excluding patients with myocarditis or myopericarditis from the diagnosis of TC now appear to be outdated and modified versions have been recently proposed. Recent studies suggest that these 2 entities can coexist and are not mutually exclusive. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging may be useful in such clinical scenarios where the delayed gadolinium enhancement—not plausible to explain the segmental wall-motion abnormalities—will be suggestive of myopericarditis and TC association. When exploring the infectious etiopathogenesis for stressinduced cardiomyopathy, viral myopericarditis is a differential diagnosis to consider. This association can have diagnostic and therapeutic implications, especially the cautionary use of anticoagulants and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors when TC and myopericarditis association is suspected to prevent lifethreatening complications such as hemorrhagic tamponade.
Graphic Symbols as “The Mind on Paper”: Links Between Children’s Interpretive Theory of Mind and Symbol Understanding

Children gradually develop interpretive theory of mind (iToM)—the understanding that different people may interpret identical events or stimuli differently. The present study tested whether more advanced iToM underlies children’s recognition that map symbols’ meanings must be communicated to others when symbols are iconic (resemble their referents). Children (6–9 years; N = 80) made maps using either iconic or abstract symbols. After accounting for age, intelligence, vocabulary, and memory, iToM predicted children’s success in communicating symbols’ meaning to a naive map-user when mapping tasks involved iconic (but not abstract) symbols. Findings suggest children’s growing appreciation of alternative representations and of the intentional assignment of meaning, and support the contention that ToM progresses beyond mastery of false belief.
Are there speculative bubbles in stock markets? Evidence from an alternative approach.

Monte Carlo evidence [Evans (1991)] indicates that when speculative bubbles are collapsible, the traditional cointegration approach based on unit root tests has some serious drawbacks. We propose in this paper an alternative approach to test such bubbles. We demonstrate that the suggested test has some advantages over the traditional unit root based tests, especially for bubbles that are collapsible. Properties of the proposed procedure are investigated. Extensions and generalizations of this procedure are also studied. The testing procedure is applied to market indexes in the U.S. and Hong Kong. The proposed procedures provide useful complements to existing bubble tests.
Getting started with GENI: a user tutorial

GENI, the Global Environment for Network Innovations, is a National Science Foundation project to create a "virtual laboratory at the frontiers of network science and engineering for exploring future internets at scale." It provides researchers, educators, and students with resources that they can use to build their own networks that span the country and---through federation---the world. GENI enables experimenters to try out bold new network architectures and designs for networked systems, and to deploy and evaluate these systems on a diverse set of resources over a large footprint.This tutorial is a starting point for running experiments on GENI. It provides an overview of GENI and covers the process of creating a network and running a simple experiment using two tools: the Flack GUI and the INSTOOLS instrumentation service.
Pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature of T5T9 metallic glasses (T5Nb, Ta; T9Rh, Ir)

Abstract The pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature, T c , is determined for eight metallic glasses in the series (Nb 1−x Ta x ) 55 T 45 , where T Rh, Ir. From these data we estimate the Gruneisen parameter, γ G , and the volume dependence of the electron-phonon coupling constant, λ. Pressure is observed to affect T c through both γ G and λ.
Absence of the α and γ subunits of 7S nerve growth factor in denervated rodent iris: Immunocytochemical studies

Immunocytochemical studies were performed to determine if denervated rodent iris produces nerve growth factor (NGF) in a form chemically similar to that of the 7S NGF complex in mouse submandibular glands. Antisera to the alpha, beta, and gamma subunits of 7S NGF were raised in rabbits and characterized on immunoblots of SDS-containing polyacrylamide gels. Antisera were applied to stretch preparations of rat and mouse irides that were cultured for periods of 2 to 6 days or sympathetically denervated by superior cervical ganglionectomy and left in situ 4 days. Antibody binding was visualized by indirect immunofluorescence. In control studies done on plastic sections of mouse submandibular glands, antisera co-localized the three subunits of 7S NGF within secretory granules of granular tubule cells. In denervated rat iris, beta NGF immunoreactivity was evident in a cellular plexus that resembled in distribution and morphology nerve fibers in the normal iris, in agreement with a previous study (R.A. Rush (1984). Nature (London) 312, 364-367). Identical staining patterns were observed in mouse iris. In neither rat or mouse, however, did the nerve-like processes stain with antibodies suggests that the NGF-like protein in denervated rodent iris is not synthesized as part of the 7S NGF complex. Iris also did not react with antibodies to epidermal growth factor, a protein co-localized with NGF in mouse submandibular glands and in guinea pig prostate.
Salmon, seabirds, and ecosystem dynamics

Most of what ocean scientists know or believe to be true about ecological process in the open sea is necessarily based on correlative inferences, the interpretation of time series without direct evidence for cause and effect. This situation arises in part from the near impossibility of studying ocean ecosystems experimentally at appropriate scales of space and time. Freshwater ecology is a study of extreme contrast. Although the principal biotic elements of lakes and oceans are broadly similar (i.e., both support food webs containing phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish), lakes are comparatively small and sharply defined by surrounding land, thereby making them amenable to whole-ecosystem manipulative experiments. The resulting difference in approach—inference from correlative evidence in the sea and inference from experimental evidence in lakes—sets lakes apart from the oceans as some of the most carefully studied and best-understood ecosystems on earth. However, studies of open ocean ecology are beginning to explore complex interactions among species in interesting new ways. Analyses of long and detailed time series, such as those presented by Springer and van Vliet (1) on the ecological interplay between pink salmon and seabirds in the subarctic North Pacific, are providing an expanded view of ecological process in the world’s oceans.
The nature of the logarithmic traction gradient

Abstract Great significance has been attached to the logarithmic traction gradient in elastohydrodynamic lubrication. It has been used to justify the assumption of logarithmic constitutive behavior. We have calculated viscous traction curves from the viscous shear response that is observable by simulation or experiment out of contact. This response includes Newtonian, shear-thinning of the ordinary power-law type, and rate independent behavior. The calculated traction curves can be reasonably described by a sinh law using fictitious viscosity and Newtonian limit. These system model parameters behave as expected from cases where the same system model was applied to measured traction. We conclude that for point contact, the logarithmic gradient results from rate-independent (limiting stress) behavior combined with greater than exponential pressure-viscosity behavior. Shear-thinning has little effect on this gradient in point contact. On the other hand for line contact, shear-thinning of the ordinary type (Carreau) is essential for the appearance of a logarithmic gradient.
TRANSLOCATION OF LEAD AND CADMIUM FROM FEED TO EDIBLE TISSUES OF SWINE1

In separate experiments, growing and/or finishing swine were fed a control diet and diets supplemented with various low levels of lead and cadmium, for periods up to 24 weeks. The levels of lead in different treatment groups were 2 (control), 6 and 21 parts per million (ppm), whereas those for cadmium were 0.2 (control), 2.4 and 10.1 ppm, respectively. Lead did not accumulate in skeletal muscles, but a dose-related increase was observed in bone, liver and kidney. In the case of cadmium, no increase was seen in skeletal muscles, bone or brain; the accumulation occurred primarily in kidney and liver. After cessation of lead supplementation the concentration of this metal declined in liver and kidney tissues. On the other hand, cadmium levels did not show any appreciable decline in kidney or liver during 12 weeks after an initial 12 weeks treatment. Lead and cadmium did not accumulate in edible muscles of swine, but the high concentrations of these metals that were recorded in liver and kidney would render these organs unfit for food purposes.
Effects of glucose and fat antimetabolites on norepinephrine turnover in rat hypothalamus and brainstem.

Abstract Rats were injected acutely with antimetabolites of either glucose (2 deoxy- d -glucose, 2DG), fat (methylpalmoxirate, MP or mercaptoacetate, MAC), or the combination of these agents, in dosages known to stimulate food intake. Norepinephrine (NE) turnover in hypothalamus and brainstem was determined after these treatments by the method of synthesis inhibition. Glucoprivation (2DG) increased NE turnover in hypothalamus, confirming previous studies. Fat antimetabolites alone had no effect on NE turnover, nor did a peripherally-acting fructose antimetabolite. Combination of MP and 2DG, but not MAC and 2DG, produced a greater NE turnover than 2DG alone. These data suggest that peripheral signals of metabolic emergency do not activate brain NE systems, except when these systems are already activated by an ongoing cerebral metabolic emergency. The role of hypothalamic NE in metabolic integration of feeding is discussed, and possible hemispheric differences.
A new genus of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous: the first fossil rove beetles from the Southern Hemisphere

The fossil genus of rove beetles Apticax gen.n. with two new species, A. volans sp.n. and A. solidus sp.n., is described from the Nova Olinda Member of the Crato Formation in north-eastern Brazil (Aptian-Albian, dated as 125-99.6 Ma old). Both species belong to the clade Staphylininae + Paederinae in the staphylinine group of subfamilies and are the first fossil true Staphylinidae to be described from the entire Southern Hemisphere. Although they resemble Paederinae, the low number of satisfactorily preserved characters do not allow definite placement of either A. volans or A. solidus in any of the subfamilies of Staphylinidae.
Comparison of high speed DI-LIGBT structures

The performance of the DI segmented collector (SC)-LIGBT is compared to the collector shorted (CS)-LIGBT. The SC-LIGBT allows for adjusting the tradeoff between switching speed and on-state voltage drop by simply changing the P+ collector segment width during device layout. In contrast to previously reported junction isolated (JI) devices, the DI SC-LIGBT was observed to have a turnoff speed similar to the CS-LIGBT with a higher forward drop than the conventional LIGBT. The on-state performance of the integral diodes of the SC-LIGBTs was found to be superior to the integral diode of the CS-LIGBT. The integral diodes of both the CS and the SC-LIGBTs were found to have much superior switching characteristics compared to a lateral PiN diode at the expense of a higher on-state voltage drop. Thus, the superior switching characteristics of the integral diode in the SC-LIGBT complements its fast switching behavior making this device attractive for compact, high frequency, high efficient, power ICs.
Monohalogenodiacetylenes: vibrational analysis

Abstract A fundamental error in a published assignment of the triple bond stretching modes of the monohalogenodiacetylenes is corrected and leads to a simple force field for these molecules which is consistent with data for other diacetylenes.
Oxygen tension and gradient measurements in the retinal microvasculature of rats

Background Oxygen delivery from the retinal vasculature plays a crucial role in maintaining normal retinal metabolic function. Therefore, measurements of retinal vascular oxygen tension (PO2) and PO2 longitudinal gradients (gPO2) along retinal blood vessels may help gain fundamental knowledge of retinal physiology and pathological processes.
Adenosine induced direct negative inotropic effect is abolished during global ischemia: role of protein kinase C and prostacyclin

Adenosine acts as a cardioprotective agent by producing coronary vasodilation, decreasing heart rate and by antagonizing the cardiostimulatory effect of catecholamines; adenosine also exerts a direct negative inotropic effect. Myocardial ischemia is known to be associated with enhanced levels of adenosine, increased protein kinase C (PKC) activity and prostacyclin (PGI2) release. The present study was conducted to determine if myocardial ischemia alters the cardioprotective effect of adenosine by increasing PKC activity and PGI2 release in the isolated rat heart perfused at 10 ml/min with Krebs-Henseleit buffer (KHB; 95% O2+5% CO2). Adenosine (10 mmol/min) reduced myocardial contractility as indicated by a decrease in contractility (dp/dtmax), heart rate (HR) and coronary perfusion pressure (PP). In hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia (without perfusion) and then reperfused with KHB, adenosine failed to decrease dp/dtmax, HR or PP. However, during infusion of PKC inhibitor H-7 (1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine hydrochloride) (H-7; 6 mmol/min), which commenced 10 min before ischemia and continued throughout reperfusion, adenosine produced a decrease in dp/dtmax, HR and PP, similar to that before ischemia. Infusion of the PKC activator phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu; 2 nmol/min) but not an inactive analogue in non-ischemic hearts prevented the adenosine induced decrease in dp/dtmax. During infusion of H-7, PDBu failed to block the direct negative inotropic effect of adenosine in non-ischemic hearts. In addition, pretreatment with H-7 or indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor) significantly reduced the PGI2 release following ischemia. This data suggest that PKC and PGI2 regulate the direct negative inotropic effect of adenosine, which is abolished during ischemia.
A MEMS-based tunable coplanar patch antenna fabricated using PCB processing techniques

In this paper, a tunable coplanar rectangular patch antenna (CPA) designed using a MEMS varactor is reported. The MEMS varactor is monolithically integrated with the antenna on Duroid substrate using printed circuit processing techniques. Specifically, the MEMS varactor located at one of the radiating edges capacitively loads the CPA. The resonant frequency of the antenna is tuned electrostatically by applying a DC bias voltage between the MEMS varactor and the actuation pad on the antenna. The movable MEMS varactor membrane deflects downward toward the actuation pad due to an electrostatic force of attraction caused by the applied DC bias voltage. The deflection of the varactor membrane decreases the air gap, thereby increasing the loading capacitance. The increase in the loading capacitance results in a downward shift in the resonant frequency of the CPA. The CPA is center fed at the second radiating edge using a 50 Ω CPW feed line. The CPA operates in the frequency range from 5.185 to 5.545 GHz corresponding to the down and up states of the varactor. The tunable frequency range is about 360 MHz and the return loss is better than 40 dB in the entire tuning range. In this tuning range, the required DC voltage is in the range of 0–116 V.
A hydrophilic bile acid effects partial dissolution of cholesterol gallstones in the prairie dog.

Gallstone formation and dissolution were studied in a prairie dog model of cholesterol (CH) cholelithiasis. Gallstones were induced in 49 prairie dogs by feeding 1.2% CH in a nutritionally adequate semisynthetic diet for 6 wk (period 1). At 6 wk, gallstones had developed in all animals examined. The diets were modified by reducing the amounts of CH to 0.4, 0.2, 0.1 and 0.0% (diets 1–4); hyodeoxycholic acid (HDA; 30 mg/kg/day) was added to these diets (diets 5–8). All animals were fed the modified experimental diets for an additional 8 wk (period 2). At week 14, spontaneous gallstone dissolution had not occurred, even in the groups given no added dietary CH during period 2 (group 4). Addition of HDA to the diet tended to reduce the incidence of biliary CH crystals and the size and number of CH gallstones. Biliary CH remained elevated and the lithogenic indices in all groups were found to be greater than 1.0 at the end of the experiment. Liver and plasma CH levels tended to be lower in the groups fed HDA. In these groups, HDA and 6βHDA became the major biliary bile acids. This study demonstrates that HDA achieved partial dissolution of gallstones in bile supersaturated with CH.