cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DUST EXPOSURES IN THE LUNGS OF RATS: TIME COURSE OF CHEMOATTRACTANT GENERATION AND NEUTROPHIL RECRUITMENT

Inhalation of silica particles produces a chronic pulmonary inflammation response and the development of lung fibrosis and tumors in exposed rats. A variety of cytokines have been implicated in the recruitment of neutrophils into alveolar regions, including Interleukin-1 (IL-1), Tumor necrosis factor -a (TNF-a), KC and Macrophage inflammatory proteins 1 and 2 (MIP-1 and MIP-2). Alveolar macrophages (AM) secrete ex vivo at least two pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF and IL-1 and these have been correlated with the development of silica-induced inflammation and fibrosis. This study was designed to elucidate the temporal sequence and mechanisms of particle-induced pulmonary inflammation following exposures to crystalline and amorphous silica, or titanium dioxide particles.
Development of the large nucleolus in the oocytes of the copepod Acanthocyclops vernalis: an electron microscope study

A central feature of oogenesis in the copepod crustacean, Acanthocyclops vernalis, is the development of a very large nucleolus in the oocytes. This nucleolus appears to be the only source of rRNA for the oocyte, as no helper cells are present. Previous work has suggested that ribosomal DNA sequences other than those found at the morphological nucleolar organizers are participating in the elaboration of this nucleolus. It has been hypothesized that chromatin diminution, which occurs during early embryonic development, may involve the loss of these rDNA sequences, which are needed only for the production of ribosomes during oogenesis. The present study examines the development of the large oocyte nucleolus at the electron microscopic level. Nucleologenesis in A. vernalis was found to proceed through 5 stages. During the first 3 stages nucleolar morphology resembled that described in other organisms. In the last 2, however, nucleolar morphology changed radically and the nucleolus was seen to increase greatly in size while breaking up into multiple subunits. The subunits initially resemble active nucleoli, although in the last stage, synthesis appears to stop, as the nucleolus was found to consist only of dense areas containing ribosome-like particles. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that diminuted DNA contains ribosomal RNA genes.
A Chlamydia-Specific C-Terminal Region of the Stress Response Regulator HrcA Modulates Its Repressor Activity

Chlamydial heat shock proteins have important roles in Chlamydia infection and immunopathogenesis. Transcription of chlamydial heat shock genes is controlled by the stress response regulator HrcA, which binds to its cognate operator CIRCE, causing repression by steric hindrance of RNA polymerase. All Chlamydia spp. encode an HrcA protein that is larger than other bacterial orthologs because of an additional, well-conserved C-terminal region. We found that this unique C-terminal tail decreased HrcA binding to CIRCE in vitro as well as HrcA-mediated transcriptional repression in vitro and in vivo. When we isolated HrcA from chlamydiae, we only detected the full-length protein, but we found that endogenous HrcA had a higher binding affinity for CIRCE than recombinant HrcA. To examine this difference further, we tested the effect of the heat shock protein GroEL on the function of HrcA since endogenous chlamydial HrcA has been previously shown to associate with GroEL as a complex. GroEL enhanced the ability of HrcA to bind CIRCE and to repress transcription in vitro, but this stimulatory effect was greater on full-length HrcA than HrcA lacking the C-terminal tail. These findings demonstrate that the novel C-terminal tail of chlamydial HrcA is an inhibitory region and provide evidence that its negative effect on repressor function can be counteracted by GroEL. These results support a model in which GroEL functions as a corepressor that interacts with HrcA to regulate chlamydial heat shock genes.
AI methodology as a key for software reusability

Logic programming in Prolog has been promoted as being well suited to the implementation of VLSI CAD (computer-aided design) tools. The declarative nature of electronic circuit descriptions leads to natural definitions of many CAD problems, and the logical variable has properties analogous to those of an electrical connection. In addition, Prolog's implicit database provides a convenient mechanism for creating tools which are sensitive to changing technology rules and design constraints. In particular, it was found that the source code is an order of magnitude smaller than implementations in C; readability is improved; and implementing a basic CAD capability in a logic programming environment creates a solid foundation for more advanced work in intelligent CAD. >
Activation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ During Hepatic Ischemia Is Age-Dependent

Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury is a complication of liver surgery, transplantation, and shock and is known to be age-dependent. Our laboratory has recently shown that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) is down-regulated during hepatic ischemia and that this exacerbates injury. Here we examined whether activation of PPARγ during ischemia was age-dependent. Male mice of different ages (young: 4–5 weeks; adult: 10–12 weeks; old: 10–12 months) were subjected to up to 90 min of hepatic ischemia. PPARγ activation occurred throughout ischemia in young mice, whereas activation in adult and old mice was lost after 30 min. No significant differences were noted in PPARγ ligand expression among the age groups. However, in young mice we observed a predominance of PPARγ1 in the nucleus, whereas in old mice this isoform remained largely in the cytoplasm. Finally, the degree of PPARγ activation was associated with autophagy in the liver, a mechanism of self-preservation. PPARγ activation is prolonged in young mice as compared to older mice. This appears to be mediated by a selective retention of PPARγ1 in the nucleus and is associated with increased autophagy. The data suggest that PPARγ activation is an important component of the age-dependent response to hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Cardiovascular and gastrointestinal effects of COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs: achieving a balance

Conventional 'nonselective' nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for the treatment of pain and inflammation; however, the potential gastrointestinal risks associated with their use can be a cause for concern. In response to the adverse effects that can accompany nonselective NSAID use, selective cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors were developed to target the COX-2 isoenzyme, thus providing anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits while theoretically sparing the gastroprotective activity of the COX-1 isoenzyme. Data from large-scale clinical trials have confirmed that the COX-2 inhibitors are associated with substantial reductions in gastrointestinal risk in the majority of patients who do not receive aspirin. However, some or all of the gastrointestinal benefit of COX-2 inhibitors may be lost in patients who receive low, cardioprotective doses of aspirin, and recent evidence suggests that some of these agents, at some doses, may be associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular adverse events compared with no therapy. The risks and benefits of conventional NSAIDs and of COX-2 inhibitors must be weighed carefully; in clinical practice many patients who might benefit from NSAID or COX-2 therapy are likely to be elderly and at relatively high risk for gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse events. These patients are also more likely to be taking low-dose aspirin for cardiovascular prophylaxis and over-the-counter NSAIDs for pain. Identifying therapies that provide relief from arthritis related symptoms, confer optimum cardioprotection, and preserve the gastrointestinal mucosa is complex. Factors to consider include the interference of certain NSAIDs with the antiplatelet effects of aspirin, differences in the adverse gastrointestinal event rates among nonselective NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors, emerging data regarding the relative risks for cardiovascular events associated with these drugs, and the feasibility and cost of co-therapy with proton pump inhibitors.
A growth-based address allocation scheme for IPv6

IP address allocation policies significantly impact the Internet infrastructure, affecting many parties such as router manufacturers, ISPs, and end users. An address allocation policy can also directly affect the performance of the Internet. For example, address fragmentation, a key problem in IPv4, degrades address lookup performance in routers. Thus, a well-designed address allocation policy needs to minimize fragmentation while using the address space efficiently. This paper attempts toquantify the performance of address allocation policies by modeling key features that lead to fragmentation and inefficient address space usage. Our main contributions are: (i) we identify a drawback of the current IPv6 address allocation policy, which treats all entities uniformly, (ii) we propose a scheme that takes future growth rate into account for allocations, and (iii) an analytical model for measuring the efficiency of allocation schemes, allowing us to quantify the improvement our proposal offers over the current scheme.We believe that a quantitative study of allocation policies is timely since IPv6 address allocation is just beginning in earnest.
Osa Protein Constitutes a Strong Oncogenic Suppression System That Can Block vir-Dependent Transfer of IncQ Plasmids between Agrobacterium Cells and the Establishment of IncQ Plasmids in Plant Cells

The osa (oncogenic suppressive activity) gene of the IncW group plasmid pSa is sufficient to suppress tumorigenesis by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. osa confers oncogenic suppression by inhibiting VirE2 protein export. This result is similar, but not identical, to that of oncogenic suppression by the IncQ plasmid RSF1010. We conducted a series of experiments to compare oncogenic suppression by these two systems. Agrobacterium strains harboring plasmids containing osa are more able to effect oncogenic suppression than are similar strains containing various RSF1010 derivatives. When osa is present within a donor Agrobacterium strain that also carries a derivative of RSF1010, the transfer of RSF1010 derivatives to recipient bacteria and their establishment in plants are blocked. Oncogenic suppression is still effected when the osa gene is integrated into the Agrobacterium chromosome, suggesting that it is the osa gene product that is active in suppression and that suppression does not require a protein-nucleic acid intermediate like that described for IncQ plasmids. Extracellular complementation experiments with tobacco leaf disks indicated that Osa blocks stable transfer of RSF1010 to plant cells by inhibiting transfer of VirE2, which is essential for the transfer of RSF1010 into plant cells, and not by inhibiting the actual transfer of RSF1010 itself. Our results suggest that Osa and RSF1010 cause oncogenic suppression by using different mechanisms.
Reciprocal interactions between the bark beetle-associated yeast Ogataea pini and host plant phytochemistry.

Here we report the first experiments testing reciprocal effects between the bark beetle- associated yeast, Ogataea pini, and phytochemicals present in tree tissues (Pinus ponderosa). We tested two hypotheses: (i) tree phytochemicals mediate O. pini growth and (ii) O. pini affects chemical composition of plant tissues. We tested six monoter- penes on O. pini biomass growth in vitro and found that most monoterpenes inhibited O. pini growth; however mean O. pini biomass increased 21.5% when treated with myrcene and 75.5% when treated with terpinolene, relative to control. Ogataea pini was grown on phloem tissue ex vivo to determine whether O. pini affected phloem chemistry. Monoterpene concentrations declined in phloem over time, but phloem colonized by O. pini had significantly different concentrations of monoterpenes at two periods than phloem with no yeast. After 7 d, when O. pini was present, concentrations of the monoter- pene D-3-carene was 42.9% lower than uncolonized phloem and concentrations of the monoterpene terpinolene was 345.0% higher than uncolonized phloem. After 15 d phloem colonized by O. pini had 505.4% higher concentrations of a-pinene than uncolonized phloem. These experiments suggest that O. pini responds to phytochemicals present in host tissues and the presence of O. pini might alter the chemical environment of phloem tissues during the early stages of beetle development. The interactions between O. pini and phytochemicals in pine vascular tissues might have consequences for the bark beetle that vectors O. pini, Dendroctonus brevicomis.
An efficient, general method for computation of countercurrent separation processes with axial dispersion

A calculational method is proposed for the simulation of steady-state, multisolute, countercurrent extraction with axial dispersion. The method provides for complex chemical-equilibrium and phase-equilibrium relationships, and accounts for the individual resistances of the liquid phases in the calculation of mass-transfer rates. The solution procedure follows that developed by Newman (1967, 1968) for systems of simultaneous, second-order difference equations. Three example problems are solved to demonstrate the efficiency and flexibility of the method. These include (1) an example from McSwain and Durbin (1966), (2) calculation of axial-dispersion and mass-transfer parameters from experimental data for the extraction of acetic acid from water by a tertiary amine in an RDC extractor, and (3) simultaneous extraction of solutes that interact in an acid-base complexing reaction at the liquid-liquid interface. The examples all assume that extraction is governed by interphase mass-transfer rates and cell-wise backmixing; however, the method is also applicable to equilibrium-stage separators, separators described by the diffusional model of axial dispersion, and other countercurrent separation processes.
The Value of Granite and Marble Grit for Growing Chickens and Laying Hens Fed All-Mash vs. Mash and Grain Diet

ABSTRACT IT HAS been generally accepted that chickens benefit from the use of a grinding agent, or grit, when fed whole or cracked grain in their diets. Laying hens also require abundant calcium for maximum egg production. This is usually provided by feeding calcium carbonate in the form of crushed oyster shells or limestone ad libitum. This method of providing calcium was tested by Heuser and Norris (1946a) and found to be more effective than the inclusion of ground limestone in the ration. Whether a material such as crushed limestone which apparently is sufficiently soluble in the digestive tract to provide adequate calcium can still serve as an effective grinding agent is controversial. These same workers (Heuser and Norris, 1946a) noted that the feeding of granite grit in addition to oyster shells or calcite grit appeared to have a favorable effect on egg production, feed efficiency, and shell strength. Scott and . . .
New light on the Co–C bond activation in B12-dependent enzymes from density functional theory

Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) is applied to the calculation of activation of the Co–C R bond in models of vitamin B 12 , B–[Co III (corrin)]–R. It is shown that there is a positive correlation of the bond lengths between the Co atom and the two axial ligands, B and R. The electron donation from axial ligands to the cobalt atom either by electron donating substituents or by a properly oriented external electric field caused by external electric charges is argued to be the main trigger for the activation of the Co–C R bond.
'A posteriori' element by element local error estimation technique and 2D & 3D adaptive finite element mesh refinement

A new approach for estimating an 'a posteriori' error locally on an element by element basis for the adaptive refinement of a class of 2D and 3D boundary value problems has been investigated in this paper. It is necessary to have an efficient, robust and reliable error estimator to generate an optimal adaptive mesh. In this work an 'a posteriori' error is computed by solving a local problem on a patch of elements. It is simple to implement and is computationally inexpensive. This method computes the local as well as global error by using a h-version of adaption with quadratic shape functions to solve the local problem. The refinement algorithm makes use of a minimal hierarchical tree based data structure which minimizes the amount of tree traversal normally required during the refinement process. The efficiency of the local error estimation technique has been demonstrated by the adaptive refinement of an ac transmission line problem in 2D and an eddy current problem employing complex magnetic vector potential formulation in 3D. The coarse mesh and the refined optimal meshes and the numerical results substantiate that the local 'a posteriori' error estimate is efficient and simple to use for most practical applications. >
Cardiac conduction in isolated hearts of genetically modified mice--Connexin43 and salts.

Physiologic variations in perfusate composition have been identified as a new and important modulator of cardiac conduction velocity (CV), particularly when gap junctions (GJ) are reduced. We recently demonstrated in ex vivo hearts that perfusates with low sodium and high potassium preferentially slow ventricular CV in mice genetically engineered to express 50% less of the gap junction protein, connexin43 (Cx43). We also reported the possible role of calcium in modulating CV. In this review we discuss previous murine studies that explored the CV-GJ relationship in isolated mouse heart preparations with approximately 50% reduced Cx43. Studies were grouped according to the type of perfusate utilized, and CV during GJ uncoupling was compared. Studies in Group A preferentially used perfusates with low sodium, high potassium and non-physiologic calcium, and found CV slows and arrhythmias increase in mouse hearts with reduced Cx43. Studies in Group B used solutions with high sodium, low potassium and physiologic calcium, and did not observe CV slowing nor increased arrhythmia risk with loss of Cx3. Studies in Group C used solutions with low sodium, low potassium, physiologic calcium, creatine, taurine, and insulin. CV slowing was not observed, nor was arrhythmia risk increased with loss of Cx43. We suggest that perfusate ion composition may be a major determinant of whether CV slows when Cx43 is reduced. Furthermore, the review of these studies highlights important theoretical developments in the understanding of cardiac conduction and suggests that ionic milieu can conceal electrophysiologic remodeling secondary to reduced Cx43 expression as occurs in many cardiac diseases.
Introducción a la teoría VLM (Vortex Lattice Theory)

Panel methods have been widely used in industry and are well established since the 1970s for aerodynamic analysis and computation. The Vortex Lattice Panel Method presented in this study comes across a sophisticated method that provides a quick solution time, allows rapid changes in geometry and suits well for aerodynamic analysis. The aerospace industry is highly competitive in design efficiency, and perhaps one of the most important factors on airplane design and engineering today is multidisciplinary optimization. Any cost reduction method in the design cycle of a product becomes vital in the success of its outcome. The subsequent sections of this article will further explain in depth the theory behind the vortex lattice method, and the reason behind its selection as the method for aerodynamic analysis during preliminary design work and computation within the aerospace industry. This article is analytic in nature, and its main objective is to present a mathematical summary of this widely used computational method in aerodynamics.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS: Balancing Financial Returns, Risks, and Roles of the Partners

This article examines the interrelation among financial returns, financial risk, and roles of the partners in public-private partnerships formed to provide local and state government functions. A balanced model of structuring public-private partnerships for purposes of comparison and discussion is offered. Then, selected functional categories of government (e.g., health and human services) are examined to determine the following for each category: (a) the social outcome objective of this functional category, (b) the general degree of financial return and financial risk that would normally be expected for such ventures, (c) the prevailing nature of managerial involvement of both parties in the partnership, and (d) the degree of conformance (or lack thereof) with the balanced model of structuring public-private partnerships. We argue that the more that public- private arrangements deviate from the balanced structural model, the greater the burden on decision makers to demonstrate that an overriding social p...
Fertilization and early embryology: A retrospective analysis of unfertilized and presumed parthenogenetically activated human oocytes demonstrates a high frequency of sperm penetration

A total of 518 normal-appearing, meiotically mature human oocytes that were judged unfertilized after insemination in vitro were examined for sperm penetration by conventional fluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy with DNA-specific probes. A similar analysis was performed on 29 single pronuclear oocytes that were presumed to originate by spontaneous (parthenogenetic) activation. The results demonstrate that 22% of the unfertilized oocytes and 52% of the presumed parthenogenetic oocytes were actually penetrated. Sperm penetration occurred in both normozoospermic and male factor cases. The findings indicate the importance of penetration analysis in determining the causes of fertilization failure that may reside with the male or female gamete, especially when assessing the utility of and necessity for assisted fertilization in subsequent attempts. The results also suggest that the cytoplasmic capacity to decondense sperm DNA may decline more rapidly than the ability of the oocyte to be penetrated and to mount an effective block to polyspermy.
SIZE-DEPENDENT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TWO TERRESTRIAL AMPHIBIANS, PLETHODON CINEREUS AND PLETHODON GLUTINOSUS

We used two field experiments to examine the nature and effects of size-dependent interactions between two terrestrial salamanders, Plethodon cinereus and Plethodon glutinosus. We reared juveniles of P. cinereus in an enclosure alone, with a similarly-sized conspecific, with a similarly-sized P. glutinosus, and with a larger P. glutinosus. We also reared juveniles of Plethodon glutinosus alone. We found that both intraspecific and interspecific competition reduced growth in juveniles of P. cinereus, but the effect of intraspecific competition did not differ from that of interspecific competition. Interspecific competition reduced growth in juveniles of P. glutinosus. Size asymmetry did not appear to affect competition between juveniles. Size, not species identity, determined the use of the space beneath wooden cover objects placed in the enclosures. In the second experiment, we housed adults of P. cinereus and juveniles of P. glutinosus with similarly-sized conspecific individuals to simulate intraspecifi...
Agriculture and Foreign Economic Policy

potato famine led to their abolition in 1846. Contrary to general belief, the Corn Laws were not simply a set of import duties but also consisted of export bounties, variable import levies, and export and import prohibitions, with special preferences for using British ships. During this period of British history, and also after the repeal of the Corn Laws until World War II, agricultural and trade policy were closely linked though there was more to agricultural policy than the regulation of trade. The objectives of the Corn Laws have a modern ring. Their aims were to stabilize the price of corn for the "benefit" of both producer and consumer; reduce the dependence upon foreign supplies of a critical food; achieve adequate land rent, since rent was viewed as a good measure of national prosperity; and maintain a large and prosperous rural population.
Teaching Problems in “Growing” Departments of Agricultural Economics Abroad—A Neglected Research Area

N RECENT years, the number and pace of activities by agricultural economists abroad have increased rapidly. Often these activities are directed towards initiating or improving the teaching and research efforts within departments of agricultural economics. The complementarity between teaching and research programs is not being questioned. However, it appears that teaching problems are neglected, rarely researched, and therefore the effectiveness of achieving and upgrading in the quality of instruction is undermined, particularly at the undergraduate level. Subject-matter content, an important aspect of teaching, probably receives the most attention, but other aspects of teaching which are normally left to education people can and often should be included in the domain of agricultural economists working abroad. The Morrill Act of 1862, which led to the establishment of the landgrant colleges, focused on the teaching of the agricultural and mechanical arts. Twenty-five years elapsed before the Hatch Act, which established the agricultural experiment stations and formally introduced the research element alongside the teaching institution. Since 1887, research emphasis (in terms of percent of a department's budget total) has, in most cases, continuously gained at the expense of teaching. I have no quarrel with this trend. However, even though teaching may now command less than 20 percent of a department's budget in the United States, it is still the predominant function in most "developing" departments of agricultural economics, representing perhaps as high as 90 percent of the budget.
PET-MRI in diagnosing pedal osteomyelitis in diabetic patients

307 Objectives Osteomyelitis of the foot is a serious complication that requires accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment in diabetic patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the foot has been shown to be the most accurate imaging modality with a high sensitivity and negative predictive value but slightly lower specificity. FDG-PETused in conjunction with CT has been shown to have a lower senstivity but higher specificity than MRI. Methods Retrospective review of imaging was performed in seven consecutive patients who underwent PET-MRI of the foot for a clinical suspicion of osteomyelitis. The MR imaging findings were graded as Grade 0 - normal signal, Grade I - hazy reticulated, T1 hypointense signal, Grade II - confluent T1 hypointense signal. Grade II, confluent hypointense marrow signal was considered diagnostic of osteomyelitis. Reticulated hazy signal was deemed to reflect edema on MRI. FDG uptake localizing to the bone on fused PET-MRI images was diagnosed as osteomyelitis. Five of the seven patients (71%) subsequently underwent surgery. Two patients diagnosed with osteomyelitis opted for conservative therapy. Results All seven patients were diagnosed as osteomyelitis on PET- MRI. Five patients had osteomyelitis on histopathology and 2 patients according to secondary clinical end points. Three cases with FDG uptake involving the bone on fused images had negative MRI patterns (Grade I reticulated T1 hypointense signal or no signal change). All the cases positive on MRI were positive on FDG-PET. MRI component increases the reader confidence and accurate anatomic localisation of abnormality. The sensitivity of PET-MRI to diagnose osteomyelitis was 100% in this small series of diabetic patients. Conclusions PET-MR is highly sensitive modality with high reader confidence for diagnosis of osteomyelitis in diabetic foot.
Convair 880 Airport Operations

Presented at the Jet-Age Airport Conference, May 15-17, 1957. Topic covers Convair 880 Airport Operations.
An Investigation into the Determinants of Customer Satisfaction

The authors investigate whether it is necessary to include disconfirmation as an intervening variable affecting satisfaction as is commonly argued, or whether the effect of disconfirmation is adequ...
Research on China futures market price duration volatility cluster effect

By introducing four ACD models and four types of distribution of residuals,the paper aims to find the appropriate ACD model of China futures market and the appropriate distribution of residuals.Furthermore,average volume in duration,average absolute yield in duration and open interest of the time point are added in the previous ACD models to analyze the impact of trade intensity,price volatility and market depth on price duration.The empirical study shows that the complicated models can not outperform the simple ones to describe the durations,but different choices of distribution of residuals have a significant impact on the description ability.The average volumeand average absolute yield in durations have negative impacts on price durations,while open interest has weak impacts.The extended ACD models perform better than the classical ones.
Giving thought to primary care.

When i was asked to serve as guest editor for two issues of Medicine and Health Rhode Island on Primary Care, I did not give much thought to the term “primary care.” But as the manuscripts started coming in, it occurred to me that the articles have little to do with what I think of as “primary care.” They are relevant to my daily work, but that is because as an internist I treat patients with heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders, renal failure, and a variety of other conditions. So where does the “primary care” come in? First, let’s be clear that there is no such specialty as “primary care.” The term describes a set of functions that may be performed by a variety of specialists. The Institute of Medicine defines primary care as “the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.” Typically, internists, family physicians, osteopathic physicians, and pediatricians play this role, but so can subspecialists such as nephrologists, endocrinologists, and HIV specialists (the term “principal care” is often used). So, why dwell on the nomenclature? Physicians who provide primary care face the loss of their identities as specialists, and with that, risk being viewed with less respect by patients, colleagues, and most importantly, future doctors. I am not a “PCP.” I am an internist who provides primary care to all of his patients. While I coordinate care and address patient needs that are outside of traditional internal medicine (such as basic orthopedic and mental health care), the majority of what I do is internal medicine. With the above in mind, these two issues of MHRI were originally developed with the goal of updating readers on common problems that internists, family physicians, and osteopathic physicians treat every day. But they also illustrate the comprehensiveness and complexity of the care that these so-called “primary care physicians” provide. For these issues, I asked each author to focus on three specific questions on a topic in their area of expertise instead of providing a general topic review or update. This format is borrowed from a successful one used at regional and national American College of Physician meetings called “Multiple Small Feedings of the Mind.” I hope that you find this way of presenting information an effective one and encourage you to write down questions for future editions of this journal (assuming that the Editor judges this effort successful).
The use of the intravenous glucose tolerance test to evaluate nonobese hyperandrogenemic women.

To better define the association of hyperandrogenemia and insulin resistance, we evaluated nonobese, nonacanthotic hyperandrogenemic women utilizing intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT). Six women (group 1) all of whom had elevated serum testosterone (T) and were
Perioperative clopidogrel is seven days enough

Despite the prevalence of surgical candidates on clopidogrel, no definitive guidelines exist for stopping the drug preoperatively. A 7 day off-clopidogrel period is commonly considered safe with regards to bleeding complications. We sought to put the 7-day window to the test with regards to major bleeding events requiring either blood transfusions or return trips to the operating room. We collected data for patients taking clopidogrel in the perioperative period between 2005 and 2007 (n = 170). This data was then compared with the data of all of the patients undergoing surgery at our institution for the same time period (n = 34,480). Patients taking clopidogrel experienced a significantly higher rate of return trips to the operating room (6.5%) compared with nonclopidogrel patients (0.015%). Interestingly, we found no significant difference between those stopping clopidogrel more than 7 days preoperatively and those that did not (5% and 7.5%, respectively). There did not seem to be a significant difference in blood transfusion rates between the two clopidogrel groups. Patients on perioperative clopidogrel require reoperations for bleeding at a significantly higher rate compared with patients not taking clopidogrel. Discontinuing clopidogrel 7 days before surgery is not enough to negate this difference and these patients still experience a drastically higher rate of reoperations for bleeding.
An Application to Japan

In this chapter we are applying our model to Japanese data spanning the period 1959–1969. During this decade economic growth in Japan was steady and uninterrupted, providing an opportunity to clearly observe the effects of growth related changes In final demand on distribution.
Transformation of Chaos : Immanence and Transcendence in Beowulf and Other Old English Poetry

Le paganisme dans la chretiente anglo-saxonne : lecture de Bede, " The Seafarer ", " Maxims ", " Christ " et " Beowulf "
Protocol of a randomized controlled trial of an erythropoietin stimulating agent decision aid for anemia treatment in kidney disease.

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are commonly used for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD). Patients often lack an understanding of the potential risks and benefits of ESAs, despite government mandated education on this topic. Decision aids are tools commonly used to discuss important information in health care settings. To address this knowledge gap, we designed this study to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel ESA decision aid at promoting informed shared decision making (ISDM) between patients and providers related to ESA use for CKD- and ESRD-related anemia. Using the principles of informed shared decision making theory, we designed and piloted an ESA decision aid intended to increase CKD and ESRD patient understanding of the potential risks and benefits of ESAs. Informed by the findings during development, the ESA decision aid was modified and finalized for testing. We will perform a randomized clinical trial to assess if administration of the ESA decision aid improves patient understanding of the risks and benefits of ESA use compared to control patients receiving standard care. Participants with either CKD or ESRD and who are receiving ESAs will be eligible for participation. The primary outcome is patients’ score on the Patient Anemia Knowledge in Kidney Disease (PAKKD) survey assessed at enrollment and 3 months after. Secondary outcomes include decisional conflict related to ESAs, and patient satisfaction with provider communication. The Anemia Risk Communication for patients with Kidney Disease (ARC-KD) study will assess the effectiveness of a novel ESA decision aid to improve patient understanding of ESA use to manage CKD- and ESRD-related anemia. This decision aid is the first resource targeted to improve patient understanding of anemia management in the kidney health context. With the increasing options available for anemia management, this will serve as an important foundation to evolve in the future to optimize anemia-related shared decision making. ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01992926 . Registered 11/14/2013.
Reassessing the Link between Airborne Arsenic Exposure among Anaconda Copper Smelter Workers and Multiple Causes of Death Using the Parametric g-Formula

Background:Prior studies have indicated associations between ingestion of inorganic arsenic and ischemic heart disease, nonmalignant respiratory disease, and lung, skin, bladder, and kidney cancers...
Behavioral and Single-Neuron Sensitivity to Millisecond Variations in Temporally Patterned Communication Signals

In many sensory pathways, central neurons serve as temporal filters for timing patterns in communication signals. However, how a population of neurons with diverse temporal filtering properties codes for natural variation in communication signals is unknown. Here we addressed this question in the weakly electric fish Brienomyrus brachyistius, which varies the time intervals between successive electric organ discharges to communicate. These fish produce an individually stereotyped signal called a scallop, which consists of a distinctive temporal pattern of ∼8–12 electric pulses. We manipulated the temporal structure of natural scallops during behavioral playback and in vivo electrophysiology experiments to probe the temporal sensitivity of scallop encoding and recognition. We found that presenting time-reversed, randomized, or jittered scallops increased behavioral response thresholds, demonstrating that fish9s electric signaling behavior was sensitive to the precise temporal structure of scallops. Next, using in vivo intracellular recordings and discriminant function analysis, we found that the responses of interval-selective midbrain neurons were also sensitive to the precise temporal structure of scallops. Subthreshold changes in membrane potential recorded from single neurons discriminated natural scallops from time-reversed, randomized, and jittered sequences. Pooling the responses of multiple neurons improved the discriminability of natural sequences from temporally manipulated sequences. Finally, we found that single-neuron responses were sensitive to interindividual variation in scallop sequences, raising the question of whether fish may analyze scallop structure to gain information about the sender. Collectively, these results demonstrate that a population of interval-selective neurons can encode behaviorally relevant temporal patterns with millisecond precision. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The timing patterns of action potentials, or spikes, play important roles in representing information in the nervous system. However, how these temporal patterns are recognized by downstream neurons is not well understood. Here we use the electrosensory system of mormyrid weakly electric fish to investigate how a population of neurons with diverse temporal filtering properties encodes behaviorally relevant input timing patterns, and how this relates to behavioral sensitivity. We show that fish are behaviorally sensitive to millisecond variations in natural, temporally patterned communication signals, and that the responses of individual midbrain neurons are also sensitive to variation in these patterns. In fact, the output of single neurons contains enough information to discriminate stereotyped communication signals produced by different individuals.
DD and DT neutron generator yield measurements using EJ-299-33A detector

Neutron generators are widely used in security applications, industry, medicine, and research. The neutron-based methods require precise measurement of the neutron yield to normalize the measured data. To address this need, the technology of fast neutron flux monitoring was developed. The output of DD and DT neutron generators was characterized using the EJ-299-33A plastic scintillator. This detector enabled count rate measurements for fast neutrons and energy spectroscopy. Monoenergetic neutron responses were measured for this detector using the accelerator-based neutron source for energies between 0.1 MeV and 20.2 MeV with a gap between 8.2 MeV and 12.2 MeV. The T(p, n)3He, D(d, n)3He, and T(d, n)4He reactions were employed. Digital pulse shape discrimination was used to separate the neutron component of the measured responses. The experimental neutron responses were used in the spectral unfolding based on polynomial fitting. The unfolding technique was experimentally verified using DD and DT sources.
Race, religion, and the political incorporation of Indian Americans

This paper examines the logic underlying three different patterns of Indian American political mobilization and presents a theoretical examination of how race and religion interact to shape the pol...
Metabolism of Toxic Sugars by Strains of the Bee Gut Symbiont Gilliamella apicola

ABSTRACT Social bees collect carbohydrate-rich food to support their colonies, and yet, certain carbohydrates present in their diet or produced through the breakdown of pollen are toxic to bees. The gut microbiota of social bees is dominated by a few core bacterial species, including the Gram-negative species Gilliamella apicola. We isolated 42 strains of G. apicola from guts of honey bees and bumble bees and sequenced their genomes. All of the G. apicola strains share high 16S rRNA gene similarity, but they vary extensively in gene repertoires related to carbohydrate metabolism. Predicted abilities to utilize different sugars were verified experimentally. Some strains can utilize mannose, arabinose, xylose, or rhamnose (monosaccharides that can cause toxicity in bees) as their sole carbon and energy source. All of the G. apicola strains possess a manO -associated mannose family phosphotransferase system; phylogenetic analyses suggest that this was acquired from Firmicutes through horizontal gene transfer. The metabolism of mannose is specifically dependent on the presence of mannose-6-phosphate isomerase (MPI). Neither growth rates nor the utilization of glucose and fructose are affected in the presence of mannose when the gene encoding MPI is absent from the genome, suggesting that mannose is not taken up by G. apicola strains which harbor the phosphotransferase system but do not encode the MPI. Given their ability to simultaneously utilize glucose, fructose, and mannose, as well as the ability of many strains to break down other potentially toxic carbohydrates, G. apicola bacteria may have key roles in improving dietary tolerances and maintaining the health of their bee hosts. IMPORTANCE Bees are important pollinators of agricultural plants. Our study documents the ability of Gilliamella apicola, a dominant gut bacterium in honey bees and bumble bees, to utilize several sugars that are harmful to bee hosts. Using genome sequencing and growth assays, we found that the ability to metabolize certain toxic carbohydrates is directly correlated with the presence of their respective degradation pathways, indicating that metabolic potential can be accurately predicted from genomic data in these gut symbionts. Strains vary considerably in their range of utilizable carbohydrates, which likely reflects historical horizontal gene transfer and gene deletion events. Unlike their bee hosts, G. apicola bacteria are not detrimentally affected by growth on mannose-containing medium, even in strains that cannot metabolize this sugar. These results suggest that G. apicola may be an important player in modulating nutrition in the bee gut, with ultimate effects on host health.
What's the Key to Unlocking the Proteasome's Gate?

In this issue of Structure, Bolten et al. (2016) describe the organization of the mycobacterial proteasome in complex with the ATP-independent bacterial proteasome activator (Bpa, PafE). They confirm several activation motifs employed by archaea and eukaryotes and highlight differences that pose Bpa as a novel architectural class of proteasome activators.
The Change in Low Cloud Cover in a Warmed Climate Inferred from AIRS, MODIS, and ERA-Interim

AbstractDecreases in subtropical low cloud cover (LCC) occur in climate model simulations of global warming. In this study 8-day-averaged observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) spanning 2002–14 are combined with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) interim reanalysis to compute the dependence of the observed variability of LCC on various predictor variables. Large-scale thermodynamic and dynamic predictors of LCC are selected based on insight from large-eddy simulations (LESs) and observational analysis. It is found that increased estimated inversion strength (EIS) is associated with increased LCC. Drying of the free troposphere is associated with decreased LCC. Decreased LCC accompanies subsidence in regions of relatively low EIS; the opposite is found in regions of high EIS. Finally, it is found that increasing sea surface temperature (SST) leads to a decrease in LCC. These results are in keeping with ...
Energy Taxis in Escherichia Coli on the Single-Cell Level

Energy taxis allows bacteria to respond to external stresses that affect its electron transport system, and to navigate to the environment optimal for energy generation. For example, in an oxygen gradient bacteria accumulate in a sharply defined band at the oxygen concentration that maximizes their proton motive force (PMF) which is coupled to electron transport (Zhulin, 1996). Examples of energy taxis include aerotaxis, taxis to alternative electron acceptors, and taxis to respiratory substrates. In E. coli, energy sensing is mediated by Tar and Aer receptors: Tar senses changes in PMF, while Aer is likely a redox sensor (Edwards, 2007). It is therefore expected that in the spatial gradient of oxygen or alternative electron acceptors changes in bacterial swimming behavior, e.g. tumble bias, will be correlated with PMF, but this has never been demonstrated directly.We study taxis to nitrate - an alternative electron acceptor for E. coli - in bacteria under anaerobic conditions at the single cell level, using an optical trap (Min, 2009). We move bacteria in a defined gradient of nitrate inside the flow chamber, and measure resulting changes in both tumble bias and flagella rotation frequency, which is proportional to PMF under low viscous load that corresponds to free swimming bacteria (Gabel, 2003).Our preliminary results show that under anaerobic conditions E. coli respond to changes in nitrate concentration, which is reflected in both tumble bias and flagella rotation. Thus running response or decrease in tumble bias corresponds to the increase in flagella rotation frequency and vice versa. While changes in tumble bias are transient and are followed by adaptation, nitrate concentration change have long-lasting effect on flagella rotation which is expected if PMF depends on the absolute concentration of nitrate.Using our method we can measure preferred concentration of nitrate for individual bacteria at which their PMF is maximized and how it depends on other factors such as concentration of electron donor, energetic state of the bacteria and mode of metabolism.References J. C. Edwards et al. Mol Microbiol (2007). I. B. Zhulin et al. J Bacteriol (1996). T. L. Min et al. Nature Methods (2009). C. V Gabel & H. C. Berg. PNAS (2003).