cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyroid gland volumes in premature infants using serial ultrasounds

There is a gap in knowledge about the postnatal growth of thyroid gland in preterm infants. To determine postnatal growth of thyroid gland in preterm infants. Thyroid gland volume was calculated in 57 prospectively enrolled preterm infants by measuring serial longitudinal, antero-posterior, and transverse dimensions of thyroid gland with ultrasound. Data were analyzed by using the Wilcoxon and independent t test. There was a significant correlation between thyroid volume (TV) and birthweight (BW) (p = 0.01), and between TV and gestational age (p = 0.02). However, unexpectedly, 12 infants had a decrease in TV between the first and second ultrasounds. Infants with late onset bacterial sepsis had lower TVs on their second ultrasounds than infants without sepsis. Thyroid ultrasound in preterm infants provides noninvasive and quick approach to determine TV and morphology. TV in preterm infants correlates positively with BW and gestational age. However, postnatal growth of thyroid gland is variable and may seemingly be affected by postnatal factors.
Investigation of the Influence of ECoG Grid Spatial Density on Decoding Hand Flexion and Extension

Electrocorticogram (ECoG) has been used as a reliable modality to control a brain machine interface (BMI). Recently, promising results of high-density ECoG have shown that non redundant information can be recorded with finer spatial resolution from the cortical surface. In this study, highdensity ECoG was recorded intraoperatively from two patients during awake brain surgery while performing instructed hand flexion and extension. Event related desynchronization (ERD) were found in the low frequency band (LFB: 8–32 Hz) band while event related synchronization (ERS) were found in the high frequency band (HFB: 60–200 Hz). The classification between hand flexion and extension was performed by using common spatial pattern (CSP) as a feature extraction technique and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) as a classifier. In order to compare the high-density ECoG and normal ECoG in terms of classifying between hand flexion and extension, we simulated a typical clinical ECoG (8 mm spacing) by averaging the neural activity of nearest four channels. The same classification methods were applied on the averaged recordings. In HFB, the classification error rate using simulated ECoG greatly increased and lagged the movement onset compared to the original highdensity ECoG. In LFB, the differences between them were not prominent. These results indicated that high-density ECoG is able to capture non-redundant task-related information from the motor cortex and potentially serves as a better modality to drive a neural prosthetic compared to typical clinical electrodes.
Low-loss fiber-to-chip interface for lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits.

Integrated lithium niobate (LN) photonic circuits have recently emerged as a promising candidate for advanced photonic functions such as high-speed modulation, nonlinear frequency conversion, and frequency comb generation. For practical applications, optical interfaces that feature low fiber-to-chip coupling losses are essential. So far, the fiber-to-chip loss (commonly >10 dB/facet) has dominated the total insertion losses of typical LN photonic integrated circuits, where on-chip losses can be as low as 0.03–0.1 dB/cm. Here we experimentally demonstrate a low-loss mode size converter for coupling between a standard lensed fiber and sub-micrometer LN rib waveguides. The coupler consists of two inverse tapers that convert the small optical mode of a rib waveguide into a symmetrically guided mode of a LN nanowire, featuring a larger mode area matched to that of a tapered optical fiber. The measured fiber-to-chip coupling loss is lower than 1.7 dB/facet with high fabrication tolerance and repeatability. Our results open the door for practical integrated LN photonic circuits efficiently interfaced with optical fibers.
Evaluating “Lead-Free” Brass Performance in Potable Water

Use of lead in brass alloys has been strictly restricted in potable water systems since 2014 due to increasing health concerns, but the corrosion-resistance potential of newer lead-free brasses is ...
Spatial and temporal variations in women undernutrition in Ethiopia- A multilevel analysis.

Background: Women’s undernutrition is a major concern in many sub-Saharan African countries including Ethiopia; however, little information exists on its spatial and temporal variation within a single national context. This paper examines spatial and temporal variations in women’s undernutrition and its determinants in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2016. Data source and methods : We use data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys from 2000 to 2016. We used multilevel logistic regression models with region-level random effects to estimate determinants of undernutrition. Results: The results show substantial regional variations in women’s undernutrition in Ethiopia, which show mixed patterns over time. Also, the regional variations are significantly affected by age, education level, marital status, wealth, occupational status and type of residence as well as some aggregate factors. Undernutrition risks are considerably higher for teenage women, no education, never-married, unemployed, and rural women, as well as women from poor households than their counterparts. Additionally, in regions with lower levels of women’s education, the risk of undernutrition was higher. Conclusions : Regional variations in women’s undernutrition in Ethiopia are significantly determined by individual sociodemographic, economic and community level characteristics. Policy decisions should focus on bridging the regional disparities in the country, especially in areas that have made little progress in reducing women’s undernutrition.
Patient-Centered Model for Protein-Energy Wasting: Stakeholder Deliberative Panels.

Objective Integrating the patient's voice into research prioritization is essential for solving problems that patients care the most about in terms of health, symptom management, and survival. We used deliberative processes for adapting the existing model of protein-energy wasting (PEW) to one that includes stakeholder priorities, addressing gaps from the initial concept. Design and Methods From September 2015- to December 2017, two diverse, deliberative panels of stakeholders (one for patients and one for clinicians) were recruited from local communities and national networks and met four times to provide an insight into developing a patient-centered model for PEW. After each stakeholder meeting, the research team added the factors and outcomes that reached consensus, using a content analysis. The stakeholder members were then able to confirm what had been collected from an earlier panel discussion and offer additional feedback. The final model was approved by stakeholders. Results There were eight patient and twelve clinician stakeholders who participated in the panels. Factors and outcomes were only added or modified to the existing model, but none were deleted from the original PEW model. Critical factors identified by the stakeholders were ones related to lifestyle, treatment, and psychosocial aspects. The most important outcomes selected by stakeholders were living longer, staying out of the hospital, and being able to do more. Conclusions The approved patient-centered model for PEW represents a testable model for researchers which incorporates the patient's voice. Garnering this insight should assist in the prioritization of projects for a maximal value to patients and their families by future investigators.
Molecularly Characterized Factors Governing the Growth of Murine Multipotent Stem Cells in Serum-Depleted Marrow Cultures

The growth requirements of normal murine marrow-derived multipotent stem cells (CFU-GEMM) in a simple clonal cell culture system substantially devoid of exogenous serum proteins was assessed. The ability of murine interleukin-3 (I1–3), recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO), and a crystalline preparation of the protoporphyrin hemin to support colony growth in “serum-free” cultures was examined by titration. The results suggest that both I1–3 and hemin are limiting for multipotential colony growth in “serum-free” cultures, but that EPO is not. In addition, the ‘sensitivity’ of CFU-GEMM to each growth factor appeared to increase in the “serum-free” environment as evidenced by a “shift-to-the-left” in all the titration curves. Nearly half of the GEMM colonies grew to full maturity in the absence of exogenous EPO. Given the optimal concentration of each growth factor, high colony growth was consistently observed in the “serum-free” cultures, with a range from 65% to 119% of the serum control level. It is therefore concluded that supplementation of murine marrow cultures with I1–3 and hemin alone may provide the necessary setting for studying the factors which modulate the growth of multipotent stem cells in a serum- free environment.
Response and correlated response of yield parameters to selection for salt tolerance in rice

Lack of reliable selection criteria is one of the major reasons for the limited success in salt tolerance. This study was designed to determine the responses of yield parameters in rice plants to the selection for salt tolerance. F2 populations were developed from crosses between ‘M-202’ (salt-sensitive) and ‘Agami’ (moderately salt-tolerant) and grown in the greenhouse under salt stress (NaCl and CaCh, 5: 1 molar concentration). Selections were made among the F2 plants for the highest values of grain weight per plant, tillers per plant, and panicle weight under salt stress. The F3 populations of the selected F2 plants and unselected F2 plants, and their parental plants were evaluated for salt tolerance. Broad-sense heritability and realized heritability of grain weight per plant were determined to be 0.40-0.45 and 0.25, respectively. Higher broad-sense heritability (0.45 to 0.65) and realized heritability (0.42) of tillers per plant suggest this trait is genetically controlled. Moderately high realized heritability indicates the effectiveness of early selection for salt tolerance if tiller number is used as selection criterion. Low genetic correlation between tiller number and panicle weight was identified in F3 populations derived from the selected F2 plants. The low genetic correlation indicates the low compensatory relationship between these two yield parameters in equal spaced rice plants under salt stress.
Stoichiometry, band alignment, and electronic structure of Eu2O3 thin films studied by direct and inverse photoemission: A reevaluation of the electronic band structure

The electronic structure of Eu sesquioxide (Eu2O3) presents a significant challenge to the electronic structure theory due to the presence of correlated Eu semicore 4f electrons. The bandgap values do not agree between computational methods, and even experimentally, there are discrepancies between reports. Eu2O3 was grown epitaxially in a thin film form on n-type GaN (0001) by molecular beam epitaxy. The film was analyzed using UV and x-ray photoemission spectroscopies as well as inverse photoelectron spectroscopy in order to characterize both occupied and unoccupied states. Signatures of Eu2+ are detected after annealing in UHV or after exposure to air, which can be removed by subsequent O2 annealing. The sample reduction is shown to strongly affect the electronic structure. The bandgap of 4.3 eV, electron affinity of 2.2 eV, and band alignment to the substrate with a valence band offset of 0.2 eV for a stoichiometric Eu2O3 film were extracted from the measurements of the occupied and unoccupied electronic states. The electronic structure is interpreted in view of recent theoretical models, and the energy band alignment across the Eu2O3/GaN interface is discussed.
Erratum to: Foliations associated to harmonic maps on some complex two ball quotients

In [Y, p. 1146, l. 35], it is stated that “Pℝ#T2 has a two-fold cover that is T2”. This is a mistake. As a result, [Y, Theorem 4.2] should be corrected as follows. The numbering of the references follows [Y].
Situated Multimodal Control of a Mobile Robot: Navigation through a Virtual Environment.

We present a new interface for controlling a navigation robot in novel environments using coordinated gesture and language. We use a TurtleBot3 robot with a LIDAR and a camera, an embodied simulation of what the robot has encountered while exploring, and a cross-platform bridge facilitating generic communication. A human partner can deliver instructions to the robot using spoken English and gestures relative to the simulated environment, to guide the robot through navigation tasks.
Immanuel Kant’s Aesthetics: Beginnings and Ends

Immanuel Kant and his work occupied a space at the crossroads of several important movements in philosophy. In this essay, I look at two important crossroads in aesthetics. First, the subjective turn in aesthetics, when the focus on aesthetic objects (and events) was rebalanced with the focus on the subject’s experience of such objects, the weight shifting from the objective to the subjective. Second, after many years and many theories advancing the view that universality of judgment could be achieved, at least in part, through adoption of the appropriate perspective – or attitude – when considering a particular aesthetic object, Kant offers us perhaps the most sophisticated view of disinterestedness of any, and as he does so he solidifies that tradition, bringing it to its culmination, and ushers in the beginning of its end.
Research Progress in Physiologic Functions of Heterotrimeric G Protein in Rice

The GTP-binding protein(G protein),consisting of three subunits ofα,βandγ,is an important signaling molecule,playing a key role in growth and development in organism.Through the coupled receptors on the surface of cells,G protein perceives stimulation outside,then delivers the signals to intracellular proteins,thus affects the behaviorof cells.G proteins share similar molecular structures in plants and animals,but signal transition in the former is completed by atypical"self activation"mechanism and effector proteins,regulating the growth and development.We review the structures and functions of G proteins,characters and differences in molecular regular mechanisms,and G protein subunits genes of D1,GS3,DEP1 and qNGR9 in rice,which involved in signal transduction of hormone,disease resistance and stress resistance,and controlling of rice plant types,grain types and nitrogen utilization efficiency.Additionally,the coupled signaling components and functions,systemic biology and applications of G protein were also prospected.
The Wald-Zoupas prescription for asymptotic charges at null infinity in general relativity

We use the formalism developed by Wald and Zoupas to derive explicit covariant expressions for the charges and fluxes associated with the Bondi-Metzner-Sachs symmetries at null infinity in asymptotically flat spacetimes in vacuum general relativity. Our expressions hold in non-stationary regions of null infinity, are local and covariant, conformally-invariant, and are independent of the choice of foliation of null infinity and of the chosen extension of the symmetries away from null infinity. We also include detailed comparisons with other expressions for the charges and fluxes that have appeared in the literature, including expressions in conformal Bondi-Sachs coordinates, the Ashtekar-Streubel flux formula, the Komar formulae and the linkage and twistor charge formulae.
CARBON TAXES VERSUS CAP AND TRADE: A CRITICAL REVIEW

We examine the relative attractions of a carbon tax, a "pure" cap-and-trade system, and a "hybrid" option (a cap-and-trade system with a price ceiling and/or price floor). We show that the various options are equivalent along more dimensions than often are recognized. In addition, we bring out important dimensions along which the approaches have very different impacts, including some dimensions that have received little attention in prior literature. Although no option dominates the others, a key finding is that exogenous emissions pricing (whether through a carbon tax or through the hybrid option) has a number of important attractions over pure cap and trade. Beyond helping prevent price volatility and reducing expected policy errors in the face of uncertainties, exogenous pricing helps avoid problematic interactions with other climate policies and helps avoid potential wealth transfers to oil-exporting countries.
Development of a psychosocial oncology core curriculum for multidisciplinary education and training: Initial content validation using the modified Delphi Method.

OBJECTIVE Despite its four decade history, the multidisciplinary specialty of psychosocial oncology (PSO) has no official consensus on core content. In 2014, the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) Board charged the APOS Professional Education Committee with outlining curricular content needed for core competence. METHODS Content validation was completed using a four-phase modified Delphi Method. During Phase I, a Professional Education Committee subgroup proposed domains and items, which were rated by the APOS Fellows and Board via online survey. During Phase II, Fellows completed a second, revised survey. Phase III incorporated early career members. Developmental and diversity items were integrated into each domain. In Phase IV, a larger group of subject matter experts were surveyed, with feedback incorporated. Validation across phases involved average rating thresholds, intraclass correlations, and final percent agreement. RESULTS The Delphi Method supported 12 content domains: Cancer Basics, Psychosocial Oncology, Professional Development, Ethics, Emotional/Psychological Concerns, Sexuality and Relationship Concerns, Spiritual/Religious Concerns, Healthcare Communication and Decision Making, Social/Practical Problems, Caregiver Concerns, Cognitive Concerns, Physical Symptoms and Psychosocial Assessment/Treatment. High levels of agreement were achieved across domains (86%-100%) and items, with no significant rating differences by discipline. CONCLUSIONS This proposed core content can enhance and standardize education and training in PSO including APOS' Virtual Psychosocial Oncology Core Curriculum, focused on broadly expanding the PSO workforce, particularly in underserved areas. Next steps include development of core competencies and establishment of online training modules based on this content validation.
Autoimmune encephalitis and seizures, cerebrospinal fluid, imaging, and EEG findings: a case series.

Antibody-mediated encephalitides constitute a group of inflammatory brain diseases characterized by prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms and are associated with antibodies against neuronal cell-surface proteins, ion channels, or receptors. The diagnosis and management of autoimmune encephalitis include evaluation of the clinical presentation, brain imaging, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings, antibody detection, and electroencephalography (EEG) findings. This is a retrospective study of adults 18 years or older with autoimmune encephalitis due to antibodies against membrane surface antigens as well as anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies. The electronic medical record was reviewed for demographic data, clinical data, laboratory results, EEG, and imaging findings. Antibody screening was requested for 341 patients between May 2014 and December 2019. Antibody screening was positive in 37 patients presenting with seizures and/or encephalopathy. Of these, 10 patients tested positive for antibodies against neuronal surface antigens or anti-GAD antibodies―2 patients had anti-GAD antibody encephalitis, 5 had anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis, and 3 had anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (anti-LGI1) encephalitis. Demographics, clinical presentation, EEG, imaging, and CSF findings are reported. Autoimmune encephalitides are a diverse group of disorders with a few common clinical features and MRI findings. MRI, EEG, and CSF findings can be normal or show nonspecific findings in autoimmune encephalitis. Therefore, early diagnosis of these disorders requires a high level of suspicion to avoid delaying the diagnosis. Carefully looking for diagnostic clinical features (e.g., faciobrachial dystonic seizures in anti-LGI1 encephalitis), significant findings in MRI (e.g., limbic encephalitis), and some EEG patterns (e.g., extreme delta brush and generalized rhythmic delta activity in anti-NMDAR encephalitis) may help in early diagnosis.
An Adaptive Application Framework with Customizable Quality Metrics

Many embedded environments require applications to produce outcomes under different, potentially changing, resource constraints. Relaxing application semantics through approximations enables tradin...
Interferometric radar observations of Glaciar San Rafael, Chile

Interferometric radar observations of Glaciar San Rafael, Chile, were collected in October 1994 by NASA's Spaceborne Imaging Radar C (SIR-C) at both L- (24cm) and C-band frequency (5.6cm), with vertical transmit and receive polarization. The C-band data did not yield good geophysical products, because the temporal coherence of the signal was significantly reduced after 24h. The L-band data were, however, successfully employed to map the surface topography of the icefield with a 10m uncertainty in height, and measure ice velocity with a precision of 4 mm/d or 1.4 m/a. The corresponding error in strain rates is 0.05/a at a 30 m horizontal spacing. The one-dimensional interferometric velocities were subsequently converted to horizontal displacements by assuming a flow direction and complemented by feature-tracking results near the calving front. The results provide a comprehensive view of the ice-flow dynamics of Glaciar San Rafael. The glacier has a core of rapid flow, 4.5 km in width and 3.5 degrees in average slope,surrounded by slower moving ice, not by rock. Ice velocity is 2.6 m/d or 0.95 km/a near the equilibrium line altitude (1200m), increasing rapidly before the glacier enters the narrower terminal valley, to reach 17.5 m/d or 6.4 km/a at the calving front. Strain rates are dominated by lateral shearing at the glacier margins (0.4-0.7/a), except for the terminal-valley section, where longitudinal strain rates average close to 1/a. This spectacular longitudinal increase in ice velocity in the last few kilometers may be a fundamental feature of tidewater glaciers.
Limiting throughput of MIMO ad hoc networks [MANET example]

We study the throughput limits of a MIMO (multiple-input multiple output) ad hoc network with K simultaneous communicating transceiver pairs. Assume that each transmitter is equipped with t antennas and the receivers with r antennas, we show that in the absence of channel state information (CSI) at the transmitters, the asymptotic network throughput is limited by r nats/s/Hz as K/spl rarr//spl infin/. With CSI corresponding to the desired receiver available at the transmitter, we demonstrate that an asymptotic throughput of t+r+2/spl radic/tr nats/s/Hz can be achieved using a simple beamforming approach. Further, we show that the asymptotically optimal transmission scheme with CSI amounts to a single-user waterfilling for a properly scaled channel.
Tyler Cowen, Markets and cultural voices: Liberty vs. power in the lives of Mexican Amate painters

Tyler Cowen’s Markets and cultural voices: Liberty vs. power in the lives of Mexican Amate painters is a little marvel of economic analysis, rhetoric, and subversion. Like a Russian matrioska, it has many layers, nicely packed one into the other. The reader can choose which one to focus on, without any loss. Cowen describes the individual lives of a handful of amate (bark paper) painters from a small pueblo in Oapan, in the state of Guerrero in central Mexico. He describes their lives, successes, failures, joys, hopes, pains, and frustrations. He also describes how the wealth of the so-called first world countries allows the growth of art and tradition in less prosperous countries. It is through the wealth and support of the rich capitalist countries that very localized and traditional Mexican art forms survive and flourish, as well as through the great dynamism of a “cluster of creativity” generated by the proximity of the artists, both in their villages and, especially, under the wings of their patrons. Cowen describes how trade and globalization can benefit the poorest individuals in poor countries the most. Painters significantly improved their standards of living going from literally bare subsistence to, in certain cases, having a telephone. He describes as well how the new wealth allows for new technology, which in its turn changes the art forms produced. The art works are transported from the pueblo to main tourist centers, originally by burros on very bad roads, and now by bus on better roads. Originally, artists would produce pottery only for domestic use and would maintain themselves by working in the fields. With tourism, they would augment their income by painting amate for sale: pottery would break much more easily than paper on the way to the tourist centers. Eventually they went back to pottery, now for sale where the roads and the busses allow them to do so. The book also describes how government corruption threatens the less lucky and weaker artists who do not have the opportunity to sell
The Executive’s Authority over Enemy Combatants: Due Process and Its Limits.

For almost a decade, the U.S. judicial system has had to deal with what might be called the legal “fall-out” from the “war on terror.” In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved one basic question by holding in Boumediene v. Bush, that non-citizens held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were constitutionally entitled to seek habeas corpus relief in the federal courts. That result seemed like a major victory for the Guantanamo detainees. However, on the same day it decided Boumediene, the Court also decided Munaf v. Geren, a case that received much less attention, but was far more favorable to the Government. In Munaf, the Court held that the decision to transfer a detainee from US custody to that of another nation was committed to the Executive and substantially immune from judicial review.The upshot of the decisions in Boumediene and Munaf, taken together, is that individuals detained by the Government may petition the courts for release while in US custody, but lack legal recourse if the Executive transfers them to the custody of another State. While Boumediene may have authorized the courts to review the status of enemy combatants, Munaf effectively empowered the Executive to evade such review by turning over a detainee to another country. This article will examine the present state of the law, by examining the development of the Supreme Court’s habeas jurisprudence, beginning with the 2004 decision in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, and ending with several petitions for review that the Court will soon consider. The Supreme Court may or may not grant one or more of the currently pending petitions. If it does, the resulting decision may have a felicitous impact on the development of the law in this area. If that is to be the case, however, it will be necessary for the Court to take a more holistic approach than that which has characterized its decisions to this point.
The treatment of osteopenia in Asian women: a new approach.

Purpose: Compare dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan results to the World Health Organization FRAX™ tool 10-year projected hip fracture risk of immigrant Vietnamese women at antiresorptive medication therapy initiation and to identify whether the current and/or future treatment of patients with osteopenia would change based on the FRAX tool results. Data source: Retrospective study involving a convenience sample of 57 postmenopausal,Vietnamese women concerning the variables age, height, weight, smoking, alcohol use, glucocorticoid use, personal and family fracture history, presence of secondary osteoporosis, and recent DEXA-scan T score. The data were then entered into FRAX and 10-year fracture risk for hip calculated. Conclusions: Of the 18 subjects deemed osteopenic by DEXA scan and previously started on an antiresorptive agent, nine would not have been initiated had the FRAX tool been available at the time. Implications for practice: The FRAX tool was easy to use and applicable in day-to-day care of patients and significantly increases the clinician's ability to make evidence-based decisions.
Extracorporeal photopheresis as a therapy for autoimmune diseases

Systemic autoimmune diseases (AID) have multiorgan, heterogeneous clinical presentations and are characterized by dysregulation of the immune system, immunodeficiency, irreversible organ damage and increased morbidity and mortality. Preventing or decreasing flares of AID correlate with durable disease control, significant reduction of inflammation and prevention of disability or therapy-related toxicity. There is an urgent need for better treatment of severe, therapy-refractory AID. Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is a cell-based immunomodulatory treatment which has been extensively used in variety of autoimmune disorders for the last two decades. ECP treatment is FDA approved for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with particularly promising results seen in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Prolonged therapy is safe, well tolerated and allows reduction of systemic immunosuppression in therapy-refractory patients. Both clinical and experimental evidence suggest that ECP mechanism of action is characterized by apoptosis and phagocytosis of activated cells by antigen-presenting cells (APC), secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines and stimulation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). The focus of this paper is to review the current evidence of ECP use in the treatment of AID. Here, we summarize the experience of nine major AID from 65 published reports. The key findings demonstrate substantial evidence of ECP feasibility, safety and in some AID also promising efficacy. However, the role of ECP in AID therapy is not established as most published studies are retrospective with limited number of patients and the trials are small or poorly standardized. The available data support future investigations of ECP as a therapeutic modality for the treatment of AID in well-designed prospective clinical studies. J
Urinary Metabolites of Prostanoids and Risk of Recurrent Colorectal Adenomas in the Aspirin/Folate Polyp Prevention Study (AFPPS)

Aspirin has been shown to protect against colorectal neoplasms; however, the optimal chemopreventive dose and underlying mechanisms are unclear. We aimed to study the relationship between prostanoid metabolites and aspirin's effect on adenoma occurrence. We used data from the Aspirin/Folate Polyp Prevention Study, in which 1,121 participants with a recent adenoma were randomized to placebo or two doses of aspirin (81 or 325 mg/d) to be taken until the next surveillance colonoscopy, anticipated about 3 years later. Urinary metabolites of prostanoids (PGE-M, PGI-M, and dTxB2) were measured using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry or GC/NICI-MS in 876 participants near the end of treatment follow-up. Poisson regression with a robust error variance was used to calculate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals. PGE-M, PGI-M, and dTxB2 levels were 28%, 37%, and 60% proportionately lower, respectively, in individuals who took 325 mg of aspirin compared with individuals who took placebo (all P < 0.001). Similarly, among individuals who took 81 mg of aspirin, PGE-M, PGI-M, and dTxB2 were, respectively, 18%, 30%, and 57% proportionally lower compared with placebo (all P < 0.005). None of the metabolites or their ratios were statistically significantly associated with the risk of adenoma occurrence. The effect of aspirin in reducing adenoma risk was independent of prostanoid levels. Aspirin use is associated with lower levels of urinary prostanoid metabolites. However, our findings do not support the hypothesis that these metabolites are associated with adenoma occurrence, suggesting that COX-dependent mechanisms may not completely explain the chemopreventive effect of aspirin on colorectal neoplasms.
The Tanks-in-Series Model

This model can be used whenever the dispersion model is used; and for not too large a deviation from plug flow, both models give identical results, for all practical purposes. Which model you use depends on your mood and your likes and dislikes.
Pseudocoarctation and Mid-Arch Aortic Coarctation

A 21-year-old woman was found to have a mid-arch aortic coarctation in combination with pseudocoarctation. The angiographic diagnosis was established by left atrial injection after transseptal puncture.
Online Learning in Higher Education: a review of research on interactions among teachers and students

Online learning has become a widespread method for providing education at the graduate and undergraduate level. Although it is an extension of distance learning, the medium requires new modes of presentation and interaction. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the existing literature in communications, distance education, educational technology, and other education-related fields, to articulate what is currently known about online teaching and learning, how the field has been conceptualized in the various research communities, and what might be useful areas for future research. The review indicates that, although there has been extensive work to conceptualize and understand the social interactions and constructs entailed by online education, there has been little work that connects these concepts to subject-specific interactions and learning. That is, the literature provides insights into social aspects of online teaching and learning such as the development of community, the social r...
Intranasal administration of desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) to hemophiliacs

Abstract The intravenous infusion of desmopressin acetate (DDAVP), a synthetic vasopressin analogue, has been shown to cause a sustained increase in all Factor VIII related properties (VIII-C, VIIIR-Ag, VIIIR-WF) in patients with mild to moderate hemophilia and von Willebrand's disease. This study examines the effect of high doses of intranasal DDAVP (0.4 μg/kg BiD) in four patients with hemophilia A and one patient with von Willebrand's disease. In spite of a physiologic response with a decrease in urine volume and increase in urine osmolality, there was no effect on the Factor VIII complex.
Doubling-Time Probability Densities For Growth Processes

The doubling-time probability density of a growth process is the probability density for the time it takes for the size to double. Doubling-time probability densities are useful in studying growth rates, for example, of organisms, populations, financial products, or chemical reactions. Three fundamental stochastic models of growth are investigated for their doubling-time probability densities. It is shown that two of the stochastic models have doubling-time probability densities which are inverse Gaussian. Although the third stochastic model’s doubling-time density does not have a simple analytical form, it is shown to be approximately inverse Gaussian under a reasonable hypothesis on the model’s parameters. Two data sets for doubling time, spruce seedling size and Texas Mega Millions Lottery jackpot, are fit to inverse Gaussian distributions.
Identification of time series models in the presence of calendar variation

Abstract Monthly time series data are frequently subject to calendar variation, such as trading day and holiday effects. Calendar variation effects often make model identification difficult, even in single time series analysis. This paper presents a comprehensive and easy-to-use method for the identification of the degree of differencing and appropriate ARMA model in univariate ARIMA modeling when these effects are present. The method can be readily applied to the identification of intervention and transfer function models which may also be subject to calendar variation.
Connecting Science and Mathematics: Using Inquiry Investigations to Learn about Data Collection, Analysis, and Display.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of providing preservice teachers the opportunity to collect real data in a science methods inquiry investigation and using the data, design data displays in their mathematics methods course. The research questions focused on how preservice teachers' understandings of data displays, research design, and the specific content addressed improved when they used these displays to attempt to communicate the data they had collected themselves in their inquiry investigations. The 46 preservice teachers were given questionnaires at the beginning and end of the courses, twelve were interviewed both pre and post, all written work pertaining to data displays and the inquiry investigations was collected, methods class sessions were audio and videotaped, and the final data display and science investigation projects were photocopied. The findings show that by creating and scrutinizing their data displays, the preservice teachers were able to recognize the limitations of their inquiry investigation design. Through working with data in the context of inquiry projects of their own design, the preservice teachers realized meaningful connections and commonalities that exist in mathematics and science while strengthening their knowledge and skills in both disciplines.
On the singular behavior at the vertex of a bi-material wedge

Information on the singular behavior at the vertex of a bi-material wedge is the objective of this paper. A summary of the necessary conditions, which depend heavily on the associated eigenvalue equation, for stress singularities of O(r -λ 1n r) as r→0 or O(r -λ) as r→0 is stated. The eigenvalue equations arising from a wide range of boundary and interface conditions are then provided. Bi-material wedge problems that have been subjected to singularity analyses of some generality in the literature are briefly reviewed.
Effects of short‐term cosmetic versus long‐term health fear appeals in anti‐smoking advertisements on the smoking behaviour of adolescents

A field study exposed 235 high school students to anti-smoking advertisements over a five-month period to test the effectiveness of short-term cosmetic versus long-term health fear appeals in preventing or reducing smoking. The study was a longitudinal experiment with two experimental groups and a control group. Smoking behaviour was measured prior to message exposure on television, in magazines and on the internet, and at the end of the study period. The primary results were that average smoking declined for subjects exposed to either type of anti-smoking fear appeal but not for the control group and short-term cosmetic fear appeals were more effective for males but long-term health fear appeals were more effective for females. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications.
Injection of Bone Marrow Cell Extract Into Infarcted Hearts Results in Functional Improvement Comparable to Intact Cell Therapy

We compared therapeutic benefits of intramyocardial injection of unfractionated bone marrow cells (BMCs) versus BMC extract as treatments for myocardial infarction (MI), using closed-chest ultrasound-guided injection at a clinically relevant time post-MI. MI was induced in mice and the animals treated at day 3 with either: (i) BMCs from green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing mice (n = 14), (ii) BMC extract (n = 14), or (iii) saline control (n = 14). Six animals per group were used for histology at day 6 and the rest followed to day 28 for functional analysis. Ejection fraction was similarly improved in the BMC and extract groups versus control (40.6 ± 3.4 and 39.1 ± 2.9% versus 33.2 ± 5.0%, P < 0.05) with smaller scar sizes. At day 6 but not day 28, both therapies led to significantly higher capillary area and number of arterioles versus control. At day 6, BMCs increased the number of cycling cardiomyocytes (CMs) versus control whereas extract therapy resulted in significant reduction in the number of apoptotic CMs at the border zone (BZ) versus control. Intracellular components within BMCs can enhance vascularity, reduce infarct size, improve cardiac function, and influence CM apoptosis and cycling early after therapy following MI. Intact cells are not necessary and death of implanted cells may be a major component of the benefit.
Equal opportunity in the U.S. Navy: perceptions of active-duty African American women

In 1989, the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center (NPRDC) developed a service-wide survey to assess the equal opportunity climate of the Navy. This survey, known as the Navy Equal Opportunity/Sexual Harassment Survey (NEOSH), is administered to a random sample of Navy women and men every two years. Each year the survey has been administered, results have indicated that African American women are the least satisfied with the equal opportunity climate of the Navy than any of the other aggregated groups. In an effort to explain and expand upon the findings of the NEOSH, NPRDC organized a group of facilitators in 1995 to conduct focus groups of African American Navy women. The present study is based on data from these focus groups. The women in this study exemplify what some researchers refer to as the “double whammy” phenomenon: disadvantaged because of both their race and gender. The data also lend support to theories of tokenism. An interesting finding is that regard-less of how dissatisfied the African American women were about the equal opportunity climate in the Navy, they still viewed job opportunities to be better in the Navy than in the civilian sector. Recommendations from focus group participants for improving the Navy EO climate are presented.
Interaction of Fast Particles with Intergalactic Matter

A discussion is given of the relaxation of power-law cosmic-ray spectra in the intergalactic medium. The theoretical time-dependent spectra obtained are used to calculate the nonthermal radiation produced by bremsstrahlung of subcosmic-ray electrons colliding with ambient protons of the intergalactic gas. A comparison is made between the theory and the observations of the diffuse X-ray and gamma-ray background. The calculated cosmic-ray proton spectra are applied to a computation of the heating of the intergalactic medium, and the resulting thermal bremsstrahlung radiation is compared with the suprathermal proton bremsstrahlung flux. We conclude that nonthermal bremsstrahlung is unlikely to be an important contributor to the isotropic X- and gamma-ray background. However, cosmic-ray heating can provide a plausible heat source for maintaining a hot intergalactic gas, especially when evolutionary effects are included in the distribution of cosmic-ray sources.
The effects of retinoic acid on immunoglobulin synthesis: Role of interleukin 6

Retinoic acid (RA) and its parent compound, retinol (ROH, vitamin A), have been recognized as important immunopotentiating agents. Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that RA can augment formalin-treatedStaphylococcus aureus (SAC)-stimulated immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC). To determine the mechanism(s) by which RA modulates Ig synthesis, we studied the effects of RA on B cells and cytokine production. The addition of RA (10−5 to 10−10M) to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B-cell clones derived from either adult or cord blood B cells augmented Ig secretion twofold. In contrast, cell proliferation was inhibited as measured by3H-thymidine incorporation. We evaluated two cytokines known to be constitutively produced by EBV cell lines, IL-1 and IL-6. While RA had no effect on IL-1 production, IL-6 synthesis was greatly enhanced (20- to 45-fold), which was also reflected by an increase in steady-state mRNA levels for IL-6 but not TNF-α or TGF-β on Northern blot analysis. Polyclonal rabbit anti-IL-6 antibodies were used to block the augmenting effects of RA on Ig synthesis of adenoidal B cells. RA-induced augmentation in IgG and IgA synthesis was blocked 58 and 29%, respectively, by anti-IL-6 antibodies. These studies suggest that the enhancing effects of RA on Ig synthesis are mediated, at least in part, by the autocrine or paracrine effects of IL-6 on B-cell differentiation.
Modeling the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Granuloma - the Critical Battlefield in Host Immunity and Disease.

Granulomas are the hallmark of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection and thus sit at the center of tuberculosis (TB) immunopathogenesis. TB can result from either early progression of a primary granuloma during the infection process or reactivation of an established granuloma in a latently infected person. Granulomas are compact, organized aggregates of immune cells consisting of blood-derived infected and uninfected macrophages, foamy macrophages, epithelioid cells (uniquely differentiated macrophages) and multinucleated giant cells (Langerhans cells) surrounded by a ring of lymphocytes. The granuloma’s main function is to localize and contain M.tb while concentrating the immune response to a limited area. However, complete eradication does not occur since M.tb has its own strategies to persist within the granuloma and to reactivate and escape under certain conditions. Thus M.tb-containing granulomas represent a unique battlefield for dictating both the host immune and bacterial response. The architecture, composition, function and maintenance of granulomas are key aspects to study since they are expected to have a profound influence on M.tb physiology in this niche. Granulomas are not only present in mycobacterial infections; they can be found in many other infectious and non-infectious diseases and play a crucial role in immunity and disease. Here we review the models currently available to study the granulomatous response to M.tb.
“Foreign Area Studies” in the German College Curriculum

The feasibility of adapting the foreign area studies of the Army Specialized Training Program to the regular college program in languages is investigated.
Double-lumen tube position should be confirmed by fiberoptic bronchoscopy.

Purpose of reviewThis review is part of Pro and Contra use of fiberoptic bronchoscopy to confirm the position of a double lumen tube. The purpose of this review is to highlight the circumstances where fiberoptic bronchoscopy should be used in conjunction with lung separation, right sided double-lume
Ricardo Zamora: The First Spanish Football Idol

One of the most famous icons in pre‐Civil War Spain was the football goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora. Between 1920 and 1936, football grew rapidly into a mass entertainment industry that rivalled bullfighting, and it was Zamora who presided over this change as the period’s most famous player. His background lay in the rich athletic culture of early‐twentiethcentury Barcelona and his youth reflected the social divisions within that vibrant community. During his career he became the first de facto professional footballer, the first high‐profile transfer between Barcelona and Madrid, and the leading protagonist behind the commercialization of the game. Further, his fame grew beyond Spain and football, producing a new type of cultural icon and a symbol for Spanish national pride. Zamora’s life and career provide an example of successful cultural modernization despite political and economic weakness and of Spain’s development into a modern, European nation.
Bronchial constriction after nebulized tobramycin preparations and saline in patients with cystic fibrosis.

To asses the airway response to inhaled tobramycin we measured flow volume curves in 12 patients with cystic fibrosis. Immediately and/or 2 min after tobramycin inhalations there was a significant fall in lung function regardless of the concentration used; isotonic saline caused similar obstruction but not a complete cessation of peripheral air-flows. The baseline oxygen saturation was significantly correlated with the fall in lung function. Ten minutes after inhalation lung function tests returned to baseline values.