cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
[3H]DuP 753, a highly potent and specific radioligand for the angiotensin II-1 receptor subtype

Abstract [3H]DuP 753, a nonpeptide angiotensin II (AII) receptor antagonist radioligand, was used to characterize a subtype of AII receptors in rat adrenal cortical microsomes. By Scatchard analysis, a single class of DuP 753 binding sites was found with an affinity of 6.4 nM and a Bmax of 1.3 pmol/mg protein. These sites were saturable and readily reversible. Angiotensin (I, II, III) expressed the same affinities and order of potency for these binding sites as those labeled by [3H]AII for the AII-1 sites. The affinities expressed by nonpeptide AII antagonists were commensurate with their inhibitory potencies on AII-1 receptors. PD123177, an AII-2 specific ligand, and other non-AII peptides showed no inhibitory action. These data together with the differential tissue distribution strongly support our conclusion that [3H]DuP 753 is a potent and highly specific radioligand for the AII-1 receptors.
Season’s greetings from the editors

The editors wish all members of IPNA and readers of Pediatric Nephrology Happy Holidays and a joyous New Year. 2007 has been a successful year for IPNA as well as for the journal. With the help of our teaching editors we have started an exciting new educational program. The submission rate has increased and the impact factor for the Journal has risen substantially over the past year. Through the generosity of the Springer Company, most of the reviews and teaching articles are now published ’Open Access’ allowing a free download of the full article from the PubMed library. As always on this occasion, we would like to thank our readership and contributors as well as our reviewers and assistant, associate, educational and section editors all of whom were deeply involved in the processing of articles and the overall success of the Journal. At our recent editorial conference during the IPNA meeting in Budapest, two major points were decided. Firstly, ‘Letters to the Editors’ will be reintroduced in 2008 due to the demand for discussion of recent publications and current news. Secondly, the Journal will be linked to the new IPNA website during the next year in order to provide a platform for a more direct discussion between our members. We look forward to another successful year.
Spin crossover of iron in aluminous MgSiO3 perovskite and post-perovskite

Using density functional theory+Hubbard U (DFT+U) calculations, we investigate how aluminum affects the spin crossover of iron in MgSiO3 perovskite (Pv) and post-perovskite (Ppv), the major mineral phases in the Earth's lower mantle. We find that the presence of aluminum does not change the response of iron spin state to pressure: only ferric iron (Fe3+) in the octahedral (B)-site undergoes a crossover from high-spin (HS) to low-spin (LS) state, while Fe3+ in the dodecahedral (A)-site remains in the HS state, same as in Al-free cases. However, aluminum does significantly affect the placement of Fe3+ in these mineral phases. The most stable atomic configuration has all Al3+ in the B-site and all Fe3+ in the A-site (thus in the HS state). Metastable configurations with LS Fe3+ in the B-site can happen only at high pressures and high temperatures. Therefore, experimental observations of LS Fe3+ at high pressures in Al-bearing Pv require diffusion of iron from the A-site to the B-site and should be sensitive to the annealing temperature and schedule. In the Earth's lower mantle, the elastic anomalies accompanying the B-site HS-LS crossover exhibited in Al-free Pv are likely to be considerably reduced, according to the B-site Fe3+ population.
MAP - mining architectures for product line evaluations

Product lines evolve out of existing products. In order to evaluate the potential of creating a product line from existing products, it is necessary to 'mine' their architectures and analyze the commonalities and variabilities across those architectures. To manage the evaluation process in a disciplined way the paper introduces the MAP (Mining Architectures for Product Lines) method. MAP outlines a bottom-up approach for mining the architecture of the existing products, a top-down approach to mapping architectural styles and attributes onto the mined architectures and an approach to analyzing their commonalities and variabilities. It combines well-known architecture reconstruction and product line analysis techniques. A case study is presented showing the application of the method and its benefits are outlined.
Chatanika moves to polar cusp

Scientists in the fields of aeronomy, spate physics, and meteorology have used the Chatanika incoherent-scatter radar extensively over the last 11 years. During this past solar cycle, 11,718 hours of data were collected, resulting in substantial increases in knowledge of the high-latitude ionosphere and auroral processes. The 141 journal articles and 13 Ph.D. theses published since 1972 attest to the facility's productivity. On March 1, 1982, operations in Alaska ended so that the radar could be relocated to a higher invariant latitude (see Figure 1). The new location will be Sondre Stromfjord in Greenland, invariant latitude 75°. At this location, it will be the northernmost station of a longitudinal chain of incoherent-scatter radar facilities (Sondrestrom, Millstone Hill, Arecibo, and Jicamarca) stretching from the polar cap to the magnetic equator, and the incoherent-scatter technique, applied successfully in the auroral zone, will be available for polar cap/cusp research for the first time.
Achieving Flow Level Constant Performance Guarantees for CICQ Switches without Speedup

Performance guarantees provided by switches can be at different granularity: port level and flow level. As a trade-off, it is usually more expensive to provide performance guarantees at finer granularity. Existing solutions for switches to provide flow level performance guarantees require either expensive hardware support or centralized scheduling algorithms with multiple iterations. In this paper, we present theFlow-level Fair Scheduling (FFS) algorithm to provide flow level performance guarantees for Combined-Input- Crosspoint-Queued (CICQ) switches, which are special crossbar switches with a small exclusive buffer at each crosspoint of the crossbar. FFS uses hierarchical and multidimensional fair queueing to emulate the ideal Generalized Processing Sharing (GPS) model. The main features of FFS include: constant performance guarantees, bounded crosspoint buffer sizes, no speedup requirement, and distributed operation. We theoretically analyze the performance of FFS, and conduct simulations to verify the analytical results.
INCREASED URINARY CALCIUM EXCRETION IN ENURETIC CHILDREN TREATED WITH DESMOPRESSIN

Purpose: The use of desmopressin in the treatment of primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) is accepted and based on the fact that this drug leads to renal water reabsorption. However, recent findings have also implicated that desmopressin regulates other molecules, such as sodium and potassium. We investigate if desmopressin influences renal Ca 2 handling. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 children with PNE were enrolled in a prospective study. Patients received a standard 30 g desmopressin intranasally before going to bed. All patients were treated for at least 4 weeks. Desmopressin was then withdrawn and reintroduced after 2 weeks. Urine samples were collected during all 3 phases of the study. Ca 2 measurement was performed in single morning spot urines as well as in 24-hour collections. Additionally, blood was sampled for analysis of Ca 2 . The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Wet nights decreased an average of 4.75 to 1.0 per week with desmopressin treatment. While blood concentrations did not change with or without medication, urinary Ca 2 excretion was significantly higher while patients were treated with desmopressin. This significant result was the same in single spot as well as in 24-hour samples. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the increased excretion of Ca 2 by desmopressin treatment in children with PNE. Since Ca 2 is a crucial molecule in growth and development, this finding indicates the necessity of larger followup studies concerning Ca 2 handling and growth in children on long-term desmopressin treatment.
Segmentation of image sequences using SOFM networks

We present a segmentation technique for image sequences using self organizing feature maps (SOFM). Our goal is to develop a method which can identify homogeneous regions in a frame to represent higher level objects for content based manipulation of image sequences. The proposed scheme extracts pixel based multiple features, such as motion and textures, and then, different weights are applied to each feature component based on motion confidence measures. These multiple feature spaces are transformed to one dimensional label space by using the SOFM. The oversegmentation neural network outputs are merged in order to generate desired segmentation resolution. Our experimental results show the validity of the proposed scheme.
Chemical equilibrium in vapour of a mixture of hydrocarbons

In previous papers the writer has considered chemical equilibrium in mixtures of paraffins and unsaturated hydrocarbons. The theoretical equilibrium compositions at different pressures and temperatures were compared with results obtained in commercial cracking operations and it was concluded that the theory represented the main features of such cracking. The hypothetical oils considered were supposed to contain only paraffins and unsaturated hydrocarbons and so differed from real oils which also contain naphthenes or cycloparaffins and aromatic hydrocarbons. The hypothetical oils therefore contained a higher percentage of hydrogen than real oils. For example a hypothetical oil of composition CH2·1 was found to correspond with heavy crude or fuel oil. The percentage of hydrogen in an oil of composition CH2·1 is 14·9 while heavy crude oils usually do not contain more than 12 or 13 per cent. of hydrogen. The percentage of hydrogen in naphthenes CnH2n is 14·3 so that hypothetical oils containing naphthenes will contain less hydrogen than paraffins but will still contain more hydrogen than actual oils.
CELL CYCLE REGULATION AND APOPTOSIS

Tissue homeostasis requires a balance between cell proliferation and death. Apoptosis and proliferation are linked by cell cycle regulators, and apoptotic stimuli affect both cell proliferation and death. Glucocorticoids induce G1 arrest and apoptosis in transformed lymphoid cells. Decreased expression of the cell cycle components c-myc and cyclin D3 is essential for glucocorticoid-induced growth arrest and death in dividing cells. Other G1 regulators, such as p53, pRb, and E2F, have also been implicated in apoptosis. Mice lacking either p53 or E2F display aberrant cell proliferation and tumor formation, suggesting that these proteins are involved in the elimination of abnormal cells through apoptosis. In contrast, pRb induces G1 arrest and suppresses apoptosis in cultured cells. Mice that lack pRb are nonviable and show ectopic mitosis and massive cell death, suggesting that pRb is an apoptotic suppressor. Further analysis of common components of apoptotic and cell cycle machinery may provide insight into the coordinated regulation of these antagonistic processes.
The State, Capitalism, and World War II: The U.S. Case:

In recent years interesting debates have centered on the relationship of the state to modern capitalism. This article examines the utility of two major theories of the state in interpreting the unparalleled U.S. industrial mobilization between 1939 and 1945, which involved massive state expenditures and the creation or expansion of state agencies supervising production. While aspects of the state-autonomy theory are confirmed in the data, the instrumentalist view of the state appeared to be of greatest utility in interpreting state-capital relations. Recent theoretical arguments by Theda Skocpol and Fred Block about the centrality of independent state decision makers in U.S. policymaking are contradicted by the pervasive and central role of capitalists in state policymaking about wartime economic mobilization and production. Renewed attention to the role of capitalist decision makers is warranted in light of their widespread control during this period of distinctive state bureaucratic growth and dominance.
Developing mechanisms of self-regulation

Child development involves both reactive and self-regulatory mechanisms that children develop in conjunction with social norms. A half-century of research has uncovered aspects of the physical basis of attentional networks that produce regulation, and has given us some knowledge of how the social environment may alter them. In this paper, we discuss six forms of developmental plasticity related to aspects of attention. We then focus on effortful or executive aspects of attention, reviewing research on temperamental individual differences and important pathways to normal and pathological development. Pathologies of development may arise when regulatory and reactive systems fail to reach the balance that allows for both self-expression and socially acceptable behavior. It remains a challenge for our society during the next millennium to obtain the information necessary to design systems that allow a successful balance to be realized by the largest possible number of children.
Efficiently monitoring relational databases

An alerter is a program which monitors a database and reports to some user or program when a specified condition occurs. It may be that the condition is a complicated expression involving several entities in the database; in this case the evaluation of the expression may be computationally expensive. A scheme is presented in which alerters may be placed on a complex query involving a relational database, and a method is demonstrated for reducing the amount of computation involved in checking whether an alerter should be triggered.
Can subjective global assessment of nutritional status predict survival in ovarian cancer

Malnutrition is a significant problem in patients with ovarian cancer. The goal of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) in patients with ovarian cancer treated in an integrative cancer treatment setting. We evaluated a case series of 132 ovarian cancer patients treated at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® from Jan 2001 to May 2006. SGA was used to assess nutritional status at baseline. Using SGA, patients were classified as well nourished (SGA A), moderately malnourished (SGA B) or severely malnourished (SGA C). Kaplan Meier method was used to calculate survival. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the prognostic effect of SGA independent of other factors. Of 132 patients, 24 were newly diagnosed while 108 had received prior treatment. 15 had stage I disease at diagnosis, 8 stage II, 85 stage III and 17 stage IV. The median age at presentation was 54.4 years (range 25.5 – 82.5 years). 66 patients were well-nourished (SGA A), 35 moderately malnourished (SGA B) and 31 severely malnourished (SGA C). Well nourished patients had a median survival of 19.3 months (95% CI: 14.1 to 24.5), moderately malnourished 15.5 months (95% CI: 5.8 to 25.1), and severely malnourished 6.7 months (95% CI: 4.1 to 9.3); the difference being statistically significant (p = 0.0003). Multivariate Cox modeling, after adjusting for stage at diagnosis and prior treatment history found that moderately malnourished and severely malnourished status were associated with a relative risk of 2.1 (95% CI: 1.2 to 3.6, p = 0.008) and 3.4 (95% CI: 1.9 to 5.8, p < 0.001) respectively as compared to well nourished status. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses found that low SGA scores (i.e. well-nourished status) are associated with better survival outcomes. This study lends support to the role of aggressive nutritional intervention in improving patient outcomes in cancer care.
Implementation of a Pilot Accountable Care Organization Payment Model and the Use of Discretionary and Nondiscretionary Cardiovascular Care

Background—Accountable care organizations (ACOs) seek to reduce growth in healthcare spending while ensuring high-quality care. We hypothesized that accountable care organization implementation would selectively limit the use of discretionary cardiovascular care (defined as care occurring in the absence of indications such as myocardial infarction or stroke), while maintaining high-quality care, such as nondiscretionary cardiovascular imaging and procedures. Methods and Results—The intervention group was composed of fee-for-service Medicare patients (n=819 779) from 10 groups participating in a Medicare pilot accountable care organization, the Physician Group Practice Demonstration (PGPD). Matched controls were patients (n=934 621) from nonparticipating groups in the same regions. We compared use of cardiovascular care before (2002–2004) and after (2005–2009) PGPD implementation, studying both discretionary and nondiscretionary carotid and coronary imaging and procedures. Our main outcome measure was the ...
The effects of applied water at various fractions of measured evapotranspiration on water relations and vegetative growth of Thompson Seedless grapevines

Vegetative growth and water relations of Thompson Seedless grapevines in response to applied water amounts at various fractions of measured grapevine ETc were quantified. Treatments ranged from no applied water up to 1.4 times the water used by vines growing in a weighing lysimeter. All treatments were irrigated at the same frequency as the vines in the lysimeter (whenever they used 2 mm of water), albeit at their respective fraction. Soil water content and midday leaf water potential (Ψl) were measured routinely in four of the irrigation treatments across years. The amount of water depleted in the soil profile ranged from 190 mm for the 0.2 treatment in 1993 to no water depletion for the 1.4 treatment in 1992. The irrigation treatments significantly affected midday Ψl, total shoot length, leaf area per vine, pruning weights and trunk diameter; as applied water decreased so did vegetative growth. Pruning weights were a linear function of the seasonal, mean midday Ψl across growing seasons. The application of water amounts in excess of evapotranspiration negatively affected vegetative growth some of the years. A companion paper will demonstrate that over-irrigation can negatively affect reproductive growth of this grape cultivar due to excess vegetative growth.
Fluctuation conductivity above the superconducting transition: Regularization of the Maki-Thompson term.

The Maki-Thompson (MT) fluctuation correction to the conductivity in impure electron systems close to the superconducting transition temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ is reconsidered. It is shown that the results of earlier works concerning the case when the pair breaking is due to the electron-electron interaction in the Cooper channel are incorrect. The essential point of our calculations is that the electron phase-relaxation rate due to the electron-electron interaction in the Cooper channel is a singular function of the electron frequency. This singularity, which was missed in earlier works, indicates strongly interacting fluctuations near the transition temperature. According to our results the MT correction close to the transition temperature is less singular than the Aslamazov-Larkin (AL) correction. A little farther from the transition both corrections are the same order, e.g., close to transition in the two-dimensional case, the MT correction is proportional to ln\ensuremath{\alpha}, where \ensuremath{\alpha}=(T-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$)/${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$, while the AL correction is proportional to ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. We also consider the magnetoconductivity close to the transition temperature in the two-dimensional case.
The Olfactory Cleft Endoscopy Scale correlates with olfactory metrics in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background Olfactory loss affects a majority of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Traditional objective measures of disease severity, including endoscopy scales, focus upon the paranasal sinuses and often have weak correlation to olfaction. Methods Adults with CRS were prospectively evaluated by blinded reviewers with a novel Olfactory Cleft Endoscopy Scale (OCES) that evaluated discharge, polyps, edema, crusting, and scarring of the olfactory cleft. Objective olfactory function was assessed using “Sniffin’ Sticks” testing, including composite threshold-discrimination-identification (TDI) scores. Olfactory-specific quality of life was evaluated using the short modified version of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD-NS). Interrater and intrarater reliability was assessed among 3 reviewers for OCES grading. Multivariate linear regression was then used to test associations between OCES scores and measures of olfaction, controlling for potential confounding factors. Results The OCES score was evaluated in 38 patients and had a high overall reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 0.96). The OCES significantly correlated with objective olfaction as measured by TDI score (p < 0.001), with TDI score falling by 1.13 points for every 1-point increase in OCES score. Similar significant associations were found for threshold, discrimination, and identification scores (p < 0.003 for all) after controlling for age, gender, race, and reviewer/review. The OCES was also highly associated with patient-reported QOD-NS scores (p = 0.009). Conclusion A novel olfactory cleft endoscopy scale, OCES, shows high reliability and correlates with both objective and patient-reported olfaction in patients with CRS. Further studies to determine prognostic value and responsiveness to change are warranted.
Electronic structure of the superconducting oxide spinel Li Ti 2 O 4

We examine the electronic band structure of Li${\mathrm{Ti}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ in the cubic spinel structure by performing a local-density calculation using the linear muffin-tin orbitals method. The Fermi energy lies in the Ti $3d$ bands with only one-half of an electron per Ti atom occupying this band. The next-lower O $2p$ bands occur about 2.4 eV below the Ti $3d$ bands in good agreement with the photo-electron spectra. However, enhanced specific heat and differences with photoemission spectra near ${E}_{f}$ suggest effects beyond the band results. If the specific-heat enhancement is assumed to arise from phonons, we find $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\sim}1.8$ indicating a strong electron-phonon coupling. The nature of electron states is also consistent with the possibility of resonating-valence-bond superconductivity.
Delaunay-based derivative-free optimization via global surrogates, part II: convex constraints

The derivative-free global optimization algorithms developed in Part I of this study, for linearly constrained problems, are extended to nonconvex n-dimensional problems with convex constraints. The initial $$n+1$$n+1 feasible datapoints are chosen in such a way that the volume of the simplex generated by these datapoints is maximized; as the algorithm proceeds, additional feasible datapoints are added in such a way that the convex hull of the available datapoints efficiently increases towards the boundaries of the feasible domain. Similar to the algorithms developed in Part I of this study, at each step of the algorithm, a search function is defined based on an interpolating function which passes through all available datapoints and a synthetic uncertainty function which characterizes the distance to the nearest datapoints. This uncertainty function, in turn, is built on the framework of a Delaunay triangulation, which is itself based on all available datapoints together with the (infeasible) vertices of an exterior simplex which completely contains the feasible domain. The search function is minimized within those simplices of this Delaunay triangulation that do not include the vertices of the exterior simplex. If the outcome of this minimization is contained within the circumsphere of a simplex which includes a vertex of the exterior simplex, this new point is projected out to the boundary of the feasible domain. For problems in which the feasible domain includes edges (due to the intersection of multiple twice-differentiable constraints), a modified search function is considered in the vicinity of these edges to assure convergence.
Efficacy of syringomycin E in a murine model of vaginal candidiasis.

Syringomycin E (SR-E), a new antifungal produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, was evaluated in a murine vaginal candidiasis model. In one study, mice were treated intravaginally b.i.d. for 4 days with drug carrier, SR-E 2% in either PEG-400 or PEG-ointment, or 1% clotrimazole as a positive control. Quantitative vaginal cultures were taken prior to treatment on day 1 and on days 5, 6, and 7. Both formulations showed a reduction of yeast colonization in the vaginas on day 5 (P ≤0.06 and P ≤0.03 for SR-E/PEG-400 and SR-E/PEG ointment, respectively) and SR-E/PEG ointment reduced the colonization on day 7 (P ≤0.06) when compared to carrier treated controls. In a second study, SR-E was formulated in Aquaphor at three higher concentrations of SR-E [3%, 6%, or 12% (w/v)]. SR-E showed dose-dependent efficacy. The 3% dose showed no effect while the 6% and 12% doses reduced the number of yeasts. The 12% dose showed a significant reduction on days 5 (P ≤0.01), 6 (P ≤0.06), and 7 (P ≤0.03) when compared with the drug carrier controls and on day 5 was more effective than clotrimazole (P ≤0.03). Clotrimazole did not significantly reduce the yeasts in the vagina until days 6 (P ≤0.01) and 7 (P ≤0.01) when compared to the drug carrier controls. No vaginal inflammatory response was evident by histological examination in uninfected animals treated with SR-E. No SR-E could be detected in plasma, kidney, or liver. SR-E (12%) was an effective treatment when compared to 1% clotrimazole.
Race, Geography, and Juvenile Justice: An Exploration of the Liberation Hypothesis

A large body of research indicates that both geography and race influence juvenile justice outcomes, with the exact magnitude and direction of the relationships still under dispute. In either case,...
Determination of Shegan Dilong Granules by RP-HPLC and the Study of its Stability

The study was aimed to establish a method for determining Irisflorentin in Shegan Dilong granules and inspection for the stability of the preparation.RP-HPLC method was adopted and the GL Sciences Inertsil ODS-3(150 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm) was used.The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.2% phosphoric acid solution(39∶61),with the flow rate of 1 mL/min.The detection wavelength was at 266 nm and the column temperature was 30 ℃.Under the high-light exposure experiment,accelerating experiment and room temperature storage observation,the results showed that the product was basically stable.The calibration curve of Irisflorentin was linear in the range of 0.3422 to 86.60 μg/mL,r was 0.9995(n was 10),the average recovery rate was 99.80%,RSD was 1.50%(n was 9).The method was simple,sensitive and accurate with good repeatability,which could be used for the quality control of Shegan Dilong granules and the preparation had a good stability.
The Failed Penile Prosthetic Implantation Despite Technical Success

AbstractSuccessful implantation of a penile prosthesis involves more than an operation_ Psychological factors can be crucial before, during and after the operation. If these issues are not addressed the true goal of restoring the pleasure of sexual intercourse will not be achieved, regardless of the type of prosthesis used or the technical success of the procedure.
Synthesis and Coordination Chemistry of a Phosphine-Decorated Fluorescein: “Double Turn-On” Sensing of Gold(III) Ions in Water

Although phosphine ligands are ubiquitous in transition metal chemistry, few reports of fluorescent phosphines exist that explore the effect of metal coordination on the photophysical properties of a phosphine-bound fluorescent group. The coordination chemistry of a derivative of fluorescein decorated with an o-phenylene-linked phosphine group has been studied with late transition metals. An Au(I) complex of the phosphine-decorated fluorescein has been structurally characterized, showing that the metal center is held closely over the plane of the fluorophore. Despite the presence of the heavy metal center, however, the phosphine-gold complex displays greatly increased fluorescence compared to the free ligand, in which photoelectron transfer from the lone-pair-bearing phosphine causes low emission. The phosphine-decorated fluorescein ligand was tested in a simple sensing system for metal ions in aqueous solution and shows a “turn-on” response to Au, Ag, and Hg, with an especially dramatic response to Au(II...
Photosynthetic Characteristics of Haploid Tobacco Plantlets Selected for Resistance to Oxygen Stress

Photorespiration increases greatly with increasing O2 concentration and thereby decreases net photosynthesis. Selecting plants for superior growth because of their resistance to “oxygen stress” (1) might therefore provide a direct method of obtaining mutants of C3 species with decreased photorespiration and increased net photosynthesis. Previous work has shown that 60% O2 caused lethality in tobacco seedlings or haploid plant-lets in several weeks (2, 3). Elevated O2 levels may cause deleterious effects unrelated to photorespiration, but stress resulting from excess photorespiration should be reversed at high CO2 levels (1% or more), and growth should then be the same as in 21% O2 and high CO2.
Invasive Weeds on Range and Farmlands—Problems, Causes, and Solutions: An interview with Richard Mack

Invasive Weeds on Range and Farmlands—Problems, Causes, and Solutions: An interview with Richard Mack DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v31i4_srm3
Facile Synthesis of α-Hydroxy-ω-Carboxymethylpolyethylene Oxide:

Preparation par carboxymethylation de PEO commercial par une modification de la methode de Royer-Anantharmaiah puis separation des produits mono- et difonctionnalises par chromatographie d'echange ionique
Insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes youth relates to serum free fatty acids and muscle mitochondrial dysfunction.

Aims Insulin resistance (IR) correlates with mitochondrial dysfunction, free fatty acids (FFAs), and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We hypothesized that muscle IR would relate to similar factors in T2D youth.
Chapter 27 Agriculture and the macroeconomy, with emphasis on developing countries

Abstract Based on an economy-wide perspective, this paper begins with a discussion of the bias against exports and agriculture that characterized the economic literature and the development strategies in many developing countries after World War II. This is followed by an analysis of how the macroeconomic environment affects agricultural price incentives. Specifically, the paper discusses how policies concerning industrial protection, exchange rates, and interest rates and other fiscal policies can strongly influence the economic incentives for agriculture compared with other sectors, identifying the most relevant literature and alternative approaches used on this issue. It then proceeds to examine how the real exchange rate can be affected by exogenous shocks, such as the foreign terms of trade, with emphases on the Dutch disease phenomenon and agriculture. The paper next examines the influence of interest rates on incentives in agriculture, arguing that, surprisingly, this has been a neglected area in the literature. The paper explores the effects on agriculture of structural adjustment programs implemented since the early 1980s in developing countries. The final section surveys the literature on agriculture and the macroeconomy in industrial countries, focusing on the impact of the exchange rate on export competitiveness in the United States, the cost of agricultural protection for the overall economy in Europe and Japan, and the increased importance of fluctuations in money markets for the farm sector and the additional instability they generate.
Recurrent Chromosome Abnormalities Define Non-Overlapping, Unique Subgroups of Tumors in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients with Known Karyotypic Abnormalities

Background B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a well-defined clinical entity with heterogeneous molecular and cytogenetic features. Chromosome aberrations could be associated to specific CLL clinical features and outcomes and their impact on clonal evolution should have been addressed by using temporal analysis. In order to demonstrate the role of temporal analysis in CLL we conducted a comprehensive karyotypic survey of a large number of CLL cases with already known genetic aberrations to fully describe their meaning in terms of biological evolution. Methods A total of 1749 karyotypes were retrieved from the Mitelman Database of Chromosome Aberrations in Cancer. A matrix depicting the 360-band human chromosome ideogram was created. Regions that were either lost or gained in more than 3% of the cases were retained and identified as recurrent imbalances. Early and late imbalances were defined according to the appearance on the complex karyotypes. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the genetic abnormalities. Results The median chromosome number and the median number of abnormalities per tumor (NAPT) were 46 and 1 respectively. (Figure 1 A and 1B) The most common abnormality seen was trisomy 12 which occurred in 29% (508 cases) followed by 13q14del (10.34%), 13q13del (6.63%) and add14q32 (6.63%). The temporal analysis revealed +12, 13q-, −17, 17p-, −Y and −X to be early imbalances (TO trisomy 12, 13q-, 11q-, and 6q-, which at least in this clustering analysis appeared to be mutually exclusive. In summary, we can conclude that overall CLL is a neoplasia that shows remarkable chromosome stability even when only abnormal karyotypes are evaluated. Interestingly, clustering analysis suggests there are non-overlapping, unique subsets of CLL cases where trisomy 12 is the most common and along with 13q-emerged as early events on CLL clonal evolution.
Bond length-bond angle correlation in densified silica—Results from 17O NMR spectroscopy

Pressure induced correlated evolution of the distributions of the Si–O distance and Si–O–Si inter-tetrahedral bond angle in vitreous silica quenched from pressures of up to ∼14 GPa at ambient temperature is measured in unprecedented detail using two-dimensional dynamic-angle-spinning 17O nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that, in contrast to the conventional wisdom, vitreous silica undergoes irreversible structural changes even at pressures as low as ∼8 GPa. These structural changes at the short range involve a progressive reduction in the mean Si–O–Si angle and a broadening of the corresponding distribution, with increasing pressure. This bond angle reduction is accompanied by a concomitant monotonic increase in the mean Si–O distance. The mean values of the Si–O–Si angle and Si–O distance at various pressures closely follow the minimum in the corresponding potential energy surface calculated for the H6Si2O7 dimer molecule.
Challenges to patient experience: documenting evidence-based practice in the family health center

In the clinical setting, documenting evidence-based decision making is, increasingly, an important and time-consuming part of work. In the abstract, few health and medical professionals doubt the value of evidence-based medicine and practice. Evidence-based medicine and practice as a concept is well-researched, documented in health and medical literature, and has gained wide acceptance among researchers and practitioners alike. There are significant financial incentives for implementing evidence-based practice models. However, there are also challenges to implementation. During the clinical patient encounter, the need to attend to the knowledge work of documenting evidence-based decisions can distract if not disrupt work. There is understandably considerable resistance to new technology among providers in mission-driven clinics when the need to document evidence causes profound changes in work practice and, just as importantly, changes in the way they identify as being a healthcare provider.
Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson Disease Dementia: It is the Same Disease!

Abstract Introduction The question whether DLB and PDD are distinct disorders has been debated in several forums. The two disorders, once parkinsonism is present in DLB, cannot be distinguished on clinical or pathological grounds. The conundrum exists for those DLB patients who do not yet have parkinsonism, and raises the parallel with patients who have Rapid Eye Movement Behavior Disorder but have not yet manifested parkinsonian signs. Methods A literature review was summarized to justify classification as a single disorder. Results Most clinical observations and trials point to these disorders, once parkinsonism is present in DLB, are identical. Conclusion This article notes the advantage to clinical research and treatment by considering these two syndromes as the same so that medications approved for PDD and for PD psychosis can be extended to DLB patients and that resources for PD research and support can be also used for DLB.
What Lies Beneath: The Statistical Definition of Public Sector Debt. An Overview of the Coverage of Public Sector Debt for 61 Countries

While key macroeconomic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or Consumer Price Index (CPI) are based on internationally accepted methodologies, indicators related to the debt of the public sector often do not follow international standards and can have several different definitions. As this paper shows, the absence of the standard nomenclature can lead to major misunderstandings in the fiscal policy debate. The authors present examples that show that debt-to-GDP ratios for a country at any given time can range from 40 to over 100 percent depending on the definition used. Debt statistics, for example, may include or exclude state and local governments and may cover all debt instruments or just a subset. The authors suggest that gross debt of the general government ("gross debt") should be globally adopted as the headline indicator supplemented by other measures of government debt for risk-based assessments of the fiscal position. Broader measures, including net debt and detailed information on contingent liabilities and derivatives, could be considered. The standard nomenclature of government and of debt instruments helps users understand the concepts in line with the Public Sector Debt Statistics Guide. Use of more standard definitions of government debt would improve data comparability, would benefit IMF surveillance, programs, and debt sustainability analysis, and would help country authorities specify and monitor fiscal rules. Data disaggregated by government subsector and debt instrument for 61 countries from the IMF‘s Government Finance Statistics Yearbook (GFSY) database are presented to illustrate the importance and viability of adopting this approach.
Adrenal Cortical Neoplasms: A Study of 56 Cases

Fifty-six cases of adrenal cortical neoplasm with a minimum of 5 years follow-up are presented: 48 carcinomas and 8 adenomas. Adenomas typically had a maximal mitotic rate of fewer than 2 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields (all cases), a prominent small nest growth pattern (7 cases), predominantly clear or foamy cytoplasm (6 cases), and no tumor necrosis (all cases), whereas carcinomas were characterized by at least 4 mitotic figures (often many more) per 10 high-power fields in the most active area (all cases), lack of a significant small nest growth pattern component (45 cases--solid or trabecular growth most common), at least a considerable proportion of cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm (all cases), and tumor necrosis (45 cases). Carcinomas were almost always larger than adenomas, but two adenomas (5.9 cm and 7 cm) overlapped in size with the four smallest carcinomas (5.5 cm, 6 cm, 7 cm, and 7 cm, respectively). The patients with adenomas were older on the average than those with carcinomas (median 58 years, range 31-71 years versus median 41 years, range 5 months-66 years). Two adenomas and 19 carcinomas were functional. No patient with adenoma had recurrence of tumor after excision, whereas all but nine carcinoma patients died of tumor, after 1 to 183 months. Among carcinoma patients, survival was significantly shorter when distant metastases were manifest at diagnosis (P = .0003). There was a trend toward shorter survival with higher mitotic rates and functional tumors, but neither these nor any other parameter had a statistically significant relationship to survival or tumor behavior when presence/absence of metastases at diagnosis was taken into account.
Appropriateness of Direct Oral Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Veterans Health Administration:

Background:Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have strict dosing guidelines, but recent studies indicate that inappropriate dosing is common, particularly in chronic kidney disease (CKD), for which...
Occupational Therapy and Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleural lining of the thorax caused by asbestos (Wagner et al., Br J Ind Med. 1960;17:260–71, 1960). It is an aggressive cancer which can cause all manner of symptoms including severe dyspnea, pain, and wasting. Occupational therapy is a rehabilitation discipline that helps patients function in their environments through the use of meaningful activities (American Occupational Therapy Association, Am J Occup Ther. 2002;56(6):609–39, 2002). The occupational therapist will assess the ability of the patient with mesothelioma to complete daily living skills such as bathing, dressing, transfers, and other household tasks. This chapter will discuss various strategies and equipment that the occupational therapist may bring to bear during treatment sessions. Occupational therapy is appropriate to be referred in at all stages of treatment and is also uniquely suited to help the patient in remission establish the ability to return to work. Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will have a better understanding of what occupational therapy is, its role in mesothelioma care, and what the discipline can offer from the initial inpatient treatment phase to home care to palliative care.
The politics of the coffee pot: Its changing role in history-making and the place of religion in the Sultanate of Oman

Centered on the dalla, the Omani coffee pot, this paper considers how the social practices and knowledges induced by its material form and function organize different forms of perceptual sk...
Reinforcement-Learning-Based Variational Quantum Circuits Optimization for Combinatorial Problems.

Quantum computing exploits basic quantum phenomena such as state superposition and entanglement to perform computations. The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is arguably one of the leading quantum algorithms that can outperform classical state-of-the-art methods in the near term. QAOA is a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm that combines a parameterized quantum state evolution with a classical optimization routine to approximately solve combinatorial problems. The quality of the solution obtained by QAOA within a fixed budget of calls to the quantum computer depends on the performance of the classical optimization routine used to optimize the variational parameters. In this work, we propose an approach based on reinforcement learning (RL) to train a policy network that can be used to quickly find high-quality variational parameters for unseen combinatorial problem instances. The RL agent is trained on small problem instances which can be simulated on a classical computer, yet the learned RL policy is generalizable and can be used to efficiently solve larger instances. Extensive simulations using the IBM Qiskit Aer quantum circuit simulator demonstrate that our trained RL policy can reduce the optimality gap by a factor up to 8.61 compared with other off-the-shelf optimizers tested.
Plastic deformation in nonstoichiometric UO2 + x single crystals—II. Deformation at high temperatures

Abstract Single crystals of UO2 + x (5 × 10−6 ⩽ x ⩽ 10−1) have been deformed in equilibrium CO CO 2 mixtures at 1073, 1273 and 1673 K in compression. The primary glide plane is dependent on orientation, temperature and extent of non-stoichiometry, such that {001}〈110〉 glide is most common at low O U ratios and high temperatures, while {111}〈110〉 glide is prevalent at high O U ratios and low temperatures. The critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) for {001} glide is nearly independent of x, while the CRSS for {111} glide decreases with increasing x. At low values of x, slip is controlled by interactions between dislocations and extrinsic defects; the dislocation and defect mobilities are nearly equal (for the strain rates examined) at temperatures between 1350 and 1650 K. At high values of x, the interactions between dislocations and extrinsic defects still play a major role in controlling dislocation motion; however, it appears that the presence of oxygen interstitial defect clusters serves to diminish the hardening effects of impurities for {111} glide. When deformed specimens with high values of x are reduced to low values of x, dislocations apparently act as sinks for “exsolved” oxygen, resulting in increase in strength on further deformation.
Fractures of the Pediatric Elbow and Shoulder

Abstract Although most pediatric elbow and shoulder injuries heal rapidly with very little sequelae and minimal need for formal therapy, pediatric elite-level athletes often demand early and full return of elbow and shoulder motion. Problematic injuries in our practice include supracondylar humerus fractures, medial epicondyle fractures, olecranon stress fractures, posttraumatic elbow stiffness, clavicle fractures, and proximal humerus fractures. In addition, pediatric humeral shaft fractures benefit from custom-made humeral fracture cuffs to allow for accurate sizing.
Abortion referral patterns among generalist OB/GYNs and primary care practitioners: A qualitative study.

Abstract Objective An informed, timely referral from a generalist practitioner has the potential to facilitate care for a patient seeking an abortion. However it is unclear what barriers, if any, generalist practitioners perceive in this process. The objective of this study was to qualitatively characterize abortion referral patterns among generalist practitioners. Study design We conducted individual interviews with generalist practitioners practicing at Northwestern Medicine, encompassing four hospitals across the greater Chicago metropolitan area. The interview guide focused on abortion-related topics including: referral patterns, attitudes about providing referrals, and specifics of the abortion referral process. We analyzed the data for content and themes using an inductive approach. Results We completed 37 interviews. Practitioners in all fields and practice sites were willing to provide abortion referrals. Practitioners perceived barriers in the referral process, with a lack of knowledge chief among them. Further, practitioners saw abortion referrals as more burdensome than other specialty referrals. Conclusion Generalist practitioners are willing to provide abortion referrals, but perceive multiple barriers in the abortion referral process. Generalist practitioners can help to ensure their patients receive timely and quality abortion care if they feel prepared and empowered to assist with these referrals.