cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Krabbe disease successfully treated via monotherapy of intrathecal gene therapy

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD; Krabbe disease) is a progressive, incurable neurodegenerative disease caused by deficient activity of the hydrolytic enzyme galactosylceramidase (GALC). The ensuing cytotoxic accumulation of psychosine results in diffuse central and peripheral nervous system (CNS, PNS) demyelination. Presymptomatic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only treatment for infantile-onset GLD; however, clinical outcomes of HSCT recipients often remain poor, and procedure-related morbidity is high. There are no effective therapies for symptomatic patients. Herein, we demonstrate in the naturally occurring canine model of GLD that presymptomatic monotherapy with intrathecal AAV9 encoding canine GALC administered into the cisterna magna increased GALC enzyme activity, normalized psychosine concentration, improved myelination, and attenuated inflammation in both the CNS and PNS. Moreover, AAV-mediated therapy successfully prevented clinical neurological dysfunction, allowing treated dogs to live beyond 2.5 years of age, more than 7 times longer than untreated dogs. Furthermore, we found that a 5-fold lower dose resulted in an attenuated form of disease, indicating that sufficient dosing is critical. Finally, postsymptomatic therapy with high-dose AAV9 also significantly extended lifespan, signifying a treatment option for patients for whom HSCT is not applicable. If translatable to patients, these findings would improve the outcomes of patients treated either pre- or postsymptomatically.
Performance Limits of an Alternating Current Electroluminescent Device

The use of an alternating current (AC) voltage is a simple, versatile method of producing electroluminescence from generic emissive materials without the need for contact engineering. Recently, it was shown that AC-driven, capacitive electroluminescent devices with carbon nanotube network contacts can be used to generate and study electroluminescence from a variety of molecular materials emitting in the infrared-to-ultraviolet range. Here, performance trade-offs in these devices are studied through comprehensive device simulations and illustrative experiments, enhancing understanding of the mechanism and capability of electroluminescent devices based on alternating as opposed to direct current (DC) schemes. AC-driven electroluminescent devices can overcome several limitations of conventional DC-driven electroluminescent devices, including the requirement for proper alignment of material energy levels and the need to process emitting materials into uniform thin films. By simultaneously optimizing device geometry, driving parameters, and material characteristics, the performance of these devices can be tuned. Importantly, the turn-on voltage of AC-driven electroluminescent devices approaches the bandgap of the emitting material as the gate oxide thickness is scaled, and internally efficient electroluminescence can be achieved using low-mobility single-layer emitter films with varying thicknesses and energy barrier heights relative to the contact.
Will 2020 Be an Inflection Point in the Trajectory of Chemistry Teaching and Learning

The year 2020 has presented myriad disruptive challenges to society, and chemistry education has not been spared the disruption. Naturally enough in times of uncertainty, changes have been made in chemistry teaching to meet the demands of the moment. Whether those changes will last, revert to a previous form, or be a harbinger of even more dramatic change that lies ahead is a question that merits consideration. Looking at how chemistry educators have responded creatively to several aspects of the teaching and learning that have been reported in the Journal might help frame some of the conversation about what change is desired or needed moving forward.
My Family Belongs to Me: A Child’s Constitutional Right to Family Integrity

Every day in the United States, the government separates children from their parents based on their parents’ immigration status, incarceration, or involvement in the child welfare system—and the children have no constitutional say in the matter. The majority of these families are racial minorities and economically underprivileged. Under current law, children’s ability to assert a constitutional right to family integrity to keep their families free from government intrusion is not always clear. This is in part because a single piece of Supreme Court dicta has muddied an otherwise clear family integrity doctrine and many federal circuits are also silent on the issue. Further, many children’s advocates fail to assert this argument in court, or the children are without advocates at all. Accordingly, the law remains stagnant. Under Fourteenth Amendment due process jurisprudence, it is clear that parents have a well-established Fourteenth Amendment fundamental liberty interest in their relationship with their children. Parents can therefore forcefully assert a constitutional violation when the state seeks to infringe on their familial relationship through the child welfare, criminal and immigration systems. A child’s assertion of the same right, however, has not been used with the same effect. As a result, the state is able to harm children without adequate constraints on its power. A child’s enforceable constitutional right to family integrity is necessary because without it courts may make decisions about what is in a child’s best interest without hearing from the child herself, without considering and addressing any conflicting interests between a parent and child, or on the basis of an incomplete record because the parent did not assert their right to family integrity. As a result, a child can be an unintended victim of the criminal, immigration, and/or child welfare legal systems targeting her parents. A child could be separated involuntarily from her family because of an allegation of neglect or abuse, a conviction or plea leading to incarceration, or a deportation proceeding against her parent. Without asserting her constitutional right to family integrity, any resulting family separation is entirely—and inappropriately—out of the child’s control. This article is the first to argue that children should assert their right to family integrity in legal proceedings against their parents that could result in the destruction of their family units. It comprehensively examines the legal, theoretical and international legal principles that support such arguments.
Enhancing subcutaneous injection and target tissue accumulation of nanoparticles via co-administration with macropinocytosis inhibitory nanoparticles (MiNP)

A significant barrier to the application of nanoparticles for precision medicine is the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), a diverse population of phagocytic cells primarily located within the liver, spleen and lymph nodes. The majority of nanoparticles are indiscriminately cleared by the MPS via macropinocytosis before reaching their intended targets, resulting in side effects and decreased efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that the biodistribution and desired tissue accumulation of targeted nanoparticles can be significantly enhanced by co-injection with polymeric micelles containing the actin depolymerizing agent latrunculin A. These macropinocytosis inhibitory nanoparticles (MiNP) were found to selectively inhibit non-specific uptake of a second "effector" nanoparticle in vitro without impeding receptor-mediated endocytosis. In tumor bearing mice, co-injection with MiNP in a single multi-nanoparticle formulation significantly increased the accumulation of folate-receptor targeted nanoparticles within tumors. Furthermore, subcutaneous co-administration with MiNP allowed effector nanoparticles to achieve serum levels that rivaled a standard intravenous injection. This effect was only observed if the effector nanoparticles were injected within 24 h following MiNP administration, indicating a temporary avoidance of MPS cells. Co-injection with MiNP therefore allows reversible evasion of the MPS for targeted nanoparticles and presents a previously unexplored method of modulating and improving nanoparticle biodistribution following subcutaneous administration.
Development and multi-level validation of a computational model to predict traumatic aortic injury.

Abstract Traumatic aortic injury (TAI) is one of the leading causes of fatalities in blunt impact. However, there is no consensus on the injury mechanism of TAI in traffic accidents, mainly due to the complexity of occurrence scenarios and limited real-world crash data relevant to TAI. In this study, a computational model of the aorta with nonlinear mechanical characteristics and accurate morphology was developed and integrated within a thorax finite element model that included all major anatomical structures. To maximize the model's capability for predicting TAI, a multi-level process was presented to validate the model comprehensively. At the component level, the in vitro aortic pressurization testing was simulated to mimic the aortic burst pressure. Then, a sled test of a truncated cadaver was modeled to evaluate aorta response under posterior acceleration. The frontal chest pendulum impact was utilized to validate the performance of the aorta within full body model under direct chest compression. A parametric study was implemented to determine an injury tolerance for the aorta under these different loading conditions. The simulated peak pressure before aortic rupture was within the range of the experimental burst pressure. For the sled test, the simulated chest deflection and cross-sectional pressure of the aorta were correlated with the experimental measurement. No aorta injury was observed in simulated results of both sled test and chest pendulum impact, which matched the experimental findings. The present model will be a useful tool for understanding the TAI mechanisms, evaluating injury tolerance, and developing prevention strategies for aortic injuries.
Mechanistic movement models identify continuously updated autumn migration cues in Arctic caribou

Migrations in temperate systems typically have two migratory phases, spring and autumn, and many migratory ungulates track the pulse of spring vegetation growth during a synchronized spring migration. In contrast, autumn migrations are generally less synchronous and the cues driving them remain understudied. Our goal was to identify the cues that migrants use in deciding when to initiate migration and how this is updated while en route. We analyzed autumn migrations of Arctic barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) as a series of persistent and directional movements and assessed the influence of a suite of environmental factors. We fitted a dynamic-parameter movement model at the individual-level and estimated annual population-level parameters for weather covariates on 389 individual-seasons across 9 years. Our results revealed strong, consistent effects of decreasing temperature and increasing snow depth on migratory movements, indicating that caribou continuously update their migratory decision based on dynamic environmental conditions. This suggests that individuals pace migration along gradients of these environmental variables. Whereas temperature and snow appeared to be the most consistent cues for migration, we also found interannual variability in the effect of wind, NDVI, and barometric pressure. The dispersed distribution of individuals in autumn resulted in diverse environmental conditions experienced by individual caribou and thus pronounced variability in migratory patterns. By analyzing autumn migration as a continuous process across the entire migration period, we found that caribou migration was largely related to temperature and snow conditions experienced throughout the journey. This mechanism of pacing autumn migration based on indicators of the approaching winter is analogous to the more widely researched mechanism of spring migration, when many migrants pace migration with a resource wave. Such a similarity in mechanisms highlights the different environmental stimuli to which migrants have adapted their movements throughout their annual cycle. These insights have implications for how long-distance migratory patterns may change as the Arctic climate continues to warm.
Histologic features of colonic infections.

BACKGROUND The histopathologic diagnosis of infectious colitis remains relevant despite recent advances in microbiologic techniques. OBJECTIVE This article aims to describe the histologic features of selected infectious diseases of the colon. MATERIALS AND METHODS Existing reports on histopathologic and clinical aspects of colonic infectious agents were reviewed. RESULTS While histology alone may not be as sensitive as current microbiologic methods, tissue identification of infectious agents still plays an important role in patient care. Infectious colitis can have a variety of clinical manifestations, ranging from strongyloidiasis, which can cause a smoldering, subclinical infection for decades, to syphilis, which can clinically mimic cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, the histopathologic identification of infection as the cause of a patient's colitis has a considerable impact on treatment decisions. Morphologic overlap can occur between infection and other diseases, however. Moreover, some infections can elicit various tissue responses beyond acute colitis. Immunosuppressed patients may not mount an inflammatory response to pathogens such as cytomegalovirus or adenovirus. Sexually transmitted proctocolitis can cause plasma-cell-rich inflammation. Gastrointestinal histoplasmosis is more likely to cause diffuse histiocyte infiltration rather than the expected granuloma formation. In some cases, ancillary tests are useful, but equivocal results can cause diagnostic dilemmas. CONCLUSION Given the range with which colonic infectious disorders can manifest, pathologists should be aware of the typical features of infectious colitis, as well as findings beyond the classic morphologies.
Design and verification of insulation system for valve side outlet device of converter transformer based on multi-index optimization

The valve side outlet device is like the ‘neck’ of the converter transformer. It is located at the position where the electric field and current of the converter transformer are most concentrated. The size deviation control requirements are strict. It also needs to consider the coordination with the electric field at the tail of the bushing. It has many insulation interfaces, diverse materials, complex dielectric characteristics and great design difficulty. In this study, multi index optimization design is carried out for the insulation structure of valve side outlet device of converter transformer, and the optimal design scheme is proposed. The research results are applied to engineering products and verified by insulation margin test.
Ethnography Essentials: A Review

Julian M. Murchison has written a thorough and thoroughly practical resource for the newcomer to ethnography. In his new book, Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting, and Presenting Your Research, he guides the novice ethnographer through the research process from conceptualization through presentation of findings. The text also includes discussion of some of the developments and debates within the field of ethnography. Key Words: Ethnography, Ethnographic Maps, Qualitative Research
Patient outcome after reorganization of a medical intensive care unit

The outcome of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) may be related to ICU structure and care processes. This retrospective study aims to assess the impact of an increase in ICU bed capacity on patient outcome.
III-V nanopillar phototransistor directly grown on silicon

We demonstrate InP nanopillar bipolar junction phototransistors monolithically integrated on a Silicon substrate. With a responsivity of 4 A/W and bandwidth of 7.5 GHz, these receivers indicate a route towards efficient on-chip optical interconnects.
Characterization of interleukin 2-dependent cytotoxic T-cell clones: IV. Production of α, β and γ interferons and interleukin 2 by Lyt-2+ T cells

Abstract The production of α, β and γ interferons (IFN) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) by Lyt-2 + -dependent cytotoxic T-cell lines/clones was investigated. Cloned and uncloned T-cell lines specific for H-2D d or the unique RL♂1 leukemia antigen were studied. After infection with Sendai virus (SV) or Newcastle disease virus (NDV) all cell lines produced IFN-α and -β. Induction of IFN-γ was attempted with the mitogens Con A, PHA, PWM, SEA, and SEB, with poly(I:C), with antibodies Lyt-1.2, -2.2, and Thy-1.2, or with the target cells Meth A (H-2D d+ ) and RL♂1. All mitogens were effective inducers. However, the antibodies and poly(I:C) were not. One uncloned RL♂1-specific cell line CTLL-RP, produced IFN-γ after induction with RL♂1. Production of IFN-α, β depended on IL-2, whereas production of IFN-γ did not, although addition of highly purified IL-2 increased IFN-γ production even in the absence of other inducers. Crude IL-2 inhibited the production of IFN-γ but not IFN-α, β. In response to mitogens, some T-cell clones also produced IL-2. The results demonstrate that Lyt-2 + cells can produce a broad spectrum of lymphokine activities after appropriate stimulation. Their availability now affords us the opportunity to study the regulation of lymphokine production at the clonal level.
Raising the Question of Whether Out-of-State Political Contributions May Affect a Small State’s Political Autonomy: A Case Study of the South Dakota Voter Referendum on Abortion

The federalism structure inherent in the American political system presumes not only that states occupy a separate level of authority from that of the federal government, but also that each state retains its own independence and autonomy from every other state. Each state, for instance, must be free to enact and enforce its own set of laws. This ability, however, may be jeopardized by current patterns of political fundraising and campaign expenditures. This article examines how a state holding a voter referendum on a particular issue of national importance may be significantly affected by out-of-state interests - particularly if those out-of-state interests contribute a substantial majority of the political campaign expenditures relating to that issue. Sparsely populated states such as South Dakota are particularly vulnerable to influxes of out-of-state campaign money. Although the First Amendment may preclude any regulations in this respect, the effects of out-of-state political fundraising and campaign expenditures could be such so as to jeopardize a small state’s electoral autonomy.
Organizing and Managing American Astronomical Society Meetings — from Preparation and Plans to Science Presentations

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) Meetings have grown considerably over the past ten years. In order to keep pace with this growth, it is important to learn from past experiences, to keep abreast of changes in the meetings and hospitality industries, and to maintain a high level of organization. The success of the AAS Meetings reflects the Society’s ability to accomplish these goals.
V-J joining of immunoglobulin kappa genes only occurs on one homologous chromosome.

In general, heterozygous animal cells express both alleles at a particular locus. The only exceptions are cells of XX genotype after inactivation of one X chromosome1, and immunoglobulin-producing cells; in each case only one of the two alleles is expressed in differentiated cells and their progeny2. This phenomenon, termed allelic exclusion, has been described for several mammalian species including man and mouse. It has been shown that the variable (V) and constant (C) region genes of immunoglobulins undergo a rearrangement during ontogeny3,4. We wished to test whether allelic exclusion in B cells could be the consequence of V- and C-region rearrangement on one of the two homologous chromosomes only. For that reason we chose to analyse the rearrangement of immunoglobulin light chain genes in normal B lymphocytes isolated on the fluorescence-activated cell sorter. We now present evidence that during normal B-lymphocyte differentiation V–C rearrangement occurs only on one chromosome.
Iron Supplementation of Total Parenteral Nutrition: A Prospective Study

A prospective study to evaluate the iron dosage needed to restore serum iron levels was performed on patients receiving prolonged total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Intravenous iron intakes of 0, 25, 87.5, and 175 mg/wk were sequentially studied. No untoward responses were seen in 42 patients studied for 2758 patient days. When compared to pre-TPN levels, serum iron levels increased significantly with increasing iron dosage (p < 0.002). In every single patient at the two highest dosage levels, serum iron levels at 3 wk rose from the pre-TPN level. Hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, transfusion requirement, total iron binding capacity, and red cell indices were not affected by iron dosage. There was no increased incidence of sepsis in patients who received increasing iron dosage. Both the 87.5 and 175 mg/wk iron doses increased serum iron levels from pre-TPN values, but the highest dose increased serum iron levels above the normal range in 80% of patients after 3 wk of administration allowing us to recommend t...
Conservation biological control in urban landscapes: Manipulating parasitoids of bagworm (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) with flowering forbs

Abstract We conducted field experiments to test the hypothesis that regulation of herbivorous pests in urban landscapes can be enhanced with forbs that provide floral resources for adult natural enemies. The herbivore was bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis (Haworth) (Lepidoptera: Psychidae), which is attacked by a guild of hymenopterous parasitoids. We established host shrubs in common garden plantings, encircling some with flowering forbs, released bagworm larvae on shrubs, and assessed survivorship. The hypothesis was supported: parasitism rates of bagworm were 71% higher in shrubs that were surrounded by flowering forbs than in shrubs that lacked flowers. This study also suggested that white-footed mice and European sparrows were important predators of bagworms. The most abundant parasitoid species was the exotic ichneumonid Pimpla (=Coccygominus) disparis (Vierick), an introduced biological control agent of gypsy moth. In a second experiment, parasitism rates were at least three times higher in shrubs encircled by a high density of forbs compared to those having fewer or no forbs. In a third experiment, parasitism rates exceeded 70% in shrubs that were adjacent to a central bed of flowering forbs, but less than 40% in shrubs that were farther away. We conclude from these studies that flowering forbs have a localized effect on host-searching behavior of female parasitoids, encouraging them to parasitize bagworms in the immediate vicinity. This study provides further evidence that ecological methods of pest management can be integrated into the design of urban landscapes to improve regulation of herbivorous pests.
Youth ReACT for Social Change: a method for youth participatory action research.

Although participatory action research has become an increasingly popular method with youth, involving them in problem identification, analysis, intervention, and/or feedback, few PAR projects tend to involve youth in all of these phases—particularly the data analysis phase. Yet involvement in the data analysis phase of a research effort can help to promote critical awareness of the targeted issues, potentially increasing the effectiveness of subsequent PAR stages. In addition, although many YPAR projects aim to promote the critical consciousness of their youth participants, some projects struggle to promote this awareness, often because the methods used are not well matched to the developmental needs of their participants. In this paper we present the ReACT Method, a PAR approach specifically designed to promote local knowledge production and critical consciousness by engaging youth in the problem identification, data analysis, and feedback stages of research. Given the lack of attention in the literature to the methods used for engaging youth in these processes, we provide detailed descriptions of the methods we developed to engage youth in problem identification and qualitative data analysis.
Gas-phase basicities and sites of protonation of glycine oligomers (GLYn; n = 1-5)

The gas-phase basicities (GB) of glycine and its oligomers (GLY-GLY, GLY-GLY-GLY, GLY-GLY-GLY-GLY, GLY-GLY-GLY-GLY-GLY) are determined by bracketing measurements using an external source quadrupole Fourier transform mass spectrometry instrument. The GB of glycine is found to be 206.4±2 kcal/mol. The larger oligomers have similar basicities corresponding to 213.5±2 kcal/mol for diglycine, 215.0 for tri- and tetraglycine, and 217.1 for pentaglycine. Various base sites are examined on diglycine using the semiempirical AM1 molecular orbital calculation method. It is proposed that the most basic sites for glycine and diglycine are similar and correspond to the protonation of the terminal amine with hydrogen bonding to the adjacent carbonyl oxygen
Experiments on opto-electrically generated microfluidic vortices

Strong microfluidic vortices are generated when a near-infrared (1,064 nm) laser beam is focused within a microchannel and an alternating current (AC) electric field is simultaneously applied. The electric field is generated from a parallel-plate, indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes separated by 50 μm. We present the first μ-PIV analysis of the flow structure of such vortices. The vortices exhibit a sink-type behavior in the plane normal to the electric field and the flow speeds are characterized as a function of the electric field strength and biasing AC signal frequency. At a constant AC frequency of 100 kHz, the fluid velocity increases as the square of the electric field strength. At constant electric field strength fluid velocity does not change appreciably in the 30–50 kHz range and it decreases at larger frequencies (>1 MHz) until at approximately 5 MHz when Brownian motion dominates the movement of the 300 nm μ-PIV tracer particles. Presence of strongly focused laser beams in an interdigitated-electrode configuration can also lead to strong microfluidic vortices. When the center of the illumination is focused in the middle of an electrode strip, particles experiencing negative dielectrophoresis are carried towards the illumination and aggregate in this area.
Theory of physical aging in polymer glasses.

A statistical segment scale theory for the physical aging of polymer glasses is proposed and applied. The approach is based on a nonlinear stochastic Langevin equation of motion and the concept of an effective free energy which quantifies temporary localization, collective barriers, and the activated segment hopping process. The key collective structural variable that plays the role of the dynamic order parameter for aging is the experimentally measurable nanometer and longer wavelength amplitude of density fluctuations, ${S}_{0}$. The degree of local cooperativity, and the bare activation energy of the high-temperature Arrhenius process, are determined in the molten state by utilizing experimental measurements of the glass temperature and dynamic crossover time, respectively. A first-order kinetic equation with a time varying rate is proposed for the temporal evolution of ${S}_{0}$ which is self-consistently and nonlinearly coupled with the mean segmental relaxation time. The theory has been applied to study physical aging of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ relaxation time, shear relaxation modulus, amplitude of density fluctuations, cohesive energy, absolute yield stress, and fictive temperature of polymethylmethacrylate and other glasses over a range of temperatures. Temperature-dependent logarithmic and effective power-law aging is predicted at intermediate times. Time-aging time superposition is found for the mechanical relaxation function. A strongly asymmetric aging response is predicted for up and down temperature jump experiments. Comparison of the approach with the classic phenomenological model is presented.
Neurophysiology: Sensing and categorizing

Abstract Objects differ along many stimulus dimensions, but observers typically group them into fewer ‘categories' according to their potential use or behavioral relevance. New experiments in awake, behaving monkeys open a window onto the process of stimulus categorization within the central nervous system.
Introduction: The burden of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unquestionably the most serious and dreaded complication of chronic liver disease. Despite this fact, interest and concern regarding HCC has only recently begun to emerge in the United States. The development of HCC is generally the terminal event of long-standing, typically asymptomatic chronic liver disease that originated decades earlier. Regardless of the etiology, the process begins with a frequently unrecognized acute or subacute liver insult that advances slowly through ever-increasing hepatic fibrosis over decades to culminate in the development of cirrhosis, a potentially preneoplastic condition. Less commonly, HCC arises directly without antecedent cirrhosis. The average life expectancy after diagnosis of clinically apparent HCC is less than 12 months. Although the prognosis of HCC has long been known to be grim, relatively little attention has been paid to the problem in the United States because HCC is considered to be an uncommon cancer and because therapeutic options are limited. Previously, HCC had been regarded as largely a complication of alcoholic cirrhosis, 1 hemochromatosis, 2 or cirrhosis of unknown etiology. Although an apparently infrequent problem in the United States, epidemiologic surveys showed that HCC is, in fact, one of the world’s most frequent malignancies, since it is found commonly in China and other parts of South East Asia, the most populous countries in the world, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa. 3 The basis for this phenomenon emerged with the discovery of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the evidence that the viral infection was endemic to these same parts of the world. Clinical studies identified that transmission of HBV in these countries occurs predominantly at the time of birth from a carrier mother to her newborn child, that almost all of these infants become infected, and that the vast majority remain infected, opening the way to the development of subclinical chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and ultimately, HCC. 4 In the United States, on the other hand, the frequency of HBV infection is far lower, occurring predominantly among immigrants from areas of the world where HBV is endemic, as well as among children born to immigrant mothers. Hepatitis B also occurs in adults in the United States independent of maternal-infant transmission by routes that are different from Asian and African populations. Indeed, differences in timing and mode of transmission of HBV probably account for the lower frequency of development of HBV-related HCC. Infection with HBV in the United States and other western countries occurs mainly during adolescence and early adulthood, largely as a result of sexual transmission or injection drug use. 5 Unlike neonatal or early childhood infection, the majority of immunocompetent persons infected at this later age (95%) recover spontaneously from the acute infection, thus significantly reducing the burden of HBV-related chronic hepatitis
Geochemistry of radium in soils of the Eastern United States

Abstract The abundance and chemical/mineralogical form of 226Ra, 238U and 232Th were determined on samples of soil and associated vegetation at 12 sites in the eastern United States. Progressive, selective chemical extraction plus size fractionation determined the abundance and radiometric equilibrium condition of these nuclides in 6 operationally defined soil fractions: exchangeable cations, organic matter, “free” Fe-oxides, sand, silt, and clay. In soils, profile-averaged 226Ra/238U activity ratios (AR) are within 10% of unity for most sites, implying little fractionation of U and Ra when the entire soil profile is considered. However, 226Ra greatly exceeds 238U activity in most surface soil (AR up to 1.8, av 1.22), in vegetation (AR up to 65, av. 2.8), in the exchangeable+organic fraction (AR up to 30, av. 13), in some soil Fe oxides (AR up to 3.5, av. 0.83) and in the C horizons of deeply weathered soils (AR up to 1.5). A major factor in Ra behavior is uptake by vegetation, which concentrates Ra>U and moves Ra from deeper soil to surface soil. Vegetation is capable of creating the observed Ra excess in typical surface soil horizons (AR up to 1.8, av. 1.22) in about 1000 a. Of the total Ra in an average A horizon, 42% occurs as exchangeable ions and in organic matter, but only 6–8% of the parent U and Th occur in these soil forms. In contrast, U is slightly enriched relative to Ra in Fe-oxides of A horizons, implying rapid chemical partition of vegetation-cycled U and Ra. In deeper horizons, transfer by vegetation and/or direct chemical partitioning of Ra into organic and exchangeable forms provides a source for unsupported 226Ra in Ra-rich organic matter, and leaves all soil minerals Ra-poor (AR=0.73). Organic matter evidently has a strong affinity for Ra. The phenomena discussed above are relevant to evaluation of indoor Rn hazard, and behavior of Ra at sites affected by radioactive waste disposal, phosphate tailings, Ra-rich brine, and uraniferous fertilizer.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the surgically repaired meniscus: Six-month follow-up

Abstract The appearance and rate of healing of sutured meniscal repairs in 17 patients were evaluated using magnetic resonance scans. While prior studies in animals and humans (1–4) suggest that complete healing can occur as early as 6 wk postoperatively, we found that at 7 wk 15 15 patients demonstrated meniscal defects at the site of repair. At 6 mo, 11 11 patients showed persistent signal abnormalities. Two patients scanned at 11–12 mo also had defects at the site of repair. Therefore, complete meniscal healing appears not to occur as early as previously believed. This may affect decisions regarding the type of suture material used, the surgical treatment of associated injuries and the postoperative rehabilitation regimen. As defects may be present for relatively long periods of time following meniscal repair, caution must be exercised when attempting to diagnose new or recurrent tears in these patients.
An Innovative Program for Justice-Involved Partner Violence Victims: “No Man is Worth Me Getting Locked Up”

Violence victims who are the primary caregivers for their children sometimes become justice-involved through efforts to protect and defend against intimate partner violence (IPV). Judges often mandate these victims to community-based services, although little is known about these services. Given increasing numbers of such victims, two human service agencies collaborated to create a program for female IPV victims who were their children’s primary caregivers and who were mandated to services for violence against a male partner. Our research team conducted a feasibility study of the program using an exploratory qualitative study design to collect data from program participants (n = 18) and providers (n = 7). Analyses determined three key findings: (a) the importance of a welcoming, comfortable environment; (b) the value of certain aspects of the program content; and (c) the importance of support from like others for participant improvement. These findings point to indispensable program elements. Implications for other communities and providers serving justice-involved IPV victims who are also primary caregivers are described.
Interference between an earth station of a communication-satellite system and the stations of terrestrial line-of-sight radio-relay systems

The paper gives a simple method of estimating the mutual interference that may arise between an earth station of a communication-satellite system and neighbouring line-of-sight radio-relay stations using the same frequency band, and suggests criteria for deciding whether a proposed mode of earth-station operation is compatible with the maximum permissible values of telephone-channel interference noise recommended by the CCIR. The effect on the interference of the motion of the earth-station aerial is considered in some detail for the principal types of orbit that the satellites being tracked might occupy. A number of examples are included to illustrate the application of the method to an earth station handling high-capacity f.d.m./f.m. transmissions in the 4Gc/s and 6Gc/s communication bands.
Diphenylcyclopropenone: examination for potential contaminants, mechanisms of sensitization, and photochemical stability.

Diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP) has recently been reported to be a potent contact sensitizer for the treatment of alopecia areata. DPCP is nonmutagenic in the Ames assay. Studies on chemical purity, stability, and mechanisms of action are lacking. DPCP is synthesized by cyclization of α,α′-dibromodibenzylketone. The latter elicits a reaction in guinea pigs sensitized to DPCP. We examined a commercial sample of DPCP by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the presence of contaminants. The stability of dilute solutions of DPCP in ethanol and cyclohexane to fluorescent light, sunlight, and heat was followed by ultraviolet (UV) spectrometry. The isosbestic point and half-life for this reaction were determined. We found no original or intermediate reagents in our sample. DPCP was found to decompose, forming diphenylacetylene on exposure to both sunlight and fluorescent light in less than 2 weeks. Samples shielded from the light at -70° C and at room temperature were stable over a 4-week period. The extent of decomposition was the same in both ethanol and cyclohexane, It is possible that DPCP may act as a prosensitizer with the actual sensitizer liberated by a photoactivated intermediate (stable, metastable, or unstable) or a combination of these.
Synthesis of antigenic determinants of the Brucella a antigen, utilizing methyl 4-azido-4,6-dideoxy-α-d-mannopyranoside efficiently derived from d-mannose

Abstract A strategy for the synthesis of Brucella O-antigenic determinants containing 2-linked 4,6-dideoxy-4-formamido-α- d -mannopyranosyl residues is described. The approach adopted also permits the N -acyl moiety to be varied. A high-yield synthesis of methyl 4-azido-4,6-dideoxy-α- d -mannopyranoside ( 7 ) from d -mannose on the 10–20-g scale provided the key intermediate. Regioselective acetylation of 7 gave the 2-acetate 8 , which, on treatment with benzyl trichloroacetimidate, provided methyl 2- O -acetyl-4-azido-3- O -benzyl-4,6-dideoxy-α- d -mannopyranoside ( 9 ). This compound served as a common precursor to the glycosyl donor 12 and acceptor 10 molecules. Silver trifluoromethanesulphonate-promoted glycosylation of 10 by 12 gave a disaccharide derivative ( 13 ), hydrogenolysis of which gave methyl 4-amino-2- O -(4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-α- d -mannopyranosyl)-4,6-dideoxy-α- d -mannopyranoside ( 16 ) from which the N -formyl ( 17 ) and N -acetyl ( 18 ) derivatives were obtained. Deacetylation of 13 followed by glycosylation with 12 gave a trisaccharide derivative. The N -formylated disaccharide 17 inhibited the binding of Brucella O-polysaccharide to Brucella -specific monoclonal antibodies.
The English Lexical Loan: A Class Marker

This is a quantitative analysis of the lexical loan in two Mexican communities (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States, and Moroleon, Guanajuato, Mexico), using the Varbrul program to establish percentages of occurrence. Data were collected and analyzed following the traditional sociolinguistic interview format. Findings suggest that most migrant workers include English lexical loans in their speech as a way to separate themselves from the population that has not migrated to the United States.
Generalized minimum-distance decoding of Euclidean-space codes and lattices

It is shown that multistage generalized minimum-distance (GMD) decoding of Euclidean-space codes and lattices can provide an excellent tradeoff between performance and complexity. We introduce a reliability metric for Gaussian channels that is easily computed from an inner product, and prove that a multistage GMD decoder using this metric is a bounded-distance decoder up to the true packing radius. The effective error coefficient of multistage GMD decoding is determined. Two simple modifications in the GMD decoding algorithm that drastically reduce this error coefficient are proposed. It is shown that with these modifications GMD decoding achieves the error coefficient of maximum-likelihood decoding for block codes and for generalized construction A lattices. Multistage GMD decoding of the lattices D/sub 4/, E/sub 8/, K/sub 12/, BW/sub 16/, and /spl Lambda//sub 24/ is investigated in detail. For K/sub 12/BW/sub 16/, and /spl Lambda//sub 24/, the GMD decoders have considerably lower complexity than the best known maximum-likelihood or bounded-distance decoding algorithms, and appear to be the most practically attractive decoders available. For high-dimensional codes and lattices (/spl ges/64 dimensions) maximum-likelihood decoding becomes infeasible, while GMD decoding algorithms remain quite practical. As an example, we devise a multistage GMD decoder for a 128-dimensional sphere packing with a nominal coding gain of 8.98 dB that attains an effective error coefficient of 1365760. This decoder requires only about 400 real operations, in addition to algebraic errors-and-erasures decoding of certain BCH and Hamming codes. It therefore appears to be practically feasible to implement algebraic multistage GMD decoders for high-dimensional sphere packings, and thus achieve high effective coding gains.
Model of Parametric Excitation by an Imperfect Pump

We examine the three-wave decay instability due to a monochromatic pump with a phase which undergoes a random walk with diffusion coefficient $D$. Analytic results are obtained for small and large $\frac{D}{{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}}$ (where ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}$ is the growth rate for $D=0$), which demonstrate, respectively, a fractional reduction of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ by $\frac{D}{{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}}$ and a growth rate $\frac{{{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}}^{2}}{D}$. Results are also presented for intermediate values of $\frac{D}{{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{0}}$.
Neonatal Pulmonary Artery Thrombosis: Echocardiographic Characteristics and Possible Contributing Factors

Estimates of the incidence of thrombotic events in children are increasing both because of early recognition and advances in supportive care of children at high risk. Newborns are at relatively high risk of thrombotic events, with an estimated annual incidence of 0.5/10,000 newborns, 4 times that of children of all ages. 1 We report the incidental finding of a thrombus in the main pulmonary arteries of 3 newborns discovered by echocardiography. These thrombi were found in association with presumed premature closure of the ductus arteriosus (DA) in utero, raising the possibility of an association of thrombus formation with DA closure in these patients.
Do physician attitudes and practices limit use of EUS in the staging and the treatment of esophageal carcinoma

Background Although EUS provides superior local staging of esophageal carcinoma when compared with other tests, EUS seems to be underused by physicians. We designed this prospective study to determine whether EUS is ordered in the evaluation of esophageal cancer and whether staging information obtained would change management. Methods A total of 114 physicians were mailed a questionnaire that surveyed which tests are used in evaluating patients with esophageal cancer, the order in which they are requested, and their estimated cost. Physicians were asked to estimate prognosis and to indicate which therapy would be used for each specific TNM cancer stage. Results Of 114 physicians, 71 (62.3%) physicians from 4 disciplines responded. Only 47.3% of physicians would use EUS in the patient workup for esophageal cancer. Physicians would only order EUS after first obtaining an endoscopy, then a barium swallow, and then a CT scan ( p p =0.055) would not order EUS, and 31.6% of internists would not use any staging data before referral to another physician for definitive management. Physicians were accurate in their assessment of the prognosis for each cancer stage and the cost of each test. There was no difference in the use of surgery between disciplines for stages O, I, IIA, and IV. However, significantly more surgeons than nonsurgeons would use surgery for stage IIB (100.0% vs. 71.3%, p =0.019), with a trend toward greater use by surgeons for stage III (64.3% vs. 34.1%, p =0.11). Except for significantly greater use of chemotherapy by surgeons and oncologists for stage IIA than internists and gastroenterologists (36.6% vs. 3.1%, p =0.0006), there were no differences between subspecialties with use of chemotherapy for all other stages or use of radiation therapy for any stage. Conclusions Clinicians have an adequate understanding of patient survival based on cancer stage and a reasonable appreciation of cost for diagnostic tests regarding esophageal carcinoma. Specific data on cancer staging does impact treatment choices and management decisions. EUS is grossly underused by clinicians for staging esophageal cancer. Although internists may serve as gatekeepers, they fail to order EUS, order EUS only after less accurate tests, or fail to use staging data in management (especially referral) decisions. The ultimate modality of treatment may be more related to the type of physician that the patient is referred to, instead of the specific cancer stage. Education of primary care clinicians may be needed before the full impact of EUS on patient care can be appreciated.
Coordination of Care Between Health and Education Systems for Patients With a Hematologic or Oncologic Diagnosis: A Time Study Analysis

Given the increasing emphasis on care coordination between healthcare and schools, hospital-school liaison services are increasing in demand. Limited research examines hospital-school liaison programs that focus on educational journeys of school-age patients with a chronic illness. Thus, this initiative aimed to determine the time needed to support the educational needs of these patients. Liaisons tracked time spent per patient, and per specific task category, to support school-age patients (N=419) using work-sampling and time-and-motion methods. Findings may be useful for hospital-based programs seeking to establish or increase staff dedicated to the coordination of care between school and healthcare systems.
Sensitization and quenching of naphthoquinone photoreduction

Abstract The quantum efficiency of the photoreduction of 1,4-naphthoquinone was determined at the long wavelength tail of the n , π★ absorption band (436 nm). This confirmed that the efficiency is indeed within less than 1% identical for excitation in either the π, π★ or n , π★ absorption band and that internal conversion ππ★- n π★ takes place with unit efficiency, the n excited molecule being the reactant in the primary photochemical reaction Furthermore with photosensitization by acridine yellow and attenuation of the efficiency by anthracene, the former having a higher and the latter having a lower lying triplet state than the quinone, it was shown that the reactive n π★ state was a triplet. The demonstration of complexation of the quinone in the ground state with either the sensitizer or the quencher suggests that, even if small, this interaction facilitates energy transfer to or from the photosensitive material