cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Closing the ring: historical biogeography of the salamander ring species Ensatina eschscholtzii

The salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii Gray is a classic example of a ring species, or a species that has expanded around a central barrier to form a secondary contact characterized by species-level divergence. In the original formulation of the ring species scenario, an explicit biogeographical model was proposed to account for the occurrence of intraspecific sympatry between two subspecies in southern California (the 'southern closure' model). Here we develop an alternative ring species model that is informed by the geomorphological development of the California Coast Ranges, and which situates the point of ring closure in the Monterey Bay region of central coastal California (the 'Monterey closure' model). Our study has two aims. The first is to use phylogenetic methods to evaluate the two competing biogeographical models. The second is to describe patterns of phylogeographical diversity throughout the range of the Ensatina complex, and to compare these patterns with previously published molecular systematic data. Western North America, with a focus on the state of California, USA. We obtained mitochondrial DNA sequence data from 385 individuals from 224 populations. A phylogeny was inferred using Bayesian techniques, and the geographical distributions of haplotypes and clades were mapped. The two biogeographical ring species models were tested against our Bayesian topology, including the associated Bayesian 95% credible set of trees. High levels of phylogeographical diversity were revealed, especially in central coastal and northern California. Our Bayesian topology contradicts the Monterey closure model; however, 0.08% of the trees in our Bayesian 95% credible set are consistent with this model. In contrast, the classic ring species biogeographical model (the southern closure model) is consistent with our Bayesian topology, as were 99.92% of the trees in our 95% credible set. Our Bayesian phylogenetic analysis most strongly supports the classic ring species model, modified to accommodate an improved understanding of the complex geomorphological evolution of the California Coast Ranges. In addition, high levels of phylogeographical diversity in central and northern California were identified, which is consistent with the striking levels of allozymic differentiation reported previously from those regions.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Spillovers in Sub-Sharan Africa

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are known for their superior technology, management and marketing skills, and have played a vital role in the development of emerging economies. Developing countries seek to attract these multinational firms to build modern manufacturing industries, and especially to get access to knowledge and technologies. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is viewed as a powerful force for the integration of developing countries into the global economy (UNCTAD, 2000), can influence host country’s macroeconomic performance, can improve host country’s absorptive capacity, and can be a source of spillovers. This study investigates the relative importance of MNEs as sources of knowledge and technology spillovers for the SSA countries. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression analyses was conducted to determine if FDI has emerged as a source of spillover effects on host country’s economic growth and value-added activities in manufacturing products.
The Cuban-Thistle Crisis: Rethinking U.S. Sanctions

The Cuban embargo is often cited abroad as a prime example of a U.S. unilateral economic sanctions program that has clearly failed to achieve its stated aims, and is now maintained purely for domestic political purposes. Since the tragic events of 9/11, the world has changed. The tools that once merely augmented foreign policy objectives - such as asset/transaction blocking and blacklisting designated agents of sanctions targets - are being redirected and the credibility of these programs is more important than ever. The country can no longer afford to maintain failed sanctions policies that focus more on domestic politics than on achieving their stated aims, and expend resources addressing issues no more serious than cigars and the "Cuban Thistle Crisis."
Social Sharing at Scale

Full participation in online social spaces requires the contri-bution of content in the form of text, activity, or multimedia. Decisions about whether to share a particular item and with whom can easily become complex, as users consider the potential risks or benefits of reaching various parts of their audience. As systems begin to support the sharing of large collections such as bulk-uploaded photos, these difficulties compound, and users often respond by adopting simple, sub-optimal sharing strategies. My proposed dissertation aims to model sharing decisions in order to inform systems which support nuanced decision-making at large scale.
Tolerance of Stethorus punctum Adults and Larvae to Various Pesticides

Thirty-eight miticide, insecticide, and fungicide treatments were tested by a laboratory dip method for toxicity to adults of a ladybird beetle, Stethorus punctum (LeConte). Six treatments were tested for toxicity to larvae. Highly toxie to adults were Bay Hox 2709 ( O -(3-Chloro-7-methylpyrazolo [1,-5-a] pyrimidin-2yl) O, O -diethyl phosphorothioate) and CGA 13608 ( o -(Methyl-2-propinylamino) phenyl methylcarbamate) at 0.5 lb AI/100 gal, carbaryl and Dursban® ( O- (3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl) phosphororthioate) at 0.25 lb AI/100 gal, Mesurol® (4-(methylthio)-3,5-xylyl methylcarbamate) at 0.094 lb AI/100 gal, and Ortho 15223 O,S -dimethyl(methoxyacetyl)-phosphoramidothioate at 0.3 and 0.6 lb AI/100 gal. Carbaryl at 0.125 lb AI per 100 gallons was highly toxic to larvae, and Ortho 15223 was moderately toxic to larvae at 0.15 and 0.30 lb AI per 100 gal. All other materials exhibited either moderate or low toxicity to adults and larvae, and they appear to have a place in future integrated chemical and biological control of fruit pests.
Development of Electrical Activity in the Cerebral Cortex of the Albino Rat.

Summary and Conclusion1. Electrocortico-grams were recorded from albino rats immobilized with various drugs. 2. Spontaneous electrical activity was irregular, intermittent, and of relatively low amplitude during the first week after birth. 3. Local application of strychnine to the cortex resulted in large, slow, spike potentials in rats several days old. 4. The general trend in the spontaneous activity from birth to about 10 days of age was towards increasing rhythmicity, regularity, continuousness, and amplitude. The strychnine-induced spikes gradually decreased in duration, and increased in amplitude and frequency of occurrence. 5. The ECoG of the 10-day-old rat was already basically similar to that of the adult.
Spectrum and Spectral Function of Wave in Atmosphere——Wave Spectrum Analysis with Vertical Shear of Basic Flow

As one of basic researches in the mesoscale system, it is necessary to make clear the waves and their characteristics in the mesoscale system.But,what are characteristics of the vortex wave and the inertiagravitational wave? Do they have separability? All these are the new problems which need to be solved urgently.So in this paper the authors try to answer the questions.The spectrum and spectral function of the mesoscale wave are studied by using non-geostatic quasi-two-dimensional Boussinesq equations.It is supposed that basic flow is only the function of z.The equations are linearized under definite conditions,and then initial-boundary value problem is changed into eigenvalue problem of generalized matrix after assuming normal mode solution.The characteristics of spectrum and spectral function can be realized.In this paper,the problem on overlapping of the continuous wave spectrums and the instance on appearance of the critical layer are studied in atmosphere with the shear of basic flow.The results can be concluded as follows.There are three waves in the equations: a couple of internal inertial-gravitational wave and a vortex wave.These three waves all have continuous spectrum and critical layers.When the shear increases and the wavelength decreases,it is found that the continuous spectrum region of a branch of vortex wave is close to the region of a couple of internal inertial-gravitational wave,they shall overlap each other finally.Here fast wave cannot be distinguished from slow wave.The overlapping condition is determined by the scales of critical wavelength and perturbation wavelength.When the disturbance wavelength is less than the critical wavelength and greater than half of that,there exists the overlapping section of an internal inertial-gravitational wave and a vortex wave.And when the disturbance wavelength is less than the half of critical wavelength,there exists the overlapping section of three waves.Here,there is not pure continuous spectrum section of the vortex wave.The critical wavelength can be considered as the criterion of dividing scale of atmosphere motion.When the scale of motion is greater than the critical wavelength,it is large scale.Here the continuous spectrum regions of the vortex wave and the internal inertial-gravitational wave do not overlap,and the vortex wave is quasi-geostrophic.When the scale of motion is less than the critical wavelength,it is mesoscale.Here the overlapping of the continuous spectrum regions occurs.The standard is identical with accustomed standard in magnitude.
An Explore and Clinical Significance on the Method of Extended-Spectrun β-Lactamase

Objective:We attempted to intruduce the preliminary selecting test and morphology determing test of E.coil、K.pneum oniae、K.oxytoca.Methods:Preliminary selecting test was carried out with Paper.R esults:We studied clinical isolates including 125 of E.coil、82 of K.pneumoniae 、50 of K.oxytoca.95 out of all isolates showed positive in Preliminary selectin g test which were therefore doubted to produce ESBLs,and 45 of 95 isolates were E.coil,33 were pneumoniae,17 were K.oxytoca.39 out of this 95 isolates were test ed positive for producing ESBLs by morphology determing test,in which 17 isolate s were E.coil,14 were pneumoniae,with the percemtage of 13.6%、17.1%、16.0% resp ectively.Conclusion:K.pneumoniae and k.oxytoca tend to produce ESBLs more likely than E.coil,and the preliminary selecting test and morphology determing test pl ay important roles in directing therapy reasonablely,delay the production of bac teria duration and infection.
Acute diverticulitis: diagnosis and management.

A high index of suspicion is required for early detection of complications, most commonly diverticular abscess and colovesical fistula Appropriate antibiotic therapy should cover a wide range of potential pathogens.
Transmission of influenza reflects seasonality of wild birds across the annual cycle

Influenza A Viruses (IAV) in nature must overcome shifting transmission barriers caused by the mobility of their primary host, migratory wild birds, that change throughout the annual cycle. Using a phylogenetic network of viral sequences from North American wild birds (2008-2011) we demonstrate a shift from intraspecific to interspecific transmission that along with reassortment, allows IAV to achieve viral flow across successive seasons from summer to winter. Our study supports amplification of IAV during summer breeding seeded by overwintering virus persisting locally and virus introduced from a wide range of latitudes. As birds migrate from breeding sites to lower latitudes, they become involved in transmission networks with greater connectivity to other bird species, with interspecies transmission of reassortant viruses peaking during the winter. We propose that switching transmission dynamics may be a critical strategy for pathogens that infect mobile hosts inhabiting regions with strong seasonality.
Curricular Influences on Female Afterschool Facilitators’ Computer Science Interests and Career Choices

Underrepresented populations such as women, African-Americans, and Latinos/as often come to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers by less traditional paths than White and Asian males. To better understand how and why women might shift toward STEM, particularly computer science, careers, we investigated the education and career direction of afterschool facilitators, primarily women of color in their twenties and thirties, who taught Build IT, an afterschool computer science curriculum for middle school girls. Many of these women indicated that implementing Build IT had influenced their own interest in technology and computer science and in some cases had resulted in their intent to pursue technology and computer science education. We wanted to explore the role that teaching Build IT may have played in activating or reactivating interest in careers in computer science and to see whether in the years following implementation of Build IT, these women pursued STEM education and/or careers. We reached nine facilitators who implemented the program in 2011–12 or shortly after. Many indicated that while facilitating Build IT, they learned along with the participants, increasing their interest in and confidence with technology and computer science. Seven of the nine participants pursued further STEM or computer science learning or modified their career paths to include more of a STEM or computer science focus. Through interviews, we explored what aspects of Build IT influenced these facilitators’ interest and confidence in STEM and when relevant their pursuit of technology and computer science education and careers.
Terminology and Examples

In this chapter we have provided a brief introduction to the language of queueing theory, and we have given a number of examples that illustrate the application of queueing theory to system design. Although we have avoided mathematical development, we have introduced some key concepts that are useful in understanding the nature of queueing problems.
Diagnostics for Smoothing Splines

SUMMARY Diagnostic measures appropriate for use with smoothing splines are derived and their properties are investigated. The proposed measures focus on detection of observations which substantially influence the fit and provide additional information over that obtained from examination of residuals alone. A numerical example illustrates the technique.
Comparative Effectiveness: Propensity Score Analysis

In this chapter, we use a case study conducted using the MIMIC-II database, “Efficacy of Rate Control Medications in Atrial Fibrillation with Rapid Ventricular Response (Afib with RVR) amongst Critically Ill Patients”, as an example to demonstrate the concepts of propensity score analysis in EHR data research. In this study we investigated which of the three most commonly used rate control agents performed best as a sole agent to reach rate control for patients with Afib with RVR.
Chemical Trends of Electronic Properties of Two-Dimensional Halide Perovskites and Their Potential Applications for Electronics and Optoelectronics

Two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites with the formula of A2MIVX4VII are now emerging as a new family of 2D materials and promising candidates for nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. Potentially, there could be abundance of 2D halide perovskites by varying the compositions of A, M and X and their properties can be widely tuned to satisfy the requirements of the practical applications. While several samples have been experimentally realized, most of them are currently unexplored and their chemical trends in relation to the chemical compositions are yet not well understood, which thus drags down the exploration of their potential applications. In this work, using first-principles calculation methods, we systematically investigate the properties of 2D halide perovskites, including their structural stabilities, electronic, optical, and transport properties. The chemical trends in this novel family of 2D materials are established and we find that the bandgaps increase with increased lattice distortions by c...
Micro vs. macrodiscectomy: Does use of the microscope reduce complication rates?

Abstract Objective A single level discectomy is one of the most common procedures performed by spine surgeons. While some practitioners utilize the microscope, others do not. We postulate improved visualization with an intraoperative microscope decreases complications and inferior outcomes. Methods A multicenter surgical registry was utilized for this retrospective cohort analysis. Patients with degenerative spinal diagnoses undergoing elective single level discectomies from 2010 to 2014 were included. Univariate analysis was performed comparing demographics, patient characteristics, operative data, and outcomes for discectomies performed with and without a microscope. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was then applied to compare outcomes of micro- and macrodiscectomies. Results Query of the registry yielded 23,583 patients meeting inclusion criteria. On univariate analysis the microscope was used in a greater proportion of the oldest age group as well as Hispanic white patients. Patients with any functional dependency, history of congestive heart failure, chronic corticosteroid use, or anemia (hematocrit Conclusions The use of the microscope was found to significantly increase the odds of longer operative time, but not influence rates of postoperative complications. Thus, without evidence from this study that the microscope decreases complications, the use of the microscope should be at the surgeon’s discretion, validating the use of both macro and micro approaches to discectomy as acceptable standards of care.
Координация Пространственного и Отраслевого Развития в Рамках Кластеров: Опыт Зарубежных Стран (Coordination of Space and Industry Development of the Clusters: The Experience of Foreign Countries)

В данной работе представлен краткий обзор основных подходов к координации отраслевого и территориального развития в зарубежных странах. Анализ документов стратегического планирования показывает, что в последнее время в большинстве стран кластерные инициативы нацелены на решение сразу нескольких задач экономического развития – стимулирование инновационной деятельности, организация новых рабочих мест, создание малых предприятий, привлечение инвестиций, создание положительного имиджа и продвижение бренда территории. Все это позволяет использовать кластерный подход для скоординированного решения задач отраслевого и территориального развития. Автор выражает благодарность Жаркову В.П., Моргунову Е.Б., Пугачевой М.Г., Шапиро Б.Ю. за предоставленные материалы и ценные комментарии.This article provides a brief description of basic methods of coordination of industrial and spatial development in foreign countries. The analysis of economic development strategies shows that cluster approach helps countries to solve a very broad variety of economic problems – starting from innovation development and ending up investment attraction. So cluster initiatives seem as most promising way of simultaneous solving tasks of industrial and spatial development.
ALTERATIONS IN EPIDERMAL DIFFERENTIATION IN SKIN CARCINOGENESIS

The induction of carcinomas on mouse skin by initiation and promotion protocols involves three operationally distinct stages. Initiation appears to be a genetic change in epidermal basal cells which provides the capability for altered cells to proliferate under conditions where normal cells are obligated to differentiate. Tumor promotion stimulates the clonal expansion of initiated cells through differential growth responses of normal and initiated cells with each promoter exposure. The result of these two stages is the formation of benign tumors, epidermal papillomas. The third stage, malignant conversion, occurs as a result of further genetic changes in papilloma cells either spontaneously at a low frequency or by the action of genotoxic carcinogens at a higher frequency. The specific genes involved in any of the stages of skin carcinogenesis have not been elucidated, but activation of the ras Ha gene may be associated with initiation or malignant conversion.
Immunotherapy in Autoimmune and Neuroinflammation-Related Epilepsies

There is increasing recognition of the role played by neuroinflammation both as a factor in the development of epilepsy as well as a consequence of seizures. Autoimmune encephalitis and epilepsies have emerged as an important etiology of drug-refractory epilepsies. The recognition of these entities is vital for immunomodulation and is the cornerstone in its management. Immunotherapy treatment regimens in these conditions continue to be refined, and there is an increasing knowledge in their use. This article attempts to review the experience with the use of different immunotherapies in specific autoimmune and neuroinflammation-related encephalitis and epilepsies including their mechanisms of action and potential side effects.
Protonation of a Cobalt Phenylazopyridine Complex at the Ligand Yields a Proton, Hydride, and Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reagent

Protonation of the Co(I) phenylazopyridine (azpy) complex [CpCo(azpy)] 2 occurs at the azo nitrogen of the 2-phenylazopyridine ligand to generate the cationic Co(I) complex [CpCo(azpyH)]+ 3 with no change in oxidation state at Co. The N–H bond of 3 exhibits diverse hydrogen transfer reactivity, as studies with a variety of organic acceptors demonstrate that 3 can act as a proton, hydrogen atom, and hydride donor. The thermodynamics of all three cleavage modes for the N–H bond (i.e., proton, hydride, and hydrogen atom) were examined both experimentally and computationally. The N–H bond of 3 exhibits a pKa of 12.1, a hydricity of ΔG°H– = 89 kcal/mol, and a bond dissociation free energy (BDFE) of ΔG°H• = 68 kcal/mol in CD3CN. Hydride transfer from 3 to the trityl cation (ΔG°H– = 99 kcal/mol) is exergonic but takes several hours to reach completion, indicating that 3 is a relatively poor hydride donor, both kinetically and thermodynamically. Hydrogen atom transfer from 3 to 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-(4′-nitrophenyl...
Enabling control system and cloud-based simulation service interoperability

The latest innovations in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will change manufacturing and simulation forever. One of those changes involves the use of simulation-based cloud services and the integration of those services with operational problems on the shop floor. In this paper, we focus on the control problems, which we represent as a multilayer process graph. The nodes in this graph are control functions, which are cognitive in nature and can be executed by different agents. The links in the graph are the information objects needed by each agent to execute its assigned functions. We also describe a generic sets of control functions and the roles that simulation can play in executing those functions. This means that simulation is now part of an integrated process and can no longer be thought of as a stand-alone technology. In this paper, we discuss issues and propose approaches to addressing that integration.
Water Depletion Pattern and Water Use Efficiency of Forage Sorghum, Pearl millet, and Corn Under Water Limiting Condition

Abstract In the semi-arid Texas High Plains, declining irrigation water supply hinders the profitable corn (Zea mays L.) silage production, the principle feed ingredient of the beef and dairy industries. Drought-tolerant and deep-rooting crops like forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) could be an alternative to corn silage under limiting irrigation. A field study was conducted during 2018 and 2019 at New Deal, TX to assess soil water depletion patterns, water use efficiency (WUE), and silage yield of forage sorghum, pearl millet, and corn under limited irrigation. The experiment was conducted in split-plot design with three irrigation levels [I0 (55 and 29 mm), I1 (172 and 147 mm), and I2 (323 and 260 mm) in 2018 and 2019, respectively] as main-plots and five cultivars [P1498AM (corn), AF7401 and Silo700D (BMR sorghum), and Epic and Exceed (BMR pearl millet)] as sub-plots with three replications. The soil water depletion amount was greater in I0 (105 and 57 mm) followed by I1 (60 and 37 mm) and I2 (44 and 13 mm) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Fresh biomass yield was the greatest in I2 followed by I1 and I0; however, the highest WUE was achieved in I0 and I2 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Water depletion depth was greater for sorghum and pearl millet plots (0–1 m) than corn plots (0–0.6 m) which resulted in greater water depletion amount in sorghum (75 and 31 mm) and pearl millet (68 and 48 mm) plots than corn (67 and 28 mm) during 2018 and 2019, respectively. Average yield and WUE were the highest in sorghum cultivars, followed by pearl millet and corn. Results confirmed that the higher silage yield and WUE can be achieved by sorghum compared to pearl millet and corn under limited irrigation conditions.
69-LB: A Wearable Microneedle Array Sensor Shows High Correlation between Dermal Glucose and Venous Blood Glucose

Objective: Current continuous glucose monitors (CGM) measure glucose in the subcutaneous interstitial fluid (ISF). Previous ex vivo research with hypodermic needles has shown that glucose in the dermal ISF is highly correlated to venous glucose with little or no lag time. However, this methodology is not viable for continuous measurement. In this study, we have developed and tested a wearable microneedle array sensor for continuous in situ measurement of glucose in the dermal ISF. A dermal CGM could be applied without an introducer needle and without pain during application. Methods: In this study the microneedle array sensor was tested against venous glucose measured every 15 minutes from a YSI analyzer in 8-hour sessions over 2 days (Phase One) and 5-7 days (Phase Two). Results: Five participants without diabetes and 10 participants with diabetes were recruited for phase One and 10 participants with diabetes were recruited for phase Two. A high degree of linear correlation (R2 ≥ 0 .90) between the microneedle array measured dermal ISF glucose and venous glucose was observed. The figure shows the linear correlation (A) and temporal profile (B) for one microneedle array sensor over 8 hours. Conclusions: A wearable microneedle array measuring dermal ISF glucose can accurately track glucose values. The study demonstrated early human feasibility of a CGM based on microneedle sensing of dermal ISF. Disclosure P.P. Samant: Employee; Self; Biolinq. M.P. Christiansen: Research Support; Self; Abbott, Ascensia Diabetes Care, Biolinq, Dexcom, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Medtronic, Merck & Co., Inc., Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi-Aventis, Senseonics, ViroMed Laboratories, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. S. Sattayasamitsathit: None. A. Campbell: None. T.A. Peyser: Consultant; Self; Insulet Corporation. Employee; Self; Biolinq. J.R. Windmiller: Employee; Self; Biolinq. J.R. Tangney: Board Member; Self; Biolinq. R. Lal: Consultant; Self; Abbott, Biolinq. N.C. Bhavaraju: Employee; Self; Biolinq.
Linearization of Ancestral Genomes with Duplicated Genes

One of the key computational problems in comparative genomics is the reconstruction of genomes of ancestral species based on genomes of extant species. Since most dramatic changes in genomic architectures are caused by genome rearrangements, this problem is often posed as minimization of the number of genome rearrangements between extant and ancestral genomes. The base case of three given genomes is known as the genome median problem. Whole-genome duplications (WGDs) represent yet another type of dramatic evolutionary events and inspire the reconstruction of preduplicated ancestral genomes, referred to as the genome halving problem. Reconstruction of the preduplicated or median genomes consisting of linear chromosomes for given linear genomes is known to be intractable. There exist efficient methods for solving a relaxed version of this problem, where the preduplicated or median genomes are allowed to have circular chromosomes. Previously we proposed a method for construction of an approximate solution to the genome median problem from a solution to the relaxed version, and proved a bound on its approximation error. In this study, we extend the proposed method for constructing an approximate solution to the genome halving problem. We also extend the originally proposed method to the genome median problem for genomes with duplicated genes.
Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) with dysplasia is enriched for MDS-type molecular findings compared to CCUS without dysplasia.

Objectives Although morphologic dysplasia is not typically considered a feature of CCUS, we have consistently observed low-level bone marrow (BM) dysplasia among CCUS patients. We sought to determine whether sub-diagnostic BM dysplasia in CCUS patients is associated with other clinico-pathologic findings of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Methods We identified 49 CCUS patients, 25 with sub-diagnostic dysplasia (CCUS-D), and 24 having no dysplasia (CCUS-ND). We compared the clinical, histologic, and laboratory findings of CCUS-D and CCUS-ND patients to 49 MDS patients, including blood cell counts, BM morphology, flow cytometry, cytogenetics, and results of next-generation sequencing. Results No statistically significant differences were observed between CCUS-D and CCUS-ND patients in the degree of cytopenias, BM cellularity, myeloid-to-erythroid ratio, or the presence of flow cytometric abnormalities. However, compared to CCUS-ND, CCUS-D patients exhibited increased mutations in myeloid malignancy-associated genes, including non-TET2/DNMT3A/ASXL1 variants, spliceosome (SF3B1, SRSF2, ZRSR2, or U2AF1) variants, and IDH2/RUNX1/CBL variants. CCUS-D patients were also enriched for higher variant allele frequencies and co-mutation of TET2/DNMT3A/ASXL1 with other genes. Conclusions CCUS-D patients exhibit a molecular (but not clinical) profile more similar to MDS patients than CCUS-ND, suggesting CCUS-D may represent a more immediate precursor to MDS and may warrant closer clinical follow-up.
Single-spin physics with weak bosons at RHIC

In order to measure spin-dependent parton distributions in production of W± bosons using the non-hermetic detectors of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, an accurate model for distributions of charged leptons from the W-boson decay is needed. We discuss the predictions for production and decay of the W bosons based on a calculation for resummation of large logarithmic contributions originating from multiple soft gluon radiation. We compare the predictions for the spin-dependent resummed cross sections with the corresponding next-to-leading order results. We show that the lepton-level asymmetries can be reliably predicted by the resummation calculation and directly compared to the experimental data. A program for the numerical analysis of such cross sections in γ∗-, W±-, and Z0-boson production is also presented.
Common Ophthalmic Preservatives in Soft Contact Lens Care Products: Benefits, Complications, and a Comparison to Non-Preserved Solutions

Purpose Preservatives are essential for preventing contact lens (CL)-related microbial keratitis (MK). The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge related to the use of common ophthalmic preservatives in CL care products with respect to both safety and efficacy. Methods Manuscripts written in English were obtained by searching PubMed.gov with the term contact lens plus antimicrobial, benzalkonium chloride, biguanide, Aldox, polyquaternium, preservative, thimerosal, EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), chlorhexidine, or blister pack. Results This review found that first-generation preservatives are no longer used in CL multipurpose solutions (MPS) due to their high levels of ocular toxicity. Modern, high-molecular-weight preservatives, including polyquaternium-1 (PQ-1) and biguanides (PHMB), are generally effective against bacteria, minimally effective against fungi, and not effective against Acanthamoeba. PQ-1 and PHMB are likely safe when used with CLs, but they may cause ocular adverse events, with roughly equal risk between the two preservatives. Some CL MPS contain both PQ-1 and PHMB, but no increased risk of adverse events has been reported when combining the two. Hydrogen-peroxide (H2O2) solutions are effective against all common ocular microbes, including Acanthamoeba, and they have been proven safe with proper compliance. Povidone-iodine (P-I) solutions are not currently commercially available in North America, but they have been shown in other countries to be safe and effective. Conclusion Patients should be monitored when using PQ-1 or PHMB-containing solutions since they have been associated with ocular adverse events. If events are detected, patients should be switched to an alternative solution. H2O2 or P-I solutions are preferred for any patient who may expose their CLs to water because they are the only solution categories effective against Acanthamoeba.
Prominente endständige Ileostomie

Subtotale oder totale Kolektomie bei entzundlichen Kolonerkrankungen, gelegentlich als temporare Ileostomie mit separater Kolostomie nach Resektion eines gangranosen Kolonsegments oder nach Zokumperforation mit primar nicht moglicher Anastomose.
Inhibitory and excitatory neuromodulation by hydrogen peroxide: translating energetics to information.

Historically, brain neurochemicals have been broadly classified as energetic or informational. However, increasing evidence implicates metabolic substrates and byproducts as signalling agents, which blurs the boundary between energy and information, and suggests the introduction of a new category for ‘translational’ substances that convey changes in energy state to information. One intriguing example is hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is a small, readily diffusible molecule. Produced during mitochondrial respiration, this reactive oxygen species, can mediate dynamic regulation of neuronal activity and transmitter release by activating inhibitory ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels, as well as a class of excitatory non-selective cation channels, TRPM2. Studies using ex vivo guinea pig brain slices have revealed that activity-generated H2O2 can act via KATP channels to inhibit dopamine release in dorsal striatum and dopamine neuron activity in the substantia nigra pars compacta. In sharp contrast, endogenously generated H2O2 enhances the excitability of GABAergic projection neurons in the dorsal striatum and substantia nigra pars reticulata by activating TRPM2 channels. These studies suggest that the balance of excitation vs. inhibition produced in a given cell by metabolically generated H2O2 will be dictated by the relative abundance of H2O2-sensitive ion channel targets that receive this translational signal.
READING SCORES AND GENDER

This research investigated fourth-grade reading scores and gender. The study used data from a population of 156,590 fourth graders taking the 2011 NAEP reading test to determine variables and factors affecting reading scores on the general student, male, and female populations. Variables were chosen based on the literature and researcher’s preference. These variables included economic status, race, school variables, student variables, and teacher variables. Using principal component factor analyses orthogonal factors were derived from Varimax factor loading. Correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed on all variables and factors using standardized and unstandardized data. Split data for male and female students were analyzed. Significant results (p < .001) were found for most items and most factors indicating that females did significantly better on the fourth-grade reading test than males. Furthermore, the research indicated that home resources, outside school reading experiences, liking to read, and economic status probably had the greatest influence on fourth-grade reading scores
Who Pays the Auditor Calls the Tune?: Auditing Regulation and Clients' Incentives

As we move on from the financial scandals of the early 2000s, the question of how to prevent the next Enron continues to be a pressing one. This Article focuses on the law's deeply conflicted treatment of auditors of public corporations. Though the audit firm is charged with serving as the public's watchdog in insuring good financial disclosure, the auditor's actual client is the audited corporation itself, whose interests concerning disclosure are not necessarily aligned with those of investors. Because the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 left this structure in place, further reform is needed. One promising suggestion is to give public corporations the option of buying Financial Statement Insurance (FSI) to insure against liability to investors harmed by misrepresentations in financial information disclosed to the public. Instead of working for the audited corporation, under FSI, auditors work for the insurer, whose financial interest in a candid audit is in line with the investing public's need for good information. Who Pays The Auditor Calls The Tune? contributes to the FSI literature by making the case for reform and suggesting modifications in current FSI proposals. It reviews the development of the auditor's role through history, the changing incentives of auditors and clients and the characteristics of other successful disclosure-based regulatory regimes compared to FSI and rival suggestions. It concludes that FSI is viable not just as a supplement to current auditor regulation, but as a substitute, with corporations required to have at least a minimum level of FSI coverage.
Signing Up for Peace: International Boundary Agreements, Democracy, and Militarized Interstate Conflict

Can states usher in more peaceful relations with their neighbors by signing agreements that delineate their territorial boundaries? Theory suggests such a possibility, but the empirical evidence to date remains limited by research design and variable measurement decisions. After assembling a new data set on international boundary agreements, the current study conducts the first thorough test of this question during the period 1816–2001. The findings indicate that once neighboring states settle their borders, they are less likely to go to war or experience militarized interstate disputes with one another. These pacific effects persist across numerous time periods even after controlling for joint democracy, a characteristic that both theory and this analysis show to be positively related to settled borders. Through these findings, the study suggests that signing international boundary agreements can bring neighbors a more peaceful relationship with one another, regardless of the characteristics of their respective governmental regimes.
Feature Films as History

This essay discusses the use of feature films as historical sources and introduces readers to the ongoing debate among professional historians about films as history, highlighting the strengths and weakness of films as teaching tools. The essay also includes the author's experience with developing a class using historical films.
As Certain as Death and Taxes: Consumer Considerations of Bitcoin Transactions for When the IRS Comes Knocking

Bitcoin is the first decentralized digital-currency. Due to the infancy and only recent popularity, consumers transacting in bitcoins are likely unaware of the tax implications involved. At this time, there are no known legal decisions on how Bitcoin transactions should be taxed. This paper explores the likely tax implications for everyday consumers exchanging bitcoins for property and services.
Statistical properties of a staggered PRF MTI system

In this paper, the statistical properties of improvement factors of a staggered PRF MTI system for the cases either using optimal filter weights or Binomial filter weights, are presented. It is shown that the degree of deviation of samples is a function of both the standard deviation of the clutter spectrum density function and the amount of variation of interpulse durations.
NMR Spectroscopy of the Human Heart

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the human heart has focused on the noninvasive detection of high-energy metabolites—phosphocreatine (PCr), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which fuels muscular contraction—using the 31P nucleus. New applications of 1H MRS to measure total creatine (CR) and myocardial lipids are emerging, while the potential use of hyperpolarized 13C to image cardiac glycolytic metabolism is on the horizon. The value of MRS lies in providing reliable quantitative measures of parameters that index metabolic reserve. The range of techniques used to spatially localize 31P, 1H, and 13C MRS signals to the heart, along with the methods developed to reproducibly quantify the PCr/ATP ratio, absolute metabolite concentrations, and the forward reaction rate of generating ATP from PCr via the creatine – kinase (CK) reaction, are all reviewed. Using the body of published work, literature average values for PCr/ATP, [PCr], [ATP], [CR], intracellular pH, pseudo first-order CK reaction rate, and CK flux, in the normal healthy human heart are reported herein. Then, the quantitative changes in metabolic parameters seen in myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, in dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in failing heart, valve disease, transplanted hearts, and in patients with diabetes and other disorders that affect the human heart, are presented and discussed. MRS provides noninvasive access to endogenous human cardiac energy metabolism that contributes unique information to our understanding of the physiology of the normal heart, its disease processes, and the evaluation of metabolic responses to therapy. Keywords: heart; magnetic resonance spectroscopy; MRS; metabolism; myocardial energy; review; quantification; heart disease; infarction; ischemia; cardiomyopathy; heart failure; phosphorus; creatine–kinase reaction
Pulmonary embolism in childhood.

Summary 1. The literature concerning pulmonary embolism in children is reviewedand reference is made to twenty-nine previously reported cases. 2. A case of pulmonary embolism causing sudden death is reported in a9-year-old boy; emboli arose in thrombosed veins of the extremities. 3. The clinical and pathologic features of childhood pulmonary embolismare discussed; the rarity of peripheral thrombophlebitis in children is emphasized.
Perturbations of the denatured state ensemble: Modeling their effects on protein stability and folding kinetics

By considering the denatured state of a protein as an ensemble of conformations with varying numbers of sequence-specific interactions, the effects on stability, folding kinetics, and aggregation of perturbing these interactions can be predicted from changes in the molecular partition function. From general considerations, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) A perturbation that enhances a native interaction in denatured state conformations always increases the stability of the native state. (2) A perturbation that promotes a non-native interaction in the denatured state always decreases the stability of the native state. (3) A change in the denatured state ensemble can alter the kinetics of aggregation and folding. (4) The loss (or increase) in stability accompanying two mutations, each of which lowers (or raises) the free energy of the denatured state, will be less than the sum of the effects of the single mutations, except in cases where both mutations affect the same set of partially folded conformations. By modeling the denatured state as the ensemble of all non-native conformations of hydrophobic-polar (HP) chains configured on a square lattice, it can be shown that the stabilization obtained from enhancement of native interactions derives in large measure from the avoidance of non-native interactions in the D state. In addition, the kinetic effects of fixing single native contacts in the denatured state or imposing linear gradients in the HH contact probabilities are found, for some sequences, to significantly enhance the efficiency of folding by a simple hydrophobic zippering algorithm. Again, the dominant mechanism appears to be avoidance of non-native interactions. These results suggest stabilization of native interactions and imposition of gradients in the stability of local structure are two plausible mechanisms involving the denatured state that could play a role in the evolution of protein folding and stability.
Purification to homogeneity of Azotobacter vinelandii hydrogenase: a nickel and iron containing αβ dimer

Azotobacter vinelandii hydrogenase has been purified to homogeneity from membranes. The enzyme was solubilized with Triton X-100 followed by ammonium sulfate-hexane extractions to remove lipids and detergent. The enzyme was then purified by carboxymethyl-Sepharose and octyl-Sepharose column chromatography. All purification steps were performed under anaerobic conditions in the presence of dithionite and dithiothreitol. The enzyme was purified 143-fold from membranes to a specific activity of 124 mumol of H2 uptake . min-1 . mg protein-1. Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the hydrogenase revealed a single band which stained for both activity and protein. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed two bands corresponding to peptides of 67,000 and 31,000 daltons. Densitometric scans of the SDS-gel indicated a molar ratio of the two bands of 1.07 +/- 0.05. The molecular weight of the native enzyme was determined by three different methods. While gel permeation gave a molecular weight of 53,000, sucrose density gradient centrifugation and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gave molecular weights of 98,600 +/- 10,000 and 98,600 +/- 2,000, respectively. We conclude that the A. vinelandii hydrogenase is an alpha beta dimer (98,000 daltons) with subunits of 67,000 and 31,000 daltons. Analyses for nickel and iron indicated 0.68 +/- 0.01 mol Ni/mol hydrogenase and 6.6 +/- 0.5 mol Fe/mol hydrogenase. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 6.1 +/- 0.01. In addition, several catalytic properties of the enzyme have been examined. The Km for H2 was 0.86 microM, and H2 evolution was observed in the presence of reduced methyl viologen. The pH profile of enzyme activity with methylene blue as the electron acceptor has been determined, along with the Km and Vmax for various electron acceptors.
The role of polysialic acid and other carbohydrate polymers in neural structural plasticity

Polysialic acid (PSA) fulfills several criteria for a molecule involved in structural plasticity, including expression in regions capable of plasticity, re-expression in structures undergoing synaptic rearrangement in the adult, downregulation following innervation, and regulation by activity. In addition, removal of PSA reduces the capacity for structural plasticity. PSA may be paradigmatic for other large polymeric carbohydrates, such as glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, which also are highly charged and can be extensively hydrated. These carbohydrates may affect structural plasticity by altering cell-cell and/or cell-matrix interactions by increasing intermolecular spacing through hydration.
Phenyl glycopyranoside recognition in water using Stoddart's cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) receptor

Abstract The cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) receptor associates with various phenoxy-substituted guest compounds in water, including phenyl glycopyranosides. The receptor was found to bind phenyl β-D-glucopyranoside 0.6 kcal/mol more strongly than phenyl α-D-glucopyranoside. In addition, there was a general trend of increased affinity for anionic guests compared to structurally related neutral compounds.