cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A method of sensitizing guinea pigs to fungus antigens without infection.

SummaryGuinea pigs were sensitized to histoplasmin using one dose of 10X concentrated antigen plus an equal amount of Freund's incomplete adjuvant. One-tenth ml of the mixture was injected into each hind footpad of the animals. The degree of sensitivity obtained was satisfactory for use in titrating the potency of new skin test antigen lots. A second experiment was performed to compare the degree of sensitization obtained by the footpad method using non-infectious material to that obtained by injecting the guinea pigs with live Histoplasma capsula-tum. There was essentially no difference in the degree of sensitivity obtained in the animals using the two methods.
What is early melanoma

One of the goals of the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Diagnosis and Treatment of Early Melanoma is to facilitate communication between experts in a variety of disciplines. Toward that end, this paper explores the definition of "early" melanoma from a number of perspectives, including experimental, clinical, epidemiological, and legal.
Current concepts of anatomy and electrophysiology of the sinus node

The sinoatrial node, or sinus node, of humans is the principal pacemaker of the heart. Over the last century, studies have unraveled the complex molecular architecture of the sinus node and the expression of unique ion channels within its specialized myocytes. Aim of this review is to describe the embriology, the anatomy, the histology and the electrophisiology of the sinus node.
Epistasis Analysis Using ReliefF

Here we introduce the ReliefF machine learning algorithm and some of its extensions for detecting and characterizing epistasis in genetic association studies. We provide a general overview of the method and then highlight some of the modifications that have greatly improved its power for genetic analysis. We end with a few examples of published studies of complex human diseases that have used ReliefF.
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet and Risk of Subsequent Kidney Disease

Background There are established guidelines for recommended dietary intake for hypertension treatment and cardiovascular disease prevention. Evidence is lacking for effective dietary patterns for kidney disease prevention. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Setting & Participants Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study participants with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 60mL/min/1.73m2 (N=14,882). Predictor The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score was calculated based on self-reported dietary intake of red and processed meat, sweetened beverages, sodium, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and low-fat dairy products, averaged over 2 visits. Outcomes Cases were ascertained based on the development of eGFRs Results 3,720 participants developed kidney disease during a median follow-up of 23 years. Participants with a DASH diet score in the lowest tertile were 16% more likely to develop kidney disease than those with the highest score tertile (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.26; P for trend Limitations Potential measurement error due to self-reported dietary intake and lack of data for albuminuria. Conclusions Consuming a DASH-style diet was associated with lower risk for kidney disease independent of demographic characteristics, established kidney risk factors, and baseline kidney function. Healthful dietary patterns such as the DASH diet may be beneficial for kidney disease prevention.
Xunzi as a Theorist and Defender of Ritual

This essay explores Xunzi’s understanding of ritual and shows how he responded to the challenges he faced both from critics and from what he believed were popular misunderstandings of ritual. His response, as I describe it, involves a number of related sophisticated philosophical positions that I label as “meta-level awareness and reflexivity,” “participant-observer consciousness,” and “symbolic realism.” The essay focuses on Xunzi’s powerful description of the Confucian death rituals and puts Xunzi in conversation on the one hand with critics of ritual, such as Sigmund Freud, James Harold, and Howard Curzer, and on the other hand with those whose work resonates with Xunzi’s, such as Robert Bellah and Roy Rappaport. I argue that because Xunzi demonstrates how to reinterpret rituals away from supernaturalism and literalism—which he considered misguided and potentially harmful—and toward the beautiful and sacred realm of the symbolic, his hermeneutic approach can contribute significantly to contemporary ritual theory and can speak to many people who find themselves alienated from the rituals of their traditions.
Radiation from supersonic faulting

abstract The far-field radiation from a simple fault model is given by the radiation pattern associated with the appropriate strain nucleus (e.g., double couple) multiplied by a fault propagation factor. For a unilateral fault model the propagation factor is F ( c ; t ) = ζ bd [ H ( τ ) − H ( τ − ( L / ζ ) ( 1 − ( ζ / c ) cos ψ )) ] / ( 1 − ( ζ / c ) cos ψ ) where ξ is the velocity of fault propagation, b is the fault slip, d is the fault width, τ = t − r 0 / c, r 0 is the distance of the observer from the initial point of faulting, c is the velocity of the seismic wave, H(τ) is the unit-step function, L is the length of the fault, and ψ the angle between r 0 and the direction of fault propagation. This representation is valid for both subsonic and supersonic fault propagation. The latter case is important because Weertman (1969) has recently shown that spontaneous faulting may propagate at supersonic velocities. Because the propagation factor is always positive, the nodal planes for the radiation are the same as for the appropriate strain nucleus. Finally, it is shown by the application of this equation that the radiation from a screw dislocation segment is represented by the double-couple nucleus, not the compensated linear-vector dipole nucleus as recently suggested by Knopoff and Randall (1970).
Impact of pasteurization method and fat on milk: Relationships among rheological, tribological, and astringency behaviors

Abstract It is commonly stated that ultrapasteurized (UP) milk is more astringent than high-temperature short time (HTST) pasteurized milk but studies on this topic are limited. This study's objective was to determine impacts of pasteurization method, storage time, and fat content on relationships among bovine milk astringency, rheological, and tribological behaviors. Skim, 1% fat, and whole milk were pasteurized by direct UP, indirect UP, or HTST pasteurization. Milk sensory astringency and mechanical friction and viscosity were determined at 1, 4, and 8 weeks post-processing. Increased fat content increased viscosity but decreased friction coefficients. Increased storage time did not significantly affect viscosity or friction coefficients. UP milk was generally more astringent than HTST-pasteurized milk. Saliva addition (3%, v/v) did not impact instrumental friction. No direct relationships were found among astringency, viscosity, and friction behavior. Overall, UP did not significantly impact milk viscosity and astringency; the astringency mechanism was not saliva-mediated.
Incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma in Iranian provinces and American states matched on ultraviolet radiation exposure: an ecologic study.

Abstract Objectives Ultraviolet radiation (UVR), with UVB and UVA as the relevant components, is a risk factor for melanoma. Complete ascertainment and registration of melanoma in Iran was conducted in five provinces (Ardabil, Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and Kerman) during 1996–2000. The aim of our study was to compare population-based incidence data from these provinces with rates in the United States (US) while standardizing ambient UVR. Methods Population-based rates representing all incident cases of melanoma (1996–2000) across the five Iranian provinces were compared to rates of melanoma among white non-Hispanics in the US. Overall age-standardized rates (ASR) for Iran and the US (per 100,000 person-years adjusted to 2000 world population) and standardized rate ratios (SRR) were calculated. We measured erythemally-weighted average solar UVR exposures (with contributions from both UVB and UVA range) of the five Iranian provinces using data from NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer and selected five US states (Kentucky, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, and Hawaii) with matching UVR exposure to each province. Incidence rates of melanoma during 1996–2000 in each Iranian province were compared to rates among white non-Hispanics in its UVR-matched US state. Results The overall male and female ASRs of melanoma were 0.60 (95%CI: 0.56–0.64) and 0.46 (95%CI: 0.42–0.49), respectively, for Iran and 22.78 (95%CI: 22.42–23.14) and 16.61 (95%CI: 16.30–16.92) for the US. SRRs of melanoma comparing US to Iran were 37.97 (95%CI: 35.78–40.29) for males and 36.11 (95%CI: 33.69–38.70) for females, indicating significantly higher incidence in the US. ASRs and age-specific rates of melanoma for both genders were significantly lower in each Iranian province compared to its UVR-matched US state. Conclusion The markedly lower incidence rates of melanoma in Iranian provinces with similar UVR exposures to US states underscore the need for additional comparative studies to decipher the influence of other extrinsic and intrinsic factors on the risk of this malignancy.
The deepwater horizon oil spill coast guard cohort study: A cross-sectional study of acute respiratory health symptoms

Abstract Introduction Over 8500 United States Coast Guard (USCG) personnel were deployed in response to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill; however, human respiratory effects as a result of spill-related exposures are relatively unknown. Methods USCG personnel who responded to the DWH oil spill were queried via survey on exposures to crude oil and oil dispersant, and acute respiratory symptoms experienced during deployment. Adjusted log binomial regressions were used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), investigating the associations between oil spill exposures and respiratory symptoms. Results 4855 USCG personnel completed the survey. More than half (54.6%) and almost one-fourth (22.0%) of responders were exposed to crude oil and oil dispersants, respectively. Coughing was the most prevalent symptom (19.4%), followed by shortness of breath (5.5%), and wheezing (3.6%). Adjusted analyses showed an exposure-response relationship between increasing deployment duration and likelihood of coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing in the pre-capping period. A similar pattern was observed in the post-capping period for coughing and wheezing. Adjusted analyses revealed increased PRs for coughing (PR=1.92), shortness of breath (PR=2.60), and wheezing (PR=2.68) for any oil exposure. Increasing frequency of inhalation of oil was associated with increased likelihood of all three respiratory symptoms. A similar pattern was observed for contact with oil dispersants for coughing and shortness of breath. The combination of both oil and oil dispersants presented associations that were much greater in magnitude than oil alone for coughing (PR=2.72), shortness of breath (PR=4.65), and wheezing (PR=5.06). Conclusions Results from the present study suggested strong relationships between oil and oil dispersant exposures and acute respiratory symptoms among disaster responders. Future prospective studies will be needed to confirm these findings.
Legacy of the RSI

After Mussolini’s death and the end of hostilities, Fascism, thanks to the Cold War, was able to take on renewed life. Although top figures and the worst criminals and torturers were brought to trial, Communist leader Palmiro Togliatti engineered a general amnesty of former Fascists, which brought further efforts to purge them from postwar Italian politics and government to an inglorious end. In an atmosphere dominated by anti-Communism, the door swung open for ex-RSI Fascists and their apologists to re-write history. The current crop of postwar Fascist apologists has vied with outspoken anti-Fascists for the attention of the general Italian reader, which has given rise to an evolving political marriage de convenance between the two ancient rivals that has left the RSI’s ultimate legacy open to doubt.
Understanding the CD8 T-cell response in natural HIV control.

HIV-infected individuals who maintain control of virus without antiretroviral therapy (ART) are called HIV controllers. The immune responses of these individuals suppress HIV viral replication to low levels or, in the case of elite controllers, to undetectable levels. Although some research indicates a role for inferior virulence of the infecting viral strain in natural control, perhaps by way of defective Nef protein function, we find that the majority of research in HIV controllers highlights CD8 T cells as the main suppressor of viral replication. The most convincing evidence for this argument lies in the strong correlation between certain HLA-I alleles, especially B*57, and HIV control status, a finding that has been replicated by many groups. However, natural control can also occur in individuals lacking these specific HLA alleles, and our understanding of what constitutes an effective CD8 T-cell response remains an incomplete picture. Recent research has broadened our understanding of natural HIV control by illustrating the interactions between different immune cells, including innate immune effectors and antigen-presenting cells. For many years, the immune responses of the natural HIV controllers have been studied for clues on how to achieve functional cure in the rest of the HIV-infected population. The goal of a future functional cure to HIV is one where HIV-infected individuals’ immune responses are able to suppress virus long-term without requiring ART. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of how HIV controllers’ natural immune responses are able to suppress virus.
Balanced Arrays and Orthogonal Arrays

We point out the relation between the theory of balanced arrays and various combinatorial areas of design of experiment. Recalling some combinatorial theorems from Srivastava [1971], we apply these to prove a class of new and simple but rather stringent results on the existence of balanced arrays. Applications to the special case of orthogonal arrays are also considered.
Failure of cerebral autoregulation in an experimental diffuse brain injury model.

The normal cerebral circulation has the ability to maintain a stable cerebral blood flow over a wide range of cerebral perfusion pressures and this is known as cerebral autoregulation. Autoregulation may be impaired in the injured brain. Closed head injury was induced in 28 Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 400–450 g. Four groups were studied: control and groups, head injured by weight drop from one meter height using 350 g, 400 g and 450 g respectively. CBF was monitored using laser-Doppler flowmetry along with monitoring of ICP and arterial blood pressure. If the correlation coefficient between CBF and CPP was 7gt;0.85 and CPP was within normal range, loss of autoregulation was hypothesized. Loss of autoregulation was seen in all groups of injured rats during first four hours. A statistically significant difference (p = 0.041) was seen in the trequency of loss of autoregulation between injured and control animals. No loss of autoregulation was observed in the control group. In conclusion CBF and CPP provide information about loss of autoregulation in diffuse brain injury. Decrease in CBF and increase of ICP is observed as a result of loss of cerebral autoregulation. Knowledge of loss of autoregulation could help in the management of head injured patients.
Transmembrane Potential and Redox Reactions from a Physiological Point of View

The many sub-disciplines of biology frequently overlap, but each is usually characterized by its special approach to the problems of living systems. The unique point of view of physiology is the emphasis on biological function, and the goal of physiologists is to explain processes (e.g., transport across membranes and excitation) in terms of the laws of physics and chemistry. The information that is obtained by the other disciplines about morphology or chemical composition are important components of an explanation, but in the end the physiologist will use this information to shed light on a process involved in function.
Effects of Certain Central Groups on the Liquid Crystal Properties of Dicarboxylic Esters

At present there is no useful theory in the field of liquid crystals which allows the prediction of whether a given molecule will show, for example, a smectic or nematic mesophase and what the thermal range of the mesophase will be. All nematogenic compounds to date which are useful in electronic display devices contain para-alkoxy/alkyl-substituted benzene rings held together by a central group containing Π-electron density. For the past few years we have been carrying out heuristic investigations on the. effect of different central groups on liquid crystalline behavior. In this paper we report some recent results.
Boosting the Heavy Atom Effect by Cavitand Encapsulation: Room Temperature Phosphorescence of Pyrene in the Presence of Oxygen

A deep cavitand is used to encapsulate the aromatic molecule pyrene in its interior while also binding Tl+ ions with its terminal carboxylates. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic experiments, along with quantum yield measurements, quantify the enhancements of intersystem crossing and room temperature phosphorescence due to cavitand encapsulation. These results are compared to those obtained for pyrene contained in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles, which is the usual system used to generate room temperature phosphorescence. The combination of selective binding and strong Tl+ recognition by the cavitand enhances the intersystem crossing and decreases the phosphorescence radiative lifetime from ∼30 to 0.23 s. The cavitand also decreases the rate of O2 quenching by a factor of 100. Together, these factors can boost the room temperature phosphorescence signal by several orders of magnitude, allowing it to be detected in water without O2 removal. Host:guest recognition provides a route to molecular-scale triplet emitters that can function under ambient conditions.
You Are Not Your Data

Scientists should, above all else, value the truth. To do this effectively, scientists should separate their identities from the data they produce. It will be easier to make replications mainstream if scientists are rewarded based on their stance toward the truth – such as when a scientist reacts positively to a failure to replicate – as opposed to a particular finding.
Bite Marks: Recognizing Child Abuse and Identifying Abusers:

Human bite marks are part of the long list of physical signs exhibited by abused children. Techniques for evaluating the characteristics of the mark itself are being perfected in an attempt to iden...
Health Benefits In 2018: Modest Growth In Premiums, Higher Worker Contributions At Firms With More Low-Wage Workers

The annual Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2018 the average annual premium for single coverage rose 3 percent to $6,896 and the average annual premiu...
Treatment of a Staphylococcus lugdunensis cervical epidural abscess

First reported in 1988, Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a virulent coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species often associated with endocarditis. This is the first case report describing this infection in the cervical spine. A 58-year-old, left-handed Caucasian woman with no significant medical history presented with neck and left arm pain. Neurological examination revealed mild left deltoid 4/5 weakness and myelopathy. She was found to have an epidural cervical spinal cord mass that was causing severe cord compression and underwent partial anterior cervical decompression of the mass. On entering what was believed to be the mass, yellow-tinged fluid was encountered. An abscess was immediately suspected, so the dura was not entered. The specimen sent for culture was identified a day later as S. lugdunensis. A two-dimensional echocardiogram was negative for vegetations. A peripherally inserted central catheter line was placed and the patient discharged on 6 weeks of physical therapy and 6–8 weeks of intravenous cefazolin.
Differential Tolerance of Mammalian Myelinated and Unmyelinated Nerve Fibers to Oxygen Lack

Ischemic neuropathy has a well-recognized but unexplained tendency to spare unmyelinated (C) fibers such as those that subserve pain. We investigated whether low energy requirement plays a part in this selectivity, by comparing the abilities of Aβ, Aδ, and C fibers in cervical vagus nerve of rabbit at 38°C to maintain excitability in the presence of severe hypoxia. We found that, given enough glucose, many C fibers and some Aδ fibers, but not Aβ fibers, can withstand complete anoxia for an apparently unlimited period.
A post-occupancy evaluation of the impact of exhibit changes on conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of zoo visitors

Given that conservation education is a primary goal for zoos, it is important to study how changes in exhibit design in the same facility (with the same animals and visitor base) can impact short- ...
Applying Deep Neural Network Analysis to High-Content Image-Based Assays

The etiological underpinnings of many CNS disorders are not well understood. This is likely due to the fact that individual diseases aggregate numerous pathological subtypes, each associated with a complex landscape of genetic risk factors. To overcome these challenges, researchers are integrating novel data types from numerous patients, including imaging studies capturing broadly applicable features from patient-derived materials. These datasets, when combined with machine learning, potentially hold the power to elucidate the subtle patterns that stratify patients by shared pathology. In this study, we interrogated whether high-content imaging of primary skin fibroblasts, using the Cell Painting method, could reveal disease-relevant information among patients. First, we showed that technical features such as batch/plate type, plate, and location within a plate lead to detectable nuisance signals, as revealed by a pre-trained deep neural network and analysis with deep image embeddings. Using a plate design and image acquisition strategy that accounts for these variables, we performed a pilot study with 12 healthy controls and 12 subjects affected by the severe genetic neurological disorder spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and evaluated whether a convolutional neural network (CNN) generated using a subset of the cells could distinguish disease states on cells from the remaining unseen control-SMA pair. Our results indicate that these two populations could effectively be differentiated from one another and that model selectivity is insensitive to batch/plate type. One caveat is that the samples were also largely separated by source. These findings lay a foundation for how to conduct future studies exploring diseases with more complex genetic contributions and unknown subtypes.
HIV Testing and Treatment with the Use of a Community Health Approach in Rural Africa

Abstract Background Universal antiretroviral therapy (ART) with annual population testing and a multidisease, patient-centered strategy could reduce new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection...
The Surrealist and the Documentary in Chang Chao-tang’s Photography

AbstractThis article examines Chang Chao-tang’s photography in its social and cultural contexts and reads his photographic images with a special focus on the temporal–spatial syntax at work: “super...
On a remarkable identity in class numbers of cubic rings

Abstract In 1997, Y. Ohno empirically stumbled on an astoundingly simple identity relating the number of cubic rings h ( Δ ) of a given discriminant Δ, over the integers, to the number of cubic rings h ˆ ( Δ ) of discriminant − 27 Δ in which every element has trace divisible by 3: (1) h ˆ ( Δ ) = { 3 h ( Δ ) if Δ > 0 h ( Δ ) if Δ 0 , where in each case, rings are weighted by the reciprocal of their number of automorphisms. This allows the functional equations governing the analytic continuation of the Shintani zeta functions (the Dirichlet series built from the functions h and h ˆ ) to be put in self-reflective form. In 1998, J. Nakagawa verified (1) . We present a new proof of (1) that uses the main ingredients of Nakagawa's proof (binary cubic forms, recursions, and class field theory), as well as one of Bhargava's celebrated higher composition laws, while aiming to stay true to the stark elegance of the identity.
Asymptotic distribution of modularity in networks

The structure of complex networks is an important aspect in the study of the real network data. Quite often, it is desirable to know the division of the network into communities. A large number of community detection algorithms have been proposed to probe the community structure of complex networks. For a specific partition of a given network, we show that the distribution of modularity under a null hypothesis of free labeling is asymptotically normal when the size of the network gets large. The significance of the partition is defined based on this asymptotic distribution, which can help assess its goodness. Two different partitions can also be compared statistically. Simulation studies and real data analyses are performed for illustration.
Intelligent Vehicle Network Routing With Adaptive 3D Beam Alignment for mmWave 5G-Based V2X Communications

5G-based millimeter Waves (mmWave) systems have the prospective of enabling $>1Gbps$ communications in the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). ITS relies on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications to share information among vehicles. However, the V2X Communications via existing technologies such as DSRC, 3G, 4G and LTE, are not able to achieve such a high data rate. Although 5G-based mmWave can support ultra-low-delay V2X transmissions, it comes with beam alignment difficulties as well as the routing stability issues due to rapid mobility of vehicles. The dynamic vehicle traffic causes frequent beam misalignment which tends to degrade the quality-of-service (QoS) performance. In this paper, we first propose a 3D-based position detection scheme for beam alignment/selection purpose. Then a group-based routing algorithm is performed to select a secure path for achieving trustworthy data transmissions. The road traffic is automatically segmented to divide the vehicles into different groups, and each group head is selected and members are added. Group members are authenticated by the group head via elliptic curve algorithms. Huffman coding is performed to compress the data and encrypt the binary files. This proposed novel intelligent beam control and secure stable routing scheme have been verified in simulations to demonstrate much better performance than existing schemes.
General Chemistry in Just One Semester for All Majors

We have successfully developed a one-semester general chemistry course that meets the primary learning goals of the traditional two-semester sequence. It is appropriate for physical, life, and eart...
IoT based Low Cost Distributed Air Quality Monitoring System for Big Data Collection

The resolution and accuracy of the data is a major challenge during data collection for air quality related research. In Malaysia, each monitoring station is located very far from each other causing the resolution of data to be considerably low. In this paper, we proposed a framework of Distributed Air Quality Monitoring System (DAQMS) which utilizes the full benefits of Internet of Things (IoT) for a better area coverage for data collection. We implemented the mobile hardware device by interfacing ESP32 microcontroller with multiple sensors at a much lower cost compared to the existing immobile air quality monitoring stations. The data are continuously being streamed to our cloud server and is ready to be queried for research purpose. Users can also view the latest air-quality indicators via the web-based dashboard application. Finally, we discussed on the future planning to further improve the data accuracy and user’s experience. Our proposed framework does not only help in resolving the issue of data granularity but also helps in raising the awareness of air pollution among the general public.
Risk of Coronary Obstruction and Feasibility of Coronary Access After Repeat Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With the Self-Expanding Evolut Valve: A Computed Tomography Simulation Study.

Background: The supra-annular leaflet position and tall stent frame of the self-expanding Evolut PRO or Evolut PRO+ transcatheter heart valves (THVs) may cause coronary occlusion during transcathet...
Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity After SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Kidney Transplant Recipients Taking Belatacept.

BACKGROUND: Belatacept may impair humoral immunity, impacting the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in transplant recipients. We investigated immunogenicity after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in kidney transplant recipients who are and are not taking belatacept. METHODS: Participants were recruited between 12/9/2020 - 4/1/2021. Blood samples were collected after dose 1 and dose 2 (D1, D2), and analyzed using either an anti-SARS-CoV-2 enzyme immunoassay against the S1 domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein or immunoassay against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Stabilized inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) was used to compare immunogenicity and a weighted logistics regression was used to calculate fold change of positive response. RESULTS: Among the 609 participants studied, 24 (4%) were taking belatacept. After dose 1, 0/24 (0%) belatacept patients had detectable antibodies, compared to 77/568 (14%) among the equivalent nonbelatacept population (p=0.06). After dose 2, 1/19 (5%) belatacept patients had detectable antibodies, compared to 190/381 (50%) among the equivalent nonbelatacept population (p<0.001). Belatacept use was associated with 16.7-fold lower odds of having a positive post-D2 titer result (p <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Additional measures need to be explored in order to protect kidney transplant recipients taking belatacept. Best safety practices should be continued despite vaccination among this population.
Assessing the Risk of Pathologic Lymph Node Involvement in Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Most intermediate risk (IR) prostate cancer (PCa) patients are predicted to have low rates of pelvic lymph node (PLN) involvement. The standard of care for radiation therapy in IR disease includes radiation to the prostate only, with PLN irradiation typically reserved for high-risk disease. This treatment strategy represents a divergence from the surgical approach, wherein PLN dissections (PLND) are recommended by NCCN guidelines for men with 2% or higher risk of nodal metastasis-a threshold typically met by men with IR disease. We conducted an analysis of radical prostatectomy (RP) patients to assess the rates of pathologic nodal involvement in IR disease. We aimed to evaluate the correlation of the NCCN risk strata of favorable and unfavorable disease on nodal outcomes among IR men treated by radical prostatectomy (RP). MATERIALS/METHODS This is a National Cancer Database (NCDB) analysis from 2004-2015 of IR PCa patients treated by RP. Baseline clinical and demographic data were collected, and men were stratified into favorable and unfavorable risk groups. Treatment information assessed included performance of PLND at the time of surgery, number of nodes dissected, and pathologic outcomes at RP. The primary outcome of interest was the rate of pathologic nodal involvement. RESULTS A total of 295,819 patients were identified in NCDB with IR PCa who underwent RP. Using NCCN risk stratification criteria, 147,193 (49.8%) men were identified with favorable intermediate risk (FIR) disease and 148,626 (50.2%) with unfavorable intermediate risk (UIR) disease. 90,410 (61.4%) FIR patients underwent pelvic node dissection compared to 107,135 (72.1%) UIR patients. Of the 189,304 (64.0%) total men who underwent PLND, 1.9% had pathologically involved nodes, with a rate of 0.7% for FIR disease and 2.8% for UIR (P 5, Gleason pattern 4 on biopsy, and UIR disease were associated with pathologic nodal involvement (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION NCCN-defined FIR and UIR strata are associated with risk of PLN disease. The low number of nodes assessed on PLND may have contributed to the low rates of pathologic nodal involvement in IR PCa patients seen in this large database analysis. Even so, the low rates of pathologic nodal disease in this IR cohort, especially in FIR patients, should be considered in conjunction with upcoming clinical trial data to inform the therapeutic approach to PLN management for all intermediate risk patients undergoing surgery or radiation.
MOBILE PRACTICES AND THE INCREASING INDIVIDUATION OF WORKPLACE

An increasing portion of the contemporary workforce is using mobile devices to create new kinds of work-space flows characterized by emergence, liquidity, and the blurring of all kinds of boundaries. This changes the traditional notion of the term workplace. The study reported on in this paper focused on how people enact and make sense of new work space boundaries enabled by their mobile practices. A unique method of data collection—the use of cultural probes—was adapted to an online format to facilitate participant reflection and documentation of mobile practices. Coupled with in-depth interviews, this methodology enabled the thick description of how individuals enacted spatial, temporal, and psychosocial boundaries of workplace through their mobile practices. Findings show that the growing reality of workplace for many is that it is becoming less a singular place dedicated to work performed in a predictable frame of time and evolving more towards an idiosyncratic space that takes on the spatial and temporal requirements of the individual worker—the overarching claim being the increasing individuation of workplace enabled by mobile devices.
Carnitine and Acylcarnitines in Metabolic Disease Diagnosis and Management

The biochemical functions of carnitine are reviewed, especially as they apply to metabolic disease states. Although mass spectrometry has played a major role in the biochemical assessment of L-carnitine therapy, those details are considered beyond the scope of this chapter; however, a brief outline is given here.
Chondrogenesis of chick limb mesenchyme in vitro. Effects of prostaglandins on cyclic AMP.

Abstract The effects of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) on cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels of chick limb bud cells during various stages of chondrogenesis were studied utilizing high density, micromass, cell culture. Concentrations of PGE 2 in cell cultures at these same stages were measured by radio-immunoassay. Both basal levels of cAMP, as well as PGE 2 -stimulated changes in cAMP, increased maximally during the first 3 days of culture; this increase was associated with the formation of cell aggregates. Concentrations of PGE 2 were also highest during this period. By 6 days of culture, nodules, containing cartilage matrix components, predominated. Both basal levels of cAMP and PGE 2 -stimulated cAMP levels were significantly decreased at this stage, relative to cultures at day 3. Concentrations of PGE 2 fell dramatically in the 6-day cultures containing differentiated cartilage. These results support a regulatory role for both PGE 2 and cAMP in the early events associated with chondrogenesis.
The Enzymatic Synthesis of 5-Hydroxy-N-methylpyroglutamic Acid

Abstract Cell-free extracts of Pseudomonas M.A., a nonphotosynthetic bacterium which grows on methylamine as its sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy, have been shown to catalyze a reaction between methylamine and α-ketoglutaric acid. The product of this reaction has been identified as the cyclic amide, 5-hydroxy-N-methylpyroglutamic acid. This reaction is catalyzed by an enzyme which differs from the one catalyzing the formation of N-methylglutamic acid, and it appears to be specific for α-ketoglutarate. The possibility of a two-step reaction is discussed.
Bromeliad Communities in Isolated Trees and Three SUCCESSIONAL STAGES OF AN ANDEAN CLOUD FOREST IN Ecuador

A study conducted in 1996 at Las Palmeras, Ecuador, surveyed bromeliad communities in a 10-year-old secondary forest, in a 30-year-old secondary forest, and in isolated trees in a tropical montane forest. A comparison was made with the bromeliad community in a nearby mature forest to assess the recovery of epiphyte communities following disturbance. Bromeliad abundance, species richness, and vol- ume were greater in the mature forest compared to the two secondary ones. Differences in bromeliad species richness and abundance among and within forests were correlated with host tree diameter at breast height (dbh). Bromeliads on isolated forest trees were less diverse but more abundant than on mature forest trees. No relationship was found between the distance of isolated forest trees from adjacent forest and the abundance or species richness of bromeliads present in their crowns. Resumen. Se compararon las comunidades de bromelias en un bosque secundario de diez anos, un bosque secundario de treinta anos, y arboles aislados con las comunidades de bromelias en un bosque maduro, para entender mejor la recuperacion de las comunidades del dosel despues de la perturbacion. Se hizo este estudio en un bosque de niebla localizado en Las Palmeras, Ecuador. La abundancia, diversidad, y volumen de las bromelias fue mayor en el bosque primario que en los dos bosques secundarios. Las diferencias en abundancia y diversidad de bromelias entre bosques fueron corelacionado con el Diametro a la Altura del Pecho de los arboles anfitriones. La diversidad de bromelias en arboles aislados fue menor y la abundancia mayor que en los arboles del bosque primario. No hubo relacion entre la distancia de arboles aislados del bosque y la abundancia o diversidad de bromelias.
Databases and Visualization for Metabolomics

Genomics has revolutionized research in biological sciences. The reductionist approach of single-molecule analysis is being slowly, but steadily, replaced by global views of the entire cellular machinery. This started with genetics, which turned to determining complete DNA sequences of organisms and is resulting in global comparisons of these sequences to infer their evolutionary past. With the availability of the first complete genome sequences, however, it became obvious that we know very little about how cells work. The problem is that a large number of genes in any genome have functions that are yet unknown, as judged by the lack of obvious phenotype of the corresponding mutants. These “orphan” genes are also not similar at the DNA or protein sequence levels to other genes of known function. The first complete eukaryotic genome, of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Goffeau et al., 1996), perhaps the species for which we know most biochemistry, revealed a staggering 40% of genes to which no function could be assigned. Based on this, Oliver called for a systematic approach to the discovery of gene function (Oliver, 1996), which since became known as functional genomics.
Modulation of human prothrombin activation on phospholipid vesicles and platelets using monoclonal antibodies to prothrombin fragment 2

Prothrombin contains two kringle domains that are removed during activation to the blood clotting enzyme alpha-thrombin. By analogy with other kringle-containing proteins the prothrombin kringles may play a role in the protein-protein interactions necessary for prothrombin activation. Four monoclonal antibodies to prothrombin kringle 2 have been produced against human prothrombin, and a fifth monoclonal antibody was produced against a synthetic peptide consisting of amino acid residues 216-231 of kringle 2. Each antibody was tested for its ability to block prothrombin activation by factor Xa. In the presence of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine vesicles and factor Va, two of the antibodies, alpha HII-3 and alpha HII-4, inhibited prothrombin activation at a 90 and 50% level, respectively. Two other monoclonal antibodies (alpha HII-6 and alpha HII-7) and the antipeptide antibody (alpha HII-5) had no effect on prothrombin activation. When factor Xa was the catalyst alone, antibody alpha HII-3 lost the ability to inhibit prothrombin activation whereas antibody alpha HII-4 again partially inhibited the reaction. When human platelets were the reaction surface, the patterns of inhibition by the anti-fragment 2 antibodies were identical to that observed with phospholipid vesicles. These data suggest a role for prothrombin fragment 2 in activation, possibly by mediating the interaction of substrate prothrombin with factor Xa or factor Va on the phospholipid surface.
Linear Time Algorithm for Weak Parity Games

We consider games played on graphs with the winning conditions for the players specified as weak-parity conditions. In weak-parity conditions the winner of a play is decided by looking into the set of states appearing in the play, rather than the set of states appearing infinitely often in the play. A naive analysis of the classical algorithm for weak-parity games yields a quadratic time algorithm. We present a linear time algorithm for solving weak-parity games.
R&M and supportability analysis integration into conceptual and preliminary weapon system design phases

Two projects are reviewed with emphasis on the development and integration of reliability, maintainability and supportability (RM&S) analysis software tools for the preliminary design stages. The aim of the first project is to automate and integrate analysis algorithms into the ACADS (advanced computer aided design system) software used in the preliminary weapon system stage. The second project's objective is to design and prototype an integrated product development (IPD) workstation to be used by RM&S engineers on a number of advanced weapon system programs. This workstation incorporates computer-aided design (CAD) drawing file interfaces and RM&S analysis tools in a concurrent engineering environment. >
Introduction to Athenian Democracy of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BCE

This essay serves to introduce students to the institutions of the democratic constitution of ancient Athens, during its flowering in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Its principal purpose is to enable students to compare the Athenian democracy with the system established by the U.S. Constitution. It will serve equally well to meet the needs of anyone who is interested in the Athenian democracy for its own sake. The essay assumes no prior background knowledge about the Athenian system. The Athenian democracy is worthy of study if for no other reason than that it was the inspiration for modern democratic systems. The ancient system takes on added interest from the standpoint of comparative constitutional law. Many of the institutions of the Athenian democracy seem quite peculiar to us moderns, and some of them strike us as downright bizarre. Yet the goals of those who designed that system were very similar to the goals of the designers of modern constitutional democracies: establishment of a system in which political power resided with the people, in which government officials had enough power to be able to discharge their functions, and in which official power was effectively constrained so that it did not devolve into tyranny. The essay has several features that enhance its pedagogical mission. The expository portion is followed by a set of review questions that help the student test her comprehension, and a set of discussion questions meant to facilitate classroom discussion. A glossary of Greek terms used in the essay is also included.
External validation of an index to predict up to 9-year mortality of community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older.

OBJECTIVES: To further validate an index predicting mortality in community‐dwelling older adults. DESIGN: A comparison of the performance of the index in predicting mortality among new respondents to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, 2001-2004) with that of respondents from the original development and validation cohorts (1997-2000) and a test of its performance over extended follow‐up (up to 9 years) using the original cohorts. Follow‐up mortality data were available through 2006. SETTING: NHIS. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty‐two thousand fifty‐seven new respondents to the NHIS (2001-2004) and 24,139 respondents from the original development and validation cohorts (1997-2000). MEASUREMENTS: A risk score was calculated for each respondent based on the presence or absence of 11 factors (function, illnesses, behaviors, demographics) that make up the index. Using the Kaplan‐Meier method, 5‐year mortality estimates were computed for the new and original cohort respondents and 9‐year mortality estimates for the original cohorts. RESULTS: New respondents were similar to original cohort respondents but were slightly more likely to be aged 85 and older, report diabetes mellitus, and have a body mass index of 25.0 kg/m2 or greater. The model performed as well in the new cohort as it had in the original cohort. New respondents with risk scores of 0 to 1 had a 2% risk of 5‐year mortality, whereas respondents who scored 18 or higher had a 69% risk of 5‐year mortality (range 3-71% risk of 5‐year mortality in the development cohort). The index also demonstrated excellent calibration and discrimination in predicting 9‐year mortality (range 7% risk for scores of 0-1 to 92% risk for scores of ≥18, original validation cohort extended). CONCLUSION: These results further justify use of this index to estimate life expectancy in clinical decision‐making.
Self-Help Books: Why Americans Keep Reading Them

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Sandra K. Dolby Year: 2005 Pages: xii + 192 Publisher: University of Illinois Press ISBN: 0-252--02974-7 Prices: $35 USD
Singlet Oxygen Release and Cell Toxicity of a Chemiluminescent Squaraine Rotaxane Dye: Implications for Molecular Imaging

The water soluble tetraguanidinium squaraine rotaxane 2 was prepared and photoconverted to its corresponding squaraine rotaxane endoperoxide (SREP), 2EP. As expected, 2EP undergoes a thermal cycloreversion reaction that releases 60 ± 4% singlet oxygen and produces near-infrared emission in aqueous solution. Cell toxicity assays in the dark, using human and bacterial cell cultures, showed that 2EP (up to 20 µM) is no more toxic than its parent 2. This suggests that SREP-derived imaging probes are not likely to exhibit a significant toxicity effect due to the slow release of stoichiometric amounts of singlet oxygen. Additional photosensitization experiments showed that tetraguanidinium squaraine rotaxane 2 is a weak photosensitizer, but nonetheless, red light irradiation of cell cultures that were pre-incubated with 2 (>3 µM) produced moderate phototoxicity. Fluorescence microscopy studies attribute the phototoxicity of 2 to its ability to penetrate into the cell cytosol. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of effective methods to activate SREP as chemiluminescent probes for in vivo optical molecular imaging.
Does causal action facilitate causal perception in infants younger than 6 months of age

Previous research has established that infants are unable to perceive causality until 6¼ months of age. The current experiments examined whether infants' ability to engage in causal action could facilitate causal perception prior to this age. In Experiment 1, 4½-month-olds were randomly assigned to engage in causal action experience via Velcro sticky mittens or not engage in causal action because they wore non-sticky mittens. Both groups were then tested in the visual habituation paradigm to assess their causal perception. Infants who engaged in causal action - but not those without this causal action experience - perceived the habituation events as causal. Experiment 2 used a similar design to establish that 4½-month-olds are unable to generalize their own causal action to causality observed in dissimilar objects. These data are the first to demonstrate that infants under 6 months of age can perceive causality, and have implications for the mechanisms underlying the development of causal perception.