cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compact and efficient 2μm Tm:YAP lasers with mechanical or passive Q-switching

We describe compact and efficient Q-switched diode-pumped, Tm:YAP lasers operating at 1.94μm. Laser CW and Q-switched performance is compared, using both compact mechanical as well as passive Q-switching. For passive Q-switching using a Cr:ZnS saturable absorber (unsaturated transmission of 95%), the laser produced 0.5mJ pulses with an average power of 4.4W and 6.5kW peak power, and had an optical efficiency of 30%. A resonant mirror mechanical Q-switch resulted in a 4 kHz PRF pulse train, with an optical slope efficiency of 52% and an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 41%. The laser generated 1.5 mJ, 45 ns FWHM, 33kW peak power pulses, and 6.2W of average output. A second mechanically Q-switched laser operating at 10 kHz PRF produced 1mJ, 35kW peak power pulses, generating 11W average power with an optical efficiency of 46%, and a beam quality of 1.4x diffraction limit.
Predictors of Early Readmission in Hospitalized Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background Readmissions are being increasingly used as an indicator of quality of care. We sought to identify risk factors for 30-day readmission in hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Methods Patients with inflammatory bowel disease hospitalized between 2004 and 2013 at the University of Maryland were identified. Demographic and clinical information were extracted from the medical record for each admission. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine the association between these variables and readmission. Results One thousand two hundred thirteen admissions were identified in 498 patients; 232 (19.1%) index admissions were followed by a 30-day readmission. Mean age was 39.4 ± 14.5 years. Approximately 70% of the population was white, 60% were women, and 67.5% had Crohn's disease. Concurrent congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, history of steroid use, diverting ileostomy, subtotal colectomy, or a thromboembolic event during index admission, and IV antibiotics or restricted diet at discharge were associated with readmission. After adjustment, patients with congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were more likely to be readmitted (aOR 4.06 and 2.86, respectively). Underweight or obese patients were nearly twice as likely to be readmitted (aOR 1.81 and 1.72, respectively). Those with past steroid use, new ileostomy, or those who were discharged on hyperalimentation were twice as likely to be readmitted (aOR 1.90, 2.04, and aOR 1.97, respectively). Conclusions Nineteen percentage of patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated at a referral center are readmitted within 30 days. Our results suggest that patients with comorbid medical conditions, malnutrition or obesity, a new ileostomy, past steroid use, or those discharged on hyperalimentation are at increased risk for readmission. Research is needed to determine if targeted interventions for high-risk patients decreases readmissions.
Maize yield and planting date relationship: a synthesis-analysis for US high-yielding contest-winner and field research data.

For maize (Zea mays L.), early planting date could be of advantage to high yields but a review of planting date effect on high-yielding data is not yet available. Following this rationale, a synthesis-analysis was conducted from the farmer annual maize contest-winner data (n = 16171 data points; 2011-2016 period); cordially provided by the National Corn Growers Association and a scientific literature dataset collected from research publications since the last three decades. The main objectives of this study were to: (i) identify spatial yield variability within the high-yielding maize dataset; (ii) understand the impacts of planting date on yield variability; (iii) explore the effect of management practices on maize yield-planting date relationship, and (iv) utilize the yield-planting date dataset collected via farmer contest-winner as a benchmarking data to be compared to the compendium of scientific literature available for yield-planting date relationship for the primary US maize producing regions. Major findings of this study are: (i) significant correlation between planting date and latitude, (ii) maize yield was maximized when planting window was 89-106 day of the year (DOY) for the 30-35°N, 107-118 DOY for the 35-40°N, <119 DOY for 40-45°N, and <129 DOY for 45-50°N, and (iii) both, yield contest and literature datasets portrayed that planting date becomes a more relevant factor when planting late, presenting a relatively smaller planting window in high-compared to low-latitudes.
Children's Problems

Behavior therapy with children deals with efforts focused on changing the environmental conditions that maintain a particular inappropriate, maladaptive, or deviant behavior. Careful behavioral assessment is used to specify clearly those areas in which change should take place and to determine the conditions that will probably lead to such changes.
Solar Variability and Cosmic Rays

The Sun is a variable star, as evidenced by its 11-year sunspot cycles, but the changes in its radiative output are so small as to have no unambiguous effect on climate. Longer term variability is uncertain. Expulsion of solar matter in ‘coronal mass ejections’ produces space weather which may affect electrical devices. In the latter part of the twenty-ninth century it was discovered that the flux of neutrinos from the sun was lower that it should be. The neutrino problem was solved when it was discovered that neutrinos can change between their different forms. Satellites have shown that although the change in radiation in the visible and infra-red parts of the spectrum during the sunspot cycles is small, there are large variations in the ultraviolet. Cosmic rays are high energy particles coming in from outer space. They can interact with Earth’s atmosphere to produce carbon-14 and beryllium-10. It has been suggested that they can affect cloudiness, but detailed analysis of satellite records indicates this is not the case.
A 103-GHz Voltage Controlled Oscillator with 28% Tuning Range and 4.2 dBm Peak Output Power Using SiGe BiCMOS Technology

This paper presents a voltage controlled oscillator at 103 GHz with 28% frequency tuning range implemented in 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. Two Colpitts oscillators are coupled in a push-push configuration. To extend the tuning range of the push-push oscillator, the emitter impedance is exploited, where a reverse saturated transistor is used to switch between two different lengths of a transmission line connected to the emitter. The fabricated push-push oscillator has a measured peak output power of 4.2 dBm at 108 GHz, with a tuning range from 89 GHz to 118 GHz (29 GHz). The figure of merit at the peak output power is −201.2 dBc/Hz, which is to the authors' best knowledge the highest among published results to date at the F-band frequency range.
Prescribing practices for patients with borderline personality disorder during psychiatric hospitalizations

This study aimed to understand prescribing practices during acute psychiatric hospitalization in a large cohort of patients (N = 569) with borderline personality disorder (BPD) at a tertiary care psychiatry unit from January 1, 2013, through January 1, 2015. The mean number of hospitalizations per patient was 1.5 (range, 1-7). The odds of being prescribed antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, hypnotics, or anxiolytics were higher at discharge than at admission. The rate of psychotropic prescriptions was also higher at discharge than at admission (incidence rate ratio, 1.9). This pattern was true for the combined psychotropic and nonpsychotropic ("medical") prescriptions. Further guidelines are needed regarding optimal psychosocial, medical, and psychopharmacological care of patients with BPD during acute psychiatric hospitalizations.
Greek Epigram and Byzantine Culture: Gender, Desire, and Denial in the Age of Justinian

Sexy, scintillating, and sometimes scandalous, Greek epigrams from the age of the Emperor Justinian commemorate the survival of the sensual in a world transformed by Christianity. Around 567 CE, the poet and historian Agathias of Myrina published his Cycle, an anthology of epigrams by contemporary poets who wrote about what mattered to elite men in sixth-century Constantinople: harlots and dancing girls, chariot races in the hippodrome, and the luxuries of the Roman bath. But amid this banquet of worldly delights, ascetic Christianity - pervasive in early Byzantine thought - made sensual pleasure both more complicated and more compelling. In this book, Steven D. Smith explores how this miniature classical genre gave expression to lurid fantasies of domination and submission, constraint and release, and the relationship between masculine and feminine. The volume will appeal to literary scholars and historians interested in Greek poetry, Late Antiquity, Byzantine studies, Early Christianity, gender, and sexuality.
Electrode manufacturing for lithium-ion batteries—Analysis of current and next generation processing

Abstract As modern energy storage needs become more demanding, the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) represents a sizable area of growth of the technology. Specifically, wet processing of electrodes has matured such that it is a commonly employed industrial technique. Despite its widespread acceptance, wet processing of electrodes faces a number of problems, including expensive and dangerous solvent recovery, cut-off waste, coating inconsistencies, and microstructural defects due to the solvent drying process. This review considers each of these issues and discusses which electrode slurry properties should be considered when optimizing wet slurry fabrication. Simultaneously, methods to replace traditional wet processing of electrodes are being extensively researched. Some of these novel electrode manufacturing techniques prioritize solvent minimization, while others emphasize boosting energy and power density by thickening the electrode and, subsequently, creating an organized pore structure to permit faster ion diffusion. This review contemplates the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches and provides a comprehensive outlook on the future of electrode manufacturing.
Signaling pathways and gene co-expression modules associated with cytoskeleton and axon morphology in breast cancer survivors with chronic paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy:

BackgroundThe major dose-limiting toxicity of paclitaxel, one of the most commonly used drugs to treat breast cancer, is peripheral neuropathy (paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy). Paclitaxel...
1692 Changes in Opiate Prescribing Patterns for Gynecologic Surgery After Implementation of Stringent Hospital Wide Prescribing Guidelines

Study Objective To understand the impact of implementation of hospital system wide narcotic prescribing guidelines on patient narcotic usage after gynecologic surgery. Design Descriptive Quality Improvement project. Setting Academic tertiary care center. Patients or Participants All patients undergoing gynecologic surgery in December of 2017 and December of 2018. Interventions All patients undergoing gynecologic procedure in December of 2017 had their charts reviewed and a selection were called and interviewed up to 4 weeks post operation to assess their narcotic usage and pain control. Stringent prescribing guidelines were implemented in May 2018 as part of a quality improvement project. This procedure was repeated with all patients undergoing gynecologic surgery in December of 2018. Measurements and Main Results For minimally invasive hysterectomy (robotic, vaginal, laparoscopic) (n=30 in 2017, 28 in 2018) hospital administered oral morphine equivalents (OME) remained the same 73.6 in 2017 to 78.9 in 2018 (p0.63). There was a significant decrease in discharge OME from 177.8 in 2017 to 117.8 in 2018 (p Conclusion Stringent opiate prescribing guidelines led to decreased opiate prescription on discharge across all types of gynecologic surgery.
Outcomes for Feeding Tube-Dependent Children With Oral Aversion in an Intensive Interdisciplinary Treatment Program.

Purpose Feeding challenges in children are common, at times reaching a severity that requires the placement and long-term use of enteral feedings. A significant barrier to advancing the oral eating...
The influence of nutrient loading on methylmercury availability in Long Island estuaries.

Abstract Estuaries provide critical habitat for food webs supporting fish and shellfish consumed by humans, but estuarine ecosystem health has been threatened by increases in nitrogen loading as well as inputs of the neurotoxin, mercury (Hg), which biomagnifies in food webs and poses risk to humans and wildlife. In this study, the effects of nutrient loading on the fate of Hg in shallow coastal estuaries were examined to evaluate if their interaction enhances or reduces Hg bioavailability in sediments, the water column, and concentrations in lower trophic level fish (Fundulus heteroclitus and Menidia menidia). Multiple sites were sampled within two human impacted coastal lagoons, Great South Bay (GSB) and Jamaica Bay (JB), on the southern coast of Long Island, NY, United States of America (U.S.A.). Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), Hg, and methylmercury (MeHg) were measured in surface sediments and the water column, and total Hg (THg) was measured in two species of forage fish. Minimal differences were found in dissolved and particulate Hg, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and salinity between the two bays. Across lagoons, concentrations of chlorophyll-a were correlated with total suspended solids (TSS), and water column THg and MeHg was largely associated with the particulate fraction. Methylmercury concentrations in particulates decreased with increasing TSS and chlorophyll-a, evidence of biomass dilution of MeHg with increasing productivity at the base of the food chain. Water column Hg was associated with THg concentrations in Atlantic silversides, while mummichog THg concentrations were related to sediment concentrations, reflecting their different feeding strategies. Finally, higher nutrient loading (lower C:N in sediments) while related to lower particulate concentrations coincided with higher bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for Hg in both fish species. Thus, in shallow coastal lagoons, increased nutrient loading resulted in decreased Hg concentrations at the base of the food web but resulted in greater bioaccumulation of Hg to fish relative to its availability in algal food.
Association of anthropometrics and physical performance measures to golf-specific variables in collegiate male golfers.

BACKGROUND As physical fitness has become more of a central component of competitive golf it is important to have an understanding of the relationship between anthropometric and physical performance on actual golf performance. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between measures of anthropometrics and physical performance to golf swing performance. METHODS Fourteen division I collegiate golfers performed a battery of tests including the vertical jump, grip strength, rotational medicine ball toss, and sit and reach test in addition to anthropometric measure measurements. Golf specific variables included clubhead speed (CHS), ball velocity (BV) and carry distance (CD) using the participants own driver. Pearson product moment correlations were used to assess the level of relationship between all variables. RESULTS Statistically significant large positive relationships were found between grip strength and all golf specific variables. Height also showed large significant positive relationship with both CHS and BV. CONCLUSIONS The association between anthropometrics and physical performance and golf specific variables appear to be limited in a group of collegiate male golfers, outside of grip strength. However, this does not mean that physical fitness is irrelevant to golf performance, but caution should be taken in assuming increase in physical performance will have a direct impact on the golf specific variables.
Integration of thixotropy into Giesekus model for characterization of human blood

Recent work modeling the rheological behavior of human blood indicates that blood has all the hallmark features of a complex material, including shear-thinning, viscoelastic behavior, yield stress, and thixotropy. Using a recently developed linear superposition technique to account for the effects of thixotropy with the Giesekus model and recently collected human blood rheological data from a strain-controlled rheometer, we perform parametric and statistical analysis of the parameter values of 5 donors. The work is validated with the incorporation of a recent thixotropic framework to model elastic and viscoelastic contributions from the microstructure. The elastic and viscoelastic stress contributions from the microstructure are then linearly superimposed with the viscoelastic backbone solution for stress given by the classic Giesekus rheological model. Demonstrated here are a parametric and statistical analysis and a comparison of the ability of the new enhanced thixotropic Giesekus model to predict large amplitude oscillatory shear and uni-directional large amplitude oscillatory shear flow. In addition, there is a new methodology to model the normal forces of blood. We compare this approach to other recently developed enhanced thixotropic Oldroyd-8 inspired models.
Synaptic Mechanisms of Top-Down Control by The Auditory Cortico-Collicular Pathway

Abstract Corticofugal projections to evolutionarily ancient, sub-cortical structures are ubiquitous across mammalian sensory systems. These “descending” pathways enable the neocortex to control ascending sensory representations in a predictive or feedback manner, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we combine optogenetic approaches with in vivo and in vitro patch-clamp electrophysiology to study the projection from auditory cortex to the inferior colliculus (IC), a major descending auditory pathway that controls IC neuron feature selectivity, plasticity and auditory perceptual learning. Although individual auditory cortico-collicular synapses were generally weak, IC neurons often integrated inputs from multiple corticofugal axons that generated reliable, tonic depolarizations even during prolonged presynaptic activity. Latency measurements in vivo showed that descending signals reach the IC within 30 ms of sound onset, which in IC neurons corresponded to the peak of synaptic depolarizations evoked by short sounds. Activating ascending and descending pathways at latencies expected in vivo caused a NMDA receptor dependent, supra-linear EPSP summation, indicating that descending signals can non-linearly amplify IC neurons’ moment-to-moment acoustic responses. Our results shed light upon the synaptic bases of descending sensory control, and imply that heterosynaptic cooperativity contributes to the auditory cortico-collicular pathway’s role in plasticity and perceptual learning.
Logic and Effectiveness of Urban Tree Preservation: A Comparative Case Study of Charlotte and San Antonio:

While most U.S. cities have a tree protection policy, the subsequent impact on the reduction of canopy loss is unclear. To rectify this, I utilize a theoretically grounded framework of influence co...
Cytotoxic CD8 positive T-lymphocyte infiltration in the lungs as a histological pattern of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonitis

Despite millions of PCR confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the long-term pathophysiological changes induced by this infection in the lungs and their relationship with possible immune triggers remain incompletely understood. Acute respiratory distress syndrome and subsequent respiratory failure are the most common causes of mortality in hospitalised patients. Severe lung tissue destruction can be due to an overactive immune system that far exceeds the harm that would have been caused by direct virus replication. This study extends our previous investigation and presents detailed histopathological findings on cryotransbronchial biopsy in patients with persistent (range 31-182 days) pneumonitis and severe interstitial inflammatory infiltration in the lungs due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We describe a novel lung injury pattern associated with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonitis, which manifests as a marked interstitial CD8-positive T-cell lymphocytic infiltration. These findings provide a better understanding of the changes in the lungs that ensue due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Decreased Prostacyclin Levels in Sickle Cell Disease

In Reply.— We read with interest the letter by Longenecker and Mankad regarding measurements of prostacyclin metabolites in patients with sickle cell disease. The major difficulty in this area has been variability of measurements inasmuch as radioimmunoassay measurements of 6-keto-PGF1α of less than 100 pg/mL are considered unreliable. The data given by Longenecker and Mankad raise some important questions. The normal levels of 6-keto-PGF1α, which they found, are similar to those detected by us. In contrast to our findings, patients with sickle cell disease had even lower concentrations which are in undetectable range for this assay and are therefore not reliable.
The Use of the GI Method in Band Calculations on Solids

The application of the GI method to band calculations is discussed with primary emphasis on the alkali metals. The GI method goes beyond Hartree-Fock by allowing all orbitals to split, however the total wavefunction is modified so as to retain the correct spin symmetry. We find that the resulting band structure leads to a natural explanation of such puzzling properties as, the magneto-resistance, the prepeaking of the soft X-ray emission spectrum of Li, and the Mott Paradox.
Features of Written Argument

To complement theoretically driven work on argument, we present a datadriven description of published, written argument. We analyze political or philosophical treatises, articles in scholarly journals, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The description has emerged out of an inductive and a posteriori process based in grounded theory (Corbin and Strauss). The result is a suite of thirty-eight features that begins with conditions antecedent to writing and continues through to the consequences for the reader. We relate observational data to theories and practices from the fields of rhetoric and applied linguistics, including pragmatics, to explain how the features work together as social and communicative acts in which the writer produces a text in order to affect or change the beliefs or actions of the reader. For our purposes, the whole text is the argument and is not reduced to its propositional content; it is a unified communicative act. In our description of argument, the writer, reader, and text are central categories. We describe these categories and their features using examples from a variety of types of written argument.
Multivariate analysis of variance and covariance.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of some of the conceptual details related to multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using a design involving one or two grouping variables and a collection of response variables that may include some concomitant variables. The chapter begins with a discussion of the purposes of multivariate analyses and describe research situations found in the behavioral science literature that call for the use of a MANOVA or a MANCOVA. However, MANCOVA is more involved than MANOVA from three standpoints: substantive theory, study design, and data analysis. Next, the chapter describes some MANOVA design aspects with a focus on the initial choice of a response variable system and on sampling. It also discusses at length a number of suggested guidelines for data analysis strategies and for reporting and interpreting MANOVA results, and illustrates these guidelines using a research example. The chapter concludes with some recommended practices regarding the typical use of MANOVA and MANCOVA by applied researchers.
HCCI in a CFR engine: experiments and detailed kinetic modeling

Single cylinder engine experiments and chemical kinetic modeling have been performed to study the effect of variations in fuel, equivalence ratio, and intake charge temperature on the start of combustion and the heat release rate. Neat propane and a fuel blend of 15% dimethyl-ether in methane have been studied. The results demonstrate the role of these parameters on the start of combustion, efficiency, imep, and emissions. Single zone kinetic modeling results show the trends consistent with the experimental results.
Let's Abolish Licensure Laws for Accountants: An Analysis from the Perspectives of Law, Economics & Ethics

Licensure laws are ostensibly passed to protect the public from incompetence and fraud. The problem is that they don't. However, they do have unintended negative consequences that actually harm the public by reducing the quantity of service, raising the cost of services and perhaps reducing the quality of service. Licensure laws also violate contract rights and the right to earn a living. Thus, there is a strong case for abolition. This article discusses accounting licensure laws from the perspectives of law, economics and ethics. It concludes that accounting licensure laws should be abolished because they violate rights and do not protect the public.
In Darwinian evolution, feedback from natural selection leads to biased mutations.

Natural selection provides feedback through which information about the environment and its recurring challenges is captured, inherited, and accumulated within genomes in the form of variations that contribute to survival. The variation upon which natural selection acts is generally described as “random.” Yet evidence has been mounting for decades, from such phenomena as mutation hotspots, horizontal gene transfer, and highly mutable repetitive sequences, that variation is far from the simplifying idealization of random processes as white (uniform in space and time and independent of the environment or context). This paper focuses on what is known about the generation and control of mutational variation, emphasizing that it is not uniform across the genome or in time, not unstructured with respect to survival, and is neither memoryless nor independent of the (also far from white) environment. We suggest that, as opposed to frequentist methods, Bayesian analysis could capture the evolution of nonuniform probabilities of distinct classes of mutation, and argue not only that the locations, styles, and timing of real mutations are not correctly modeled as generated by a white noise random process, but that such a process would be inconsistent with evolutionary theory.
Wnt/planar cell polarity signaling: an important mechanism to coordinate growth and patterning in the limb.

The limb is one of the premier models for studying how a simple embryonic anlage develops into complex three-dimensional form. One of the key issues in the limb field has been to determine how the limb becomes patterned along its proximal (shoulder/hip) to distal (digits) axis. For decades it has been known that the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) plays a crucial role in distal outgrowth and patterning of the vertebrate embryonic limb. Most studies have explored the relationship between the AER and the progressive assignment of cell fates to mesenchyme along the proximal to distal (PD) axis. Comparatively few, however, have examined the additional role of the AER to regulate distal outgrowth of the limb and how this growth may also influence pattern along the PD axis. Here, I will review key studies that explore the role of growth in limb development. In particular, I will focus on a recent flurry of papers that examine the role of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway in regulating directed growth of ...
Modifiers of radiation response in tumor therapy: strategies and expectations

The administration of two (or more) cytotoxic agents to widen the differential between the responses of tumor and normal tissues depends upon the biological properties of the agents in the cells and tissue, their interactive potential, and the strategy employed in their administration. Assuming that one agent is ionizing radiation and considering response modification in broad terms, the qualitative features of various strategies are developed for physical as well as chemical modifiers. The heterogeneity of human tumor cells and the compensatory mechanisms of normal tissues following injury are identified as topical areas requiring sustained research effort. Finally, estimates are developed for the degree of improvement required from a response modifier to effect significant improvements in tumor cure rates.
Comparative effectiveness of popular diet programs on changes in body composition and visceral adipose tissue in women (LB297)

The purpose of this study was to determine if different types of exercise and diet interventions promote greater changes in visceral adipose tissue (VAT). 127 sedentary women (46±12 yr, 45.5±5% body fat, 35.1±5 kg/m2) were randomized to participate in a control group (C) or the Curves Complete® program with online support (CC), Weight Watchers® Points Plus (WW), Jenny Craig® (JC), or Nutrisystem® Advance Select™ (NS) weight loss programs for 12-wks. DEXA body composition with VAT determination was obtained at 0 & 12 wks. MANOVA revealed significant (p=<0.001) time and group x time (p=<0.001) effects. Participants in the CC group experienced greater loss in fat mass (C -0.0±2.1; CC -4.6±3.7; WW -2.2±2.7; JC -3.5±3.3; NS -2.1±2.7 kg, p<0.001), less loss in FFM (C 0.2±2.3; CC -0.3±2.7; WW -1.7±2.4; JC -1.8±2.3; NS -1.8±2.4 kg, p=0.01), and greater reductions in percent body fat (C -0.0±1.7; CC -3.1±2.5; WW -0.7±2.6; JC -1.4±2.5; NS -0.5±1.7 %, p<<0.001). VAT mass, volume and area decreased over time (p=0...
Essence, Essence, and Essence

I argue that three different notions of essence—temporal, definitional, and modal—are all distinct notions, and are all philosophically useful. After defining the different notions, I discuss the philosophical problems each addresses.
Monitoring your patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Purpose. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a hematopoietic stem cell disorder, which sometimes presents with fatigue, hepato-splenomegaly, and weight loss but is sometimes asymptomatic, is discussed. Summary. Diagnosis is suspected on the observation of an increased white blood cell count and is confirmed by the presence of the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. CML progresses through a series of three defined stages with survival times of 3–5 years if untreated. The chromosomal translocation creating the Ph chromosome creates the BCR-ABL fusion protein, which is the initiating factor for CML. BCR-ABL is a constitutively active tyrosine kinase, which transforms hematopoietic stem cells through dysregulation of proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and cell adhesion. The transformation process is then accelerated by the accumulation of additional translocations. This fusion protein has been used clinically as a therapeutic target and a sensitive marker for measuring residual disease. Techniques, such as cytogenetic analysis of chromosomes, allow for the visualization of the Ph chromosome and additional translocations and abnormalities. The more sensitive fluorescent in situ hybridization assay can directly visualize the bcr-abl translocation through merged fluorescent tags. Polymerase chain reaction, the most sensitive of the assays, can be used to detect minute amounts of bcr-abl mRNA and this has made it possible to monitor and detect minimal residual disease recurrence and disease progression, thus greatly enhancing patient care. Conclusion. A variety of monitoring techniques can be employed during CML therapy, providing degrees of quantifying disease burden or absence of disease.
Effect of environmental temperature and undernutrition on collagen aging

Abstract Contractility of tail collagen in NaClO4 and solubility of skin collagen in 0·1 N acetic acid were measured in mice or rats under various regimes. In mice kept 1 yr at 2°C, aging of tail collagen was slowed down compared with warm-reared controls, while extractability of skin collagen was unchanged. In rats, implantation of tails under the skin, so that the tails were maintained at body temperature, was found to accelerate collagen aging. Accordingly changes in tail and in skin collagen were measured in underfed and in control groups of rats with implanted and unimplanted tails: the slowing of tail-collagen aging by underfeeding was absent in implanted tails. We suggest that underfeeding slows down tail collagen aging, judged by contractility, by a decrease of local temperature in the tail rather than by reduction of crosslinking with reduced metabolism.
Comment on “A promiscuous intermediate underlies the evolution of LEAFY DNA binding specificity”

Sayou et al. (Reports, 7 February 2014, p. 645) proposed a new model for evolution of transcription factors without gene duplication, using LEAFY as an archetype. Their proposal contradicts the evolutionary history of plants and ignores evidence that LEAFY evolves through gene duplications. Within their data set, we identified a moss with multiple LEAFY orthologs, which contests their model and supports that LEAFY evolves through duplications.
A single-center study comparing abdominal myomectomy with uterine artery embolization for treatment of myomas

Purpose: To compare abdominal myomectomy (AM) with uterine artery embolization (UAE) for treatment of myomas with respect to objective and subjective outcomes. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent AM (n = 36) and UAE (n = 73) over a 3-year period was done. Follow-up consisted of phone interviews with patients, who reported symptom changes on a six-point scale. Results were compared using the t test and the X2 test, with P <0.05 as the statistical limit. Results: Although the UAE group was significantly older (45 versus 38), with a lower initial Hct (33 versus 36), the days hospitalized (0 versus 3), days requiring narcotics (2.5 versus 5.9), and days to normal activity (7.5 versus 35) were significantly lower. The AM group lost an average of 380 cc blood, while the UAE group had minimal blood loss. Both groups were similar in the preprocedure incidence of menorrhagia, pain, and pressure. On follow-up, the UAE group showed significant improvement in menorrhagia symptoms compared with the AM group, with no significant difference in improvement of other symptoms. Complications in the AM group (n = 7, 19.4%) included requirement for nonautologous blood transfusion (n = 2), wound infection, adhesions, readmission for ileus, chronic pelvic pain, and chronic incision pain. UAE patient complications (n = 3, 4.1%) included endometritis, readmission for pain, and transient leg numbness. Conclusion: UAE is a good alternative to AM, with fewer hospitalization days, less blood loss, quicker return to work, and fewer complications. Subjective symptom improvement resembled that of AM, with significantly better resolution of menorrhagia.
Postulate versus Observation in the Special Theory of Relativity

In 1905 Einstein(1) published his theory of electro-dynamics of moving bodies, which has long since been incorporated in the accepted body of physical science under the less descriptive name of the special theory of relativity. The kinematical background for this theory, an operational interpretation of the Lorentz transformation, was obtained deductively by Einstein from a general postulate concerning the relativity of motion and a more specific postulate concerning the velocity of light.
The Hunter–Saxton equation describes the geodesic flow on a sphere

Abstract The Hunter–Saxton equation is the Euler equation for the geodesic flow on the quotient space Rot ( S ) ∖ D ( S ) of the infinite-dimensional group D ( S ) of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms of the unit circle S modulo the subgroup of rotations Rot ( S ) equipped with the H 1 right-invariant metric. We establish several properties of the Riemannian manifold Rot ( S ) ∖ D ( S ) : it has constant curvature equal to 1, the Riemannian exponential map provides global normal coordinates, and there exists a unique length-minimizing geodesic joining any two points of the space. Moreover, we give explicit formulas for the Jacobi fields, we prove that the diameter of the manifold is exactly π 2 , and we give exact estimates for how fast the geodesics spread apart. At the end, these results are given a geometric and intuitive understanding when an isometry from Rot ( S ) ∖ D ( S ) to an open subset of an L 2 -sphere is constructed.
The homology of a novel polypeptide with stress protein characteristics in embryonic mice brain and in the hypothalamus of caloric restricted rats as determined by ultramicro western blotting

A novel protein (p34) was observed in polyacrylamide gel fluorographs of gestation day 13 embryonic mouse brain following retinoic acid dosing of dams. Another p34 polypeptide with identical gel migratory characteristics was seen in the hypothalamus of old caloric restricted rats after "food deprivation stress". Western blotting, employing an ultramicro trans-blot cell developed in our laboratory, detected identical immunochemical determinants between these proteins, verifying their homology. Peptide mapping and Western blotting further validated the uniqueness of p34 compared with other stress proteins including heme oxygenase.
A mathematical model of performance on a simple reaction time test

A nonlinear function with components for learning and fatigue was used to model individual performance on a simple reaction time test. The relationships between the parameters of the model and the mean and variance of the reaction times are discussed. The function is used to analyze data from a field study of agricultural workers exposed to organophosphate pesticides. Exposure had a significant effect on the relationships between education level and initial performance, age and fatigue rate, and age and performance variability. Parameter estimates from the model were able to distinguish between effects that the mean and standard deviation of the reaction times were unable to distinguish.
Axial force fluctuations in long‐chain molecules

The fluctuations Δf in the axial force f acting on a long-chain molecule whose end-to-end displacement r is fixed are computed for a freely jointed model in which the covalent bonds are represented by stiff linear springs. It is found that the relative fluctuation Δf/f remains large regardless of the length of the chain. A time-dependent computer simulation of the model serves both to verify the theoretical calculation of Delta;f and to provide physical insight. The result helps to clarify the difference in behavior of the strain ensemble (r is fixed and f fluctuates) and the stress ensemble (f is fixed and r fluctuates) for which, in the absence of excluded volume, the strain ensemble predicts that f = 0 for r = 0, while for the stress ensemble with f = 0 it is found that 〈r2〉0 > 0.
Cherries in Spreads and Cottage Cheese Sauce

Abstract Cherry products were used with dairy products to prepare a flavored dairy spread. Eighty-six per cent of the adult consumer panel members liked a cherry-dairy spread prepared according to the formula: cultured, fortified cream with 45% fat, 42.7 lb; cherry concentrate with 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose, 25.0; sugar, 15.0; butter, 15.0; cherry isolate, 2.0; imitation sweet cherry, 0.3; and a small amount of red coloring. A similar spread was made by replacing the cultured cream with butter. A cherry sauce was developed for utilization as a topping on creamed Cottage cheese. Carboxymethylcellulose proved satisfactory for control of the viscosity. Ninety per cent of the panel members liked the combination of the cherry sauce on the creamed Cottage cheese.
Does albumin resuscitation have a role in the early prevention of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury?

Does albumin resuscitation have a role in the early prevention of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury?
A hybrid model for tumor-induced angiogenesis in the cornea in the presence of inhibitors

The present work formulates and analyzes, by means of numerical experiments, a model for tumor-induced angiogenesis in the presence of inhibitors in the cornea. Our model is a generalization of the earlier work of Tong and Yuan [S. Tong, F. Yuan, Numerical simulations of angiogenesis in the cornea, Microvascular Research 61 (2001) 14-27] to incorporate the role of inhibitors, relevant to experimental assays. The derived set of hybrid equations consists of partial differential equations for the tumor angiogenic factors and the inhibitors with a particle model for the motion of the endothelial cells. This is analyzed numerically in the two-dimensional setting. The relevant results are discussed and qualitative agreement with the experimental work is illustrated.
Cavoatrial junction and central venous anatomy: implications for central venous access tip position.

Purpose To quantify the anatomic relationships of the cavoatrial junction and propose a system for describing central venous access device tip location on the basis of structures visible on chest radiographs. Materials and Methods The authors performed a retrospective study of 100 consecutive computed tomographic (CT) studies from a predominantly pediatric population consisting of 52 male and 48 female patients aged 12–28 years (mean age, 16 years). With use of multiplanar and scout images, relevant mediastinal structures were marked, vertebral levels were noted, and measurements were made electronically. Catheter tip positions were recorded in the 26 children who had central catheters. Results A vertebral body unit was defined as the distance between the inferior endplate of one vertebra to the inferior endplate of the next, with the upper intervertebral disk included. The most reliable estimate of cavoatrial junction position is a point two vertebral body units below the carina; there was no association with patient age or other parameters. Conclusions A more accurate understanding of the superior vena cava anatomy is essential for the correct interpretation of central venous access device position. The true cavoatrial junction is located more inferiorly than commonly believed and is not accurately estimated with commonly used imaging landmarks. A point two vertebral body units below the carina enables the reliable estimate of the position of the cavoatrial junction. Catheter tip position can be most reliably described in vertebral body units below the carina, with use of the thoracic spine as an internal ruler.
A point mutation causes mistargeting of Golgi GlcNAc-TV in the Lec4A Chinese hamster ovary glycosylation mutant.

The Lec4A and Lec4 Chinese hamster ovary glycosylation mutants lack N-linked glycans with GlcNAcβ(1,6)Manα(1,6) branches that are initiated by the transferase termed GlcNAc-TV. Detergent extracts of Lec4 cells have no detectable GlcNAc-TV activity, but Lec4A extracts have activity equivalent to that of parental Chinese hamster ovary cells. This discrepancy occurs because Lec4A GlcNAc-TV activity co-localizes with membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) instead of with Golgi membranes (Chaney, W., Sundaram, S., Friedman, N., and Stanley, P. (1989) J. Cell. Biol. 109, 2089-2096). cDNAs from the coding region of the GlcNAc-TV gene have now been isolated from each mutant line. Lec4 GlcNAc-TV cDNA was found to possess two insertions, the first of which shifts the open reading frame and codes for a truncated transferase missing 585 amino acids from the catalytic domain. By contrast, Lec4A GlcNAc-TV cDNA possesses a single point mutation from T to G, which results in a change from Leu to Arg at position 188. When transfected into Lec4 cells, both cDNAs gave the appropriate phenotype; Lec4 cDNA was unable to restore GlcNAc-TV activity, whereas Lec4A cDNA converted Lec4 cells to the Lec4A phenotype, with an active GlcNAc-TV mislocalized to ER membranes. Moreover, Lec4A cDNA cured of its mutation restored a functional, Golgi-localized GlcNAc-TV to Lec4 cells. The results demonstrate that a single change in the 740 amino acids of GlcNAc-TV serves to functionally inactivate the transferase in an intact cell by causing it to localize to the ER instead of the Golgi compartment. The mislocalized transferase retains full enzyme activity, showing that it is well folded and stable and suggesting that the L188R mutation either prevents association with exit complexes from the ER or causes retrograde transport from a Golgi compartment.
Analyzing Ghanaian Emotions Through Narrative: A Textual Analysis of Ama Ata Aidoo’s Novel Changes:

Contemporary African emotional expression is a cultural artifact that has encoded within it the story of colonial and postcolonial history. Through an analysis of Ama Ata Aidoo’s award-winning novel Changes, this article explores how emotions are expressed in contemporary Ghanaian literature. From literal translations of indigenous languages and culturally specific nonverbal communication to Western expressions and locally created neologisms, the contemporary Ghanaian text Changes offers a glimpse into the unique world of Ghanaian emotions—a world that is an interesting mix of the indigenous, Westernization, and time.
Endogenous adenosine reduces depression of cardiac function induced by β-adrenergic stimulation during low flow perfusion

High levels of norepinephrine in the heart are cardiotoxic resulting in contractile dysfunction and arrhythmic activity via β-adrenoceptor mediated mechanisms. A low flow heart model perfused with physiological saline containing glucose and bubbled with an O2 gas mixture was used to dtermine whether adenosine, a nucleoside with antiadreneregic properties, could reduce te functional manifestations of catecholamine cardiotoxicity. Isolated rat hearts were treated with dipropylcyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX; 0.1 μ m ; A1 receptor antagonist) to block endogenous adenosine. In DPCPX-treated hearts stimulated with isoproterenol (ISO: 1 μ m ) during 45 min of low flow (0.5 ml/min) prefusion, the recover of contractile function (ConF) at 15 min after the restoration of normal flow was 64% of control (before low flow) values as compared to 110% recovery of ConF in the absence of ISO. The incidence of arrhythmias observed upon restoration of control flow was increased by ISO when the action of endogenous adenosine was blocked with DPCPX. In the absence fo DPCPX both the functional depression and arrhythmias induced by ISO were prevented in the presence of phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA; 1 μ m ; A1 receptor agonist). At 15 min after normal flow was restored. ConF in ISO-treated hearts with PIA was 83% greater than in the absence of PIA and presence of DPCPX. This enhancement of ConF by PIA was significantly reduced by DPCPX. By 30 min after flow restoration, these significant differences were absent. DPCPX reversed the PIA-induced reduction in arrhythmias observed upon restoration of normal flow. PIA and DPCPX alone in the absence of ISO, and ISO in the absence of PIA and DPCPX, did not result in altered ConF upon restoration of normal flow. These fidnings indicate that intense β-adrenergic stimulation of the heart during low-flow perfusion in the absence of adenosine A1 receptor activity induces contractile depression and arrhythmicity subsequent to restoration of control perfusion. It is concluded that enndogenous adenosine protects the heart against catecholamine toxicity via stimulation of adenosine A1 receptors.
Production and Neutral Decay of the η Meson in π - p Collisions

Author(s): Richards, W. Bruce; Chiu, Charles B.; Eandi, Richard D.; Helmholz, A. Carl; Kenney, Robert W.; Moyer, Burton J.; Poirier, John A.; Cence, Robert J.; Peterson, Vincent Z.; Sehgal, Narender K.; Stenger, Victor J.