cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frederick Lewis Allen's Only Yesterday and the Idea of the Decade

special dispensation to question and criticize the norms of her society. But the sanction that she thought she possessed to articulate the possibility of social change is a qualified one. An individual so compromised in social terms cannot be "the destined prophetess" and so Hester must resign herself to the roles of advisor and comforter, and to the perspective of the critic rather than the reformer.
Whiteness and social studies teacher education: tensions in the pedagogical task

Utilizing a critical whiteness studies framework, the authors analyzed the experiences of a cohort of predominantly White pre-service social studies teachers discussing race and Whiteness in relation to education. The pre-service teachers resisted identifying White privilege as a form of structural racism, instead preferring individualized understandings of racism. The participants also utilized their personal biographies to accept or reject aspects of race privilege. The authors highlighted three tensions for teacher educators to consider when engaging pre-service teachers in discussions about race privilege, including recognizing the unfamiliar nature of structural thinking, appreciating the limitations of personal experience, and acknowledging the challenges of structural considerations within individual classrooms. The authors’ findings – and the tensions they highlight– depart from previous literature on White teachers and race by paying specific attention to pedagogical issues related to developing ...
The behavior of the infrared spectrum of carbon monoxide adsorbed at platinum electrodes from-non-aqueous solvents

Abstract : Electrochemical oxidation of vanadium hexacarbonyl anion, V(CO)6 in aprotic solvents results in formation of the V(0) complex which decomposes to form Carbon Monoxide in high concentrations next to the electrode surface. As a result, CO is more rapidly adsorbed on the surface than by conventional methods. Surface reflection infrared spectroscopy shows that the potential dependent frequency shift for the infrared active bands due to CI adsorbed on platinum is 19/cm/V in 1,2-dichloroethane and 22/cm/V in acetonitrile, which are considerably less than the 30/cm/V observed in aqueous systems.
The structure and innervation of the conductive system of the heart of the dog and rhesus monkey, as seen with a silver impregnation technique

Abstract 1.1. A study of the impulse conducting system in the hearts of puppies and one rhesus monkey, prepared with the chloral hydrate formula of the Cajal silver nitrate technique, has confirmed the observations of previous investigators. In addition to the S-A and A-V nodes (Fig. 1), there is a distinct main bundle (Figs. 5, 6, and 7) which divides into right and left bundle branches. The latter and their ramifications are composed of swollen fibers, with small numbers of myofibrils, abundant sarcoplasm, and irregular nuclei. These fibers connect at various levels with the musculature of the ventricles (Fig. 9, right); in the puppy they resemble closely the typical Purkinje fibers of the calf, sheep, etc. (Fig. 9, left), whereas, in the monkey, they are less differentiated but nevertheless quite conspicuous (Fig. 10, A and B). 2.2. The S-A and A-V nodes, respectively, are supplied by axons of neurons of the intrinsic cardiac ganglia (parasympathetic postganglionics), but the nerve terminals are much more numerous in the A-V node (cf. Fig. 2 with Fig. 4). Whether there is a sympathetic nerve supply to the nodes could not be ascertained because the technique used does not impregnate sufficiently the sympathetic postganglionics. 3.3. The main bundle and bundle branches of the dog lack parasympathetic nerve endings. In the monkey these nerve terminals occur not only in the main bundle (Fig. 8), but also in the proximal portions of the right and left bundle branches. Parasympathetic nerve endings are absent in the ramifications of the bundle branches in the two species. 4.4. The rich parasympathetic nerve supply to the A-V node, as compared with the innervation of the S-A node, may account for such phenomena as the production of A-V block through electrical stimulation of the vagus, the similar effect produced by morphine, by digitalis in cases of auricular fibrillation, etc., and, in general, the greater influence of vagal stimulation on the A-V node. 5.5. The existence of a parasympathetic innervation of the ventricles, suggested by the effect of excitation of the vagus after the A-V bundle has been crushed, is questioned. The variable effects on the idioventricular rhythm reported by Jourdan and Froment cannot be explained on an anatomic basis. 6.6. The anatomic basis for the inotropic effect of the vagus is indicated by the existence of parasympathetic nerve endings in the atrial and auricular musculatures.
Implementation of Approximate Riemann Solver to Two-Phase Flows in Mortar Systems

This work presents a mathematical model for the two-phase flows in the mortar systems and demonstrates the application of approximate Riemann solver on such model. The mathematical model for the two-phase gas-dynamical processes in the mortar tube consists of a system of first-order nonlinear coupled partial differential equations with inhomogeneous terms. The model poses an initial value problem with discontinuous initial and boundary conditions that arise due to the design complexity and nonuniformity of granular propellant distribution in the mortar tube. The governing equations in this model possess characteristics of the Riemann problem. Therefore, a high-resolution Godunov-type shock-capturing approach was used to address the formation of flow structure such as shock waves, contact discontinuities, and rarefaction waves. A linearized approximate Riemann solver based on the Roe-Pike method was modified for the two-phase flows to compute fully nonlinear wave interactions and to directly provide upwinding properties in the scheme. An entropy fix based on Harten-Heyman method was used with van Leer flux limiter for total variation diminishing. The three-dimensional effects were simulated by incorporating an unsplit multidimensional wave propagation method, which accounted for discontinuities traveling in both normal and oblique coordinate directions. A mesh generation algorithm was developed to account for the projectile motion and coupled with the approximate Riemann solver The numerical method was verified by using exact solutions of three test problems. The specific system considered in this work is a 120 mm mortar system, which contains an ignition cartridge that discharges hot gas-phase products and unburned granular propellants into the mortar tube through multiple vent-holes on its surface. The model for the mortar system was coupled with the solution of the transient gas-dynamic behavior in the ignition cartridge. The numerical results were validated with experimental data. Based on the close comparison between the calculated results and test data, it was found that the approximate Riemann solver is a suitable method for studying the two-phase combustion processes in mortar systems.
Occurrence and partitioning of antibiotic compounds found in the water column and bottom sediments from a stream receiving two wastewater treatment plant effluents in northern New Jersey, 2008.

Abstract An urban watershed in northern New Jersey was studied to determine the presence of four classes of antibiotic compounds (macrolides, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines) and six degradates in the water column and bottom sediments upstream and downstream from the discharges of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and a drinking-water intake (DWI). Many antibiotic compounds in the four classes not removed by conventional WWTPs enter receiving waters and partition to stream sediments. Samples were collected at nine sampling locations on 2 days in September 2008. Two of the nine sampling locations were background sites upstream from two WWTP discharges on Hohokus Brook. Another background site was located upstream from a DWI on the Saddle River above the confluence with Hohokus Brook. Because there is a weir downstream of the confluence of Hohokus Brook and Saddle River, the DWI receives water from Hohokus Brook at low stream flows. Eight antibiotic compounds (azithromycin (maximum concentration 0.24 μg/L), ciprofloxacin (0.08 μg/L), enrofloxacin (0.015 μg/L), erythromycin (0.024 μg/L), ofloxacin (0.92 μg/L), sulfamethazine (0.018 μg/L), sulfamethoxazole (0.25 μg/L), and trimethoprim (0.14 μg/L)) and a degradate (erythromycin–H 2 O (0.84 μg/L)) were detected in the water samples from the sites downstream from the WWTP discharges. The concentrations of six of the eight detected compounds and the detected degradate compound decreased with increasing distance downstream from the WWTP discharges. Azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and trimethoprim were detected in stream-bottom sediments. The concentrations of three of the four compounds detected in sediments were highest at a sampling site located downstream from the WWTP discharges. Trimethoprim was detected in the sediments from a background site. Pseudo-partition coefficients normalized for streambed sediment organic carbon concentration were calculated for azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin. Generally, there was good agreement between the decreasing order of the pseudo-partition coefficients in this study and the order reported in the literature.
9-α-D-Arabinofuranosyl-8-azaadenine-2-14C

9-α-D-Arabinofuranosyl-8-azaadenine-2-14C (6) was prepared by a procedure previously described for the unlabeled nucleoside. The 14C was incorporated into the 8-azapurine by closure of 5-amino-v-triazole-4-carboxamide with 14C-formic-acetic anhydride. The labeled nucleoside (6) was purified by chromatography.
IDENTITIES AND A BOUNDED HEIGHT CONDITION FOR SEMIGROUPS

We consider two different types of bounded height condition for semigroups. The first one originates from the classical Shirshov's bounded height theorem for associative rings. The second which is weaker, in fact was introduced by Wolf and also used by Bass for calculating the growth of finitely generated (f.g.) nilpotent groups. Both conditions yield polynomial growth. We give the first two examples of f.g. semigroups which have bounded height and do not satisfy any nontrivial identity. One of these semigroups does not have bounded height in the sense of Shirshov and the other satisfies the classical bounded height condition. This develops further one of the main results of the author's paper (J. Algebra, 1993) where the first examples of f.g. semigroups of polynomial growth and without nontrivial identities were given.
An empirical survey of Indonesian equities 1985–1992☆

Abstract Using a new data base of equities listed on the Jakarta Exchange, historical returns were documented for the 1985–1992 period. Jakarta stocks had high volatility relative to other countries, and startling short-term price movements, such as several hundred percent during December 1988. A new model of microstructure suitable for markets with infrequent trading was developed and applied to Jakarta. It disclosed substantial non-random price fluctuations. Indonesian equity returns were weakly but significantly related to returns in other countries. Jakarta's value stocks (those with low market/book value ratios) performed much better than growth stocks.
The liar: What paradox?

Most philosophers believe that the Liar Paradox is semantical in character, and arises from difficulties in the predicate “true.” The author argues that the paradox is pragmatic, not semantic, and arises from violations of essential conditions that define statement-making speech acts. The author shows that his solution to the paradox will not only handle the classical Liar sentences that are “necessarily” or “intrinsically” paradoxical, but also sets of Kripke-sentences that are “contingently” paradoxical.
The clinician manager: A review of useful literature

This article has examined a number of books considered to be useful for the individual trained as a clinician who may lack management skills. These books require no prior knowledge of management or administration and would be very useful additions to any manager's library.
Reducing moral distress in case managers.

Purpose: Moral distr ess can be caused by ethical confl icts that are common in acute care settings. Hospital case managers are unique caregivers in hospital environments. Case managers are advocates who coordinate organizational, clinical, and personal standards. Ethical confl icts embedded in performing delegated responsibilities are burdensome, therefore creating a risk for moral distress. Mindfulness education is suggested as a meaningful process to mitigate moral distress for frontline caregivers. Primary Practice Setting: Moral distress describes organizational, clinical, and personal ethical confl ic ts and constraints a caregiver experiences in acute care settings. Findings/Conclusions: Theories and tools addressing moral distress continue to evolve. Researchers are r evising and creating new tools defi ning moral distress, but triggers and responses vary among ethically confl icted nurses. Causes of moral distress include burden and frequency of ethical confl ict and constraints leading to depression, anger, and impaired perception of competency. Little attention has been given to hospital case management as a caregiving profession at risk. The ethical dilemmas research defi nes as “risks” for moral distress are prevalent in the ethical responsibilities delegated to case management. Implications for Case Management Practice: The hospital case manager’s responsibilities contain compelling and competing ethic al priorities of patient advocate, organization representative, and competent professional. General suggestions to moderate moral distress have been inadequate in mitigating the problem, because they do not adequately offer the caregiver a way to identify and process moral distress. Causes and conditions describing moral distress due to ethical confl icts are similar to themes of suffering and awareness identifi ed in mindfulness and other refl ective exercises. A workshop series introducing refl ective practices is an appropriate approach to reduce negative outcomes of moral distress in caregiver roles.
Paranoid psychosis and cognitive impairment associated with hepatitis C antiviral therapy.

Abstract Objective To report a case of paranoid psychosis and cognitive impairment associated with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antiviral therapy. Methods Case report. Results A 55-year-old male presented with paranoid psychosis and cognitive impairment, 4 months after initiating interferon-based HCV antiviral therapy. His psychosis resolved with discontinuation of therapy and initiation of risperidone, but his cognitive impairment persisted. His psychosis also re-emerged months later when attempting to titrate down his risperidone. Brain MRI demonstrated bilateral asymmetric subcortical and deep white matter changes, which were non-specific but may have rendered him susceptible to neuropsychiatric sequelae of antiviral therapy. Conclusion This case emphasizes the importance of neuropsychiatric screening and monitoring of patients being treated with interferon-based therapy for HCV, particularly if there is evidence of previous neurologic disease.
Scaling the Severity of Potential Injuries and Illnesses

Warning researchers have established a relationship between the explicitness of warnings and perceptions of product hazardousness and precautionary behavior. Earlier work demonstrated that two warning qualities, injury severity and length of injury, contributed to hazard perceptions. To understand further the hazard conveying qualities of warnings, it is necessary to scale potential injuries and illnesses that might result from product use. Fifty-eight different injuries and illnesses were paired with three different modifiers, mild, moderate, and severe. Severity ratings were obtained from 25 participants using a free-modulus magnitude estimation technique. The resulting ratings were then scaled to produce a continuum of illnesses and injury conditions.
Semi-supervised local-learning-based feature selection

Local-learning-based feature selection has been successfully applied to high-dimensional data analysis. It utilizes class labels to define a margin for each data sample and selects the most discriminative features by maximizing the margins with regard to a feature weight vector. However, it requires that all data samples are labeled, which makes it unsuitable for semi-supervised learning where only a handful of training samples are labeled while most are unlabeled. To address this issue, we herein propose a new semi-supervised local-learning-based feature selection method. The basic idea is to learn the class labels of unlabeled samples in a new feature subspace induced by the learned feature weights, and then use the learned class labels to define the margins for feature weight learning. By constructing and optimizing a unified objective function, the feature weights and class labels are learned simultaneously in an iterative algorithm. The experiments performed on some benchmark data sets show the advantage of the proposed algorithm over stat-of-the-art semi-supervised feature selection methods.
Effect of hawthorn standardized extract on flow mediated dilation in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults: a randomized, controlled cross-over trial

Hawthorn extract has been used for cardiovascular diseases for centuries. Recent trials have demonstrated its efficacy for the treatment of heart failure, and the results of several small trials suggest it may lower blood pressure. However, there is little published evidence to guide its dosing. The blood pressure lowering effect of hawthorn has been linked to nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hawthorn extract dose and brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD), an indirect measure of nitric oxide release. We used a four-period cross-over design to evaluate brachial artery FMD in response to placebo or hawthorn extract (standardized to 50 mg oligomeric procyanidin per 250 mg extract). Randomly sequenced doses of hawthorn extract (1000 mg, 1500 mg, and 2500 mg) and placebo were assigned to each participant. Doses were taken twice daily for 3 1/2 days followed by FMD and a 4-day washout before proceeding to the next dosing period. Twenty-one prehypertensive or mildly hypertensive adults completed the study. There was no evidence of a dose-response effect for our main outcome (FMD percent) or any of our secondary outcomes (absolute change in brachial artery diameter and blood pressure). Most participants indicated that if given evidence that hawthorn could lower their blood pressure, they would be likely to use it either in conjunction with or instead of lifestyle modification or anti-hypertensive medications. We found no evidence of a dose-response effect of hawthorn extract on FMD. If hawthorn has a blood pressure lowering effect, it is likely to be mediated via an NO-independent mechanism. This trial has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health: NCT01331486 .
Clinical Outcomes and Resource Use for Infants With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome During Bidirectional Glenn: Summary From the Joint Council for Congenital Heart Disease National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative Registry

The National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) registry captures information on interstage management of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The purpose of this study was to identify interstage risk factors for increased resource use and adverse outcomes during bidirectional Glenn (BDG) hospitalization. All infants in the NPC-QIC registry (31 United States hospitals) undergoing BDG surgery were included (December 2009 to August 2010). Patient demographics, interstage variables, operative procedures, and complications were recorded. Days of hospitalization, ventilation, inotrope use, and complications were surrogates of resource use. Logistic regression analysis determined the associations between predictor variables and resource use. Of 162 infants, 105 (65 %) were males. At BDG, the median age was 155 days (range 78–128), mean weight-for-age z-score was −1.6 ± 1.1, mean length-for-age z-score was −1.5 ± 1.7, and mean preoperative oxygen saturation was 78 % ± 7 %. Caloric recommendations were met in 60 % of patients, and 85 % of patients participated in a home-surveillance program. Median days of intubation, inotrope use, and hospitalization were 1, 2, and 7, respectively. There were 4 post-BDG deaths and 55 complications. In multivariate analysis, lower weight-for-age z-score, female sex, and aortic atresia with mitral stenosis were associated with a higher risk of BDG complications. Meeting caloric recommendations before BDG was associated with fewer hospitalization days. Lower weight-for-age z-score was an independent and potentially modifiable risk factor for BDG complications. HLHS infants who met caloric recommendations before BDG had a lower duration of hospitalization at BDG. These data justify targeting nutrition in interstage strategies to improve outcomes and decrease costs for patients with HLHS.
Responses of protocerebral neurons in Manduca sexta to sex-pheromone mixtures

Male Manduca sexta moths are attracted to a mixture of two components of the female’s sex pheromone at the natural concentration ratio. Deviation from this ratio results in reduced attraction. Projection neurons innervating prominent male-specific glomeruli in the male’s antennal lobe produce maximal synchronized spiking activity in response to synthetic mixtures of the two components centering around the natural ratio, suggesting that behaviorally effective mixture ratios are encoded by synchronous neuronal activity. We investigated the physiological activity and morphology of downstream protocerebral neurons that responded to antennal stimulation with single pheromone components and their mixtures at various concentration ratios. Among the tested neurons, only a few gave stronger responses to the mixture at the natural ratio whereas most did not distinguish among the mixtures that were tested. We also found that the population response distinguished among the two pheromone components and their mixtures, prior to the peak population response. This observation is consistent with our previous finding that synchronous firing of antennal-lobe projection neurons reaches its maximum before the firing rate reaches its peak. Moreover, the response patterns of protocerebral neurons are diverse, suggesting that the representation of olfactory stimuli at the level of protocerebrum is complex.
A Nosocomial Outbreak of Influenza A

During the first week of March 1974, a hospitalized patient being evaluated for hyperproteinemia and hypertension experienced fever, chills, and myalgia and showed pulmonary signs consistent with diffuse pneumonia. Subsequently, the findings from serologic tests confirmed that the patient had viral influenza. Seven other compromised hosts on the same ward developed symptoms of pneumonic influenza, and serologic data on three of the seven confirmed influenza A2. Additionally, a previously healthy young adult admitted with acute respiratory distress died of nonbacterial complications and was shown to have community-acquired influenza. The unusual features of the epidemic were the intrahospital localization of the epidemic in compromised hosts, the high rate of pneumonic complications, the low rate of secondary bacterial infection, and the severity of the viral pneumonia in the community-acquired case.
The Family Impact of Expatriate Assignments: An Experiential Exercise:

This article presents an experiential exercise that focuses on issues related to workers facing international assignments. It illustrates that those workers face a multitude of issues. It further d...
Accuracy of Fourier-magnitude estimation from speckle intensity correlation

The accuracy of Fourier-magnitude estimates made by using speckle intensity correlation is investigated. The analysis concerns statistical errors that result from sampling the speckle intensity with a detector array that encompasses a finite number of independent speckles. It is shown that the estimator of the normalized Fourier magnitude is the ratio of two correlated Gaussian random variables. Expressions for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are derived. A closed-form expression for the SNR, valid for small values of the normalized Fourier magnitude, is verified. Results of a computer simulation that confirm the theory and illustrate the nature of the errors are presented.
Pyridostigmine bromide and the long-term subjective health status of a sample of female reserve component Gulf War veterans: a brief report.

The role of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills in explaining the long-term subjective health status of a sample of over 100 female Reserve Component Gulf War veterans was examined through regression analysis. Results fell just short of significance (p < .06) for the prediction of subjective health approximately six years after the war and were clearly not significant for the prediction of subjective health at previous times. Results parallel Golomb's 1999 RAND report, which found suggestive but not conclusive evidence for the possible adverse effects of Gulf War veterans' consumption of pyridostigmine bromide pills. Our data suggest that use of more than 10 pills may have been especially risky with respect to long-term subjective health.
PROGRAM AND TRAINEE LIFESTYLE STRESS: A SURVEY OF AAMFT STUDENT MEMBERS

Student members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (n = 900) were randomly selected and surveyed regarding perceptions of certain MFT training program and graduate student lifestyle stressors. The return rate was 329 (37%) of the 900 students surveyed. The sample was 70% female and 30% male. Sixty-five percent of the sample were married. Sixty-one percent were in master's, 25% were in doctoral, and 12% were in other postgraduate programs. Potential high stressors were the number of hours students worked to support themselves and the number of hours spouses or significant others worked. Twenty-seven percent of students had considered dropping out due to program demands. Only 11.2% had actually done so. Nearly 11% reported current antidepressant use. Recommendations for further research directions on the topic of MFT trainee stress are provided.
ON CHANGING THE WAY PEOPLE SEE.

Ss see black and white linear patterns either as sequences (“sequentially”), or as wholes (“figurally”). The object of this study was to determine under which conditions, if any, Ss can be brought to change their perceptions from “sequential” to “figural.” (1) Ss tended to see the patterns sequentially at first, but (2) the task of searching for single patterns in disorderly arrays of many patterns forced Ss to see the single patterns figurally. (3) Other kinds of experience, expected to have the same effect, induced little change.
Mucociliary clearance following lung transplantation is impaired and improves with acute albuterol inhalation

complications in lung transplantation (LTx). We investigated prospectively the occurrence of posttransplant NI in patients on the ICU following LTx. From Jan 2002 to Dec 2003, NIs were determined according to modified CDC criteria for NI in 157 consecutive transplant recipients (119 Double-LTx, 16 single-LTx, 15 Heart-LTx, 6 Combined-LTx (liver or kidney)). 11 were redo-LTx (7%). Primary endpoints included NIs and 30-day-mortality. 100 out of 157 patients did not develop any infection (64%). A total of 91 NIs (incidence of NIs 60.5%) were recorded in the remaining 57 pts (37 pneumonia (23.6%), 19 primary sepsis (12.1%), 13 wound infections (8.3%), 17 urinary tract infections (10.8%), 5 other infections (3.1%) . 14 acute graft rejection episodes (AGR) (8.9%) occurred and led to a NI / AGR ratio of 6.5 in total and 2.6 for pneumonia, respectively. Risk factor analysis revealed AGR (OR 4.9, CI95% 1.4–16.9, p 0.01) and postoperative bleeding complications (OR 4.5, CI95% 1.2–16., p 0.02) as significant risk factors for NIs. The risk for 30-day-mortality was increased 7-fold by NIs (OR 7.5, CI95% 1.7–33, p 0.01). Surprisingly, no relevant risk factors for 30-day-mortality were redo LTx, underlying diseases, type of LTx (DLTx, SLTx or HLTx), AGR or bacterial donor organ contamination. Surveillance of NIs and AGRs in LTx recipients revealed that currently the probability for developing a NI is 6 fold higher than for AGR. Although almost two-third of all lung recipients remain free from infection despite immunosuppression after LTx, NI remains a major risk factor for 30-day-mortality. Therefore, further efforts in infection prevention are required for improving survival and life quality in clinical lung transplantation.
Predicting the road not taken

Chronic skin ulcers can be treated, but sometimes they heal and sometimes they don’t. To better understand why, Nassiri et al. hypothesized that because immune cells are central to the inflammatory response and actively regulate wound healing, there may be a healing “signature” hidden within macrophage phenotypes. The macrophage M1 phenotype is associated with inflammation, whereas the M2 phenotype signals healing. To search for a clinically applicable “rule” for healing, the authors created a scoring system: the ratio of four M1 genes ( VEGF , CCR7 , CD80 , and IL1β ) to three M2 genes ( MRC1 , PDGFB , and TIMP3 ). Using patient data from burn wounds, they found that the score increased right after injury, then decreased about 1 week later, suggesting a transformation from M1 to M2 during healing. In a pilot study of 10 patients with chronic diabetic foot ulcers [that had been open for 8 weeks], healed ulcers showed a reduction in M1/M2 score over time, whereas the scores for nonhealing ulcers continued to increase. Interestingly, the initial score was higher for wounds that eventually healed, indicating a prominent, early role for inflammation in successful healing. The score at 4 weeks predicted healing by 12 weeks, which could alert clinicians to which ulcers would not heal well and thus change management of chronic diabetic ulcers. S. Nassiri et al ., Relative expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory genes reveals differences between healing and nonhealing human chronic diabetic foot ulcers. J. Invest. Dermatol. 10.1038/jid.2015.30 (2015). [[Full Text]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/vaop/naam/pdf/jid201530a.pdf
Integrating geospatial data and cropping system simulation within a geographic information system to analyze spatial seed cotton yield, water use, and irrigation requirements

The development of sensors that provide geospatial information on crop and soil conditions has been a primary success for precision agriculture. However, further developments are needed to integrate geospatial data into computer algorithms that spatially optimize crop production while considering potential environmental impacts and resource limitations. The objective of this research was to combine several information technologies, including remote sensing, a cropping system model, and a geographic information system (GIS), to synthesize and interpret geospatial data collected during two irrigation scheduling experiments conducted in 2009 and 2011 in a 5-ha cotton field in central Arizona. The Geospatial Simulation (GeoSim) plug-in for Quantum GIS was used to manage geospatial data and conduct site-specific simulations with the CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton model. Simulated annealing optimization was used to adjust five model parameters to simulate site-specific conditions in 320 zones across the field. Using input parameters for GeoSim, a multiple criteria objective function was developed to incorporate measured and simulated leaf area index (LAI), crop canopy height, seed cotton yield, and evapotranspiration (ET) for site-specific optimization of CSM-CROPGRO-Cotton. Parameter identifiability and equifinality issues associated with model inversion were investigated. The optimized model was used for post hoc analysis of irrigation rates that maximized site-specific irrigation water use efficiency. With spatial optimization, the model was able to simulate LAI with root mean squared errors (RMSE) of 15 and 8 % in the 2009 and 2011 experiments, respectively. The RMSEs between measured and simulated canopy height, seed cotton yield, and ET were 5 % or less in both seasons. Some parameters were more identifiable than others during model inversions. Multiple temporal estimates of LAI were effective for constraining the model’s specific leaf area parameter (SLAVR, cm2 g−1), but lack of information on root growth reduce identifiability of a parameter related to that process (SRGF0). Post-hoc simulation analysis of irrigation management options showed that irrigation schedules based on remotely sensed vegetation indices increased irrigation water use efficiency as compared to traditional scheduling methods, particularly in the 2009 growing season. In 2011, the analysis showed that all scheduling methods resulted in excess irrigation application, and higher deep seepage rates were simulated in that season. Taken together, the results demonstrate that well-designed software tools and algorithms for data processing and interpretation can be potentially transformative for integrating multiple geospatial data sets to compute optimum scenarios for precision irrigation management.
Computer-controlled vacuum backflush for capillary GC

A vacuum-pump-operated backflush system has been developed for applications involving high-speed, repetitive GC analysis of gas streams containing ppm and ppb levels of organic vapor. The system uses an injector capable of cryofocusing and a relatively short length of 0.25-mm i.d. fused silica column for the separation of relatively simple mixtures of volatile compounds. Analysis times typically are in the 5–10 s range, and backflush times are in the 2–5 s range. Gases from the flame ionization detector are used as the backflush carrier gas, and no modification of the detector is necessary. A procedure is described which allows the average gas velocity to be measured during backflush operation. The minimum backflush time is directly proportional to the analysis time and to the square of the column length, making this system most useful with short columns and short analysis times.
Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia

The dependency of walruses on sea ice as habitat, the extent of their feeding, their benthic bioturbation and consequent nutrient flux suggest that walruses play a major ecological role in Beringia. This suggestion is supported by several lines of evidence, accumulated during more than three decades of enquiry and leading to the hypothesis that positive feedbacks of walrus feeding strongly influence productivity and ecological function via benthic bioturbation and nutrient flux. Walruses annually consume an estimated 3 million metric tons of benthic biomass. Walrus prey species inhabit patches across the shelf according to sediment type and structure. Side-scan sonar and our calculations indicate that the area affected by walrus feeding is in the order of thousands of square kilometers per year. Annual to long-term walrus bioturbation results in significant, large-scale changes in sediment and biological-community structure, and magnifies nutrient flux from sediment pore water to the water column by about two orders of magnitude over wide areas. The combined effects of walrus feeding must be placed in the context of long-term, regional climate changes and responses. Should sea ice continue to move northward as a result of climate change, the walrus' ecological role could be diminished or lost, the benthic ecosystem could be fundamentally altered and native subsistence hunters would be deprived of important resources.
The Biophysical Response of Collagen-Fibrin Composite Gels to In Vitro Acupuncture

Therapeutic acupuncture involves the insertion and manipulation of fine needles at specific points. Although acupuncture has been proven effective for a number of conditions, the mechanisms that underlay these effects remain unknown. A critical first step is to identify the local changes that occur during needle manipulation, which can then be related to longer-term and more remote consequences. In vivo and ex vivo studies have demonstrated that loose collagenous subcutaneous connective tissue couples to needles during therapeutic manipulation, which deforms the tissue and exposes resident cells to altered mechanics and triggers morphologic and phenotypic changes. The resultant alignment of the tissue and cells may additionally help to propagate signals along acupuncture meridians.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Ribosomal S6 kinase and AKT phosphorylation as pharmacodynamic biomarkers in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome treated with RAD001.

Abstract Background Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) continues to cause major morbidity and mortality; thus, novel treatments are needed. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor RAD001 (everolimus) inhibits cellular pathways important to MYC protein stability and cell growth. Pharmacodynamic biomarkers could be useful in distinguishing between (1) disease resistance that occurs even though mTOR is successfully inhibited (suggesting a need for a different treatment strategy) and (2) resistance that might respond to changes in drug dosage or schedule. Patients and Methods This was a small phase II trial of RAD001 in patients with low- and intermediate-1-risk MDS (n = 7). Protein S6K1 (S6) is downstream of mTOR, whereas protein kinase B (AKT) is upstream of mTOR. Therefore, to evaluate the pharmacodynamic effects of RAD001, S6 and AKT phosphorylation (pS6, pAKT) were measured by peripheral blood flow cytometry. Results Sequential weeks of RAD001 produced a decrease in pS6, whereas pAKT was maintained or increased. There were no clinical responses despite the biomarker evidence of intended pharmacodynamic effect. Conclusion The pS6:pAKT ratio could be useful as a biomarker of target inhibition by RAD001 (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00809185).
Food from cloned animals is part of our brave old world.

When confronted by pressure from activists and Congress, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not always adopted policies and made decisions about individual products that accord with the scientific evidence. An example was the unnecessarily and markedly prolonged review of the veterinary drug bovine somatotropin (bST), or bovine growth hormone, during the 1980s. The FDA now faces a similar situation surrounding the question of whether meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring are safe for human consumption. Having made a preliminary decision in the affirmative – based on an exhaustive analysis of scientific articles, health records, blood samples and studies of the composition of meat and milk – the agency has been beleaguered by criticisms. It remains to be seen whether, ultimately, science will trump anti-technology, anti-consumer activism.
Public Reason in Bioethics1

Taking part in secular discussion is difficult for a Christian philosopher. An approach that has often been favoured by Catholic philosophers is to attempt to engage at a level of pure reason using natural law concepts. This paper argues that such an approach sells us short and represents a failure to engage in secular discussion on equal terms and a failure to give adequate witness to the teachings of Christ. The paper seeks to argue that while it is not true that reason has a wax nose, as former Cardial Ratzinger argued, there is a role for faith-derived concepts in secular discussion and for encouraging others to share their view whether faith based or not, and for subjecting those concepts to the scrutiny afforded by rational analysis in an effort to achieve an identified common ground of human goodness that both transcends individual culture and belief but has its individual origins within the disparate cultures and traditions.
ΔNp63 antagonizes p53 to regulate mesoderm induction in Xenopus laevis

p63, a homolog of the tumor suppressor p53, is critical for the development and maintenance of complex epithelia. The developmentally regulated p63 isoform, ΔNp63, can act as a transcriptional repressor, but the link between the transcriptional functions of p63 and its biological roles is unclear. Based on our initial finding that the mesoderm-inducing factor activin A is suppressed by ΔNp63 in human keratinocytes, we investigated the role of ΔNp63 in regulating mesoderm induction during early Xenopus laevis development. We find that down-regulation of ΔNp63 by morpholino injection in the early Xenopus embryo potentiates mesoderm formation whereas ectopic expression of ΔNp63 inhibits mesoderm formation. Furthermore, we show that mesodermal induction after down-regulation of ΔNp63 is dependent on p53. We propose that a key function for p63 in defining a squamous epithelial phenotype is to actively suppress mesodermal cell fates during early development. Collectively, we show that there is a distinct requirement for different p53 family members during the development of both mesodermal and ectodermal tissues. These findings have implications for the role of p63 and p53 in both development and tumorigenesis of human epithelia.
Virion Tails of Beet Yellows Virus: Coordinated Assembly by Three Structural Proteins

Abstract Filamentous virions of Beet yellows virus contain a long body formed by a major capsid protein and a short tail that is assembled by a minor capsid protein (CPm), an Hsp70-homolog (Hsp70h), a 64-kDa protein (p64), and a 20-kDa protein (p20). Using mutation analysis and newly developed in planta assays, here we investigate the genetic requirements for the tail assembly. We show that the inactivation of CPm dramatically reduces incorporation of both Hsp70h and p64. Furthermore, inactivation of Hsp70h prevents incorporation of p64 into virions and vice versa. Hsp70h and p64 are each required for efficient incorporation of CPm. We also show that the tails possessing normal relative amounts of CPm, Hsp70h, and p64 can be formed in the absence of the major capsid protein and p20. Similar to the tails isolated from the wild-type virions, these mutant tails encapsidate the ∼ 700 nt-long, 5′-terminal segments of the viral RNA. Taken together, our results imply that CPm, Hsp70h and p64 act cooperatively to encapsidate a defined region of the closterovirus genome.
Two pharmacological phases in antigen-induced immediate airway response in rats.

The pharmacological profiles of antigen-induced immediate airway response (IAR) in rats are not fully understood. In this study, we established an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced IAR model using noninvasive measurement in rats, and evaluated the effects of commonly used and effective antiasthmatic drugs, i.e. ketotifen (antihistamine), pranlukast (anti-leukotriene C4/D4/E4 (LT)), seratrodast (anti-thromboxane A2 (TXA2)), salbutamol (β2-agonist), and prednisolone (steroid). The rat IAR model exhibited an optimal rapid airway response, and salbutamol inhalation completely suppressed the IAR. Ketotifen inhibited only the quick phase (QP; the reaction from 3 to 6 min after challenge), while pranlukast and seratrodast suppressed only the early phase (EP; the reaction from 6 to 30 min after challenge). Prednisolone inhibited both QP and EP. Further, continuous administration of compound 48/80, which depletes connective tissue mast cells (CTMC), partially inhibited QP but not EP. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the pharmacological profiles of noninvasive rat IAR are similar to those of asthmatic patients, and that rat IAR exhibits additional, immunological diverse characteristics, i.e. QP caused by the exocytosis of mediators in CTMCs and EP mediated by LT and TXA2, which are produced by mucosal mast cells (MMCs) and possibly by other types of cells. This is the first report about the comprehensive pharmacological profiles of rodent IAR model, and these analyses of rat IAR model may help expand our understanding of the diverse mechanisms underlying human asthmatic diseases.
Role of Chest CT in the Follow-Up of Ovarian Adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE. We describe the prevalence of metastatic chest disease in ovarian adenocarcinoma as seen on CT. We sought to determine whether routine chest CT added any pertinent information to the follow-up examination of patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Retrospective review of our tumor registry yielded 96 patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma who had only a single primary malignancy and at least one CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. CT scans were reviewed to assess the presence of metastatic chest disease in relation to disease activity in the abdomen and pelvis. Chest CT findings were correlated with the physical examination findings and CA-125 levels and were reviewed in consultation with a gynecologic oncologist to select only those patients with chest abnormalities attributable to metastatic disease.RESULTS. A total of 266 CT scans were obtained. Forty (41.7%) of the 96 patients had abnormalities attributable to metastatic chest disease on one or more scans. In the ab...
Broadband metacoaxial nanoantenna for metasurface and sensing applications.

We introduce a metacoaxial nanoantenna (MN) that super-localizes the incident electromagnetic field to “hotspots” with a top-down area of 2 nm2, a local field enhancement of ~200-400, and a field localization with a very large spectral range from the visible to the infrared range that has a spectral bandwidth ≥900 nm. Not only is this nanoantenna extremely broadband with ultra-high localization, it also shows significant improvements over traditional nanoantenna designs, as the hotspots are re-configurable by breaking the circular symmetry which enables the ability to tailor the polarization response. These attributes offer significant improvements over traditional nanoantennas as building blocks for metasurfaces and enhanced biodetection that we demonstrate in this work.
Interstitial vasculitis--interstitial lung disease: case studies.

Six patients with interstitial lung disease were tested in a serial fashion to determine response to medications. All patients had biopsy-proven interstitial lung disease. Exercise testing with mea...
The superficial mycoses and the dermatophytes

More than 100,000 species of fungi have been identified worldwide, but only a few dozen are of medical significance. Because of the opportunistic nature of these organisms and the prevalence of immunodeficient conditions, the number of medically important fungi is increasing. Identification of the causative organism is of value in the choice of correct therapy. The development of new antifungal drugs has made it increasingly important to be able to distinguish one fungus from another. This article reviews the laboratory diagnosis of the fungi generally classified as the superficial mycoses and the dermatophytes.
De Re Belief and Cumming's Puzzle

Cumming (2008) uses a puzzle about belief ascription to argue against a Millian semantics for names, and in favor of a view on which names are assigned denotations relative to a shiftable variable assignment. I want to take the puzzle Cumming raises as an opportunity to showcase the virtues of a rival, broadly Stalnakerian, framework for attitude reports that safeguards Millianism. I begin by describing the puzzle, and arguing that Cumming’s proposed resolution fails. A lesson of this discussion is that the puzzle shouldn’t be addressed by appeal to shiftable parameters of an index. As such, the puzzle seems to militate in favor of a Millian view, not against it. After arguing for this claim, I defend three theses needed to apply a Stalnakerian apparatus to the case, arguing that it not only accounts for the data, but harmoniously integrates the puzzling reports into a general framework for dealing with all de re intensional constructions.