cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hemorrhage Risk of Untreated Isolated Cerebral Cavernous Malformations.

Objective Predicting future hemorrhage risk may allow better selection of patients with cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) who will likely benefit from treatment. In this study, we sought to identify predictors of CCM hemorrhage, and to compare subsequent symptomatic hemorrhage risks between patients with and without previous hemorrhage. Methods We performed a retrospective review of consecutive CCM patients at our institution between 1982 and 2017. Patients with diffuse or familial CCM syndromes, and those without follow-up data were excluded. The primary endpoint was acute symptomatic hemorrhage causing transient or permanent neurological symptoms. Primary endpoint incidences were compared between patients with and without previous hemorrhage. Results The study cohort comprised 84 patients with 90 CCMs. Previous hemorrhage was the only significant predictor for the primary endpoint (P = 0.003). CCMs with previous hemorrhage had a higher risk of symptomatic hemorrhage in follow-up than those without previous hemorrhage (26.9 vs. 1.5 symptomatic hemorrhages per 1000 CCM-months, P Conclusions Previous hemorrhage is a predictor of subsequent symptomatic hemorrhage in CCMs. Compared with CCMs without previous hemorrhage, those with prior hemorrhage have a significantly higher risk of future symptomatic hemorrhage.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Demonstration of a Grid-Connected Voltage-Sourced Converter with an LCL Filter

This paper studies the transient behavior and resonance mitigation performance of a grid-connected voltage-sourced converter (VSC) under several control strategies using hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. Many VSCs use LCL filters to increase their power quality. However, an LCL filter may increase the possibility of resonance. Therefore, controllers need to include an active damping feature to improve the transient behavior of the system. There are several active damping current controllers such as 1) internal model control, 2) virtual RC damping control, and 3) notch filter control methods. This paper discusses the overshoot, rise time, and dq-axis current decoupling feature for each controller using HIL simulation case studies performed in the OPAL-RT real-time platform.
A low-power low-noise multi-stage transimpedance amplifier for amperometric based blood glucose monitoring systems

In this paper, the design of low-noise, low-power transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is presented for a miniaturized amperometric based continuous blood glucose monitoring system for wearable devices. The proposed multi-stage cascode common source transimpedance amplifier circuit is designed and implemented in a 180 nm CMOS technology. It has been demonstrated that the proposed TIA shows a significant increase in transimpedance gain, 1.72 GΩ with a bandwidth of 180 kHz and input referred current noise is 18 fA/√Hz for an input current of 200 pA. The total power consumption is 52 μW with a 1.4 V supply and occupies a chip area of 110 μm × 140 μm.
A Matter of Equity: Desegregating and Integrating Gifted and Talented Education for Under-Represented Students of Color

Access to gifted and talented education (referral, identification, and classes) and advanced classes has been challenging for two student groups of color—Black and Hispanic students. More than 10 y...
The global significance of PRISm: how data from low- and middle-income countries link physiology to inflammation.

Does the high rate and unique risk factors of preserved ratio impaired spirometry in low- and middle-income countries have something to teach us about the physiology of this highly prevalent pattern?http://bit.ly/2SsQjeG
The influence of fire interval on community structure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

With fires becoming more common in the intermountain West, understanding patterns of post-fire succession and the role of fire interval in shaping community responses has become critical. In 2016, the Berry Fire burned through 4 study grids which have been the focus of a long-term fire succession project started after the massive 1988 fire season. We investigated the effects of this fire with respect to the repeatability of post-fire succession patterns (i.e., does succession after the 2016 fire match patterns observed after the 1988 fire) and the role of burn interval in shaping community structure of small mammals, invertebrates, and plants. Preliminary results indicate that sites with short burn intervals had greater diversity and abundance across all three taxonomic groups, although these differences were not always significant. Whereas the dominant taxa (deer mice and ants) were the same 1 year after the 1988 and 2016 fires, we documented greater abundance of invertebrates and mammals and greater diversity of mammals after the 2016 fires. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of understanding fire regime (i.e., fire timing and intensity) in shaping these ecological communities into the future. Featured photo by filarwilliams on Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/KYMiJF
Lya escape from z~0.03 star-forming galaxies: the dominant role of outflows

The usefulness of H I Lyman-alpha photons for characterizing star formation in the distant universe is limited by our understanding of the astrophysical processes that regulate their escape from galaxies. These processes can only be observed in detail out to a few x100 Mpc. Past nearby (z =0.03. The galaxies cover a broad range of luminosity, oxygen abundance, and reddening. In this paper, we characterize the observed Lyman-alpha lines and establish correlations with fundamental galaxy properties. We find seven emitters. These host young (\le 10 Myr) stellar populations, have rest-frame equivalent widths in the range 1-12 \AA, and have Lyman-alpha escape fractions within the COS aperture in the range 1-12 %. One emitter has a double-peaked Lyman-alpha with peaks 370 km/s apart and a stronger blue peak. Excluding this object, the emitters have Lyman-alpha and O I \lambda 1302 offsets from H-alpha in agreement with expanding shell models and LBG observations. The absorbers have offsets that are almost consistent with a static medium. We find no one-to-one correspondence between Lyman-alpha emission and age, metallicity, or reddening. Thus, we confirm that Lyman-alpha is enhanced by outflows and is regulated by the dust and H I column density surrounding the hot stars.
Not Fooled by Randomness: Using Random Portfolios to Analyze Investment Funds

The biggest challenge in testing mutual funds for manager skill is the lack of a probability distribution of returns under the null hypothesis of no skill. A methodology based on randomly trading portfolios and non parametric statistical tests is explored, and a test of skill is proposed. Simulation is used to perform an in-depth study of the properties of this test, and to compare its power against that of other tests of skill based on factor model alphas. Empirical tests performed on a sample of US equity mutual funds find evidence of skill in a reduced number of managers, but that the value added by this skill is charged away from the investors in the form of fund fees and expenses. Overall, random portfolio based measures are found to be more powerful and easier to interpret than tests based on traditional and bootstrapped factor model alphas.
Efficacy of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Mayo Clinic Experience.

Objectives Checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) for low- and intermediate-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) have been associated with limited efficacy; recent studies suggest CPIs may represent promising treatment for high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). Methods We examined 57 patients with NENs who were treated with CPIs to determine if NETs and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) respond to immunotherapy. Results Patients with poorly differentiated NECs on CPI monotherapy had an objective response rate (ORR) of 0% and median progression-free survival (PFS) of 2.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-4.6). Patients with poorly differentiated NECs on dual CPI therapy had an ORR of 13% and PFS of 3.5 months (95% CI, 1.4-not reached [NR]). Patients with poorly differentiated NECs on CPI and cytotoxic therapy had an ORR of 36% with PFS of 4.2 months (95% CI, 1.6-NR). Well-differentiated grade 1 and 2 NETs on CPI monotherapy had an ORR of 25% with PFS NR. Well-differentiated grade 3 NETs had 0% ORR with a PFS of 2.9 months (95% CI, 1.4-4.2) on CPI monotherapy. Conclusions Checkpoint inhibitor therapy shows limited activity in patients with NENs. Future studies should identify biomarkers that can help identify patients who are likely responders to immunotherapy.
Concentrated Time: The Antecedents, Implementations, and Reflections on Time in 20th Century Concentration Camps

The passage of time occupied a central place in Nazi and Soviet concentration camps. Time affected everyone and everything, from the revolutionary States of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, to the guards who kept watch over their camps, and the inmates incarcerated in them. The State, under the guise of a revolution for utopia, manipulated time, attempting to accelerate it. The States ultimately had different visions of utopia. The Nazi State saw time leading to a cleansing of the social body and the destruction of a “cancerous growth” allegedly ruining the State. The Soviet State believed time would lead to the building of a socialist paradise and the redemption of those afflicted by the ills of capitalism. The striving by both States for an era of perfection reflected a certain ‘end-time’ mentality that informed the structuring of time in the camps.
A Common Good: Whither the Global Eradication of the Measles Virus?

Measles, a disease caused by the highly infectious Rubeola virus, is responsible for 10% of global mortality for children under 5 years old. Measles infection can be prevented by an easy to administer and cheap vaccine given to young children. Following a successful international campaign to eradicate the smallpox virus, the WHO has proposed that eradication programmes be undertaken for a number of other diseases, including measles. Eradicating a disease has a twofold dividend: the public health benefits of mortality and morbidity avoided, and the financial savings associated with no longer having to maintain national vaccination programmes against the disease. This paper looks at the desirability of such a programme, and uses game theoretical analysis to evaluate whether it is a realistic aim. Any attempt at global eradication would face a number of serious challenges. At the national level, this paper looks at individual incentives to vaccinate, and shows that the existence of external benefits to vaccination imply that compulsory vaccination programmes would be necessary in order to achieve the Pareto optimal vaccination level. On an international level, global eradication will entail significant redistribution of funds between developed and developing countries. This paper shows that the nature of eradication, as a global and a threshold public good means that strong international cooperation will be required to overcome conflicting national incentives and achieve the globally optimal result. The smallpox eradication programme succeeded despite being subject to these same constraints and coordination problems. However, the economics and epidemiology of eradication are much less favourable for measles, and this paper concludes that whilst a measles eradication programme is highly desirable on both economic and public health grounds, a successful programme would require a level of international cooperation and coordination probably not achievable through existing institutions such as the WHO.
On fiber-preserving isotopies of surface homeomorphisms

We show that there are homeomorphisms of closed oriented genus g surfaces Eg which are fiber-preserving with respect to an irregular branched covering Yg -_ S2 and isotopic to the identity, but which are not fiber-isotopic to the identity.
Improving Relations Between Residents and Immigrants

In this article, I argue that the psychological basis of many of the problems associated with immigration can be traced to tangible threats, cultural threats, fears of change, and the negative attitudes and misperceptions that flow from these threats and fears. Concrete suggestions are made for policies at the societal and individual levels that can counteract these problems. In addition, specific programs are suggested to improve relations between residents and immigrants. The article ends with a discussion of some of the psychological processes that underlie improvements in intergroup relations.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene therapy prevents spiral ganglion degeneration after hair cell loss

Destruction of auditory hair cells results in the secondary degeneration of auditory neurons. This is because of the loss of neurotrophic factor support from the auditory hair cells, namely neurotrophin 3, which is normally produced by the inner hair cells. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that delivery of either neurotrophin 3 or brain-derived neurotrophic factor to these neurons can replace the trophic support supplied by the hair cells and prevent their degeneration. To prevent the degeneration of auditory neurons that occurs after neomycin destruction of the auditory hair cells we used a replication defective herpes simplex-1 vector (HSVbdnflac) to transfect the gene for brain-derived neurotrophic factor into the damaged spiral ganglion. Four weeks after the HSVbdnflac therapy we were able to detect stable functional production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor that supported the survival of auditory neurons and prevented the loss of these neurons because of trophic factor deprivation-induced apoptosis.
CD8+ T Cells Circumvent Immune Privilege in the Eye and Mediate Intraocular Tumor Rejection by a TNF-α-Dependent Mechanism

Although intraocular tumors reside in an immune-privileged environment, T cells can circumvent immune privilege and mediate tumor rejection without inducing damage to normal ocular tissue. In this study, we used a well-characterized tumor, Ad5E1 (adenovirus type 5 early region 1), to analyze the role of CD8+ T cells in the pristine rejection of intraocular tumors. It has been previously documented that Ad5E1 tumor rejection can occur in the absence of CD8+ T cells. However, here we find that CD8+ T cells infiltrated intraocular Ad5E1 tumors in C57BL/6 mice. Surprisingly, CD8+ T cells from tumor-rejector mice could mediate intraocular tumor rejection following adoptive transfer to SCID mice. In determining the mechanisms behind CD8+ T cell-mediated tumor rejection, we discovered that antitumor CTL activity was neither observed nor necessary for rejection of the intraocular tumors. CD8+ T cells from rejector mice did not produce IFN-γ in response to Ad5E1 tumor Ags or use FasL to mediate intraocular tumor rejection. Also, CD8+ T cells did not use perforin or TRAIL, as CD8+ T cells from perforin knockout (KO) and TRAIL KO mice conferred protection to SCID recipient mice following adoptive transfer. We discovered that CD8+ T cells used TNF-α to mediate tumor rejection, because Ad5E1 tumor cells were highly sensitive to TNF-α-induced apoptosis and CD8+ T cells from TNF-α KO mice did not protect SCID mice from progressive Ad5E1 tumor growth. The results indicate that CD8+ T cells circumvent immune privilege and mediate intraocular tumor rejection by a TNF-α-dependent manner while leaving the eye intact and vision preserved.
THE RIGHTS OF MUSLIM WOMEN: A Comment on Irene Oh's The Rights of God

This review of Irene Oh's The Rights of God focuses on women's rights in Islamic theory and practice. Oh suggests that religious establishments, and the texts they disseminate, often press believers to recognize and reject social problems, such as racial and gender discrimination. Islamic scholars and texts have played a more ambiguous role in efforts to recognize women's rights within Muslim states. Modernist intellectuals have used Islamic texts to support the advancement of women's rights, but members of the more conservative religious establishment have typically curbed or rejected these efforts. Muslim women themselves have established various responses to the question of Islam's compatibility with women's rights. While some embrace the value and compatibility of both, others reject the propriety of either Western conceptions of rights, or the Islamic tradition, as harmful for women. Muslim reformers and feminists have much to learn from comparative studies with other faith communities that have undergone similar struggles and transformations.
Philosophizing cannot substitute for experimentation: comment on Hoffman, Singh & Prakash (2014)

The perception of a 3D shape must be excluded from Hoffman et al.'s "interface theory" primarily because shape is characterized by its symmetries. When these symmetries are used as a priori constraints, 3D shapes are always recovered from 2D retinal images veridically. These facts make it clear that 3D shape perception is completely different from, as well as more important than, all other perceptions because the veridicality of our perception of 3D shapes (and 3D scenes) accounts for our successful adaptation to the natural environment.
Landmarks in defense literature

Kharakter Operatsii Sovremennykh Armii (character of modern army operations). By Vladimir Kiriakovich Triandafillov. Moscow (1948)
Late Onset Hypogonadism, Testosterone Replacement Therapy, and Sexual Health in Elderly Men

Testosterone levels tend to decline with advancing age in older men. Some develop symptomatic changes consistent with late onset hypogonadism. Alterations in hormone concentration can have negative impacts on multiple organ systems and physiological processes. This paper focuses on implications for sexual health in elderly men, including changes in libido, erectile function, and sexual performance. Associated concepts in cardiovascular health, cognition and mental health are reviewed. Changes in sexual function have been recognized as early indicators of underlying comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, depression, and frailty. New research developments on pathophysiology and hormone replacement therapy are highlighted.
The LDL receptor: how acid pulls the trigger

The low-density lipoprotein receptor normally carries lipoprotein particles into cells, and releases them upon delivery to the low pH milieu of the endosome. Recent structural and functional studies of the receptor, combined with the plethora of prior knowledge about normal receptor function and the effects of disease-associated mutations that cause familial hypercholesterolemia, reveal a detailed molecular model for how the acidic environment of the endosome triggers the release of bound lipoprotein particles. Remarkably, the receptor dynamically interconverts between open (ligand-active) and closed (ligand-inactive) conformations in response to pH, relying on a specific arrangement of fixed and flexible interdomain connections to facilitate efficient binding and release of its lipoprotein ligands.
Efficient and Beneficial Use of Industrial By-Products in Concrete Technology

Nearly 4.2 billion tons of non-hazardous by-products are generated from agricultural, domestic, industrial, and mineral sources and have been used in land filling, due to nonavailability of economically attractive use options. Coal combustion produces minute particles of fly ash that cause huge environmental damage. Land filling is undesirable because it causes, not only huge financial burdens to producers of by-producers, but makes them responsible for unknown future environmental liabilities. To address this problem, concrete researchers initiated studies to see whether these by-products could be used in concrete, as a result of these studies, many by-products were found to be efficient in concrete, thus finding cost-effective solutions to waste disposal problems. In this study an extensive experimental program was carried out to study the concrete properties with and without pozzolanic material such as fly ash, silica fume, and slag for three types of concrete mixtures. In this paper, permeability is considered as the main measuring parameter for producing durable concrete. As a result, it was found that producing durable concrete with low diffusivity and permeability without the addition of pozzolanic material is impossible.
Diastereospecificity in the formation of chelated organometallic complexes

Abstract Three types of intramolecular cyclization reactions in organoiron complexes having one or more chiral centers are shown to proceed with high diastereospecificity.
The influence of paternal species on the origin of callus in anther culture of Solanum hybrids.

Stamen culture of several Solanum species and interspecific hybrids was performed and each stamen was scored for presence and origin of callus. Each species and hybrid has a characteristic callus growth pattern — either no growth (0), callus growth from the filament (F), or callus growth from the anther (A). Characteristic growth types of the interspecific hybrids indicate that callus growth takes precedence over no growth. Hybrids between F and A species exhibit mainly paternal passage of either characteristic callus type. Possible explanations for this pattern of inheritance are male plastome factors or imprinting of paternal genes. The latter explanation is presently preferred.
When is an albumin infusion needed

Albumin infusions can help some critically ill patients, but when to use them is controversial. This protocol can help guide the decision.
A multielement design model for component analysis and cross-setting assessment of a treatment package

The applied problem necessitating this design was a cross-setting and component analysis of a special school's natural treatment package for an autistic child's self-stimulatory behavior. The child's school day was viewed as a multielement baseline with four alternating elements, classroom, play area, small room, and large room, each with a different procedure. Conditions were held constant in the classroom and the play area, the normal school settings, so that manipulations for this one child did not disrupt the rest of the class. Components of the treatment package were manipulated in two experimental settings designated as small and large rooms. The design allowed (1) reversal comparisons of procedures (experimental rooms) over time and (2) daily comparisons of procedures across all four settings (multielement baseline). The assumption that procedures in the natural and the experimental settings were comparable was supported by the findings that the behavioral effects were comparable in natural and experimental settings when corresponding procedures were in effect. The daily comparisons of the multielement baseline seem most desirable when the applied problem requires comparison of several procedures and settings (e.g. component and cross-setting analyses) and as a result, when the possibility of time-correlated artifacts is greatest.
Expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes

Abstract A principal advance in the production of drug-metabolizing enzymes has been the development of catalytically self-sufficient cytochrome P450 systems, including additional P450—reductase fusion proteins and Escherichia coli and baculovirus coexpression constructs. Continuing work with glutathione transferases has resulted in the identification of important residues by random mutagenesis screening techniques, as well as in the engineering of model Salmonella typhimurium strains for genotoxicity analysis.
Distribution of peptide transporter PEPT2 mRNA in the rat nervous system.

The signaling action of neuropeptides in the brain is terminated by breakdown through extracellular peptidases and subsequent removal of the peptide fragments from the extracellular fluid via specific transporter proteins. Here we describe the anatomical distribution in the rat nervous system of the recently isolated high affinity peptide transporter PEPT2. Using nonisotopic in situ hybridization we demonstrate that PEPT2 mRNA is expressed in brain by astrocytes, subependymal cells, ependymal cells and epithelial cells of choroid plexus. Furthermore, PEPT2 is expressed in retina by Muller cells and in dorsal root ganglia by satellite cells. The mRNA levels of PEPT2 in astrocytes are moderate and relatively homogenous throughout the brain except for an area in ventral forebrain where PEPT2 levels are below average. PEPT2 mRNA expression is weakly upregulated in reactive astrocytes that were stimulated through an injection of the glutamatergic neurotoxin quinolinic acid. These data suggest that removal of neuropeptide fragments from brain extracellular fluid occurs via PEPT2 expressed in astrocytes, ependymal cells and choroid plexus epithelial cells.
Regulation of Petrobactin and Bacillibactin Biosynthesis in Bacillus anthracis under Iron and Oxygen Variation

Background: Bacillus anthracis produces two catecholate siderophores, petrobactin and bacillibactin, under iron-limited conditions. Here, we investigate how variable iron and oxygen concentrations influence the biosynthetic output of both siderophores in B. anthracis. In addition, we describe the differential levels of transcription of select genes within the B. anthracis siderophore biosynthetic operons that are responsible for synthesis of petrobactin and bacillibactin, during variable growth conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings: Accumulation of bacillibactin in B. anthracis Sterne (34F2) and in a mutant lacking the major superoxide dismutase (DsodA1) was almost completely repressed by the addition of 20 mM of iron. In contrast, petrobactin synthesis in both strains continued up to 20 mM of iron. Accumulation of petrobactin and bacillibactin showed a slight increase with addition of low levels of paraquat-induced oxidative stress in wild type B. anthracis Sterne. Cultures grown with high aeration resulted in greater accumulation of petrobactin relative to low aeration cultures, and delayed the repressive effect of added iron. Conversely, iron-depleted cultures grown with low aeration resulted in increased levels of bacillibactin. No difference was found in overall superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity or transcriptional levels of the sodA1 and sodA2 genes between iron-depleted and iron-replete conditions at high or low aeration, suggesting that SOD regulation and iron metabolism are separate in B. anthracis. The highest transcription of the gene asbB, part of the petrobactin biosynthetic operon, occurred under iron-limitation with high aeration, but transcription was readily detectable even under iron-replete conditions and in low aeration. The gene dhbC, a member of the bacillibactin biosynthetic operon, was only transcribed under conditions of iron-depletion, regardless of growth aeration. Conclusion: These data suggest that bacillibactin regulation is highly sensitive to iron-concentration. In contrast, although regulation of petrobactin is less dependent on iron, it is likely subject to additional levels of regulation that may contribute to virulence of B. anthracis.
Embodying social class: The link between poverty, income inequality and health

EnglishPoverty, income inequality and the inequitable distribution of health invariably co-occur. The strength of the relationship between wealth and health holds even in countries with universal health care. A systematic literature review describes pathways from inequality of wealth to embodied diseases. The significance for social policy and social work practice is developed.FrenchLa pauvrete, l’inegalite de revenus et la distribution inegalitaire de la sante se co-produisent invariablement. Le pouvoir de la relation entre richesse et sante s’exerce meme dans des pays pourvus d’une couverture sante universelle. Une revue systematique de la litterature decrit les chemins de l’inegalite de la repartition des richesses dans la prise en charge des maladies. La signification pour la politique sociale et la pratique du travail social sera developpee.SpanishHay una concurrencia invariable entre la pobreza, desigualdad de ingresos, y la distribucion desigual de la salud. El fuerte vinculo entre riqueza y salud ...
Mouse trisomy 16 as an animal model of human trisomy 21 (Down syndrome): production of viable trisomy 16 diploid mouse chimeras.

Abstract We have previously proposed that mice trisomic for chromosome 16 will provide an animal model of human trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). However, the value of this model is limited to some extent because trisomy 16 mouse fetuses do not survive as live-born animals. Therefore, in an effort to produce viable mice with cells trisomic for chromosome 16, we have used an aggregation technique to generate trisomy 16 ↔ diploid (Ts 16 ↔ 2n) chimeras. A total of 79 chimeric mice were produced, 11 of which were Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeras. Seven of these Ts 16 ↔ 2n mice were analyzed as fetuses, just prior to birth, and 4 were analyzed as live-born animals. Unlike nonchimeric Ts 16 mouse fetuses which die shortly before birth with edema, congenital heart disease, and thymic and splenic hypoplasia, all but 1 of the Ts 16 ↔ 2n animals were viable and phenotypically normal. The oldest of the live-born Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeras was 12 months old at the time of necropsy. Ts 16 cells, identified by coat color, enzyme marker, and/or karyotype analyses, comprised 50–60% of the brain, heart, lung, liver, and kidney in the 7 Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeric fetuses and 30–40% of these organs in the 4 live-born Ts 16 ↔ 2n animals. Ts 16 cells comprised an average of 40% of the thymus and 80% of the spleen in the Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeras analyzed as fetuses, with no evidence of thymic or splenic hypoplasia. However, we observed a marked deficiency to Ts 16 cells in the blood, spleen, thymus, and bone marrow of live-born Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeras as compared to 2n ↔ 2n controls. These results demonstrate that although the Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeras were, with one exception, viable and phenotypically normal, each animal contained a significant proportion of trisomic cells in a variety of tissues, including the brain. Furthermore, our results suggest that although the abnormal development of Ts 16 thymus and spleen cells observed in Ts 16 fetuses is largely corrected in Ts 16 ↔ 2n fetuses, Ts 16 erythroid and lymphoid cells have a severe proliferative disadvantage as compared to diploid cells in older live-born Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeras. Ts 16 ↔ 2n chimeric mice will provide a valuable tool for studying the functional consequences of aneuploidy and may provide insight into the mechanisms by which trisomy 21 leads to developmental abnormalities in man.
The origin of lysyl oxidase

Abstract Lysyl oxidase initiates crosslink formation of the collagen and elastin extracellular matrix, thereby delimiting its expansive properties. Recently lysyl oxidase has been cloned from several species enabling the computation of the relative order of appearance of the various components of this enzyme system. Comparative evolutionary computer-assisted sequence analysis of the enzyme and its various substrates was undertaken to address this issue. These results support the ordered genesis of the collagen substrate → lysyl oxidase enzyme → elastin substrate.
Beam-foil spectrum of sulfur 600-4000 A

The beam-foil spectrum of sulfur in the wavelength region 600–4000 A has been measured for a series of beam-particle energies from 0.5 to 2.0 MeV. Transitions in S I–S vI have been identified. In addition, many strong unidentified sulfur lines were observed and approximate charge states have been suggested by the variation of intensity of these lines with incident-particle energy. Mean lives of 46 of the stronger transitions were measured. Twenty-seven of these correspond to transitions between known levels of S II–S vI.
A bactericidal effect for human lactoferrin

Streptococcus mutans and Vibrio cholerae, but not Escherichia coli, were killed by incubation with purified human apolactoferrin. Concentrations of lactoferrin below that necessary for total inhibition resulted in a marked reduction in viable colony-forming units. This bactericidal effect was contingent upon the metal-chelating properties of the lactoferrin molecule.
The Effect of Instructor Gender and Race/Ethnicity on Gaining Compliance in the Classroom1

How instructors' gender and race impacts their ability to gain compliance in the classroom when utilizing various bases of social power was investigated using a 2 × 2 × 3 between-subjects design. Male and female participants (n = 297) completed the Interpersonal Power Inventory while viewing a photo depicting an instructor. The instructors depicted were male or female of varying ethnicities (Caucasian, African American, and Latino). Results indicated that instructor gender and race influenced student compliance rates when soft (subtle and noncoercive) bases of power were utilized. With regard to individual power bases, student gender, instructor gender, instructor race, and the Instructor Gender × Instructor Race interaction were found to impact compliance rates. Implications for classroom instructors, as well as other powerholders, are discussed.
Zeta functions of equivalence relations over finite fields

We prove the rationality of the generating function associated to the number of equivalence classes of F"q"^"k-points of a constructible equivalence relation defined over the finite field F"q. This is a consequence of the rationality of Weil zeta functions and of first-order formulas, together with the existence of a suitable parameter space for constructible families of constructible sets.
Material inhomogeneities in Cd 1−x Zn x Te and their effects on large volume gamma-ray detectors

Cadmium zinc telluride (Cd1−x ZnxTe or CZT) has shown great promise as a material for room temperature x-ray and gamma-ray detectors. In particular, polycrystalline material grown by the high pressure Bridgman method with nominal Zn fraction (x) from 0.1 to 0.2 has been used to fabricate high resolution gamma-ray spectrometers with resolution approaching that of cooled high-purity Ge. For increased sensitivity, large areas (> 1 cm2) are required, and for good sensitivity to high energy gamma photons, thick detectors (on the order of 1 cm) are required. Thus, there has been a push for the development of CZT detectors with a volume greater than 1 cm3. However, nonuniformities in the material over this scale degrade the performance of the detectors. Variations in the zinc fraction, and thus the bandgap, and changes in the impurity distributions, both of which arise from the selective segregation of elements during crystal growth, result in spectral distortions. In this work, several materials characterization techniques were combined with detector evaluations to determine the materials properties limiting detector performance. Materials measurements were performed on detectors found to have differing performance. Measurements conducted include infrared transmission, particle induced x-ray emission, photoluminescence, and triaxial x-ray diffraction. To varying degrees, these measurements reveal that “poor-performance” detectors exhibit higher nonuniformities than “spectrometer-grade” detectors. This is reasonable, as regions of CZT material with different properties will give different localized spectral responses, which combine to result in a degraded spectrum for the total device.
Management of Constipation in Residents With Dementia: Sorbitol Effectiveness and Cost

Objective The objective of this report is to describe a cost-effective strategy for management of constipation in nursing home residents with dementia. Design We conducted a prospective observational quality improvement study of 41 residents with chronic constipation and receiving an osmotic laxative. Sorbitol was substituted for lactulose. Setting The study was conducted at a dementia special care unit at a Veterans Administration hospital. Measurement We measured the number and amount of laxative use over a period of 4 weeks that were required to maintain regular bowel function. Results There was no difference in efficacy of lactulose and sorbitol. Use of additional laxatives was infrequent: Milk of Magnesia on approximately 10% of days/patient, bisacodyl suppository on 2% to 4% of days/patient, and Fleet enema only on 3 occasions. The cost of constipation management using routine administration of sorbitol and as-needed use of other laxatives was 27% to 55% lower than the cost of other constipation management strategies reported in the literature. Conclusion Substitution of sorbitol for lactulose does not change efficacy of the treatment and decreases cost. Regular use of an osmotic laxative avoids the costs and discomforts of rectal laxatives.
Pathways to adolescent overweight: Body mass index and height percentile change in childhood

Objective. To study the magnitude and timing of changes in body mass index (BMI) and height percentiles in four groups of children defined by overweight status in early childhood and adolescence: nonoverweight-nonoverweight (N-N), nonoverweight-overweight (N-O), overweight-nonoverweight (O-N), and overweight-overweight (O-O). The aim was to determine if monitoring percentile changes can provide early warnings about risk for adolescent overweight before a chronic pattern of overweight is established. Methods. Data on 3 408 children from the US based National Longitudinal Survey of Youth's Child-Mother file were used. Each child was interviewed on average 5.7 times, with a total of 19 470 person/year observations. BMI and height percentiles were estimated as polynomial functions of age in months for each of the four groups using fixed coefficients and random coefficients models. The models were compared using the Aikake information criterion. Results. There was significant transition between initial and fin...
From Cuthbertson to Fast-Track Surgery: 70 Years of Progress in Reducing Stress in Surgical Patients

Over the past 50 years surgical care has improved dramatically. Most observers related these changes to the seminal development of fields like cardiac, transplantation, vascular, and minimally invasive surgery. In addition, resuscitation of injured patients has greatly improved and systems of care delivery (such as ambulance services, emergency rooms, and specialty tertiary care facilities) have ensured that optimal treatment can be provided to critically ill patients. Finally, supportive measures used in intensive care units and operating rooms enhance outcomes. These areas include using physiologic monitoring, providing sophisticated anesthesia care and pain control, prescribing appropriate antibiotics, supporting patients by metabolic and nutritional means, and using new methods of imaging to aid in diagnosis. All of these areas have added to the improved outcome in surgical patients. There is, however, one major advance that is reflected in all of these accomplishments: the reduction of stress in surgical patients. Stress reduction has contributed to improved operative outcomes, reduced complications, and greatly shortened length of convalescent recovery. This paper will review the remarkable advancements that have been made in this area over the past 70 years and discuss future trends.
Using Pharmacokinetics to Optimize Antiretroviral Drug-Drug Interactions in the Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Better understanding of the pharmacokinetics of antiretroviral drugs has resulted in the design of combination therapies for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This has improved the bioavailability and prolonged the plasma half-life of some of the drugs, resulting in enhanced antiviral activity. However, antiviral combination therapy can also result in adverse drug-drug interactions and diminished antiretroviral activity. In this review, we examine drug interactions involving combinations of protease inhibitors, combinations of protease inhibitors with nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and combinations of nucleoside analogues for the treatment of patients with HIV infection. We discuss examples and mechanisms of pharmacokinetic interactions that improve or decrease antiviral efficacy.
Peel and Shear Fracture Characterization of Debonding in FRP Plated Concrete Affected by Moisture

The objective of this paper is to develop a new mechanistic understanding of moisture affected debonding failures in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) plated concrete systems by mechanically testing accelerated moisture conditioned mesoscale peel and shear interface fracture specimens. Central to the investigation is the use of interface fracture toughness as the quantification parameter of the CFRP-epoxy-concrete trilayer system, which is considered a bond property, to analyze, compare, and correlate physical observations. Results have shown that fracture toughness of the CFRP bonded concrete systems significantly degrades, and its value becomes asymptotic with increasing moisture ingress. This asymptotic behavior is associated with certain moisture concentration levels as predicted by a three-dimensional moisture diffusion simulation. The generally observed debonding mode by concrete delamination for the dry specimens changes to an epoxy/concrete interface separation mode for the wet specimens. Finite element fracture computation, mixed-mode characterization, and kink criterion implementation synergistically suggest that the interface separation mode is attributed to an interfacial material toughening and an interface weakening mechanism as a consequence of moisture diffusion.
Impact of primary omentectomy on longevity of peritoneal dialysis catheters in children.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of omentectomy on peritoneal dialysis catheter failure rates in pediatric patients with renal failure. Methods A retrospective review of children undergoing peritoneal catheter placement was performed over a 22-year period. Children were segregated into those undergoing catheter placements with omentectomy or without. Results One hundred sixty-three patients were reviewed, with a 1:1.03 ratio of male to female patients. The mean age was 6.25 ± 5.58 years. Fifty-three percent underwent omentectomy. Catheter failure was observed in 63 children (39%). Catheter obstruction was identified in 36%. Peritonitis led to failure in 9.8%. Catheter failure rate was significantly reduced with the performance of omentectomy (23% without omentectomy vs 15% with omentectomy, P = .0054). Differences in time to catheter failure did not reach statistical significance in the omentectomy group (759 vs 280 days, P = .13). Conclusions Omentectomy conferred improved utility of peritoneal catheters in children. Omentectomy appears useful in children undergoing peritoneal dialysis catheter placement.
A resistivity minimum in tungsten and its correlation with thermoelectric anomalies

A resistivity minimum is shown to exist in zone-refined tungsten. The appearance of the minimum is correlated with the presence of both a low-temperature positive thermo-electric anomaly and a large ultra-low-temperature negative thermoelectric anomaly. These phenomena are attributed to the presence of an impurity having a local moment. Estimates of the characteristic ordering temperature associated with this moment range from 0.15K to less than 40 mK depending upon the property considered and the model used.
Web image retrieval using an effective topic and content based technique

There has been an exponential growth in the amount of image data that is available on the World Wide Web since the early development of Internet. With such a large amount of information and image available and its usefulness, an effective image retrieval system is thus greatly needed. In this paper, we present an effective approach with both image matching and indexing techniques that improvise on existing integrated image retrieval methods. This technique follows a two-phase approach, integrating query by topic and query by example specification methods. In the first phase, The topic-based image retrieval is performed by using an improved text information retrieval (IR) technique that makes use of the structured format of HTML documents. This technique consists of a focused crawler that not only provides for the user to enter the keyword for the topic-based search but also, the scope in which the user wants to find the images. In the second phase, we use query by example specification to perform a low-level content-based image match in order to retrieve smaller and relatively closer results of the example image. From this, information related to the image feature is automatically extracted from the query image. The main objective of our approach is to develop a functional image search and indexing technique and to demonstrate that better retrieval results can be achieved.
Surface Roughness Contribution to Kapitza Conductance

With reasonable values of the parameters characterizing a statistically rough solid-helium interface, a first-order perturbation calculation correctly predicts the magnitude, temperature dependence, and pressure dependence of the Kapitza conductance above 0.2 K.
CONVERGENT AND DISCRIMINANT VALIDITY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OBJECTIVE INDICES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE

This study investigated the interrelationships among psychological and objective indices of organizational climate, and five performance measures. Subjects were 251 brokers and salespeople from 32 real estate offices. The Organizational Climate and Practices Questionnaire, Agency Climate Questionnaire, and the Survey of Organizations were the perceptual measures used, constituting 17 scales in all. Objective measures were chosen to reflect similar content areas to the subjective scales. A multitrait-multimethod matrix showed convergent and discriminant validity for some of the perceptual measures. Contrary to common findings, however, a composite of measures that yielded such validity indicated negative relationships with some performance measures. A cluster analysis of perceptual measures resulted in six clusters, and scales from a particular instrument generally tended to cluster with scales from the same instrument before clustering with scales from another instrument. Perceptual and objective variable...
The Effect of the EMG Activity of the Lower Leg with Dynamic Balance of the Recreational Athletes with Functional Ankle Instability

[Purpose] The present study investigated the surface electromyographic activity of the lower leg in dynamic balance of recreational athletes with functional ankle instability (FAI) and stable ankles (control). [Methods] Twenty recreational athletes were divided into a functional ankle instability group (10 males) and a stable ankle group (10 males). Their dynamic balance was assessed with the star excursion balance test (SEBT). For all the participants, surface electromyographic (EMG) activities of 7 muscles were evaluated by a Myosystem 1400A unit during the SEBT in 8 directions. [Results] The SEBT scores of the functional ankle instability group (FAIG) were significantly lower than those of the stable ankle group (SAG) during dynamic balance in the anterior, lateral, anterolateral, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions. The EMG activities of TA and PL in the anterior, anteromedial & anterolateral directions, of TP and SE in the posterior, posteromedial and posterolateral directions, and of VL in the lateral direction were significantly lower in FAIG than in SAG. [Conclusion] This study showed that functional ankle stability a affected EMG activity of the lower leg in dynamic balance.