cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diet, nutrition, and cancer. An update on a controversial relationship.

PreviewSpurred by proclamations in the media, more and more patients are questioning physicians about the relationships among diet, nutrition, and cancer. Drs Purtilo and Cohen offer a careful look at the known pros and cons regarding the impact of dietary factors on carcinogenesis.
Retaliation and the Reasonable Person

When a worker complains about discrimination, federal law is supposed to protect that worker from later retaliation. Recent scholarly attention focuses on how courts limit retaliation claims by narrowly framing the causation inquiry. A larger threat to retaliation law is developing in the lower courts. Courts are declaring a wide swath of conduct as insufficiently serious to constitute retaliation. Many courts hold that it is legal for an employer to threaten to fire a worker, to place the worker on administrative leave, or to negatively evaluate the worker because she complained about discriminatory conduct. Even if the worker has evidence that her complaint caused the negative consequence, some judges refuse to call the employer's conduct legal retaliation. This growing body of retaliation harm jurisprudence is surprising. Under existing U.S. Supreme Court precedent, a worker suffers an adverse action if the negative consequence would dissuade a reasonable person from complaining about discrimination. Yet, lower courts routinely dismiss cases by ruling that consequences such as threatened termination or negative evaluations would not dissuade a reasonable person from filing a discrimination complaint. In doing so, courts are making factual determinations about what reasonable people think. Using empirical evidence, this Article demonstrates that these factual determinations are incorrect. This Article then explores how structural and substantive features of retaliation law and judicial decision-making skew retaliation law in a narrow direction. INTRODUCTION 2032 I. THE REASONABLE PERSON IN RETALIATION LAW 2035 A . A dverse A ctions 2037 B . P ost-Burlington 2041 * Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor, University of Cincinnati College of Law. This Article benefitted from comments and suggestions made by participants at the Colloquium on Current Scholarship in Labor and Employment Law hosted at the University of Colorado Law School and the University of Cincinnati College of Law Summer Workshop. I am especially grateful to Deborah Brake, Alex Long, Richard Moberly, Janet Moore, and Michael Solimine, who provided extensive written feedback on prior drafts and to Erin Alderson who assisted my
Do Hedonic and Utilitarian Apps Differ in Consumer Appeal

This research in progress suggests that hedonic and utilitarian mobile applications (apps) differ in consumer appeal. We operationalize consumer appeal through addiction, frustration and consumer value perception. The interplay of frustration in the presence of a set of addicted customers is interesting, as many apps may have an addicted consumer baser-specifically for games, communications of or entertainment apps. Consumer frustration may act as a negative complementing factor to consumer addiction, and this substitution effect is argued to be higher for hedonic products than utilitarian products. Hypotheses are drawn and a methodology is suggested. Possible implications and contributions are discussed.
Luminosity with Intracloud-Type Lightning Initial Breakdown Pulses and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash Candidates

High-speed video data for four hybrid lightning flashes show luminosity bursts at visible wavelengths that are time-correlated with large, intracloud flash (IC) initial breakdown (IB) pulses in electric field change (E-change) data. The candidate IC-type IB pulses are large in range-normalized E-change amplitude and peak current (2.2-3.4 V/m at 100 km, 2.9-11.1 kA) and have slow (0.3-2.2 ms duration) field changes corresponding to charge moment changes of 0.5-15 C km. Such large amplitude IB pulses have been associated with production of terrestrial gamma-ray flashes in prior work. No gamma-ray observations were available for these events. In each flash, a luminosity increase was evident in the video data at the time of the largest IC-type IB pulses, when VHF sources and E-change data indicate the IC initial leader was at 6.1 - 9.4 km altitude and rapidly developing upward. Luminosity starts increasing within -10 µs to +20 µs of the main IC-type IB pulse peak, i.e., within the same 20-µs video frame as that in which the E-change peak occurs. Delay time between the beginning of the E-change pulse and beginning of the luminosity increase is 40-110 µs. Video intensities increase sharply for 80-220 µs to maximum value, then decrease over a longer period, with entire burst durations of 300-800 µs. The time lag between IB pulse peak and maximum luminosity is consistent with these IC-type IB pulses starting a large current that peaks and becomes bright at the time of the main pulse peak, and lasts for several hundred microseconds.
Aberrant Autocrine and Paracrine CD40L Signaling Promotes Primary Myeloma Cell Survival and Attenuates Bortezomib-Induced Apoptosis.

In multiple myeloma (MM), impaired apoptosis is critical for clonal expansion of malignant MM cells in the bone marrow (BM), although the precise underlying mechanism has not been defined. During physiologic plasma cell differentiation, clonal expansion of antigen-activated B cells in the germinal center requires CD40 signalling, which mediates CD40L signals from activated T cells to promote B cell activation and survival. Terminal differentiation of plasma cells from activated B cells is then accompanied by a progressive reduction of CD40 expression, suggesting that the life span of normal plasma cells may be limited by the loss of CD40L signalling. Here we show that CD40L and CD40 are both aberrantly expressed in primary BM MM cells, but not in normal BM plasma cells, their likely normal counterparts. CD40L is also copiously expressed in multiple cell types in myeloma and normal bone marrows, indicating that autocrine and paracrine CD40L signalling may prolong the survival of MM cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. Supporting this hypothesis, disruption of CD40L signalling by an antagonizing CD40L antibody markedly accelerates apoptosis of BM MM cells ex vivo. In the majority of MM cases (N=50), CD40 is expressed at either greater than 90% of BM MM cells or lower than 30% of BM MM cells in vivo, but rarely in between. However, there is no apparent correlation between the frequency of CD40 expression in BM MM cells in vivo and immunoglobulin isotype or treatment history, including bortezomib therapy. Ex vivo, the level of CD40 expression in BM MM cells is enhanced in response to bortezomib, which rapidly activates CD40 transcription. Moreover, killing of primary BM MM cells by bortezomib ex vivo is attenuated by CD40L signalling, at least in part through sustaining NF-?B activation that is required for MM cell survival. Together, our findings suggest that autocrine and paracrine CD40L signalling is critical for the survival of MM cells in the bone marrow and may contribute to the development of drug resistance.
APPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENTIATION

This chapter discusses the applications of differentiation and explains that differentiation can be used to solve certain kinds of maximization and minimization problems. One of the important problems in any retail business is inventory control. On the one hand, there must be enough inventory to meet demand, and on the other hand, the business must avoid excess inventory as this results in unnecessary storage, insurance, and management costs. Moreover, money not committed to inventory can be the earning interest elsewhere. As an example, suppose a retailer of automobile tires expects to sell 8000 tires during the year with sales occurring at a fairly constant rate. Although the retailer could order the 8000 tires all at once, this would result in high holding costs, such as insurance, storage rental, security, and so forth. To reduce the holding costs the retailer might, instead, make many smaller orders during the year. However, this result in high reorder costs, such as delivery charges, paperwork, loading and unloading, and so forth. This leads to the problem of determining an ordering strategy that will strike an optimal balance between holding costs and reorder costs. More precisely, the problem is to minimize by choosing an appropriate lot size. The lot size that minimizes the total annual inventory cost is called the economic ordering quantity.
What the blood knows: interrogating circulating tumor DNA to predict progression of minimal residual disease in early breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for women in the developed world, with an estimated 246,660 new cases in the United States in 2016 (1). Surgical excision is the primary treatment for early stage breast cancer (ESBC), leading to a cure in the majority of patients. However, approximately 25% of patients with ESBC will eventually develop a metastatic recurrence that is incurable in virtually all cases. The risk for recurrence is greatest during the first 5 years after diagnosis, but in some subtypes extends to 20 years. This timeframe suggests an extended period of dormancy during which the growth of micrometastases is restricted, and remains undetectable with current imaging technologies.
Murine Models of Prostate Cancer

Preclinical investigation of prostate cancer (CaP) has been greatly assisted by the availability of animal models which enable experimentation in physiologic tissue microenvironments that cannot be recapitulated by current in vitro platforms. Such modeling is necessary to study carcinogenesis steps requiring interaction between the cancer cell and microenvironment, such as local invasion, circulatory transit/dissemination, lodging and survival of tumor cells at secondary tissue sites, and tumorigenesis itself. Animal models thus provide invaluable preclinical tools for elucidating molecular mechanisms of CaP carcinogenesis and testing novel CaP therapies. This chapter reviews different approaches to murine modeling of CaP and summarizes various models with respect to their histology, androgen sensitivity, invasiveness, metastatic potential, molecular profiles and preclinical discoveries.
Livestock Environment Prospects for the 90's

When projecting livestock environmental prospects for the 1990's. it is critical to recognize the multidimensional nature of managing livestock species under hot environments. This paper identifies potential critical physiological windows during the life cycle of the animal that are sensitive to heat stress and responsive to environmental modification. Ovarian follicular development appears to be sensitive to heat stress leading to reductions in intensity of oestrus and subsequent fertility. Periods of follicular development that are sensitive to heat stress have not been defined. With current improved systems to alter the microenvironment of animals. the period of embryonic sensitivity to heat stress has shifted so that early embryonic losses are less. Potential recombinant proteins that may enhance embryo survival and correct deficiencies in placental function that are induced by heat stress warrant additional investigation. The postpartum period is a critical period in which a multitude of factors interact to influence animal productivity and its sensitivity to heat stress. Nutritional strategies to improve animal performance with the use of fat-supplementation are discussed. Environmental modification and housing systems need to not only maximize the efficiency of animal production but need to consider the potential impact on the environment relative to water use. soil and water pollution. Animal production and management systems need to consider both animal health and well-being issues. To optimize profit under conditions of greater societal constraints and available management alternatives, computer assisted management systems will become a critical tool.
Transformation-Induced Bias: Unbiased Coefficients Do Not Imply Unbiased Quantities of Interest

Political scientists commonly focus on quantities of interest computed from model coefficients rather than on the coefficients themselves. However, the quantities of interest, such as predicted probabilities, first differences, and marginal effects, do not necessarily inherit the small-sample properties of the coefficient estimates. Indeed, unbiased coefficient estimates are neither necessary nor sufficient for unbiased estimates of the quantities of interest. I characterize this transformation-induced bias, calculate an approximation, illustrate its importance with two simulation studies, and discuss its relevance to methodological research.
Scheduling Cycles of Work for Carrying under Heat Stress

Five minutes of carrying loads uphill were assigned to three female and three male heat acclimated subjects. The carrying (75% ), both of which were performed under warm-humid Tdb 36°C, Twb 31°C, and hot-dry Tdb 50°C, Twb 25°C, ambient conditions. Thirty minutes of rest were allowed after each 30 minutes of work. The resting conditions were either the same as those for the working periods or under neutral ambient conditions. Judged by the rise in HR and in Tre, and setting the limits of Tre to 38°C during the walking, the schedule was adequate only when resting was under the neutral ambient conditions, it was partially adequate for resting under the hot-dry ambient conditions, but completely inadequate for resting under the warm-humid conditions.
The Applications of Infrared Spectroscopy in the Investigations of Cotton

With the development of the potassium bromide disk technique infrared absorption spectroscopy has become an increasingly important analytical tool for the cellulose chemist. No simple chemical method exists for evaluating the changes in molecular structure which occur with the chemical treatment of cotton. Infrared spectroscopy offers a means for obtaining such information through the identification of new functional groups which are present after modification, and provides information concerning changes in crystallinity and polymorphic form. Infrared data may also be applied to the detection and quantitative determination of cotton in blends with other fibres. Methods of analysis such as hydrolysis, differential spectroscopy, and multiple internal reflectance have added to the usefulness of this tool in the examination of cotton and modified cotton. Qualitative and quantitative analytical procedures using the infrared absorption spectra of cellulose are described and examples are presented of the applications of these techniques.
Greatest soil microbial diversity found in micro-habitats

Abstract Microbial interactions occur in habitats much smaller than those generally captured in homogenized soil cores sampled across a plot or field. This study uses soil aggregates to examine soil microbial community composition and structure of both bacteria and fungi at a microbially-relevant scale. Aggregates were isolated from three land management systems in central Iowa, USA to test if aggregate-level microbial responses were sensitive to large-scale shifts in plant community and management practices. Bacteria and fungi exhibited similar patterns of community structure and diversity among soil aggregates, regardless of land management. Microaggregates supported more diverse microbial communities, and Fimbriimonadales, Acidimicrobiales, Actinomycetales, Alteromonodales, Burkholderiales, Gemmatimonadales, Rhodobacterales, Soligubrobacterales, Sphingobacteriales, Sphingomonodales, Spirobacillaes, Onygenales, Chaetosphaeriales, and Trichosporanales were indicator taxa for microaggregate communities. Large macroaggregates contained greater abundance of Pedosphaerales, Planctomycetales, Syntrophobacterales, and Glomeromycota (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi). To demonstrate the potential for additional insights into soil microbial diversity, we calculated of a weighted proportional whole soil diversity, which accounted for microbes found in aggregate fractions and resulted in 65% greater bacterial richness and 100% greater fungal richness over independently sampled whole soil (i.e. bulk soil). Our results show microaggregates support highly diverse microbial communities, including several unidentified genera. Isolating aggregates with a microbially sensitive approach provides new opportunities to explore soil microbial communities and the factors shaping them at relevant spatial scales.
Phase I/II Trial of Anticarcinoembryonic Antigen Radioimmunotherapy, Gemcitabine, and Hepatic Arterial Infusion of Fluorodeoxyuridine Postresection of Liver Metastasis for Colorectal Carcinoma.

Abstract Objectives: Report the feasibility, toxicities, and long-term results of a Phase I/II trial of 90Y-labeled anticarcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) (cT84.66) radioimmunotherapy (RIT), gemci...
Tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptor for insulin-like growth factor II is inhibited in plasma membranes from insulin-treated rat adipocytes.

Insulin action in intact adipocytes leads to a rapid increase in the concentration of receptors for insulin-like growth factor (IGF) II on the adipocyte cell surface, and to a decrease in the [32P]phosphate content of these receptors on the plasma membrane [Corvera & Czech (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82. 7314-7318]. It has been previously shown that the receptor for IGF-II can be phosphorylated on tyrosine residues by a kinase activity which is expressed in isolated adipocyte plasma membranes. It is now shown that IGF-II-receptor phosphorylation in vitro, in plasma membranes derived from insulin-treated cells, is markedly decreased compared with the phosphorylation of the receptor in membranes from control cells. This effect of insulin cannot be attributed to an increase in the activity of phosphotyrosyl phosphatase in the membranes. The tyrosine kinase that catalyses the phosphorylation of IGF-II receptors is associated with a fraction of the plasma membrane which is insoluble in Triton X-100. Removal of the Triton X-100-soluble components of the membrane markedly enhances receptor phosphorylation. Moreover, the expression of the inhibitory effect of insulin requires the presence of one or several Triton X-100-soluble components of the plasma membrane.
A Reassessment of the Grenvillian Orogeny in Western Labrador

Recent mapping and radiometric dating in the Grenville Province of western Labrador indicate two major metamorphic events, one Early Proterozoic (circa 1650 Ma) and one Grenvillian (circa 1000 Ma). A threefold tectonic subdivision of the Grenville Orogen is proposed, consisting of an autochthon, a parautochthon and a number of allochthons. The parautochthon in the west consists of a previously unmetamorphosed sedimentary succession, whereas in the east it consists of paragneiss, metamorphosed in the Early Proterozoic, and a granitoid batholith. From the Grenville Front southwards, metasediments of both the autochthon and parautochthon increase in Grenvillian metamorphic grade from greenschist to upper amphibolite facies. These rocks are imbricated by northward-directed thrusts. In the interior Grenville Province, the parautochthonous sequences are tectonically overlain by Lower Proterozoic gneisses of upper amphibolite to granulite facies. These were thrust into place during the Grenvillian orogeny, when they were structurally reworked but only mildly metamorphosed. Upper amphibolite and granulite facies rocks of an Early Proterozoic metamorphism are thus adjacent to those at equivalent and lower grades of a Grenvillian metamorphism.
Antiplatelet Therapies: Aspirin, Clopidogrel and Thienopyridines, and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors for the Management of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Platelet adhesion, aggregation, and activation play a key role in initiating and propagating coronary thrombosis. This provides opportunities to pharmacologically interfere with platelet function and antiplatelet therapies are a central component in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes. Whether the reperfusion strategy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is pharmacologic or catheter-based, the use of adjunctive antiplatelet therapy can reduce the rate of death and ischemic complications. Aspirin, an irreversible inhibitor of platelet cyclooxygenase 1, provides mortality benefit to STEMI patients and is a cornerstone of therapy. Thienopyridines inhibit platelet activation and aggregation by targeting the P2Y12 adenosine diphosphate (ADP) receptor and have been shown to provide mortality benefit in STEMI patients. Clopidogrel is preferred over ticlopidine due to a more favorable side effect profile. The Clopidogrel as Adjunctive Reperfusion Therapy – Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 28 trial (CLARITY – TIMI 28) and the Clopidogrel and Metoprolol Infarction Trial/the Second Chinese Cardiac Study (COMMIT/CCS – 2) are two recent landmark trials demonstrating mortality benefit with clopidogrel in patients receiving pharmacologic reperfusion for STEMI. The glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor mediates platelet aggregation induced by all physiologic agonists and blockade of the receptor, either by monoclonal antibodies (abciximab) or by small molecules (eptifibatide and tirofiban), can be used in adjunctive treatment of STEMI, particularly in patients receiving primary percutaneous intervention (PCI). Novel antiplatelet agents, which may address issues relating to variability in response and irreversibility of inhibitor effects, are under active investigation and will better refine the role of antiplatelet therapy in this clinical setting and lead to further improvement in patient outcomes.
CIDNP from Bimolecular Reactions of Organometallic Compounds

Radical-producing reactions between alkyllithium reagents and organohalides played an important role in the historical development of CIDNP, Reactions of this type were among the first found to produce CIDNP [1].
Cultural Analytics of Large Datasets from Flickr

Author(s): Ushizima, D; Manovich, L; Margolis, T; Douglass, J | Abstract: Deluge became a metaphor to describe the amount of information to which we are subjected, and very often we feel we are drowning while our access to information is rising. Devising mechanisms for exploring massive image sets according to perceptual attributes is still a challenge, even more when dealing with user-generated social media content. Such images tend to be heterogenous, and using metadata-only can be misleading. This paper describes a set of tools designed to analyze large sets of user-created art related images using image features describing color, texture, composition and orientation. The proposed pipeline permits to discriminate Flickr groups in terms of feature vectors and clustering parameters. The algorithms are general enough to be applied to other domains in which the main question is about the variability of the images. Copyright © 2012, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (www.aaai.org). All rights reserved.
The Journalist, the Scientist, and Objectivity

This essay relates the history of objectivity in journalism to the historical development of objectivity in the sciences as worked out by Daston and Galison (Objectivity, Zone Books, New York, 2007/2010). While the nineteenth century history of journalism in America increasingly focused increasingly on facts, in the twentieth century, especially after World War I, it became clear that while objectivity was both a moral imperative and an epistemic ideal, objectivity would not always lead to truth. More recently, as this work argues, objectivity in science and in journalism have developed in parallel, at a time when both face major challenges in the ethics and epistemology of the digital image and its manipulation.
Relationship, Contribution, and Resource Constrains: Determinants of Distributive Justice in Individual Preferences and Negotiated Agreements

This laboratory study investigated the impact of relationship, relative levels of perceived contribution, and resource constraints on individuals' allocation preferences and dyads' negotiated allocations. Dyads of female undergraduates – either strangers or roommates – were given performance feedback that one member produced the majority of the resources available to the dyad; the members of the dyad faced relatively scarce or abundant resources. Subjects indicated their individual allocation preferences and then negotiated the distribution of resources as a pair. Results indicate that all three factors are important predictors of the norms of distributive justice met by the individually preferred and dyadically negotiated allocations. Results also suggest that the degree of agreement between the norms implied by individually preferred allocations and dyadic agreements affect strangers' satisfaction with outcomes to a greater extent than roommates'.
The Effect of Tunnel Drilling Angle on Physeal Disruption During Acl Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Patients: Transtibial vs. Independent Drilling

Purpose: Most studies examining the safety and efficacy of transphyseal ACL reconstruction for skeletally immature patients have utilized transtibial drilling. Independent femoral tunnel drilling may impart a different pattern of distal femoral physeal involvement. The purpose of this study was to radiographically assess differences in distal femoral physeal disruption between transtibial and independent femoral tunnel drilling, paying particular attention to tunnel angle in relation to the physis. We hypothesized that more oblique tunnels associated with independent drilling involve a significantly larger area of physeal disruption compared to vertically oriented tunnels. Methods: Skeletally immature patients between 10 …
Salary Disparities in Academic Urogynecology: Despite Increased Transparency, Men Still Earn More Than Women.

Objective To understand the compensation differences between male and female academic urogynecologists at public institutions. Methods Urogynecologists at public universities with publicly available salary data as of June 2019 were eligible for the study. We collected characteristics, including sex, additional advanced degrees, years of training, board certification, leadership roles, number of authored scientific publications, and total National Institutes of Health funding projects and number of registered clinical trials for which the physician was a principal or co-investigator. We also collected total number of Medicare beneficiaries treated and total Medicare reimbursement as reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. We used linear regression to adjust for potential confounders. Results We identified 85 academic urogynecologists at 29 public state academic institutions with available salary data eligible for inclusion in the study. Males were more likely to be an associate or a full professor (81%) compared with females (55%) and were more likely to serve as department chair, vice chair, or division director (59%) compared with females (30%). The mean annual salary was significantly higher among males ($323,227 ± $97,338) than females ($268,990 ± $72,311, P = 0.004). After adjusting for academic rank and leadership roles and years since residency, the discrepancy persisted, with females compensated on average $37,955 less annually. Conclusions Salaries are higher for male urogynecologists than female urogynecologists, even when accounting for variables such as academic rank and leadership roles. Physician compensation is complex; the differences observed may be due to variables that are not captured in this study. Nevertheless, the magnitude of disparity found in our study warrants further critical assessment of potential biases within the field.
Racially biased high-school support? The heterogeneous effects of support on bachelor-degree enrollment for first-generation immigrants

First-generation immigrants (FGIs) are eager to achieve the American dream and acquire the advantages a bachelor’s degree affords. FGIs compared to their second-generation, third-generation and nat...
Legal Developments for Students With Dyslexia

This article provides a current, comprehensive, and concise overview of the law specific to students with dyslexia in K–12 schools. It consists of (a) an overview of the applicable legal framework,...
A 3D ontogenetic atlas of Alligator mississippiensis cranial nerves and their significance for comparative neurology of reptiles

Cranial nerves are key features of the nervous system and vertebrate body plan. However, little is known about the anatomical relationships and ontogeny of cranial nerves in crocodylians and other reptiles, hampering understanding of adaptations, evolution, and development of special senses, somatosensation, and motor control of cranial organs. Here we share three dimensional (3D) models an of the cranial nerves and cranial nerve targets of embryonic, juvenile, and adult American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) derived from iodine-contrast CT imaging, for the first time, exploring anatomical patterns of cranial nerves across ontogeny. These data reveal the tradeoffs of using contrast-enhanced CT data as well as patterns in growth and development of the alligator cranial nervous system. Though contrast-enhanced CT scanning allows for reconstruction of numerous tissue types in a non-destructive manner, it is still limited by size and resolution. The position of alligator cranial nerves varies little with respect to other cranial structures yet grow at different rates as the skull elongates. These data constrain timing of trigeminal and sympathetic ganglion fusion and reveal morphometric differences in nerve size and path during growth. As demonstrated by these data, alligator cranial nerve morphology is useful in understanding patterns of neurological diversity and distribution, evolution of sensory and muscular innervation, and developmental homology of cranial regions, which in turn, lead to inferences of physiology and behavior.
The joys and challenges of being a physician-scientist.

Physician–scientists are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between practising clinicians and biomedical scientists, but many challenges threaten this career path.
Firearm Storage Practices of US Members of the American College of Surgeons.

Background As a part of its firearm injury prevention action plan, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) surveyed the entire US ACS membership regarding individual members' knowledge, experience, attitudes, degree of support for ACS Committee on Trauma (COT) firearm programs, and degree of support for a range of firearm injury prevention policies. This survey included questions regarding members' prevalence of firearm ownership, type of firearm(s) owned, type of firearm(s) in the home, personal reasons for firearm ownership, and methods of firearm/ammunition storage. Study design An email invitation to participate in an anonymous, 23-item survey on firearms was sent to all US ACS members (n = 54,761) by a contracted survey research firm. Cross tabulation of questionnaire items by demographic characteristics and chi-square analyses were performed with statistical significance p Results The overall response rate was 20.4% (11,147/54,761). Forty-two percent of respondents keep firearms in their home (82% long guns, 82% handguns; 32% high-capacity magazine fed, semi-automatic rifles); 75% keep guns for self-defense/protection, 73% for target shooting; 39% store firearms unlocked, and 32% store guns unlocked and loaded. Results vary by practice/training location, practice type, military experience, sex, age, presence of children in the home, level of training, and race/ethnicity. Conclusions A significant percentage of ACS members keep firearms in their home, and nearly one-third store firearms in an unlocked and loaded fashion. Safe storage is a basic tenet of responsible firearm ownership. These data present opportunities for engaging surgeons in efforts to improve safe firearm storage.
Collision-Induced Unfolding of Native-like Protein Ions Within a Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Device

Native mass spectrometry and collision-induced unfolding (CIU) workflows continue to grow in utilization due to their abil-ity to rapidly characterize protein conformation and stability. To perform these experiments, the instrument must be capa-ble of collisionally activating ions prior to ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) analyses. Trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) is an ion mobility implementation that continues to grow in utilization due to its inherently high resolution and re-duced instrumental footprint. In currently deployed instruments, however, typical modes of collisional activation do not precede IMS analysis and thus, the instruments are incapable of performing CIU workflows. In this work, we expand on a recently developed method of activating protein ions within the TIMS device and explore its analytical utility toward the unfolding of protein ions. We demonstrate the unfolding of native-like ions of ubiquitin, cytochrome C, β-lactoglobulin, and carbonic anhydrase. These ions undergo extensive unfolding upon collisional activation. Additionally, the improved resolu-tion provided by the TIMS separation uncovers previously obscured unfolding complexity.
Fermentation of Feedlot Waste Filtrate by Fungi and Streptomycetes

The soluble and dispersed nitrogen and carbon components in the filtrate fraction of cattle feedlot waste are a potential nutrient source from which single-cell protein could be produced for animal feeds. The ability of more than 200 fungi and streptomycetes to grow in this liquid was determined; these included isolates from the waste and associated sources, as well as organisms maintained in the Culture Collection of the Agricultural Research Service in Peoria, Ill. Utilization of waste nutrients was measured by changes in nitrogen content and chemical oxygen demand. Only 20% of the organisms were able to grow appreciably in the filtrate. Of these, dry-weight yields varied from 0.6 to 2.7 g of mycelium per liter; from 21 to 50% of the nitrogen in the filtrates was used during growth, whereas chemical oxygen demand levels diminished from 4 to 60%. In general, streptomycetes isolated from the feedlot used nutrients from the filtrates better than fungi did. Addition of readily available carbon sources such as glucose or whey significantly increased (as much as sixfold) cell yields of selected organisms and promoted better utilization of nitrogen (from two- to threefold); the effect on chemical oxygen demand varied (0 to 33% increase).
A low power chipset for portable multimedia applications

Future terminals will allow users untethered access to multimedia information servers that are interconnected through high-bandwidth network backbones. This paper describes a chipset for such a terminal, to transmit audio and pen input from the user to the network on a wireless uplink and to receive audio, text/graphics and compressed video from the backbone on the down link. The portability requirement results in the primary design focus on power reduction. Six chips provide the interface between a high-speed digital radio modem and a commercial speech codec, pen input circuitry, and LCD panels for text/graphics and full-motion video display. The chips provide protocol conversion, synchronization, error correction, packetization, buffering, video decompression, and D/A conversion at power consumption less than 5 mW. >
Measuring the impact of alternative parallel process architecture on communication subsystem performance

A communication subsystem consists of protocol functions and operating system mechanisms that support the implementation and execution of protocol stacks. To effectively parallelize a communication subsystem, careful consideration must be given to the process architecture used to structure multiple processing elements. A process architecture binds one or more processing elements with the protocol tasks and messages associated with protocol stacks in a communication subsystem. This paper outlines the two fundamental types of process architectures (task-based and message-based) and describes performance experiments conducted on three representative examples of these two types of process architectures — Layer Parallelism, which is a task-based process architecture, and Message-Parallelism and Connectional Parallelism, which are message-based process architectures. These experiments measure the impact of the process architecture on connectionless and connection-oriented protocol stacks (based upon UDP and TCP) in a shared-memory multi-processor operating system. The results from these experiments indicate that the choice of process architecture significantly affects communication subsystem performance.
The American “Rule”: Assuring the Lion His Share

Court costs in American civil procedure are allocated to the loser (“loser pays”) as elsewhere in the world. When American civil procedure took shape in the 1840s, American lawyers thought that losing parties ought to indemnify winning parties against all expenses of lawsuits. Yet today, attorneys’ fees – the lion’s share of expenses in the words of the General Report – are not allocated this way. By practice – and not by legal rule – attorneys’ fees fall on the parties that incur them. Those fees are not set by statute or court decision, but by agreement between parties and their lawyers (“unregulated fee agreements”). This essay suggests that the reason this is so is that this practice suits lawyers.
Layered space-time codes for wireless communications using multiple transmit antennas

Multiple-antenna systems provide very high capacity compared to single antenna systems in a Rayleigh fading environment. Space-time codes are channel codes designed to exploit this high capacity for multiple-antenna systems without requiring instantaneous channel knowledge at the transmitter. A practical concern for high data rate space-time codes is their decoding complexity. The decoding complexity with ML criterion can be prohibitively large. In this paper, we focus on layered space-time (LST) codes. Two types of LST codes, the horizontally-layered space-time (HLST) codes and the diagonally-layered space-time (DLST) codes, are presented. We analyze the performance of both types of LST codes under slow and fast fading conditions. We conclude that, in a slow fading environment, DLST codes have superior performance over HLST codes. The design criteria for DLST codes are proposed.
Abstract W P48: Marked Regional Variation in Acute Stroke Treatment in Medicare Beneficiaries

Objective: Regionalization of stroke care has occurred sporadically across the U.S, so determining realistic goal treatment rates for individual regions or the nation as a whole is challenging. Studies of a single hospital or region vary widely in estimates of eligibility for acute therapy and may have limited generalizability or biases. We hypothesized that the proportion of U.S. Medicare beneficiaries receiving acute stroke therapy varies by region. Treatment rates in high performing regions may represent realistic national goals and inform policy to increase treatment rates. Methods: All Medicare beneficiaries with a principal diagnosis of ischemic stroke (ICD-9 433.x1, 434.x1, 436) admitted through the emergency department were identified using MEDPAR files from 2007-2010. Receipt of IV tPA (DRG 559, MS-DRG 61-63, ICD-9 procedure code 99.10) or IA thrombolysis (CPT code 37184-6, 37201, 75896 via linked Medicare Carrier files) was determined. Patients were assigned to one of 3,436 Hospital Service Areas (HSA; local health care markets for hospital care) by zip code. Regional acute stroke treatment rates were calculated and the lowest and highest quintiles were compared. Multi-level logistic regression was used to adjust for individual demographics as well as regional population density, education, median income, and unemployment using linked census data. Model-based adjusted regional acute stroke treatment rates were estimated. Results: Of 916,232 stroke admissions 3.6% received IV tPA only and 0.6% received IA or combined therapy. Unadjusted treatment rates by region ranged from 0.8% (minimum) to 14.8% (maximum). Regional rates ranged from 1.7% (quintile 1) to 5.4% (quintile 5). Regions with higher education, population density and income had higher treatment rates (p Conclusions: Marked variation exists in acute stroke treatment rates by region, even after adjusting for patient and regional characteristics, supporting the perception that a major opportunity exists to improve acute stroke treatment within many HSAs.
β-d-Glucan Testing Is Important for Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Infections

Invasive fungal infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients who receive immunosuppressive therapy, such as solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Many of the fungi associated with these infections are angioinvasive and are best diagnosed by visualizing the organism in or culturing the organism from deep tissue. However, obtaining such tissue often requires an invasive procedure. Many HSCT recipients are thrombocytopenic, making such procedure too risky because of potential bleeding complications. Additionally, positive blood cultures are rare for patients with angioinvasive fungal infections, making this diagnostic strategy of little value. Undiagnosed fungal infections in these patient populations are a significant cause of mortality. Prophylactic use of antifungal agents, such as the echinocandins, during periods of neutropenia or graft-versus-host disease may prevent some fungal infections but increase the risk for others. Detection of fungal antigens in body fluids, including cryptococcus capsular polysaccharide, histoplasma antigen, galactomannan, and β-d-glucan, is viewed as being clinically useful for at least the presumptive diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. β-d-Glucan is an attractive antigen in that it is found in a broad range of fungal agents, including the commonly encountered agents Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., and Pneumocystis jirovecii. Cross-reactions with certain hemodialysis filters, beta-lactam antimicrobials, and immunoglobulins, which raise concerns about false-positive tests, have also been described. As a result, the use of this testing must be closely monitored. In this point-counterpoint, we have asked Elitza Theel, who directs the Infectious Disease Serology Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic, to address why she believes that this test has value in the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. We have asked Christopher Doern, Director of Clinical Microbiology at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, why he questions the clinical value of β-d-glucan testing.
Characterization of a Baculovirus-Encoded RNA 5′-Triphosphatase

Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) encodes a 168-amino-acid polypeptide that contains the signature motif of the superfamily of protein phosphatases that act via a covalent cysteinyl phosphate intermediate. The sequence of the AcNPV phosphatase is similar to that of the RNA triphosphatase domain of the metazoan cellular mRNA capping enzyme. Here, we show that the purified recombinant AcNPV protein is an RNA 5′-triphosphatase that hydrolyzes the γ-phosphate of triphosphate-terminated poly(A); it also hydrolyzes ATP to ADP and GTP to GDP. The phosphatase sediments as two discrete components in a glycerol gradient: a 9.5S oligomer and 2.5S putative monomer. The 2.5S form of the enzyme releases 32Pi from 1 μM γ-32P-labeled triphosphate-terminated poly(A) with a turnover number of 52 min−1 and converts ATP to ADP with Vmax of 8 min−1 and Km of 25 μM ATP. The 9.5S oligomeric form of the enzyme displays an initial pre-steady-state burst of ADP and Pi formation, which is proportional to and stoichiometric with the enzyme, followed by a slower steady-state rate of product formation (approximately 1/10 of the steady-state rate of the 2.5S enzyme). We surmise that the oligomeric enzyme is subject to a rate-limiting step other than reaction chemistry and that this step is either distinct from or slower than the rate-limiting step for the 2.5S enzyme. Replacing the presumptive active site nucleophile Cys-119 by alanine abrogates RNA triphosphatase and ATPase activity. Our findings raise the possibility that baculoviruses encode enzymes that cap the 5′ ends of viral transcripts synthesized at late times postinfection by a virus-encoded RNA polymerase.
MediGuide—impact on catheter ablation techniques and workflow

Since the introduction of percutaneous intervention in modern medical science, specifically cardiovascular medicine fluoroscopy has remained the gold standard for navigation inside the cardiac structures. As the complexity of the procedures continue to increase with advances in interventional electrophysiology, the procedural times and fluoroscopy times have proportionately increased and the risks of radiation exposure both to the patients as well as the operator continue to rise. 3D electroanatomic mapping systems have to some extent complemented fluoroscopic imaging in improving catheter navigation and forming a solid platform for exploring the electroanatomic details of the target substrate. The 3D mapping systems are still limited as they continue to be static representations of a dynamic heart without being completely integrated with fluoroscopy. The field needed a technological solution that could add a dynamic positioning system that can be successfully incorporated into fluoroscopic imaging as well as electroanatomic imaging modalities. MediGuide is one such innovative technology that exploits the geo-positioning system principles. It employs a transmitter mounted on the X-ray panel that emits an electromagnetic field within which sensor-equipped diagnostic and ablation catheters are tracked within prerecorded fluoroscopic images. MediGuide is also integrated with NavX mapping system and helps in developing better 3D images by field scaling-a process that reduces field distortions that occur from impedance mapping alone. In this review, we discuss about the principle of MediGuide technology, the catheter ablation techniques, and the workflow in the EP lab for different procedures.
Epistemic uncertainty quantification techniques including evidence theory for large-scale structures

Abstract Over the last decade, probability theory has been studied and embedded in engineering structural design through uncertainty quantification (UQ) analysis, instead of simply assigning safety factors. However, recently it has been found by the scientific and engineering community that there are limitations in using only one framework (probability theory) to quantify the uncertainty in a system because of the impreciseness of data or knowledge. In this paper, evidence theory is proposed as an alternative to the classical probability theory to handle the imprecise data situation. The possibility of adopting evidence theory as a general tool of UQ analysis for large-scale built up structures is investigated with an algorithm that can alleviate the computational difficulties.
Comparative receptor-binding properties of heptapeptide and octapeptide antagonists of angiotensin II in rat adrenal glomerulosa and uterine smooth muscle.

Pharmacological studies in the rat and other species using angiotensin II (Ang II) antagonists suggest that the structural requirements of Ang II antagonists differ in smooth muscle and adrenal target tissues. Specifically, heptapeptide antagonists preferentially inhibit steroidogenic responses to Ang II, while octapeptide antagonists preferentially inhibit pressor responses to Ang II. We have compared the ability of a number ofhepta- and octapeptide antagonists to inhibit [125I]iodo-Ang II receptor binding in rat uterine smooth muscle and adrenal target tissues. The purpose was to determine whether variable receptor-binding affinities in these tissues could account for the differences observed in vivo. A number of similarities was noted in the two target tissues. First, each of the octapeptide antagonists was a more potent inhibitor of Ang II binding than its corresponding 2–8 heptapeptide antagonist. Second, there was a linear relationship between the dose ratios of receptor binding in the adrenal and i...