cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microfluidic viscometers for shear rheology of complex fluids and biofluids

The rich diversity of man-made complex fluids and naturally occurring biofluids is opening up new opportunities for investigating their flow behavior and characterizing their rheological properties. Steady shear viscosity is undoubtedly the most widely characterized material property of these fluids. Although widely adopted, macroscale rheometers are limited by sample volumes, access to high shear rates, hydrodynamic instabilities, and interfacial artifacts. Currently, microfluidic devices are capable of handling low sample volumes, providing precision control of flow and channel geometry, enabling a high degree of multiplexing and automation, and integrating flow visualization and optical techniques. These intrinsic advantages of microfluidics have made it especially suitable for the steady shear rheology of complex fluids. In this paper, we review the use of microfluidics for conducting shear viscometry of complex fluids and biofluids with a focus on viscosity curves as a function of shear rate. We discuss the physical principles underlying different microfluidic viscometers, their unique features and limits of operation. This compilation of technological options will potentially serve in promoting the benefits of microfluidic viscometry along with evincing further interest and research in this area. We intend that this review will aid researchers handling and studying complex fluids in selecting and adopting microfluidic viscometers based on their needs. We conclude with challenges and future directions in microfluidic rheometry of complex fluids and biofluids.
The Relationship between Inattentional Blindness, Inattentional Insensitivity, Situation Awareness, and Performance in a Driving Simulator

Fifty-eight students at a small liberal arts college in northeastern United States participated in a study of inattentional blindness (IB) and inattentional insensitivity (IIS). IIS is the inabilit...
Anesthesia and pancreatic transplantation

Summary The future of pancreatic transplantation for potentially eliminating type I DM as a major health hazard promises to be fascinating. The development of less toxic immunosuppressive regimens would allow broader applications of the procedure as well as possibly eradicating type I DM relatively early. Transplantation of cultured fetal pancreas cells may become a reality as a successful graft technique. Earlier means of detecting pancreatic rejection are currently under investigation and should come to fruition. In nonuremic individuals, the results of pancreatic transplantation on reversing or stabilizing the microangiopathic complications of type I DM are encouraging but have not yet produced definitive conclusions. Therefore, the procedure must still be considered experimental. On the other hand, combined pancreatic renal transplantation or pancreas transplantation after renal transplantation, a two-stage procedure, should be offered to all type I diabetics who are candidates for renal transplantation.
Advances in the Care of Transgender Children and Adolescents

Children and adolescents with gender dysphoria are presenting for medical attention at increasing rates. Standards of Care have been developed which outline appropriate mental health support and hormonal interventions for transgender youth. This article defines terminology related to gender identity, reviews the history of medical interventions for transgender persons, outlines what is known about gender identity development, and reviews mental health disparities faced by this patient population. We provide an overview of medical management options for transgender adolescents meeting diagnostic criteria for gender dysphoria including pubertal suppression, cross-sex hormones, longitudinal screening and anticipatory guidance. We describe current challenges in the field and provide information about how care is currently being provided in the US and Canada. We conclude with 5 brief case examples.
Effect of asthma and PTSD on persistence and onset of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms among adults exposed to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks

Background Little is known about the direction of causality among asthma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and onset of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms (GERS) after exposure to the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Methods Using data from the WTC Health Registry, we investigated the effects of early diagnosed post-9/11 asthma and PTSD on the late onset and persistence of GERS using log-binomial regression, and examined whether PTSD mediated the asthma-GERS association using structural equation modeling. Results Of 29,406 enrollees, 23% reported GERS at follow-up in 2011–2012. Early post-9/11 asthma and PTSD were each independently associated with both the persistence of GERS that was present at baseline and the development of GERS in persons without a prior history. PTSD mediated the association between early post-9/11 asthma and late-onset GERS. Conclusions Clinicians should assess patients with post-9/11 GERS for comorbid asthma and PTSD, and plan medical care for these conditions in an integrated fashion. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:805–814, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
„Die erzählte Geschichte ist, was am Ende zählt“. Postmoderne Spiegelungen jüdischen Lebens im literarischen Werk Benjamin Steins

Deutsch Benjamin Stein (geb. 1970) gilt als einer der hervorragenden Vertreter der sogenannten „dritten Generation“ deutsch-judischer Schriftsteller nach der Shoa. In den Werken dieser Autorinnen und Autoren spiegelt sich ein – auch religios gepragtes – selbstverstandliches Leben als Judin oder Jude im deutschen Sprachraum der Gegenwart, in dem die Erinnerung an die Shoa zwar standig prasent ist, aber nicht alle anderen Lebensdimensionen uberlagert. Vor allem in dem viel diskutierten Roman „Die Leinwand“ (2010), einer kunstvollen Doppelerzahlung um Erinnerung und Identitat, schreibt Stein die Existenz als orthodoxer Jude in unserer postmodernen westlichen Welt mitten hinein in das breite Panorama deutschsprachiger Gegenwartsliteratur. English "The Story told is what counts in the End.“ Postmodern Reflections on Jewish Life in the Literary Works of Benjamin Stein Benjamin Stein (*1970) is one of the most outstanding representatives of the so called „third generation“ of German-Jewish authors after the Shoah. Living as a Jew in the German speaking countries of today is mirrored in the works of these authors as a matter of course, including religious life. Remembrance of the Shoah is always present, but no longer overshadows all the other aspects of life. Especially in his widely discussed novel „Die Leinwand“/“The canvas“ (2010) – an intricate story told from two different perspectives about memory and identity – Stein carries the existence of an orthodox Jew in our postmodern western society right into the center of the broad field of German contemporary literature.
Use of Video Goggles to Distract Patients During PET/CT Studies of School-Aged Children

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of video goggles in distracting children undergoing PET/CT and to determine whether the goggles create CT and PET artifacts. Methods: Video goggles with small amounts of internal radioopaque material were used. During whole-body PET/CT imaging, 30 nonsedated patients aged 4–13 y watched videos of their choice using the goggles. Fifteen of the PET/CT studies were performed on a scanner installed in 2006, and the other 15 were performed on a scanner installed in 2013. The fused scans were reviewed for evidence of head movement, and the individual PET and CT scans of the head were reviewed for the presence and severity of streak artifact. The CT exposure settings were recorded for each scan at the anatomic level at which the goggles were worn. Results: Only one of the 30 scans had evidence of significant head motion. Two of the 30 had minor coregistration problems due to motion, and 27 of the 30 had very good to excellent coregistration. For the 2006 scanner, 2 of the 14 evaluable localization CT scans of the head demonstrated no streak artifact in brain tissue, 6 of the 14 had mild streak artifact in brain tissue, and 6 of the 14 had moderate streak artifact in brain tissue. Mild streak artifact in bone was noted in 2 of the 14 studies. For the 2013 scanner, 7 of 15 studies had mild streak artifact in brain tissue and 8 of 15 had no streak artifact in brain tissue, whereas none of the 15 had streak artifact in bone. There were no artifacts attributable to the goggles on the 18F-FDG PET brain images of any of the 29 evaluable studies. The average CT exposure parameters at the level of the orbits were 36% lower on the 2013 scanner than on the 2006 scanner. Conclusion: Video goggles may be used successfully to distract children undergoing PET with localization CT. The goggles cause no significant degradation of the PET brain images or the CT skull images. The degree of artifact on brain tissue images varies from none to moderate and depends on the CT equipment used.
Paper 8 - Theory of the Fermi Interaction

The representation of Fermi particles by two-component Pauli spinors satisfying a second order differential equation and the suggestion that in β decay these spinors act without gradient couplings leads to an essentially unique weak four-fermion coupling. It is equivalent to equal amounts of vector and axial vector coupling with two-component neutrinos and conservation of leptons. (The relative sign is not determined theoretically.) It is taken to be “universal”; the lifetime of the μ agrees to within the experimental errors of 2%. The vector part of the coupling is, by analogy with electric charge, assumed to be not renormalized by virtual mesons. This requires, for example, that pions are also “charged” in the sense that there is a direct interaction in which, say, a π^0 goes to π^- and an electron goes to a neutrino. The weak decays of strange particles will result qualitatively if the universality is extended to include a coupling involving a Λ or ∑ fermion. Parity is then not conserved even for those decays like K → 2π or 3π which involve no neutrinos. The theory is at variance with the measured angular correlation of electron and neutrino in He^6, and with the fact that fewer than 10^(-4) pion decay into electron and neutrino.
Comparison of Growth and yield of dry seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) in natural and conventional farming systems

The application of chemical fertilizers is costly and gradually lead to the environmental problems. Natural farming is becoming an increasingly important aspect of environmentally sound sustainable agriculture. In this regard, an experiment was conducted during Maha season in 2014 from November to February at Vaharai DS Division, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. The experiment consisted of two farming systems; natural farming and conventional farming and was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with twelve replications. All the crop management practices from land preparation to harvesting were done for each farming systems separately. Bg 352 rice variety was used for the experiment. Growth parameters and yield parameters were taken at fourteen weeks after sowing by destructive random sampling method. The results revealed that natural farming system significantly (p<0.05) increased the tested parameters such as plant height, total number of tillers, total number of productive tillers, total leaf area per plant, root length, dry weight of root, Panicle length, total number of spikelets per panicle, number of filled spikelets per panicle, hundred grain weight along with yield over conventional farming system. Further, economic analysis of the data presented in this study showed that natural farming method for rice cultivation is the most economical and attractive option for farming community. The high yield grain and less cost of production per hectare were noted in natural farms (B/C= 4.82) as compared with conventional farms (B/C=2.39). Therefore, it could be concluded that the adoption of natural farming technology improves rice farmer’s profit along with livelihood and this eventually reduces poverty through environmental friendly way. KEYWORDS: Conventional farming, economic analysis, natural Farming, rice, yield
Reviews and Resources:Career Options for Biomedical Scientists: BOOK

Career Options for Biomedical Scientists presents a comprehensive look at a variety of academic and nonacademic career options in a thorough and objective manner that is sorely missing from many (if not most) Ph.D. training programs. Each chapter views a different career option systematically, starting with an introduction to the career path and then moving into a practical examination of that career, from descriptions of the typical types of jobs one might find to the skills and qualifications required for those jobs and the typical career progression one can expect to encounter. Finally, after a structured and objective look at each career, each chapter ends with a more personal story from somebody who has followed that career path.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a treatment strategy for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Obese and type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients have a high prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a continuum of chronic liver diseases ranging from benign hepatosteatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and primary hepatocellular cancer (HCC). Because of its strong association with the obesity epidemic, NAFLD is rapidly becoming a major public health concern worldwide. Surprisingly, there are no FDA approved NAFLD therapies; and current therapies focus on the co-morbidities associated with NAFLD, namely, obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. The goal of this review is to provide background on the disease process, discuss human studies and preclinical models that have examined treatment options. We also provide an in-depth rationale for the use of dietary ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω3 PUFA) supplements as a treatment option for NAFLD. This focus is based on recent studies indicating that NASH patients and preclinical mouse models of NASH have low levels of hepatic C20-22 ω3 PUFA. This decline in hepatic PUFA may account for the major phenotypic features associated with NASH, including steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. Finally, our discussion will address the strengths and limitations of ω3 PUFA supplements use in NAFLD therapy.
Several studies with significant C1 attention effects survive critical analysis.

In a discussion paper (Slotnick, this issue), I conducted a selective review of spatial attention studies to compare experimental parameters and determine whether particular stimulus, task, or anal...
A Correction to the Article “Fast Optic Disc Segmentation in Retina Using Polar Transform”

Glaucoma is one among the leading reasons of blindness and vision loss in the working population. Retinal image analysis is an important tool for early diagnosis and prognosis of glaucoma which helps in preventing vision loss. The end-to-end processing pipeline for Glaucoma detection from retinal images includes the detection of optic disc (OD), neuroretinal rim (NRR), and optic cup (OC) segmentation, feature computation from the segmented OD and OC, and estimation of Glaucoma from these features. This paper is submitted as a correction article to our previous paper, which presented only the first step of the pipeline i.e., fast and robust OD segmentation in retinal images. This correction paper presents the remaining steps of Glaucoma detection processing pipeline. The segmented OD is preprocessed to highlight the NRR and OC area. A multi-layer perceptron with 12-D feature vector is used for pixel classification-based OC segmentation. Cup-to-disc ratio and other contextual features are extracted from the segmented OD and OC. A decision tree-based random subspace ensemble classifier is used to classify the Glaucomatous and non-Glaucomatous images. Experimental evaluation shows that the proposed methodology can be reliably utilized in screening programs for early glaucoma detection.
Retinal Pathology in Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) causes primary degeneration of photoreceptors, followed by reactive changes in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and Muller glia, death of inner retinal neurons, and atrophy of the retinal vasculature. Current strategies for retinal therapy include transplantation of normal photoreceptors, delivery of corrective genes to diseased photoreceptors, and electrical stimulation of inner retinal neurons [1–5]. This chapter will review the histopathology of the retina in RP, including the characteristic changes found in the photoreceptors, subretinal space, RPE and choriocapillaris, Muller glia, inner retinal neurons and blood vessels. Changes in these retinal components secondary to death of photoreceptors are important considerations in developing new therapies for RP
Pretreatment Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment-Mechanisms and Outlook.

Cognitive changes are common in patients with active cancer and during its remission. This has largely been blamed on therapy-related toxicities and diagnosis-related stress, with little attention paid to the biological impact of cancer itself. A plethora of clinical studies demonstrates that cancer patients experience cognitive impairment during and after treatment. However, recent studies show that a significant portion of patients with non-central nervous system (CNS) tumors experience cognitive decline prior to treatment, suggesting a role for tumor-derived factors in modulating cognition and behavior. Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) negatively impacts a patient’s quality of life, reduces occupational and social functioning, and increases morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, patients with cancer cachexia frequently experience a stark neurocognitive decline, suggesting peripheral tumors exert an enduring toll on the brain during this chronic paraneoplastic syndrome. However, the scarcity of research on cognitive impairment in non-CNS cancers makes it difficult to isolate psychosocial, genetic, behavioral, and pathophysiological factors in CRCI. Furthermore, clinical models of CRCI are frequently confounded by complicated drug regimens that inherently affect neurocognitive processes. The severity of CRCI varies considerably amongst patients and highlights its multifactorial nature. Untangling the biological aspects of CRCI from genetic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors is non-trivial, yet vital in understanding the pathogenesis of CRCI and discovering means for therapeutic intervention. Recent evidence demonstrating the ability of peripheral tumors to alter CNS pathways in murine models is compelling, and it allows researchers to isolate the underlying biological mechanisms from the confounding psychosocial stressors found in the clinic. This review summarizes the state of the science of CRCI independent of treatment and focuses on biological mechanisms in which peripheral cancers modulate the CNS.
Oil and Natural Gas Exploration

Exploration for oil and natural gas is a search for buried treasure, on a huge scale, for commercial purposes. Exploration is a business-oriented search for new hydrocarbon assets. Geology is a science; geophysics is a science; exploration is a business. It is not difficult to find traces of oil and natural gas; it is very difficult to find large quantities of hydrocarbons cheaply.
Relationships between emotional dispositions and mathematics achievement moderated by instructional practices: analysis of TIMSS 2015

This research is a secondary analysis with Korean students’ data collected in the TIMSS 2015 to describe the moderation effects of instructional practices on the relationships between students’ emo...
Junctional Adhesion Molecule-1 Is Involved in bFGF-Induced Angiogenesis In Vivo.

Neovascularization is a multistep process that occurs in the body in both physiological and pathological conditions. We have recently shown that Junctional Adhesion Molecule-1 (JAM-1), a member of the Ig superfamily of molecules, is involved in endothelial cell adhesion and migration, leading to angiogenesis. In quiescent endothelial cells, JAM-1 is located at the cell-cell junctions where it forms a complex with integrin α v β 3 . Upon treatment of the cells with growth factors, such as bFGF, JAM-1 dissociates from its complex with α v β 3 and redistributes to the cell surface. Blockage of the extracellular domain of JAM-1 inhibits bFGF-induced endothelial cell morphology, proliferation and angiogenesis. Additionally, functional knock-down of JAM-1 using the RNAi technique in endothelial cells showed decreased adhesion and migration of these cells, indicating a possible role for JAM-1 in angiogenesis. In this report, we show that JAM-1 has an important role in bFGF-induced angiogenesis in vivo . Here we present for the first time the generation JAM-1 knock-out mice, using the gene trap strategy. We have successfully confirmed the JAM-1 −/− genotype via Southern, Northern, and Western blot analyses. JAM-1 −/− mice are viable and do not seem to have any external abnormalities, except that they appear to be smaller in size. Retinal fluorescein angiogram revealed no evidence for morphological defects in the vasculature of JAM-1 −/− mice. To evaluate the role of JAM-1 in angiogenesis, we performed an aortic ring assay with both wild type and JAM-1−/− mice. Mouse thoracic aortas were harvested, cross-sectioned into rings of 1-mm thickness, and cultured in a three-dimensional Matrigel supplied with 50 ng/ml bFGF. Vascular sproutings were counted every other day for a period of 7 days at which time they were stained with crystal violet and photographed. Aortic rings from WT mice treated with bFGF showed a 2.8-fold increase in microvessel growth, compared to WT controls with no supplementation of bFGF. In contrast, microvessel sproutings in bFGF treated aortic rings from JAM-1 −/− mice were no more than the vessels in the WT control mice. These results suggest that JAM-1 may be important for bFGF induced angiogenesis. To further confirm the role of JAM-1 in angiogenesis, WT and JAM-1 −/− mice were injected in their flank region with Matrigel containing 80 ng/ml bFGF and 60 U/ml heparin. Two weeks after injection, Matrigel plugs were excised, embedded in paraffin, and the presence of blood vessels was visualized by H & E staining. Matrigel plugs from control WT mice that were not treated with bFGF showed no vascularization, while bFGF supplied Matrigel plugs from WT mice showed a robust vessel growth. Interestingly, bFGF-treated Matrigel plugs form JAM-1−/− mice failed to produce any blood vessels. These ex vivo and in vivo studies using JAM-1−/− mice suggest that JAM-1 has a unique and essential role in bFGF-induced angiogenesis.
Measurement of Hybrid Genetic Programming Synthesized Artificial Magnetic Conductors

The fabrication and measurement of previously proposed artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) designs are presented in this paper. The AMC ground planes were synthesized by a hybrid genetic program (HGP) and were compared with AMC designs found in the literature. The HGP designed AMCs outperformed those in the literature. The performance was determined from full-wave electromagnetic simulations. We also validate the performance of the HGP designed AMCs through fabrication and measurement.
General and AIDS-Specific Stress, Coping, and Psychological Distress in the Biracial Coping & Change Study Cohort of Gay Men

The emotional well-being of persons living with HIV/AIDS is thought to be affected by a number of factors, including stage of disease progression and presence of physical symptoms, social support, stressors (both general and AIDS-specific), appraisals of control over stressful situations, and coping behaviors. The literature has been unclear regarding the role that coping mechanisms play in mediating or buffering the effects of stressors, and continued efforts to clarify the role of coping are important in order to inform clinical interventions. The current study was based on the responses of 297 White and African-American gay men with and without HIV/AIDS participating in the Chicago Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and Coping & Change Study (C&CS) from 1992 to 1994. We found that the amount of detachment- versus involvement-oriented coping strategies used to deal with stressors was unrelated to the level of reported depressed mood and AIDS-specific distress, except among the most severely depressed men (upper 15%), for whom greater reliance on involvement coping strategies was associated with decreased depression. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Reportage from Blotetown: Yisroel-Yoysef Zevin (Tashrak) and the Shtetlization of New York City

The neglected-but-popular Yiddish humorist Tashrak (penname of Yisroel-Yoysef Zevin) offers not just an opportunity to discover understudied aspects of the Jewish urban experience and modern Yiddis...
Stochastic dynamics of consumer-resource interactions

The interaction between a consumer (such as, a predator or a parasitoid) and a resource (such as, a prey or a host) forms an integral motif in ecological food webs, and has been modeled since the early 20th century starting from the seminal work of Lotka and Volterra. While the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model predicts a neutrally stable equilibrium with oscillating population densities, a density-dependent predator attack rate is known to stabilize the equilibrium. Here, we consider a stochastic formulation of the Lotka-Volterra model where the prey9s reproduction rate is a random process, and the predator9s attack rate depends on both the prey and predator population densities. Analysis shows that increasing the sensitivity of the attack rate to the prey density attenuates the magnitude of stochastic fluctuations in the population densities. In contrast, these fluctuations vary non-monotonically with the sensitivity of the attack rate to the predator density with an optimal level of sensitivity minimizing the magnitude of fluctuations. Interestingly, our systematic study of the predator-prey correlations reveals distinct signatures depending on the form of the density-dependent attack rate. In summary, stochastic dynamics of nonlinear Lotka-Volterra models can be harnessed to infer density-dependent mechanisms regulating consumer-resource interactions. Moreover, these mechanisms can have contrasting consequences on population density fluctuations, with predator-dependent attack rates amplifying stochasticity, while prey-dependent attack rates countering to buffer fluctuations.
Denosumab Treatment for Giant Cell Tumors, Aneurysmal Bone Cysts, and Fibrous Dysplasia—Risks and Benefits

This review summarizes current understanding of the role of denosumab, an inhibitor of receptor activator of nuclear kappa-B ligand (RANKL), in the management of 3 skeletal neoplasms: giant cell tumors, aneurysmal bone cysts, and fibrous dysplasia. A growing body of literature supports denosumab use in giant cell tumors, a neoplasm in which RANKL plays a clear pathogenic role. Comparatively less data is available in aneurysmal bone cysts and fibrous dysplasia; however, the pathogenic similarity of these disorders to giant cell tumors, as well as encouraging preliminary data, suggests denosumab may be useful. Denosumab’s inhibitory effects on bone turnover are fully reversible after drug discontinuation. This raises important unanswered questions for clinical management, including potential risks of tumor recurrence and bone turnover rebound. Denosumab is a promising potential treatment for skeletal neoplasms. However, its clinical use is impacted by ongoing safety concerns related to postdiscontinuation rebound, particularly in children. There is a critical need to understand denosumab treatment and discontinuation effects on tumor recurrence and to develop strategies for long-term treatment in patients who cannot be managed surgically.
Approaches to Promoting Linkage to and Retention in HIV Care in the United States: a Scoping Review.

Linkage to and retention in HIV care, as conceptualized in the HIV care continuum, remain critical steps towards achieving and maintaining viral suppression. We evaluated recently published (Jan 2018–Nov 2020) peer-reviewed clinical trials of linkage to and retention in care outcomes in the United States. We identified 12 trials evaluating linkage to and retention in care outcomes in the United States. Most trials did not adhere to standardized definitions or metrics for linkage to or retention in HIV care, hindering comparisons between studies. Four interventions indicated improvements on linkage to or retention in HIV care at follow-up, relying on behavioral incentives and/or case management as key intervention strategies. We recommend the adoption standardize metrics across linkage and retention trials, and the future use of implementation science frameworks to identify implementation facilitators and barriers, and evaluate key strategies associated with improvements in linkage to and retention in care.
Psuedo-Cor Triatriatum in an Elderly Patient With Dyspnea of Exertion: An Undescribed Condition Characterized by 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography:

A 66-year-old gentleman with no prior cardiac history presented with dyspnea on exertion and chest pain for 1 month. His workup included a transthoracic echocardiogram, which demonstrated findings suggestive of cor triatriatum (C-TAT) with uncertain degree of hemodynamic obstruction. In addition, mild left ventricular systolic dysfunction and segmental wall motion abnormalities suggestive of coronary artery disease were noted. The patient then underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to define better the structural characteristics and hemodynamic significance of the C-TAT, left and right heart catheterization to assess pressure gradients between the upper and lower left atrial chambers by simultaneous measurement of pulmonary capillary wedge and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures, and coronary angiography. Multiplane 2-dimensional TEE demonstrated an atrial membrane extending from the inferior portion of the interatrial septum to the superior aspect of the lateral atrial wall. This membrane exhibited a medial large oval opening with bidirectional flow and a ≤2 mm Hg gradient. Three-dimensional TEE imaging re-demonstrated this obliquely oriented membrane; however, of most importance, it revealed that the membrane divided the atria into a medial funnel and C-shaped cavity with a large distal oval shape opening and an even larger lateral atrial cavity. These findings were inconsistent with a true C-TAT and rather demonstrated what we defined as a pseudo-C-TAT membrane. Simultaneous right and left heart catheterization confirmed a minimal gradient of 3 to 5 mm Hg and coronary angiography demonstrated severe 3-vessel coronary disease as the primary cause of the patient's clinical syndrome.
For Whom Do Meditation Interventions Improve Mental Health Symptoms? Looking at the Roles of Psychological and Biological Resources over Time

Engaging in meditation seems to be an effective manner of bettering psychosocial health. Although these findings hold for most people, individual differences may affect who gets greater gains from meditation. Psychological (i.e., resilience, spirituality) and biological (i.e., cardiac vagal tone, oxytocin) personal resources may work individually or synergistically to catalyze meditation-related improvements in mental health, such as increased positive (well-being) and decreased negative (depression) mental health symptoms. A community-based sample of 210 adults (modeage = 35 years; 61.86% female) were recruited and randomly assigned to either mindfulness (n = 107; 51.2%) or loving-kindness (n = 102; 48.8%) meditation conditions (1 missing). The study lasted 18 months, starting with baseline measures, succeeded by a 6-week meditation intervention, and follow-up assessments every 3 months. The fixed effect of resilience was significant, as was the interaction between resilience and time, indicating different mental health symptom trajectories during and after a meditation intervention based on resilience. Participants low in resilience tended to have the greatest gains (increased subjective well-being and decreased depressive symptoms) following a meditation intervention, yet these gains were not maintained 18 months following the intervention. Those high in resilience did not show mental health gains following a meditation intervention but did have higher subjective well-being symptoms 18 months following the intervention indicating that they may have experienced delayed gains.
Analysis and Design of Series Voltage Compensator for Differential Power Processing

Differential power processing (DPP) has been proved effective in many applications. This paper explores a series voltage compensator (SVC) architecture for voltage regulation of differential power processing (DPP) systems. An SVC is connected in series between the input dc bus and the DPP system to compensate for the voltage difference. It only processes a fraction of the overall power. The inclusion of an SVC changes the power flow of the DPP system and changes the loss distribution. We theoretically investigated the SVC power rating and the additional power conversion stress that SVC brings to the DPP converter, and identified the operating conditions in which an SVC is attractive or not compared to a conventional DPP pre-regulation converter that has to process the full power. Our analysis provides insights into system design and control strategy of SVC-DPP topologies. To validate the principles of SVC, a buck SVC is designed and applied to a 10-port DPP converter. The buck SVC can efficiently convert an input voltage ranging from 50 V to 65 V into a regulated 50 V for the DPP system. The size of the SVC is only 20% of the DPP converter, and the peak efficiency of the SVC-DPP system achieves 98.8%.
"Prefiriendo siempre á los agrimensores científicos". Discriminación en la medición y el reparto de resguardos indígenas en el altiplano cundiboyacense, 1821-1854

El articulo examina el proceso de medicion y reparto de los resguardos indigenas en la Nueva Granada y sostiene que este proceso estuvo cargado de conflictos interminables. Demuestra como los prejuicios basados en percepciones de diferencias de etnicidad y de genero jugaron un papel critico en desatar conflicto cuando se intento privatizar a los resguardos. El enfoque de las luchas se centro sobre el agrimensor: el que tenia el poder de nombrar al agrimensor podia controlar -en gran parte- la forma como las parcelas de los resguardos iban a ser distribuidas. Al nombrar agrimensores entrenados en el Colegio Militar, los gobernadores de Bogota consolidaron su poder politico sobre la medicion y el reparto de resguardos, legitimaron un proceso cuyas reglas fomentaban la discriminacion etnica y de genero, y promovieron la reputacion de ingenieros entrenados en el Colegio Militar como tecnicos habiles y neutrales, a pesar de los errores que estos tambien cometieron.
Crystallographic refinement of lignin peroxidase at 2 A.

Abstract The crystal structure of the major lignin peroxidase isozyme from Phanerocheate chrysosporium has been refined to an R = 0.15 for data between 8 A and 2.03 A. The refined model consists of 2 lignin peroxidase molecules in the asymmetric unit, 2 calcium ions per monomer, 1 glucosamine per monomer N-linked to Asn-257, and 476 water molecules per asymmetric unit. The model exhibits excellent geometry with a root mean square deviation from ideality in bond distances and angles of 0.014 A and 2.9 degrees, respectively. Molecule 1 consists of all 343 residues, while molecule 2 consists of residues 1-341. The overall root mean square deviation in backbone atoms between the 2 molecules in the asymmetric unit is 0.36 A. The refinement at 2.0 A confirms our conclusions based on the partially refined 2.6-A structure (Edwards, S. L., Raag, R., Wariishi, H., Gold, M. H., and Poulos, T. L. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 90, 750-754). The overall fold of lignin peroxidase closely resembles that of cytochrome c peroxidase. A superimposition of alpha-carbons gives a root mean square deviation of 2.65 A between the two peroxidases and 1.66 A for the helices. The active sites also are similar since both contain a proximal histidine heme ligand hydrogen-bonded to a buried aspartate residue and both contain histidine and arginine residues in the distal peroxide binding pocket. The most obvious difference in the active site is that whereas cytochrome c peroxidase has tryptophan residues located in the proximal and distal heme pockets, lignin peroxidase has phenylalanines. There are four other especially noteworthy differences in the two structures. First, although the heme in cytochrome c peroxidase is recessed about 10 A from the molecular surface, the heme pocket is open to solvent. The analogous opening in lignin peroxidase is smaller which can explain in part the differences in reactivity of the two hemes. This same opening may provide the site for binding small aromatic substrates. Second, lignin peroxidase has a carboxylate-carboxylate hydrogen bond important for heme binding that is not present in cytochrome c peroxidase. Third, lignin peroxidase contains 2 structural calcium ions while cytochrome c peroxidase contains no calcium. The calciums in lignin peroxidase coordinate to residues near the C-terminal ends of the distal and proximal helices and hence are probably important for maintaining the integrity of the active site. Fourth, the extra 49 residues in lignin peroxidase not present in cytochrome c peroxidase constitutes the C-terminal end of the molecule with the C terminus situated at the "front" end of the molecule between the two heme propionates.
Myasthenia Gravis: Signs, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Immunology, and Current Therapy

Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disease that presents clinically as fluctuating weakness of one or more skeletal muscle groups. Weakness becomes more severe with exercise and improves with rest. The disease is caused by an autoimmune reaction at or near the post-synaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The results of this immune reaction are the lytic destruction of the post-synaptic membrane and a reduction in the number of acetylcholine receptors. Myasthenia gravis can be diagnosed by repetitive exercise of the involved muscles, administration of edrophonium (Tensilon), electrophysiologic testing, or demonstration of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. When the myasthenic weakness is mild or limited to the extraocular muscles, it may be treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. When the weakness is more severe and/or more generalized, immunotherapy is most often indicated. Prednisone or prednisone plus thymectomy is the most frequently used form of immunotherapy. Azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, plasmapheresis, or gamma globulin injections are other immunotherapeutic options that may be useful in selected patients. A large number of drugs may precipitate or exacerbate myasthenic weakness.
THE EFFECTS OF CHLOROTHIAZIDES IN NEPHROGENIC DIABETES INSIPIDUS

Chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide were effective antidiuretic agents in one infant and three children with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. The drugs were of considerable value in establishing and maintaining adequate hydration in the infant and led to improvement of the appetite, growth, and well-being of the children. Refractoriness to therapy occurred in one child, and bone marrow toxicity developed in the infant. Despite the risk of toxic side-effects, however, the "thiazides" seem to have a definite place in the management of infants and children with the severe form of the disorder, although they must be used with caution. Supplementary potassium therapy is advisable to prevent hypokalemia. Studies on the mechanism of action of the orally administered drugs in patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus revealed a decreased clearance of solute free water, but no consistent change of the glomerular filtration rate. The antidiuretic action of chlorothiazide was antagonized by methylprednisolone. Simultaneous administration of chlorothiazide and spironolactone did not improve antidiuresis in one subject. Acute studies with intravenously administered chlorothiazide were performed in one patient. A fall in the glomerular filtration rate was noted, but there was no consistent change in the free water clearance. The acute infusion of salt did not affect the antidiuretic action of intravenous chlorothiazide. No antidiuretic effect was observed when chlorothiazide and vasopressin were infused simultaneously for one hour. The results of the present study and the findings of other investigators have been discussed. No definite conclusions could be drawn as to the mechanism of antidiuretic action of the thiazides in diabetes insipidus, but the weight of evidence suggests that the action is intimately related to depletion of body sodium.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: The clinical benefit of routine placement of prophylactic percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (pPEG) tubes was assessed in patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) who are undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with concurrent chemotherapy. METHODS: From 1998 through 2009, 400 consecutive patients with OPC who underwent chemoradiation were included. Of these, 325 had a pPEG and 75 did not (nPEG). Weight and albumin change from baseline to mid-IMRT, end of IMRT, 1 month post-IMRT, and 3 months post-IMRT were evaluated. The treating physicians prospectively recorded acute and late toxicities. RESULTS: Significantly lower absolute weight loss at end of IMRT (6.80 kg vs 8.38 kg, P = .007), 1 month post-IMRT (9.06 kg vs 11.33 kg, P = .006), and 3 months post-IMRT (11.10 kg vs 13.09 kg, P = .044) was noted in the pPEG versus nPEG groups. This benefit in reduction of percent weight loss was consistently significant only among patients with BMI 55 years (P < .001), female sex (P < .001), and T3/4 category disease (P < .001) were significantly associated with prolonged PEG use. CONCLUSIONS: Although pPEG reduced absolute and percent weight loss and need for hospitalizations in our cohort of patients with OPC undergoing chemoradiation, no differences were noted in radiation treatment duration, toxicity, and overall survival. Prolonged PEG use correlated with age >55 years, female sex, and T3/T4 tumors. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
Human‐specific Changes of Genome Structure

Genomic changes occur along a size continuum ranging from small-scale base substitutions to large-scale cytogenetically detectable chromosome rearrangements. Intermediate-scale changes between these two extremes are the least studied group of genomic changes. The genomic triangulation method was developed to detect intermediate-scale changes by integrating genomic sequence and mapping data from human, chimpanzee and rhesus macaque. Human-specific genomic changes associate with segmental duplications (SDs), involve numerous genes and may result in human-specific phenotypic traits. Keywords: comparative genomics; genome structure; primate evolution; segmental duplications; genomic disorders
Resurgimiento y reconstrucción: Debate sobre las izquierdas y el movimiento obrero en América Latina

Este articulo plantea que un efecto del conflicto entre la busqueda de una integracion politica de los grupos populares y desfavorecidos, junto a la diferenciacion economica y los retos del crecimiento economico, es el regreso de varios movimientos e ideologias de izquierda en Latinoamerica, que se expresan a traves de las criticas al modelo de desarrollo de economia de mercado del periodo 1990-2000 y las pugnas politicas por el control de los recursos del Estado. Se analizan algunas tendencias en las posiciones de izquierda y el movimiento obrero en America Latina, que ya no constituyen un solo fenomeno con orientaciones ideologicas definidas, pues su reingreso a la politica expresa una serie de corrientes divididas, muchas de las cuales no tienen nada que ver con las concepciones de izquierda legendarias, ni con las doctrinas marxistas.
An oligomer complementary to c-myc mRNA inhibits proliferation of HL-60 promyelocytic cells and induces differentiation

To study the role of a nuclear proto-oncogene in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation, we inhibited HL-60 c-myc expression with a complementary antisense oligomer. This oligomer was stable in culture and entered cells, forming an intracellular duplex. Incubation of cells with the anti-myc oligomer decreased the steady-state levels of c-myc protein by 50 to 80%, whereas a control oligomer did not significantly affect the c-myc protein concentration. Direct inhibition of c-myc expression with the anti-myc oligomer was associated with a decreased cell growth rate and an induction of myeloid differentiation. Related antisense oligomers with 2- to 12-base-pair mismatches with c-myc mRNA did not influence HL-60 cells. Thus, the effects of the antisense oligomer exhibited sequence specificity, and furthermore, these effects could be reversed by hybridization competition with another complementary oligomer. Antisense inhibition of a nuclear proto-oncogene apparently bypasses cell surface events in affecting cell proliferation and differentiation.
The Marked Ruler

A marked ruler is simply a straightedge with two marks on its edge. With an appropriate starter set, an immediate use of the marked ruler is to draw the line through two given points and mark off unit segments on the line. Since the two marks thus provide a scale in the sense of a rusty dividers, then the ruler and dividers theory can be applied to marked ruler constructions. Throughout this chapter, the two points determined by the two marks on the marked ruler in a particular position will be called R and S. We suppose the marks are one unit apart. So RS = 1, as in Figure 9.1a. For a second use of the marked ruler, we can set one mark on a given point R and rotate the marked ruler until the second mark falls on a given line s at a point S, whenever the unit circle with center R intersects the line s. See Figure 9.1b. The unit circle with center R can be taken as a poncelet circle. The Poncelet-Steiner Theorem now implies all the ruler and compass constructions are possible with the marked ruler alone. The characteristic use of the marked ruler is called verging or insertion. Given point V and two lines r and s, by verging through V with respect to r and s we determine two points R and S that are one unit apart and such that V\( \overleftrightarrow {{\text{RS}}} \) is on , R is on r, and S on s. See Figure 9.1c. Thus, in verging through V with respect to r and s, the marked ruler is placed down to pass through V with one mark on r and the other on s. Using the marked ruler in this way to solve two of the three classical construction problems goes back to the Greeks who, according to Pappus,“moved a ruler about a fixed point until by trial the intercept was found to be equal to the given length.” A verging is sometimes called by its Greek name neusis. Although Apollonius’s book Neusis on the subject is lost, J. P. Hogendijk has reconstructed the text from Arabic traces of the work.
Robot-assisted Intracorporeal Urinary Diversion: Where Do We Stand in 2014?

Radical cystectomy can only be considered as minimally invasive when both extirpative and reconstructive part of the procedure are performed with an intracorporeal approach. Robot-assisted radical cystectomy makes it possible to achieve this task, which seemed difficult with conventional laparoscopy. Intracorporeal urinary diversion (ICUD) is associated with better perioperative outcomes. Quality-of-life assessments and functional outcomes from continent ICUD are encouraging. Working in high-volumes center with mentored training can help robotic surgeons to learn the techniques of ICUD in conjunction with robot-assisted radical cystectomy. This article discusses the perioperative and functional outcomes of ICUD with a review of literature.