cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apolipoprotein C-III: a potent modulator of hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The purpose of this article is to summarize the recent epidemiological, basic science, and pharmaceutical research linking apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) with the development and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). RECENT FINDINGS ApoC-III is an important emerging target linking hypertriglyceridemia with CVD. ApoC-III is a potent modulator of many established CVD risk factors, and is found on chylomicrons, very-low density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein particles. Recent studies show that in humans, apoC-III levels are an independent risk factor for CVD, and its presence on lipoproteins may promote their atherogenicity. This year, two large-scale epidemiological studies have linked mutations in apoC-III with increased incidence of CVD and hypertriglyceridemia. ApoC-III raises plasma triglycerides through inhibition of lipoprotein lipase, stimulation of very-low density lipoprotein secretion, and is a novel factor in modulating intestinal triglyceride trafficking. ApoC-III also stimulates inflammatory processes in the vasculature and the pancreas. The combination of raising plasma triglycerides and independently stimulating inflammatory processes makes apoC-III a valuable target for reducing the residual CVD risk in patients already on statin therapy, or for whom triglycerides are poorly controlled. Clinical trials on apoC-III antisense oligonucleotides are in progress. SUMMARY ApoC-III is a potent direct modulator of established CVD risk factors: plasma triglycerides and inflammation. Recent findings show that changes in apoC-III levels are directly associated with changes in cardiovascular risk and the atherogenicity of the lipoproteins on which apoC-III resides. Emerging roles of apoC-III include a role in directing the atherogenicity of high-density lipoprotein, intestinal dietary triglyceride trafficking, and modulating pancreatic β-cell survival. The combination of these roles makes apoC-III an important therapeutic target for the management and prevention of CVD.
Projections and Policies for Volunteer Programs: The Implications of the Serve America Act for Volunteer Diversity and Management

This article explores the limits of public policy as it affects volunteerism in the United States. Our analysis focuses on the potential of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (2009), the most sweeping volunteer legislation in U.S. history, to raise the level of volunteering and national service in the United States, particularly among young people, older people, and minorities—the primary target populations of the act. The Serve America Act aims to increase service-learning opportunities and national service placements substantially. However, the long-term impact of these changes on the rate of volunteering and the composition and character of the volunteering population remains unclear. Using data from the Current Population Survey's annual Supplement on Volunteering, we examine a variety of reasonable policy scenarios to see how the Serve America Act might affect future volunteering through the year 2050. The findings suggest that even if the Serve America Act is fully funded and implemented, it is unlikely to have a long-term impact on the overall volunteering rate and, consequently, that altering the national volunteering rate might be an unrealistic public policy goal. Nevertheless, the analysis shows that because of naturally occurring changes in the population, the composition of the volunteer pool is likely to change as we move toward 2050—a demographic shift that will present increased challenges for volunteer managers. We discuss these challenges and how managers might deal with them effectively.
Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity under future atmospheric conditions

Organisms often exhibit transgenerational phenotypic changes in response to an increased risk of parasitism or predation. Shifts in global atmospheric composition could modify these phenotypic effects through changes in either nutrient quantity/quality or altered interactions with higher trophic levels. Here we show that future atmospheric conditions alter a natural enemy-induced wing polyphenism in aphids. Winged offspring production by Uroleucon nigrotuberculatum aphids on goldenrod (Solidago canadensis var. scabra) does not differ in enriched CO2 and/or O3 atmospheres. However, proportionally more winged offspring are produced in response to search cues from both coccinellid predators (Coccinella septempunctata) and hymenopteran parasitoids (Aphidius polygonaphis) relative to plants not searched by natural enemies. Moreover, the magnitude of this response differs under enriched CO2 and O3 environments. Aphids produce more winged offspring in response to predators under elevated CO2, but produce more winged offspring in response to parasitoids under elevated O3. Thus, global atmospheric changes influence natural enemy-mediated phenotypic expression, with potentially farreaching consequences for trophic dynamics.
Cochlear implants in young children.

The cochlear implant is best characterized as a device that provides access to the sound environment. The device enables the hearing pathway to respond to environmental and speech sounds, providing informational cues from the surroundings and from others that may escape visual detection. As the developmental effects of a profound hearing loss are multiple, cochlear implants have been applied to ever younger children in an attempt to promote a more normal level of developmental learning through audition. In deafness, transducer elements of the inner ear fail to trigger auditory nerve afferent nerves in the presence of sound input. However, large reserves of afferent fibers exist even in the auditory nerve of a profoundly deaf patient. Furthermore, these nerve fibers retain the ability to respond to prosthetic activation. Through developmental learning in the early, formative years, auditory centers of the brain appear capable of processing information from the implant to provide speech comprehension and oral language development. Multichannel implants have replaced original single channel designs. multichannel devices enable larger percentages of recipients to recognize the spoken word without visual cues because they provide spectral information in addition to temporal and intensity cues. Testing under conditions of auditory (implant)-only input reveals significant open-set speech understanding capabilities in more than 75% of children after three years of device use. The benefit provided by implants may vary with a number of conditions including: hearing history, age of deafness onset, age at implantation, etiology of deafness, linguistic abilities, and the presence of a motivated system of support of oral language development. Patient variables should be given individual consideration in judging candidacy for a cochlear implant and in planning rehabilitative and education services after surgery and activation of the device.
Increases in Bone Density During Treatment of Men with Idiopathic Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism

To assess the effects of gonadal steroid replacement on bone density in men with osteoporosis due to severe hypogonadism, we measured cortical bone density in the distal radius by 125I photon absorptiometry and trabecular bone density in the lumbar spine by quantitative computed tomography in 21 men with isolated GnRH deficiency while serum testosterone levels were maintained in the normal adult male range for 12–31 months (mean ± se, 23.7 ± 1.1). In men who initially had fused epiphyses (n = 15), cortical bone density increased from 0.71 ± 0.02 to 0.74 ± 0.01 g/cm2 (P < 0.01), while trabecular bone density did not change (116 ± 9 compared with 119 ± 7 mg/cm3). In men who initially had open epiphyses (n = 6), cortical bone density increased from 0.62 ± 0.01 to 0.70 ± 0.03 g/om2 (P < 0.01), while trabecular bone density increased from 96 ± 13 to 109 ± 12 mg/cm3 (P < 0.01). Cortical bone density increased 0.03 ± 0.01 g/cm2 in men with fused epiphyses and 0.08 ± 0.02 g/cm2 in men with open epiphyses (P < 0.0...
An enhanced full rate speech coder for digital cellular applications

In the digital cellular environment, acoustic background noise and channel bit errors (both bursty and random) may severely degrade the performance of speech coders such as the current European GSM full rate standard. This paper presents a CELP-based, enhanced full rate coder, which allocates 11.9 kb/s for speech and 10.9 kb/s for error protection for an aggregate channel rate of 22.8 kb/s. This coder provides toll quality speech which is significantly better than 16 kb/s ITU standard G.728 in clean conditions; also, it maintains robust performance over adverse conditions. The noteworthy features of our coder include: 10 msec frame size, leading to lower coder delay; improved error control coding; improved detection and masking of bad frames; low-complexity predictive tree-searched multi-stage vector quantization of the line spectrum pairs (designed using a noisy channel vector quantization algorithm); and low-complexity tree-searched multi-stage vector quantization of the fixed excitation.
Computerized clinical histories: the development of an HIS subsystem in a community hospital

In an effort to enhance medical decision support and assessment resources by providing faster, more convenient access to the clinical histories of hospitalized patients, Rex Hospital is in the process of developing a clinical history subsystem. In its initial phase, the subsystem creates a long-term clinical history file by extracting prior Rex admissions information (discharge diagnoses, medical and surgical procedures, allergies, and infectious disease alerts) from existing short-term database files. Qualified users may print this data on demand. A detailed description of the clinical history subsystem and its perceived role in the evolution toward a totally automated medical record are presented. >
Characterization of a non thermal plasma torch

A non thermal He plasma needle was developed and characterized. The plasma was produced using the method presented in Anghels et al. [2], which utilizes a resonant transformer to produce the voltages necessary to breakdown the helium (He) working gas. The plasma under study was found to have an output power less than 2 watts for all flow rates used with voltages around 4.5kV AC peak to peak. We present data referencing the plasma breakdown voltage as well as current and power measurements. The physical appearance of the plasma discharge at various flow rates was also recorded and documented. The plasma circuitry was characterized in an effort to better understand the key operating parameters of the plasma itself. Both simulation and experimentation were used to gather quantitative and qualitative data, which are presented in this paper.
Delay analysis of block coding over a noisy channel with limited feedback

This work analyzes the average delay performance of block coding schemes when the arrival stream is stochastic. From classical Shannon theory, it is known that communication is feasible at all rates strictly below capacity of a channel. However, this reliable scheme of communication is realized with unbounded coding length and hence average delay. This work considers the delay analysis of general block coding schemes over a noisy channel in presence of retransmission requests. Modeling the communication system as a queuing system with bulk service, an expected delay analysis is provided. The expected delay bits experience is then optimized by an appropriate choice of forward error correction scheme.
The Value-Relevance of Goodwill Write-offs

The SEC and the FASB recently have expressed concern that firms write-off some goodwill long after it becomes valueless. This study investigates the value-relevance of goodwill write-offs by considering different types of goodwill and possible market anticipation of goodwill write-offs. We find that goodwill write-offs lack value-relevance when researchers ignore the source of the goodwill. Conversely, we find that write-offs of some types of goodwill are value-relevant. Specifically, write-offs of goodwill related to intangible assets valued by the market are associated with both advance and contemporaneous stock price decreases. In addition, firms performing better (worse) than industry medians drive the contemporaneous (advance) reaction, consistent with market surprise to the write-off for firms reporting strong results and anticipation of the write-off for firms reporting relatively poor results. Write-offs of goodwill related to control premiums paid for target firms are not associated with stock price changes. Write-offs of "tax-related" goodwill (amounts written off when purchasing firms realize tax benefits from target firm net operating losses) are associated with stock price increases. Further, we find evidence that the market cannot anticipate tax-related goodwill write-offs for firms that consolidate after the acquisition because tax law imposes information requirements on the market that inhibit such anticipation.
Tree-Based Protection of Multicast Services in WDM Mesh Networks

In this paper we address the multicast survivability problem of using minimum resources to provision a multicast session and its protection paths (trees) in a network such that the session is protected against any single-link failure. We propose a new protection scheme, namely, Segment-based Protection Tree (SPT). In SPT scheme, a given multicast session is first provisioned as a primary multicast tree, and then each segment on the primary tree is protected by a multicast tree instead of a path, as in most existing approaches. We also analyze the recovery performance of SPT and design a Reconfiguration Calculation Algorithm to compute the average number of reconfigurations upon any link failure. We study the performance of the SPT scheme in different traffic scenarios. The numerical results show that SPT outperforms the best existing approaches. It uses less than 10% extra resources to provision a survivable multicast session over the optimal solution and 0.2-4% lower than the existing approaches in the various traffic cases and has the average number of reconfigurations 10-86% less than the best cost efficient approach.
His and Hers: The Interface of Military Couples’ Biological, Psychological, and Relational Health

Serving in the military has the capacity to influence military personnel, civilian spouses, and marriages in unique ways. The purpose of the present study was to provide dyadic insight into the interface between biological, psychological, and relational health factors for military couples. Couples were recruited through a military medical center (N = 75) in the United States and both partners were assessed on several measures of biopsychorelational health. Actor-partner interdependence models were used to predict marital quality and satisfaction in relation to each partner’s experience with distress, symptoms of depression, and heart rate variability. Results indicated that husbands’ pain predicted husbands’ and wives’ positive marital quality. Husbands’ and wives’ symptoms of depression also influenced wives’ negative marital quality. Recommendations toward the need for relational assessments and routine screenings for both partners, as well as implementation of an integrated care model are discussed.
Breeding Sorghum and Millet

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), is the world’s fifth leading cereal, after wheat, corn, rice, and barley, and the leading cereal grain in the rain-fed areas of the semiarid tropics and subtropics. Sorghum is a major crop in Africa, India, portions of China, the southern and central Great Plains of the United States, Australia, Argentina, and areas of Mexico and Central and South America. Sorghum is a crop with extreme genetic diversity, but an overriding characteristic is its tolerance to heat and drought. As a result of this tolerance, sorghum has emerged as the food grain most widely utilized for human consumption in the dry Sahel and sub-Sahelian regions of Africa and in the dry central peninsular region of India.
Inferencing in SMS

Chapter 3 described how a many-valued approach can be combined with multiquerying to address problems of imprecision. The discussions now turn to the subject of inferencing. SMS generates two kinds of inferences that correspond to deductive inferences and nondeducdve inferences. Derivation processes use these inferences, along with the relation of identity and relations between sentential expressions and their corresponding expansions and normal forms, to produce both unqualified and qualified proofs. In SMS, proof of a conclusion amounts to demonstrating its ‘presence’ in the premises (database). The notion of presence is specially defined to suit the needs of a conversational mode of expression in which queries are taken as conclusions to be proved. A ‘conclusion’ is merely a well formed sentential sequence. It is proved by demonstrating that its components are present in the database and that they hold the same or equivalent relationships with one another in the database as they do in the conclusion to be proved.
Optical and electrical properties of Al1-xInxN films grown on sapphire (0001) by plasma source molecular beam epitaxy

A series of epitaxial InxAl1−xN alloy films (thickness ~ 150 nm) with 0 ≤ × ≤ 1.0 were grown by Plasma Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy (PSMBE) on sapphire (0001) at a low substrate temperature of 375 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirm a c-axis oriented epitaxial growth of alloy films without any alloy segregation. However, the degree of crystalline mosaicity, compositional fluctuation and surface roughness, all increase with increasing x. The direct energy band gap of alloy films were determined using optical (UV-VIS) transmission and reflection measurements. The observed bowing of the direct gap versus x plot, when compared to the theoretical prediction, is less pronounced than seen in earlier studies reported in literature. Electrical resistivity and Hall effect measurements show n-type electrical conductivity in these alloys with carrier concentrations ~1019-1020 cm−3 for x > 0.5.
Abstract 5355: HPV-16 infection alters cellular microRNA expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN)

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Up to 30% of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) contain human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 DNA. The presence of HPV DNA in these cancers is associated with a better disease outcome, and an understanding of the differences between HPV-positive and HPV-negative SCCHN has significant clinical importance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are approximately 22 nucleotides long, single-stranded RNAs that regulate gene expression at a posttranscriptional level. We hypothesize that HPV infection alters cellular miRNA expression which leads to changes in the expression of their target genes. We investigated the expression of cellular miRNAs using microarrays and quantitative Real Time RT-PCR. We found that 3 miRNAs were upregulated and 8 miRNAs were downregulated in HPV-positive SCCHN cell lines compared to HPV-negative SCCHN cell lines. MiR-363, miR-497, and miR-33 were upregulated, while miR-155, miR-181a, miR-181b, miR-29a, miR-218, miR-222, miR-221, and miR-142-5p were downregulated. We also analyzed miRNA expression in HPV-positive and HPV-negative SCCHN tumors and normal oral tissues. There were 17 up- and 1 downregulated miRNAs in SCCHN tumors compared to normal oral mucosa. These included several miRNAs that are known to be altered in many cancers, such as miR-21, miR-17-5p, and miR-145. MiR-363, the most upregulated miRNA in the HPV-positive cell lines, was also upregulated in HPV-positive tumors compared to HPV-negative tumors. Preliminary data using cell lines expressing HPV-16 E6 and/or E7 oncogene has shown that miR-363 expression increases with the expression of E6. These results suggest a possible role of HPV in altering the expression of specific cellular miRNAs, including miR-363. Studies are currently in progress to identify miR-363 gene targets by utilizing gene expression data and spectral counting proteomics. MiRNAs altered by the presence of HPV may identify specific pathways targeted by the virus, and may provide novel therapeutic targets for HPV-associated SCCHN. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5355.
Multiphysics Coupling of Dynamic Fluid Flow and Electromagnetic Fields for Subsurface Sensing

Nanoparticles designed with high electric conductivity and magnetic permeability are injected into oil reservoirs to enhance fluid flow monitoring. The movement of nanoparticles with the flow in a porous medium can be modeled by solving the flow transport equation. In this research, the three-dimensional spectral-element time-domain method based on Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre polynomials is employed to solve the fluid flow equation to obtain the nanoparticle (NP) concentration distribution in reservoirs. This method shows spectral accuracy, as the error decreases exponentially with the order of basis functions. The injected fluid with high contrast NPs increases the electric conductivity and magnetic permeability in the flooded zone, thus enhancing the electromagnetic (EM) signals in the receivers. Based on the coupling of the dynamic fluid flow and crosswell EM measurement, we are able to analyze the detection range of EM sensing with the high contrast NPs injection. The EM responses with different types of NPs injection are investigated under both an electric dipole and a magnetic dipole. The magnetic contrast NPs excited by a magnetic dipole source can generate a detectable signal while the electric contrast NPs can generate a detectable signal when excited by an electric dipole. The EM response of an inhomogeneous formation with a low permeable region shows that the signal at the producer near the barrier is lower than the other producers. The proposed multiphysics coupling technique of fluid flow and EM measurements can provide guidance for NPs field application and help monitor the flow movement in reservoirs.
Management of low velocity gunshot wounds to the anterior urethra: the role of primary repair versus urinary diversion alone.

The management of partial transection of the anterior urethra following penetrating penile injuries is controversial. Optional therapeutic techniques range from a primary sutured reapproximation to urinary diversion alone. We recently managed 17 low velocity gunshot wounds to the external genitalia in which the missile traversed the penile corpus cavernosum, and was associated with less than 40% transection of the corpus spongiosum and anterior urethra. Nine patients were managed with suprapubic diversion, skin debridement and corporeal closure along with placement of a urethral catheter. Eight patients were managed by suprapubic diversion, debridement, closure of the corporeal bodies and a primary sutured reapproximation of the anterior urethra. Urethral strictures developed in 7 patients (78%) managed by a suprapubic tube and urethral stenting during an average followup of 20 months (range 18 to 24). In contrast, 1 patient (12%) managed by a sutured urethral approximation had a urethral stricture during an average followup of 20 months (range 18 to 30, p < 0.01). Our data support a significantly better prognosis for partial transection of the anterior urethra secondary to low velocity gunshot wounds if managed by aggressive wound debridement, corporeal repair, placement of a suprapubic catheter and primary repair of the urethra.
Application of Molecular Pathology to Tissue Identification in Cutaneous Pathology

Short tandem repeat polymerase chain reaction (STR-PCR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) are molecular tools in cutaneous pathology, which can be utilized to address general questions regarding tissue identification. Tissue identification may be evaluated by comparing STR or microsatellite polymorphism of DNA or by XY chimerism by FISH. Two clinical examples in which tissue identification may have significant impact on patient care management is the misidentification of skin biopsy and engraftment analysis in the diagnosis of graft versus host disease (GVHD).
Management, Husbandry, and Colony Health

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the facility design, environment, and basic husbandry recommendations for the guinea pig. Although general laboratory animal facility design and principles for rats, mice, and hamsters have applicability to the guinea pig, characteristics and behavior unique to this species have fostered implementation of new and/or adjunct husbandry practices to improve the care and use of this laboratory animal. In addition to the natural behavior and physiology of the species, the nature of the research activity performed considers planning, design, or modifications of guinea pig holding rooms. Quarantine facilities, breeding colonies, conventional and infectious disease research have different requirements for housing. The Guinea pigs are generally docile and seldom bite; however, they are easily frightened and will try to avoid capture or being held. This chapter further explains the housing condition required for guinea pigs, which includes the right ventilation, illumination, temperature, humidity, sanitation, noise conditions, and space requirements. Ventilation for laboratory animals should balance air quality, animal comfort, and energy efficiency to provide cage environments that will optimize animal welfare and research results. Furthermore, the chapter reviews the nutritional diseases and record keeping of guinea pigs. For the identification of the animals, cage cards are used and the cards should include the strain of guinea pigs, sex, number, principal investigator, and research protocol identification.
Acousto-ultrasonics as a monitor of material anisotropy

This paper discusses experimental results obtained by performing the acousto-ultrasonic (AU) method at various azimuthal angles on the surface of fiber-reinforced composite plates. The use of an IBM-PC/data-acquisition board to obtain a digitized AU signal to be analyzed by specially developed software is described. An introduction is given to the use of AU parameters to quantify information evidenced in amplitude/frequency plots. A description of how the parameters are obtained by calculating various spectral moments and the area under particular ranges of the spectral density curve is presented. Results are given from voltage/time plots, amplitude/frequency plots, and plots showing the variation of calculated AU parameters with azimuthal angle. Finally, how the variation of AU parameters with azimuthal angle may be related to variation in material properties with azimuthal angle is discussed.
Rapid Development of Chronic Neuroendocrine Dysfunction in an Animal Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (P4.219)

OBJETIVE: Test whether and when neuroendocrine and behavioral changes occur in a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). BACKGROUND: The neuroendocrine stress response is chronically dysregulated in TLE patients, potentially contributing to both disease progression and the development of psychiatric comorbidities. Whether these changes reflect direct effects of epilepsy-related pathologies, or are secondary to the disease burden particular to humans with epilepsy is not clear. DESIGN/METHODS: Mice received pilocarpine to induce status epilepticus (SE). Baseline corticosterone levels where measured at 1, 7 and 10 weeks post-SE. Subsequently mice were exposed to a 30 min restraint stress and plasma collected at 0, 30, 60 and 120 min, after which mice were euthanized. Fos expression was quantified by immunohistochemistry in known stress-regulatory regions. A separate mice cohort underwent sucrose preference, open field and the elevated plus maze testing. RESULTS: Epileptic mice exhibited decreased sucrose preference (p<0.05), avoided the center of an open field and spent less time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze (p<0.01). Epileptic mice had elevated morning baseline corticosterone at 1, 7 and 10 weeks post-SE (p<0.05) and increased adrenal gland size (p<0.05). Exposure to stress resulted in hyper-secretion of corticosterone in epileptic mice (p<0.05). Fos expression was reduced in infralimbic and prelimbic pre-frontal cortex, basolateral amygdala and all hippocampal subfields (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that epileptic mice develop an anxiety/depressive-like behavioral phenotype concomitantly with HPA axis hyperactivity and reduced engagement of stress-regulatory regions following acute stress. Baseline corticosterone analysis indicate that neuroendocrine disruption precedes rather than follows the chronic phase of epilepsy in this model. Elevated corticosterone is sufficient to produce a depressive/anxiety phenotype in rodents (Iijima 2010; Sterner 2010), and is associated with psychopathologies in humans (Pariante 2008), suggesting that neuroendocrine dysfunction produced by epileptogenic brain injuries may drive the development of comorbidities. Disclosure: Dr. Wulsin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Herman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Danzer has nothing to disclose.
Influence of silicon on high-temperature (600 °C) chlorosilane interactions with iron

Abstract High-temperature (>500 °C) chlorosilane gas streams are prevalent in the manufacture of polycrystalline silicon, the feedstock for silicon-based solar panels and electronics. This study investigated the influence of metallurgical grade silicon on the corrosion behavior of pure iron in these types of environments. The experiment included exposing pure iron samples at 600 °C to a silicon tetrachloride/hydrogen input gas mixture with and without embedding the samples in silicon. The samples in a packed bed of silicon had significantly higher mass gains compared to samples not in a packed bed. Comparison to diffusion studies suggest that the increase in mass gain of embedded samples is due to a higher silicon activity from the gas phase reaction with silicon. The experimental results were supported by chemical equilibrium calculations which showed that more-active trichlorosilane and dichlorosilane species are formed from silicon tetrachloride in silicon packed bed conditions.
Prospective comparison of dual-energy CT aortography using 70% reduced iodine dose versus single-energy CT aortography using standard iodine dose in the same patient

To compare dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) aortography using a 70% reduced iodine dose to single-energy CT (SECT) aortography using a standard iodine dose in the same patient. Twenty-one patients with a prior SECT aortography using standard iodine dose had DECT aortography using 70% reduced iodine dose. Section 120 kVp images were compared to DECT images reconstructed at both 50 and 77 keV. Reviewers measured image noise and attenuation in the aorta at eight locations from proximal to distal and subjectively scored vascular enhancement on a four-point scale. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated. The volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) for each exam was recorded. Mean iodine dose was 50 g for SECT and 15 g for DECT (70% reduction). Mean aortic attenuation was similar for section 120 kVp (350 ± 67 HU) and DECT 50 keV (338 ± 57 HU, p = 0.547) but was lower at 77 keV (152 ± 23 HU). Measured image noise was greatest at 50 keV (12 ± 5 HU) and was lowest at 77 keV (7 ± 2 HU, p > 0.001). There was no difference in SNR or CNR between 120 kVp and 50 keV (p > 0.05). Mean subjective vascular enhancement scores for SECT were between good and excellent (3.33–3.69), and for DECT at 50 keV were between moderate and good (2.54–2.93, p < 0.0001). CTDIvol was 13.6 mGy for SECT and 13.1 mGy for DECT (p = 0.637). 70% Reduced iodine DECT aortography may result in similar aortic attenuation, CNR, SNR, and lower although acceptable subjective image scores when compared to standard iodine SECT aortography in the same patient.
Presence of JAK2 Mutations in MDS/MPD-u WHO Classified Patients and Not Other Forms of MDS Suggests Their Derivation from Classical Myeloproliferative Syndrome.

The WHO classification of myeloid neoplasms recognizes a category of myeloid disorders that overlaps traditional myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) as the entity MDS/MPD disease. This disease category includes CMML, JMML, atypical CML and MDS/MPD unclassifiable (MDS/MPD-u). The provisional entity termed RARS associated with marked thrombocytosis (RARS-t) is currently best classified as MDS/MPD-u until further information is available regarding its pathogenesis. Recently a JAK2 mutation V617F (G→T) was identified as a pathogenetic lesion in typical myeloproliferative disorders (Kralovics et al, NEJM, 2005). Subsequent studies of the JAK2 mutation concentrated on more proliferative forms of MDS or MDS/MPD such as CMML and CNL (Steensma et al, Blood, 2005). These studies demonstrated that homo- and heterozygous JAK2 mutants are present in a rather small proportion of these patients. Based on similar clinical features, we theorized that JAK2 mutants might be also found in patients with MDS/MPD-u. We have collected a cohort of these patients (N=202) and analyzed them for the presence of JAK2 mutation using a molecular allele-specific PCR assay. Positive cases were confirmed by sequencing with a sensitivity of about 20% of mutated cells. A group of patients with PV, MF and ET served as positive controls (N=66). In agreement with previous reports, the detection rate of JAK2 mutants for PV, MF and ET was 92%, 55% and 55%, respectively. Our experimental group included 104 patients with MDS or MDS/MPD (53 RA/RS, 14 RAEB, 22 RAEB-t/sAML, and 15 CMML). Most significantly, the RA/RS group contained 13 patients with WHO-defined MDS/MPD overlap and 3 with RARS-t (among these patients, 3 were JAK2 mutants; all of them were heterozygous - 18.8%). Within 16 patients with CMML1 or 2 we found only 2 heterozygous for JAK2 mutation (12.5%). The remaining cohort of 73 patients in MDS categories revealed only 1 patient to be heterozygous for JAK2 mutation (RARS, 1.4%). As expected MDS/MPD patients with JAK2 mutation showed various degrees of BM fibrosis, splenomegaly and less pronounced cytopenias. Except for one patient, JAK2 mutants had normal cytogenetics. All had normal MCV and ANC. In 4/5 increased megakaryocytes with/or without atypia was seen. One CMML patient with abnormal cytogenetics showed an unusual translocation t(8;9)(q22;p24). JAK2 is located at 9p24 so it is possible that the JAK2 gene was involved in the translocation generating a novel fusion protein in addition to an activating JAK2 mutant. Our results showed that JAK2 mutations are rarely found in typical cases of MDS or CMML. However, further analysis of JAK2 mutational status in patients with MDS/MPD-u is warranted. The reported detection rate may suggest that the pathogenesis of these entities is more akin to myeloproliferative than myelodysplastic syndromes.
Early Head Tremor in Essential Tremor: A Case Series and Commentary.

Background: Classically, the onset of head tremor in essential tremor (ET) patients follows that of hand tremor, such that there is a somatotopic spread of involved areas. Here we present a series of seven self-reportedly “unaffected” relatives of ET cases. These seven were clinically asymptomatic and had normal levels of arm tremor on examination, yet each evidenced a transient head wobble on examination. We estimate the prevalence of this phenotype within the two studies from which cases were ascertained. Methods: ET cases and their self-reportedly affected and unaffected relatives, enrolled in two family studies, underwent a medical history and videotaped neurological examination. Results: In seven self-reportedly “unaffected” relatives, a transient and subtle head wobble was seen, always during sustained phonation, speech, or reading aloud. Total tremor score (a measure of arm tremor) ranged from 5 to 12 (i.e., mild tremor within the range of normal). The prevalence of this phenotype of early head tremor was 3.7% in one study and 23.1% in the other. Discussion: We present a series of seven individuals who had early head tremor in an evolving transition state from normal to ET. These cases raise a number of broad clinical, phenotypic, and pathophysiological issues about ET.
Catastrophe Futures: Financial Markets and Changing Climate Risks

An economy faces an unknown individual risk, such as the health effects of a recently discovered environmental hazard. Opinions may be widely different about the distribution of risks across the population. We study financial markets that suffice to reach efficient allocations in this situation. The problem is formalized in a general equilibrium economy with incomplete markets. Introducing an array of mutual insurance policies and of "statistical securities" is shown to lead to Pareto efficient allocations. By combining insurance contract for individual risks and securities markets for collective risks, the proposed institutional framework economizes significantly on the number of markets required for efficiency. The computational complexity of a market equilibrium is reduced from an NP - complete (i.e. intractable) problem to one which depends polynomially on the number of households.
Evidence for the role of the magnon energy relaxation length in the spin Seebeck effect

Temperature-dependent spin Seebeck effect data on Pt|yttrium iron garnet (YIG) (${\mathrm{Y}}_{3}\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$)|gallium gadolinium garnet ($\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{d}}_{3}\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$) are reported for YIG films of various thicknesses. The effect is reported as a spin Seebeck resistivity (SSR), the inverse spin-Hall field divided by the heat flux, to circumvent uncertainties about temperature gradients inside the films. The SSR is a nonmonotonic function of YIG thickness. A diffusive model for magnon transport demonstrates how these data give evidence for the existence of two distinct length scales in thermal spin transport, a spin-diffusion length, and a magnon energy relaxation length.
Acculturation Strategies and Symptoms of Depression: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

Using latent class analysis, we previously identified three acculturation strategies employed by South Asian immigrants in the US. Members of the Separation class showed a preference for South Asian culture over US culture, while members of the Assimilation class showed a preference for US culture, and those in the Integration class showed a similar preference for South Asian and US cultures. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between these acculturation strategies and symptoms of depression, a common yet underdiagnosed and undertreated mental disorder. We used data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study (n = 856). Data were collected between October 2010 and March 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the CES-D Scale. Applying a simple new method to account for uncertainty in class assignment when modeling latent classes as an exposure, we found that respondents in the Separation class had more depressive symptoms than those in the Integration class, but only after taking into account self-reported social support (b = 0.11; p = 0.05). There were no differences in depressive symptoms among those in the Assimilation class vs. those in the Integration class (b = −0.06; p = 0.41). Social support may protect against elevated symptoms of depression in South Asian immigrants with lower levels of integration into US culture.
Abstract 222: N-Acetylcysteine Enhances Amputation Stump Healing and Perfusion in Diabetes

Over 150,000 extremity amputations are performed in the US per year. More than 60% of these are performed in patients with diabetes and peripheral arterial disease, and 25% require subsequent re-amputation due to poor surgical site healing. The mechanisms underlying poor amputation stump healing in the setting of diabetes are not understood, which greatly limits management options. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a well-known thiol that regulates intracellular glutathione levels, promotes endothelial cell function and angiogenesis, and is proposed to have therapeutic benefits in the setting of diabetes. To test the hypothesis that NAC can improve surgical site healing in chronically ischemic amputation stumps in the setting of diabetes, we developed a novel in vivo murine hindlimb ischemia-amputation model. In this model, streptozotocin-treated C57B6 mice are allowed to develop hyperglycemia for 1 month, followed by unilateral hindlimb femoral artery ligation. After 1 week, the recovered yet still mal-perfused hindlimb undergoes an infrageniculate amputation. Compared to sham control, mice receiving a daily intraperitoneal administration of NAC 150mg/kg demonstrated a 31% improvement in stump healing (P=0.06), 160% increase in hindlimb stump laser-Doppler perfusion at 3 days post-amputation (P=0.03), as well as 179% increase in hindlimb adductor muscle neovascularization (P=0.01). Adductor muscle segments from ischemic amputated hindlimbs also demonstrated less muscle damage, and expressed higher levels of de-palmitoylated activated Gaq (P
Handbook for Applied Modeling: Non-Gaussian and Correlated Data

Designed for the applied practitioner, this book is a compact, entry-level guide to modeling and analyzing non-Gaussian and correlated data. Many practitioners work with data that fail the assumptions of the common linear regression models, necessitating more advanced modeling techniques. This Handbook presents clearly explained modeling options for such situations, along with extensive example data analyses. The book explains core models such as logistic regression, count regression, longitudinal regression, survival analysis, and structural equation modelling without relying on mathematical derivations. All data analyses are performed on real and publicly available data sets, which are revisited multiple times to show differing results using various modeling options. Common pitfalls, data issues, and interpretation of model results are also addressed. Programs in both R and SAS are made available for all results presented in the text so that readers can emulate and adapt analyses for their own data analysis needs. Data, R, and SAS scripts can be found online at http://www.spesi.org.
Petitioning for Involuntary Commitment for Chemical Dependency by Medical Services

Patients who have chemical dependency (CD) are commonly encountered on medical and surgical wards, often for illnesses and injuries sustained as a direct result of their substance abuse. When these patients are repeatedly admitted to the hospital in certain states that provide a legal framework to commit chemically dependent persons to a treatment facility, clinicians often wonder whether they should initiate that process. Should consulting psychiatrists choose to initiate the commitment process, they put into motion a resource-intensive, time-consuming mechanism, with uncertain outcomes, both in the courtroom and at the bedside. Petitioning for involuntary commitment to chemical dependency treatment of a patient from medical and surgical services is poorly understood. In this study, we examined a series of patients for whom petitions for judicial commitment in the state of Minnesota were entered over a 12-month period, and evaluated the likelihood of commitment to treatment, the demographics of patients involved, and the outcomes for this series of patients. Three vignettes are presented to illustrate the severity of these patients' illnesses and potential outcomes of the process. We further describe potential limitations of the commitment system and alternatives to CD commitment that could be explored further.
Finite-dimensional Liouville integrable Hamiltonian systems generated from Lax pairs of a bi-Hamiltonian soliton hierarchy by symmetry constraints

Abstract We construct finite-dimensional Hamiltonian systems by means of symmetry constraints from the Lax pairs and adjoint Lax pairs of a bi-Hamiltonian hierarchy of soliton equations associated with the 3-dimensional special linear Lie algebra, and discuss the Liouville integrability of these systems based on the existence of sufficiently many integrals of motion.
TrkB dependent adult hippocampal progenitor differentiation mediates sustained ketamine antidepressant response

Adult neurogenesis persists in the rodent dentate gyrus and is stimulated by chronic treatment with conventional antidepressants through BDNF/TrkB signaling. Ketamine in low doses produces both rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in patients. Previous studies have shed light on post-transcriptional synaptic NMDAR mediated mechanisms underlying the acute effect, but how ketamine acts at the cellular level to sustain this anti-depressive function for prolonged periods remains unclear. Here we report that ketamine accelerates differentiation of doublecortin-positive adult hippocampal neural progenitors into functionally mature neurons. This process requires TrkB-dependent ERK pathway activation. Genetic ablation of TrkB in neural stem/progenitor cells, or pharmacologic disruption of ERK signaling, or inhibition of adult neurogenesis, each blocks the ketamine-induced behavioral responses. Conversely, enhanced ERK activity via Nf1 gene deletion extends the response and rescues both neurogenic and behavioral deficits in mice lacking TrkB. Thus, TrkB-dependent neuronal differentiation is involved in the sustained antidepressant effects of ketamine.
BRAF, NRAS, and GNAQ Mutations in Conjunctival Melanocytic Nevi.

Purpose To evaluate BRAF, NRAS, and GNAQ mutations in surgical specimens of common and blue conjunctival melanocytic nevi. Methods Surgical specimens from 25 conjunctival melanocytic nevi (23 common and 2 blue) of 25 patients were evaluated. All common nevi were analyzed immunohistochemically for the expression of BRAF V600E or NRAS Q61R. One lesion with negative immunoreactivity and for all blue nevi, a hybridization capture-based next-generation sequencing method was employed for mutation analysis. For common nevi, genetic features were compared with clinical and histopathologic findings. Continuous variables (age at excision and largest basal diameter) were compared with a Students's t-test and all categoric variables were compared with Fisher's Exact Test. Results Of common melanocytic nevi, 9 (39.1%) were immunoreactive for NRASQ61R and 13 (56.5%) were immunoreactive for BRAFV600E. One common nevus, which was immunonegative for both BRAFV600E and NRASQ61R was found to harbor an NRASQ61K mutation by sequence analysis. Patients with NRAS-mutated nevi were more likely to report occurrence of the lesion prior to 18-years old and more likely to have intrinsic cysts. The mean largest basal diameter was 6.0 and 3.5 mm for NRAS- and BRAF-immunoreactive lesions, respectively (P = 0.003). GNAQ mutations were identified in each of the two blue nevi of this study. Conclusions These findings document that common conjunctival melanocytic nevi have mutually exclusive mutations in BRAF and NRAS. The two conjunctival blue nevi harbored GNAQ mutations. This suggests the driver mutations of conjunctival nevi are similar to those of nevi of the skin. At the molecular level, conjunctival nevi appear more like cutaneous nevi than choroidal nevi.