cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypersensitivity reactions associated with oxaliplatin

The reported incidence of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) associated with oxaliplatin in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is approximately 12%, with 1 - 2% of patients developing grade 3 or 4 in severity. However, the recent rising incidence of HSR to oxaliplatin observed is the result of increasing clinical use. HSR to oxaliplatin may manifest as facial flushing, rash/hives, tachycardia, dyspnoea, erythema, pruritus, fever, tongue swelling, headache, chills, weakness, vomiting, burning sensations, dizziness and oedema. Anaphylactic shock is rare but serious, and must be considered in the event of hypotension. No definitive approaches to prevent and treat HSR associated with oxaliplatin are available; however, few successful strategies have been reported. Such strategies include: slowing the infusion rate, use of steroids and antagonists of type 1 and 2 histamine receptors, and desensitisation. Successful implementation of oxaliplatin desensitisation protocols based on other platinum-containing compounds have been reported, which could enable a small number of patients who experience severe HSR to further receive an effective therapy for CRC. However, reintroductions have only been reported as single case studies or small cohorts. Large-scale validation on desensitisation strategies are still missing. Recently, subcutaneous adrenaline has also been utilised as an alternative approach to manage HSR to oxaliplatin. Knowledge of this rare but real toxicity of oxaliplatin is paramount because the use of this drug continues to increase not only for the treatment of patients with stage II-IV CRC, but also other solid malignancies. In this article, the author discusses the incidence, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, risk factors and current strategies of management of HSR associated with oxaliplatin.
Strategies for reducing out of plane radiation in photonic crystal double heterostructure resonant cavities

Directional dependence of optical radiation from photonic crystal double heterostructure resonant cavities is analyzed using the finite-difference time-domain method. Geometries that mitigate out-of-plane radiation loss with dielectric substrates are analyzed.
Next generation genetic mapping of the Ligon-lintless-2 (Li 2) locus in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Mapping-by-sequencing and novel subgenome-specific SNP markers were used to fine map the Ligon-lintless 2 ( Li 2 ) short-fiber gene in tetraploid cotton. These methodologies will accelerate gene identification in polyploid species. Next generation sequencing offers new ways to identify the genetic mechanisms that underlie mutant phenotypes. The release of a reference diploid Gossypium raimondii (D5) genome and bioinformatics tools to sort tetraploid reads into subgenomes has brought cotton genetic mapping into the genomics era. We used multiple high-throughput sequencing approaches to identify the relevant region of reference sequence and identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the short-fiber mutant Ligon-lintless 2 (Li 2) gene locus. First, we performed RNAseq on 8-day post-anthesis (DPA) fiber cells from the Li 2 mutant and its wild type near isogenic line (NIL) Gossypium hirsutum cv. DP5690. We aligned sequence reads to the D5 genome, sorted the reads into A and D subgenomes with PolyCat and called SNPs with InterSNP. We then identified SNPs that would result in non-synonymous substitutions to amino acid sequences of annotated genes. This step allowed us to identify a 1-Mb region with 24 non-synonymous SNPs, representing the introgressed region that differentiates Li 2 from its NIL. Next, we sequenced total DNA from pools of F2 plants, using a super bulked segregant analysis sequencing (sBSAseq) approach. The sBSAseq predicted 82 non-synonymous SNPs among 3,494 SNPs in a 3-Mb region that includes the region identified by RNAseq. We designed subgenome-specific SNP markers and tested them in an F2 population of 1,733 individuals to construct a genetic map. Our resulting genetic interval contains only one gene, an aquaporin, which is highly expressed in wild-type fibers and is significantly under-expressed in elongating Li 2 fiber cells.
Deformational features and impact-generated breccia from the Sierra Madera impact structure, west Texas

Deformational features from the Sierra Madera impact structure, west Texas, were studied to estimate shock temperature and shock pressure values involved during its formation. Sandstone, limestone, and polymict impact-generated breccia samples occur within the central uplift. The sandstones host several shock-related deformational features including toasted quartz grains and planar microstructures (planar fractures and planar deformation features) in quartz. Zircon mineral grains separated from the sandstone samples provide evidence of shock deformation in the form of planar fractures and granular surface textures. Both sandstone and carbonate within the central uplift contain shatter cones, whereas polymict impact-generated breccia samples contain shatter cone fragments and clasts of mixed lithology. Most high-temperature features (e.g., high-temperature mineral phases and a melt sheet) typically associated with less eroded structures of similar size are lacking; however, some small (millimeter-size) possible devitrified glass clasts within polymict breccias occur at several locations. Deformational features within zircon mineral grains, shatter cones, and quartz grains with multiple planar microstructures record pressure and temperature conditions during the impact of ∼3–20 GPa and postshock temperatures between 350 and >1000 °C. Deformational conditions during the impact event were almost certainly higher, given that erosion has presumably removed most of the more severely shocked rocks.
The testability features of the MCF5407 containing the 4th generation ColdFire(R) microprocessor core

The DFT and Test challenges faced, and the solutions applied, to the newest member of the ColdFire(R) microprocessor family, the MCF5407, are described in this paper. The MCF5407 is the first member of the family to utilize a PLL-sourced clock to do at-speed launch-to-capture cycles. This PLL-sourced test clock can be "chopped" in any manner needed for core to asic ratios between 4:1 and 1:1. The internal microprocessor core of the MCF5407 was designed as a separate stand-alone core. The DFT challenges and solutions described in this paper involve the challenges that are above and beyond the challenges of the MCF5307; including the PLL clock chop and enhanced PLL scan testing.
An Equitable Way to Pay for Universal Coverage

This article describes a way to finance universal health care coverage that preserves much of the current financing system and replaces funds obtained from regressive sources with revenue from more progressive ones. New funding would be needed for 24 percent of health expenditures and would be raised through an increase in the federal personal income tax. Premiums are eliminated since their cost is the same to everyone regardless of income. Cost sharing and out-of-pocket spending for medically necessary services are also abolished. In a more equitably financed system, employers would pay a new payroll tax that raised the same amount of money they currently spend for employee health insurance premiums; this would require a payroll tax of about 7 percent. Revenue from an increase in federal personal income taxes would replace household out-of-pocket expenditures for medically necessary services and payments for insurance premiums. For the average, middleincome family, the tax increase would total $731 in 1998. In exchange for the tax increase, no American or American employer would need to buy health insurance or face out-of-pocket charges for any medically indicated health care. While universal insurance coverage has been the goal of health care reformers for many years, the specifics of how to equitably finance such a system are less well understood. This article outlines a way to finance universal coverage that preserves much of the current financing system and replaces funds obtained from regressive sources with revenue from more progressive ones. As described here, one way to more equitably finance health care is to replace current out-of-pocket spending and households’ purchases of health insurance premiums with revenues from an increase in the federal personal income tax. For the average, middleincome household, this would mean a tax increase of $731 in 1998. In exchange for the tax increase, no one would need to buy health insurance or face any out-of-pocket charges for medically necessary services.
Lifting of ambient air by density currents in sheared environments

AbstractTwo aspects of vorticity associated with cold pools are addressed. First, tilting of horizontal vortex tubes by the updraft at a gust front has been proposed as a means of getting near-ground rotation and hence a tornado. Theory and a numerical simulation are used to show that this mechanism will not work because warm air parcels approaching the gust front decelerate in strong adverse pressure gradient. The near-surface horizontal vorticity available for upward tilting is greatly reduced by horizontal compression before it is tilted. Consequently, uplifting of vortex tubes produces little vertical vorticity near the ground.Second, it is shown that the baroclinic vorticity generated at the leading edge of the cold pool is transported rearward in the vortex sheet along the interface between cold and warm air, and the barotropic vorticity associated with environmental shear is conserved along streamlines. Warm parcels away from the interface do not acquire baroclinic vorticity to offset their barotro...
The Absence of Alternative Oxidase AOX1A Results in Altered Response of Photosynthetic Carbon Assimilation to Increasing CO 2 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abbreviations: A, net assimilation rate; ANOVA, analysis of variance; AOX, alternative oxidase; cETC, chloroplast electron transport chain; Ci, intercellular CO2 concentration, DTT, dithiothreitol; gs, stomatal conductance; Fv/Fm, PSII maximum efficiency; Jmax, maximum electron transport rate; Mal, malate; MDH, malate dehydrogenase; mETC, mitochondrial electron transport chain; NPQ, non-photochemical quenching; OAA, oxaloacetate; PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate; PGA, phosphoglycerate; Pyr, pyruvate; 1 ‐ qP, excitation pressure on PSII; Rd, respiration in the dark; RuBP, ribulose 1,5bisphosphate; TP, triose phosphate; UCP, uncoupling protein; vc, rate of Rubisco carboxylation; Vcmax, maximum carboxylation rate; WT, wild type; fPSII, quantum yield of PSII; ,C O 2 compensation point.
A note on shock diffraction by a supersonic wedge

An earlier treatment of the diffraction of a shock wave advancing into a region of uniform flow, based on Chisnell’s (1965) extension of Whitham’s (1957) rule for shock diffraction, is corrected for an algebraic error and then compared with an analogous treatment based on the more recent extension derived by Whitham (1968). The basis for comparison is the pressure just behind a shock wave that is diffracted by a thin wedge travelling at supersonic speed. The approximation provided by Whitham’s extension is both simpler than, and typically superior to, that provided by Chisnell’s extension (although the numerical differences are small in the Mach-number regime considered).
Rethinking the timescales at which congestion-control operates

The efficiency of TCP congestion-control in achieving high throughput is quite poor in high-speed, lossy, and dynamic-bandwidth environments. The main culprit is the slow bandwidth-search process used by TCP, which may take up to several thousands of round-trip times (RTTs) in searching for and acquiring the end-to-end spare bandwidth. While several alternate protocols have been proposed to speed up the search process, these still take hundreds of RTTs for doing so. In this paper, we argue that the sluggishness of existing protocols stems from two limiting design decisions that help a transfer remain non-intrusive to competing transfers. We argue that these legacy design decisions can be done away with if we limit the impact of probing for spare bandwidth. We use this idea to design a new approach for congestion-control that allows TCP connections to boldly search for, and adapt to, the available bandwidth within a single RTT. Our approach relies on carefully orchestrated packet sending times and estimates the available bandwidth based on the delays experienced by these. We instantiate our new protocol, referred to as RAPID, using mechanisms that promote efficiency as well as queue-friendliness. Our experimental evaluations indicate that RAPID: (i) converges to an updated value of bandwidth within 1-2 RTTs; (ii) helps maintain fairly small queues even in high-speed networks; and (iii) has negligible impact on regular TCP traffic. The benefits of our approach are especially significant on lossy links and those with rapidly-changing bandwidth.
Surgery for Tracheobronchomalacia

Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) refers to a weakening of the anterior tracheal rings leading to splaying and collapse of the central airways. In this report, we review the treatment of TBM, including preoperative workup, intraoperative anesthesia management, and surgical technique for posterior splinting tracheobronchoplasty. Imperative in the preoperative preparation is a stent trial in which an airway stent is placed to temporarily relieve the TBM and reassess for improvement in symptoms. Definitive therapy is then carried out with posterior splinting tracheoplasty or tracheobronchoplasty. Surgical results are generally excellent with the majority of patients having significant improvements in breathing.
Arc-Flash Hazard Mitigation

Electrical safety is highly regulated in all industrialized countries. Historically, the details of electrical hazard mitigation focused on measures to prevent electric shock. as awareness of arc flash as a unique hazard separate and distinct from shock emerged in the 1980s, standards began to address its mitigation. Comparing standards from North America and the European Union (EU), there are some similarities and differences. This article benchmarks recognized occupational electrical safety standards against the comprehensive hazard control measures in safety-management systems standards. This analysis shows that current electrical safety standards do not provide a comprehensive solution and that an effective arc hazard mitigation program depends on the integration of several standards.
Concurrent dengue and malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax

Concurrent infections of dengue and malaria are rare. We report a case of dengue fever with acute malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax in which the presence of mixed infection with P. vivax was overlooked and confirmed later on during recurrence of the fever that had initially responded to conventional antimalarial treatment and symptomatic treatment for dengue fever. We suggest that in concurrent infections of dengue and malaria, possibility of mixed infection with various Plasmodium species should be excluded to ensure a better treatment outcome.
Analysis of cardiopulmonary bypass status in China: eight-year development trends.

Objective:To study the development of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in the past 8 years and to come up with predictions and recommendations for the future in China.Methods:Domestic hospitals performing cardiovascular operations were supplied with questionnaires, annually (between 2003 and 2008), upon the number of on-pump and off-pump cardiovascular operations, oxygenators of different types and the number of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). All the hospitals in this study were divided into 8 grades, according to the number of cardiovascular operations. The market share of hospitals in each grade was analyzed.Results:The total anumber of cardiovascular operations was 170,547 in 2010, of which 136,753 were performed under CPB. The ratio of imported membrane oxygenators increased from 43.22% in 2003 to 59.75% in 2010, while bubble oxygenator composition decreased from 43.78% in 2003 to 14.59% in 2010. Forty-four hospitals carried out 206 cases of ECMO in 2010. There were 32 hospitals that performe...
Novel unsupported and empirically supported therapies: patterns of usage among licensed clinical social workers.

Background: While considerable attention has been focused in recent years on evidencebased practice, less attention has been placed on clinical social workers’ choice to use ineffective or harmful interventions, referred to in the present paper as Novel Unsupported Therapies (NUSTs). Method: The present study surveyed 400 Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) across the United States in order to determine the extent of their usage of NUSTs, as well as their usage of conventional therapies that lacked support and empirically supported therapies (ESTs). Reasons for selecting interventions were also assessed. Results: While the vast majority (97.5%) reported using some form of EST, 75% of our sample also reported using at least one NUST. Logistic regression analysis revealed that NUST usage was related to female gender and trauma specialization. A split plot ANOVA revealed that respondents rated positive clinical experience higher than published research as a reason for selecting an intervention. LCSWs with a CBT theoretical orientation rated research evidence more highly than those of other theoretical orientations. However, even within the group of LCSWs with a CBT orientation, clinical experience was rated more highly than research evidence. Conclusions: Implications for practice are discussed.
A twenty percent efficient photovoltaic concentrator module

A solar-to-electric efficiency greater than 200% has been achieved using a silicon-based photovoltaic concentrator module. The module uses 12 point-focus cells and has a total lens aperture area of 1875 cm/sup 2/. Results of outdoor testing of the full module are given. The cells and cell mounts of the module were designed for the commercial-prototype Sandia Baseline Module 3, and it is expected that concentrator modules with efficiencies of 20% will be available commercially within a few years. >
Aging Population and Future Burden of Pneumococcal Pneumonia in the United States

Pneumococcal pneumonia is concentrated among the elderly. Using a decision analytic model, we projected the future incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia and associated healthcare utilization and costs accounting for an aging US population. Between 2004 and 2040, as the population increases by 38%, pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalizations will increase by 96% (from 401 000 to 790 000), because population growth is fastest in older age groups experiencing the highest rates of pneumococcal disease. Absent intervention, the total cost of pneumococcal pneumonia will increase by $2.5 billion annually, and the demand for healthcare services for pneumococcal pneumonia, especially inpatient capacity, will double in coming decades.
In vitro kinetics of hepatic glutathione s‐transferase conjugation in largemouth bass and brown bullheads

The kinetics of glutathione 5-transferase (GST) catalysis were investigated in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and brown bullheads (Amerius nebulosus), two freshwater fish species found in a variety of polluted waterways in the eastern US. The initial rates of hepatic GST activity toward four GST substrates, including 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, ethacrynic acid, {Delta}5-androstene-17-dione, and nitrobutyl chloride, were significantly higher in brown bullheads than in largemouth bass. Hepatic GST activity toward 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene, a {mu}-class GST substrate in rodents, was not detectable in either species. Liver cytosolic GSTs were more efficient in bullheads than in bass at catalyzing 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene-reduced glutathione (CDNB-GSH) conjugation over a broad range of electrophile (CDNB) concentrations, including those representative of environmental exposure. In contrast, largemouth bass maintained higher ambient concentrations of GSH, the nucleophilic cofactor for GST-mediated conjugation, than brown bullheads. Biphasic kinetics for GST-CDNB conjugation under conditions of variable GSH concentration were apparent in Eadie-Hofstee plots of the kinetic data, suggesting the presence of at least two hepatic GST isozymes with markedly different K{sub m} values for GSH in both species. The GST-CDNB reaction rate data obtained under conditions of variable GSH were well fitted (R{sup 2} = 0.999) by the two-enzyme Michaelis-Menten equation. In addition, Western blotting experiments confirmedmore » the presence of two different hepatic GST-like proteins in both largemouth bass and brown bullhead liver. Collectively, these findings indicate that largemouth bass and brown bullhead GSTs catalyze the conjugation of structurally diverse, class-specific GST substrates, and that brown bullheads exhibit higher initial rates of GST activity than largemouth bass. The relatively higher rates of in vitro liver GST activity at the low substrate concentrations relevant to environmental exposure is expected to protect brown bullheads from the toxic effects of sediment-associated electrophilic chemicals. The somewhat lower rates of GST activity in largemouth bass liver compared with brown bullhead liver, however, may be offset by maintenance of higher ambient hepatic GSH concentrations in largemouth bass.« less
Cardiac Myocyte Apoptosis Is Associated With Increased DNA Damage and Decreased Survival in Murine Models of Obesity

Disruption of leptin signaling is associated with obesity, heart failure, and cardiac hypertrophy, but the role of leptin in cardiac myocyte apoptosis is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that apoptosis increases in leptin-deficient ob/ob and leptin-resistant db/db mice and is associated with aging and left ventricular hypertrophy, increased DNA damage, and decreased survival. We studied young (2- to 3-month-old) and old (12- to 14-month-old) ob/ob and db/db mice and wild-type (WT) controls (n=2 to 4 per group). As expected, ventricular wall thickness and heart weights were similar among young ob/ob, db/db, and WT mice, but higher in old ob/ob and db/db versus old WT. Young ob/ob and db/db showed markedly elevated apoptosis by TUNEL staining and caspase 3 levels compared with WT. Differences in apoptosis were further accentuated with age. Leptin treatment significantly reduced apoptosis in ob/ob mice both in intact hearts and isolated myocytes. Tissue triglycerides were increased in ob/ob hearts, returning to WT levels after leptin repletion. Furthermore, the DNA damage marker, 8oxoG (8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanidine), was increased, whereas the DNA repair marker, MYH glycosylase, was decreased in old ob/ob and db/db compared with old WT mice. Both ob/ob and db/db mice had decreased survival compared with WT mice. We conclude that leptin-deficient and leptin-resistant mice demonstrate increased apoptosis, DNA damage, and mortality compared with WT mice, suggesting that normal leptin signaling is necessary to prevent excess age-associated DNA damage and premature mortality. These data offer novel insights into potential mechanisms of myocardial dysfunction and early mortality in obesity.
Evidence for regulated coupling of A1 adenosine receptors by phosphorylation in Zucker rats

Studies were designed to find the molecular basis for previous observations that lipolysis is less active and A1 adenosine receptor signaling is more active in adipocytes from obese than from lean Zucker rats. With quantitative immunoblot procedures for detection, Gi alpha 1 and Gs alpha 45 levels were found anomalously low in obese compared with lean membranes (50 and 30%, respectively), but other G alpha subunit levels were normal. However, the sensitivity of the receptor-Gi protein to GTP was about 5- to 10-fold higher in obese compared with lean membranes when assessed from 1) the ability of GTP to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase in the presence of an adenosine receptor agonist and 2) the ability of a nonhydrolyzable guanine nucleotide analogue to alter A1 adenosine receptor agonist binding. Alkaline phosphatase treatment of isolated adipocyte membranes from obese but not lean animals decreased guanine nucleotide sensitivity of agonist binding. Surprisingly, solubilized adipocyte A1 adenosine receptors from all animals exhibited the same high sensitivity to guanine nucleotides as that of intact obese membranes, and this high sensitivity could be decreased 20-fold by treatment with alkaline phosphatase. These data suggest that protein phosphorylation may regulate coupling of the A1 adenosine receptor in rat adipocyte membranes.
Using the Brain Dead for Medical Research

Federal Institutional Review Board Regulations should be amended to require review of research proposals involving brain dead bodies. IRB review would aid in ensuring the certainty of the brain death determination, the need for the proposed research, and the proper disclosure to family members.
Influence of Patient-Centered Decision Making on Sustained Weight Loss and Risk Reduction Following Lifestyle Intervention Efforts in Rural Pennsylvania:

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine whether weight loss and cardiovascular disease risk factor reduction was maintained following a lifestyle intervention.MethodsFive hundred fifty-fi...
Conveyor Theory: A Survey

Abstract This paper surveys the research which has been published in the area of conveyor theory. Deterministic and probabilistic approaches, as well as descriptive and normative approaches to modeling conveyor systems are discussed. Areas for further study are suggested.
Nest Relocation in the Ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus

Movement of colonies of the ant Pogonomyrmex barbatus from one nest site to another were observed in the Chisos Mountains, TX. Nest sites were moved 4.5-12 m over a period of 20-25 days during which immatures, callows, adult workers, seeds, debris and pebbles were transported from the old to the new site.
Partisan of Nonpartisanship: Dorman B. Eaton and the Genteel Reform Tradition

A LTHOUGH a public figure of wide reputation in post-Civil War America, Dorman B. Eaton is seldom remembered today except, perhaps, as the author of a bill that does not even bear his name-the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883. Certainly Eaton is less well known than the other leading genteel reformers-E. L. Godkin of the Nation, George William Curtis of Harper's Weekly, or Carl Schurz, the German-born liberalwhose public careers were broader in scope.' Yet it is the very narrowness of Eaton's interests and the intensity with which he explored a single theme, nonpartisanship, on which his importance rests. Eaton advocated the essentially progressive goals of efficient municipal administration and of civil service reform for all levels of American government. The impetus for his program, however, was actually conservative, for Eaton believed that excellence in public service had been undermined by the spoils system, a legacy of the Jacksonian revolution. Eaton's views, mixing as they did modern and reactionary tendencies, were representative of a major nineteenth-century reform type, the genteel progressive. Eaton was a member of the Yankee exodus-a New Englander who left the region to seek a career elsewhere.2 Born in 1823 in Hardwick, Vermont, the son of a Unitarian minister, and descended from an old New England family, Eaton received his undergraduate education at the University of Vermont. He attended Harvard Law School, where he attained such
Organizationally Diverse Capitalism: Exploring Alternatives to 20th- century Corporations

Throughout the last century, public corporations have been emblematic organizational form of the contemporary capitalism. However, at the turn of the new century, its dominance as a typical form of business organization is gradually declining (Davis, 2011), and this trend is accompanied by the growth of alternative organizational forms such as mutuals, cooperatives, state-owned enterprises, social enterprises and public-private hybrid organizations, possibly representing a historical transition towards the organizationally diverse capitalism (Schneiberg, 2011). This symposium traces this emerging trend by drawing on diverse academic investigations into novel organizational forms which would serve as alternatives to 20th- century corporations. By doing so, we seek to attract scholarly attention to this emerging phenomenon, and to encourage future organizational research to go beyond the rigid frame of corporations and embrace the novel research possibility enabled by the enhanced organizational diversity i...
Offering Money-Back Guarantees in the Presence of Strategic Consumers

This paper studies the benefits of money-back guarantees MBGs on the seller under the presence of strategic consumers. The seller initially can offer the MBGs or no-MBGs in the selling season but may sell the leftover inventory at a salvage price without the MBGs at the end of the season. The strategic consumers choose the purchasing timing based on their expected surplus. The authors compare the models of the MBGs offer to no-MBGs in the selling season. By characterizing the rational expectation equilibrium, they find that the seller can charge a higher price in the case of the MBGs offer compared to no-MBGs. Accordingly, the seller's stocking level is higher and thus the seller's profit has the corresponding result. This result explains why MBGs is ubiquitous in the retailing world. The effects of the parameters in the model on the profit benefit are shown in the numerical analysis.
How does pulmonary rehabilitation survive in a managed care market

As managed care enrollment increases, pulmonary rehabilitation coordinators need to become well versed in the terminology and grasp the way managed care organizations operate. Maintaining access to pulmonary rehabilitation services for chronic lung disease patients is imperative. Learning how to obtain treatment referrals and authorizations has become challenging. Using offered resources can aid program coordinators in their struggle to survive in an ever-changing health care delivery system. Preventative and restorative rehabilitation intervention saves utilization of expensive health care resources.
Suppression Measured from Chinchilla Auditory-Nerve-Fiber Responses Following Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: Adaptive-Tracking and Systems-Identification Approaches.

The compressive nonlinearity of cochlear signal transduction, reflecting outer-hair-cell function, manifests as suppressive spectral interactions; e.g., two-tone suppression. Moreover, for broadband sounds, there are multiple interactions between frequency components. These frequency-dependent nonlinearities are important for neural coding of complex sounds, such as speech. Acoustic-trauma-induced outer-hair-cell damage is associated with loss of nonlinearity, which auditory prostheses attempt to restore with, e.g., “multi-channel dynamic compression” algorithms.
The alternative American diet.

Almost all responsible organizations and individual authorities in the United States firmly suggest that atherosclerosis is a preventable disease. Recommendations to prevent atherosclerosis have centered upon five objectives which are: (1) The abolition of cigarette smoking; (2) the control of high blood pressure; (3) the institution of regular exercise; (4) the lowering of elevated serum cholesterol levels and (5) finally and most importantly, changes in the habitual diet to lower the serum lipid levels. No one disagrees that the public at large should follow the first three recommendations related to smoking, blood pressure and exercise. Nor is there any controversy about the desirability of treating persons with identified hyperlipidemia. Strong differences of opinion are expressed about the wisdom and safety of diet modification for the general public. The Intersociety Commission for Heart Disease Resources and the American Heart Association have both urged dietary change for the public at large in an effort to prevent coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis (1,2). Others have advised caution and delay until the “final proof is in”.
Reflections on Henry Kempe’s Contributions to Child Abuse Prevention

Henry Kempe’s 1971 research into the prediction and prevention of child abuse and neglect was the first of its kind. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the lessons learned from Kempe’s research that have particular salience in current practice. The author was an integral part of Kempe’s early research and carried forth the principles of this work into a blended and comprehensive early intervention program (The Community Infant Program) in Boulder, Colorado. The replicated concepts gleaned from Kempe’s research were multidisciplinary teaming and reflective dialogue, videotaped observation of parent–infant interaction, and meaningful access to services for families. These principles have provided the foundation for successful early intervention programming and the means for building family capacity and the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Service Learning Enhances Conceptual Learning in a RN to BSN Program

A qualitative study using transcript analysis was conducted to examine the effectiveness of service learning in enhancing conceptual learning in RN to BSN students. As part of their capstone course in an online program, students engaged in 64 hours of service learning in their local community. The transcripts of asynchronous discussions and journal entries formed the data for analysis. The findings illustrated that the studentâ€™s conceptual understanding was enhanced from the service learning experience. Further, the students demonstrated higher-level thinking by linking concepts that could be applied to nursing practice. Service learning reinforced the community-based philosophy of the School of Nursing, and strengthened their abilities in leadership, teamwork, and collaboration with a greater orientation to community, vulnerable populations, and health promotion. Service learning was found to be an effective way to use the skills of the registered nurse for health related service in the community while also meeting their academic and individual learning needs.
Trust in B2B Commerce: Taxonomy and Roles.

Research studying trust in B2B relationships is only starting to burgeon compared to its B2C counterpart. Updating the Saunders et al (2004) review with a sample that includes more recent studies, we find an increase in studies on trust in B2B and interorganizational systems (IOSs). We group some commonalities we find into three types of trust: relationship, technology, and third-party, and fit them in a general framework. We also identify four patterns with which researchers operationalize and test B2B trust and evaluate the empirical support for each. We conclude by discussing some gaps we observed during our review of literature.
The genomic landscape of metastatic non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

474Background: Non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC) encompasses about 20% of RCC cases and includes a number of subtypes that vary clinically and molecularly. Compared to ccRCC, these tumors have more limited sensitivity to conventional anti-VEGF agents and mTOR inhibitors, and there is clear need for better therapies. Analysis of genomic alterations in potentially targetable pathways may lead to novel therapeutic development strategies. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed tumors from 112 patients with metastatic nccRCC with targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) across a panel of >340 cancer-relevant genes. Matched tumor and normal was used to facilitate somatic calling. We report on recurrent alterations observed for nccRCC variants. Results: Median age was 53 years (range 12-77), 67% were male; 47% presented with metastatic disease and 53% with localized disease that later metastasized. NGS was performed on tissue from primary tumors (57%) or metastatic sites (43%). Subtype classifications ...
Induced defences in plants reduce herbivory by increasing cannibalism

Plants are attacked by myriad herbivores, and many plants exhibit anti-herbivore defences. We tested the hypothesis that induced defences benefit tomato plants by encouraging insects to eat other members of their species. We found that defences that promote cannibalism benefit tomatoes in two ways: cannibalism directly reduces herbivore abundance, and cannibals eat significantly less plant material. This previously unknown means of defence may alter plant–herbivore dynamics, plant evolution and pathogen transmission. Plants can induce anti-herbivore defences through the synthesis of proteins that reduce feeding. Induction of these defences in tomato plants also reduces herbivore damage by promoting cannibalism among insect larvae.
Role of a novel immune modulating DDR2-expressing population in silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis

Micro-injuries associated with chronic inhaled particle exposures are linked with activation of the immune response and are thought to contribute to progression of fibrotic disease. In the pulmonary environment, we have previously demonstrated a heterogeneous population of circulating fibroblast precursors (CFPs), which are defined by expression of the pan-leukocyte marker CD45 and the collagen receptor, discoidin domain receptor-2 (DDR2). This population is derived from the hematopoietic stem cell, expresses collagen, and has a fibroblastic morphology in vitro. Herein, we demonstrate a novel subset of CFPs expressing immune markers CD11b, CD11c, and major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II). The CFP population was skewed toward this immune marker expressing subset in animals with silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Data indicate that this CFP subset upregulates co-stimulatory molecules and MHC II expression in response to silica-induced fibrosis in vivo. Functionally, this population was shown to promote T cell skewing away from a Th1 response and toward a pro-inflammatory profile. These studies represent the first direct flow cytometric and functional evaluation of the novel immune marker expressing CFP subset in an exposure-induced model of pulmonary fibrosis. Elucidating the role of this CFP subset may enhance our understanding of the complex immune balance critical to mediating exposures at the pulmonary-host interface and may be a valuable target for the treatment of exposure-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
2-D shallow junction mapping by dual lens electron holography

In planar device technology, shallow junction is a structure to control source to drain off current leakage when the gate becomes narrow to keep up with scaling of semiconductor device. High spatial resolution characterization of the device junction position relative to the gate and its profile near the source and drain provide valuable input to device simulation and guidance of the complicated processes. The combined device simulation and junction characterization, thus, can reduce cost and cycle time of development. Electron holography has been used to measure electric potential, which is directly related to the junction position in semiconductor devices.
Polymer dots enable deep in vivo multiphoton fluorescence imaging of cerebrovascular architecture

Deep in vivo imaging of vasculature requires small, bright, and photostable fluorophores suitable for multiphoton microscopy (MPM). Although semiconducting polymer dots (pdots) are an emerging class of highly fluorescent contrast agents with favorable advantages for the next generation of in vivo imaging, their use for deep multiphoton imaging has never before been demonstrated. Here we characterize the multiphoton properties of three pdot variants (CNPPV, PFBT, and PFPV) and demonstrate deep imaging of cortical microvasculature in C57 mice. Specifically, we measure the two- versus three-photon power dependence of these pdots and observe a clear three-photon excitation signature at wavelengths longer than 1300 nm, and a transition from two-photon to three-photon excitation within a 1060 – 1300 nm excitation range. Furthermore, we show that pdots enable in vivo two-photon imaging of cerebrovascular architecture in mice up to 850 μm beneath the pial surface using 800 nm excitation. In contrast with traditional multiphoton probes, we also demonstrate that the broad multiphoton absorption spectrum of pdots permits imaging at longer wavelengths (λex = 1,060 and 1225 nm). These wavelengths approach an ideal biological imaging wavelength near 1,300 nm and confer compatibility with a high-power ytterbium-fiber laser and a high pulse energy optical parametric amplifier, resulting in substantial improvements in signal-to-background ratio (>3.5-fold) and greater cortical imaging depths of 900 μm and 1300 μm. Ultimately, pdots are a versatile tool for MPM due to their extraordinary brightness and broad absorption, which will undoubtedly unlock the ability to interrogate deep structures in vivo.
The Impact of Awareness of and Concern About Memory Performance on the Prediction of Progression From Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer Disease Dementia.

Objective To investigate the relationship of awareness of and concern about memory performance to progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia. Methods Participants (n = 33) had a diagnosis of MCI at baseline and a diagnosis of MCI or AD dementia at follow-up. Participants were categorized as “Stable-MCI” if they retained an MCI diagnosis at follow-up (mean follow-up = 18.0 months) or “Progressor-MCI” if they were diagnosed with AD dementia at follow-up (mean follow-up = 21.6 months). Awareness was measured using the residual from regressing a participant's objective memory score onto their subjective complaint score (i.e., residual Results Baseline anosognosia was apparent in the Progressor-MCI group, whereas participants in the Stable-MCI group demonstrated relative awareness of their memory performance. Baseline awareness scores successfully predicted whether an individual would progress to AD-dementia. Neither group showed change in awareness of performance over time. Neither group showed differences in concern about memory performance at baseline or change in concern about performance over time. Conclusion These data suggest that anosognosia may appear prior to the onset of AD dementia, while anosodiaphoria likely does not appear until later in the AD continuum. Additionally, neither group showed significant changes in awareness or concern over time, suggesting that change in these variables may happen over longer periods.
A proposed curriculum for a masters in web engineering

To address the significant technical demand for trained Web Engineers, and to raise the current state of the practice of Web Engineering, a Master's level degree program in Web Engineering is proposed. The most significant research disciplines for Web Engineering are Network Engineering, Software Engineering, Databases and Storage Systems, and Hypermedia. Important aspects of these disciplines are distilled into key knowledge areas for Web Engineering. A curriculum organization is proposed that consists of coursework that covers the key knowledge areas, along with a multi-semester Web design project that synthesizes and applies this knowledge on a real-world Web application. The aim of the paper is to begin a dialog on the characteristics and aims of graduate-level Web Engineering degree programs.
Nonexistence of positive solutions for a class of p-Laplacian boundary value problems

Abstract We prove the nonexistence of positive radial solutions for the problem { − Δ p u = λ f ( u ) in Ω , u = 0 on ∂ Ω , where Δ p denotes the p -Laplacian, p > 1 , Ω is a ball or an annulus in R N , N > 1 , f : [ 0 , ∞ ) → R is at least p -linear, f ( 0 ) 0 , and is not required to be increasing or to have exactly one zero. Our results extend previous nonexistence results in the literature.
Jenseits des Wissens?. Wissenschaftliches Nichtwissen aus soziologischer Perspektive

Der Begriff des Nichtwissens findet seit einigen Jahren wachsende Aufmerksamkeit in der soziologischen Diskussion wie auch in offentlichen Risikokontroversen. Die erstere Debatte ist Gegenstand des folgenden Literaturberichts. Nichtwissen verweist auf unbekannte und unerwartete Handlungs- und Entscheidungsfolgen jenseits kalkulierbarer Risiken und abschatzbarer Ungewissheiten des Wissens. Immer scharfer gerat dabei das Nichtwissen der Wissenschaft in den Blick, wahrend in fruhen soziologischen Arbeiten das wissenschaftliche Wissen noch den Masstab lieferte, an dem die Unwissenheit der Laien korrigiert werden konnte. Der Bericht bietet einen Uberblick uber die soziologische Diskussion vor allem zum wissenschaftlichen Nichtwissen, macht die konzeptionellen Probleme und Paradoxien sichtbar, die die Thematik aufwirft, und analysiert ausfuhrlicher, wie die Systemtheorie und die Theorie reflexiver Modernisierung Nichtwissen in kontrastierender Weise in gesellschaftsthoretische Uberlegungen einbeziehen. In einem abschliesenden kurzen Ausblick wird die Entwicklung einer Soziologie des wissenschaftlichen Nichtwissens vorgeschlagen.
The effect of vinca alkaloids on tumour blood flow.

Vascular insufficiency, induced by damage to the tumour vasculature, or closure of individual blood vessels, can lead to a dramatic increase in tumour hypoxia. This may be exploited therapeutically by combination therapy with bioreductive agents. Alternatively, if vascular function remains chronically impaired, the lack of oxygen becomes critical, resulting in ischaemic cell death. Since all of the cells supplied by an individual vessel will be affected by its closure, the potential for extensive tumour destruction exists.
Unified Strategy for 1,5,9- and 1,5,7-Triols via Configuration-Encoded 1,5-Polyol Synthesis: Preparation and Coupling of C15–C25 and C26–C40 Fragments of Tetrafibricin

Diverse classes of natural products contain chiral 1,5,9- and 1,5,7-triol stereotriads, including the novel fibrinogen receptor antagonist tetrafibricin. Biological activities associated with compounds containing these motifs warrant targeted synthetic strategies to 1,5-polyol families from cheap and easily accessible reagents while avoiding the need to determine configurations at each alcohol stereocenter. In the accompanying paper, we present a solution to these problems via an iterative configuration-encoded strategy that exploits Julia-Kocienski couplings of enantiopure α-silyloxy-γ-sulfononitrile building blocks. The stereocontrol is unambiguous, and the building blocks are available in multigram quantities via asymmetric catalysis. This approach efficiently accessed a C26-C40 subunit of tetrafibricin that contains a syn, syn-1,5,9-triol and all of the stereochemistry and functionality needed to advance toward tetrafibricin. A modification afforded the anti, syn-1,5,7-triol within the C15-C25 fragment of tetrafibricin by merging 1,5-polyol synthesis with diastereoselective intramolecular conjugate addition. The union of the C15-C25 and C26-C40 fragments was achieved via a BF3·OEt2-mediated Mukaiyama aldol construction with high 1,3- anti stereoinduction, revealing some unexpected insights on the impact of silyl protecting groups on 1,3- anti diastereocontrol by a β-siloxyaldehyde aldol acceptor. Directed 1,3- anti reduction completed the stereostructure of the C15-C40 portion of tetrafibricin, with configurations established by a combination of NMR experiments.
Why Are We So Slow to Adopt Some Evidence-Based Practices?

Physicians must accept that change is uncomfortable, recognizing the pain of giving up an old idea or practice as medical knowledge evolves around us. We need to remain flexible in our thinking if we are to meet our goal of doing our best when caring for every patient.
El entremés de Los habladores , atribuido a Cervantes

The entremes of Los habladores has had its critical swings. Some scholars attribute it to Cervantes, others to Lope, most consider it anonymous. Surprisingly we lacked a reliable edition. In this work, I do not intend to solve the authorship nor to propose an exhaustive analysis of the possible interesting aspects of the text. My main objective is to provide a reliable text, with a series of notes, and add a brief commentary to contextualize it.