cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Emergency Video Telemedicine for Newborn Resuscitation: A Comparison of Two Technologies

Purpose: To describe a single center experience with emergency video telemedicine for newborn resuscitations and compare quality metrics for two telemedicine technologies. Methods: In this pre-post observational study, descriptive data was collected on all clinical video telemedicine consultations. During the pre-intervention phase, local care teams used wireless tablets with secure video conferencing software for telemedicine consultation. During the post-intervention phase, wired telemedicine carts that included a high-definition, pan/tilt/zoom camera and a noise-cancelling, full-duplex microphone/speaker set were utilized. After clinical and simulated consults, surveys were administered to the neonatologist and local care team to measure the reliability of connection, …
Manifold Denoising Using Distance Functions

We introduce a scheme of manifold reconstruction in which we can use a linear polynomial instead of a polynomial approximation to the point cloud representing a non-linear manifold. The method relies on choosing (what we will refer to as) anchors surrounding the data points.
Racial Disparities in Cancer Presentation and Outcomes: The Contribution of Overdiagnosis.

Background Racial disparities in cancer have been attributed to population differences in access to care. Differences in cancer overdiagnosis rates are another, less commonly considered cause of disparities. Here, we examine the contribution of overdiagnosis to observed racial disparities in papillary thyroid cancer and estrogen/progesterone receptor positive (ER/PR+) breast cancer. Methods We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, End-Results (SEER) 13 for analysis of white and black non-Hispanic persons with papillary thyroid cancer or ER/PR+ breast cancer (1992-2014). Analyses were performed using SeerStat (v8.3.5, March 2018). All statistical tests were two-sided. Results White persons had higher incidence of papillary thyroid cancer than black persons (14.3 vs 7.7 cases per 100 000 age-adjusted population) and ER/PR+ breast cancer (94.8 vs 70.9 cases per 100 000 age-adjusted population) (P < .001). In papillary thyroid cancer, the entire incidence difference was from more frequent diagnosis of 2-cm or less (10.0 vs 4.9 cases per 100 000 population) and localized or regional (13.8 vs 7.4 cases per 100 000 population) cancers in white persons (P < .001), without corresponding excess of metastatic disease, cancers greater than 4 cm, or incidence-based mortality in black persons. In women with ER/PR+ breast cancer, 95% of the incidence difference was from more 2-cm or less (61.2 vs 38.1 cases per 100 000 population) or 2.1- to 5-cm (25.4 vs 23.4 cases per 100 000 population), localized (65.1 vs 43.0 cases per 100 000 population) cancers diagnosed in white women (P < .001), with slightly higher incidence of tumors greater than 5 cm (10.1 vs 9.3 cases per 100 000 population, P < .001) and incidence-based mortality (8.1 vs 7.2 cases per 100 000 population, P < .001) among black women. Overall, 20-30 additional small or localized ER/PR+ breast cancers were diagnosed in white compared with black women for every large or advanced tumor avoided by early detection. Overdiagnosis was estimated 1.3-2.5 times (papillary thyroid cancer) and 1.7-5.7 times (ER/PR+ breast cancer) higher in white compared with black populations. Conclusions Differences in low-risk cancer identification among populations lead to overestimation of racial disparities. Estimates of overdiagnosed cases should be considered to improve care and eliminate disparities while minimizing harms of overdiagnosis.
Interdisciplinary Minor in Bioinformatics: First Results and Outlook

There is a clear demand and need for more and better training in Computer Science for students of different backgrounds and genders. Traditional academic pathways for Computer Science majors and minors may not always be well suited for attracting underrepresented students. With the aim of recruiting and training students from life sciences, over 60 of whom are female, we established an alternative, programming-intensive pathway that is integrated within an interdisciplinary Bioinformatics minor. In this paper, we summarize the development and implementation of this program in a large public university, which can serve as a framework for new interdisciplinary programs in predominantly undergraduate institutions.
A Picture of Modern Medicine: Race and Visual Representation in Medical Literature

Abstract Background There has been a recent focus on the impact of race on health equity, which has revealed unsettling results. Multiple studies have shown that the underrepresentation of minorities in medical education such as course slides, pre-clinical lecture material, case studies, and textbooks impedes racial equity in the practice of medicine. Aim of study In this study, we aimed to survey the landscape of published imaging in modern medicine to understand the degree of racial diversity represented in current biomedical literature. Methods We performed a photogrammetric analysis of medical images from the New England Journal of Medicine representing various medical fields and geographic regions to examine implicit biases with regards to human skin color. Results Overall, 18% of images depicted non-white skin tone but there was considerable heterogeneity in the percentage of non-white medical images published from different geographic regions and specialties (ranging from 0% to 67%). Conclusions Unfortunately, these results suggest that there is an underlying implicit racial bias in published images from medical literature with an underrepresentation of minorities compared to the general population, which could also contribute to inequities in health care. It is critical that health care providers, educators, and trainees promote cultural competency and work to understand the multifaceted influence of race and culture on the daily experience of patients in the modern healthcare system. We hope this study will encourage authors to critically evaluate their medical images for implicit bias so that documented photography in scientific literature may better reflect the populations we serve.
Community-Acquired Pneumonia

A 9-year-old previously healthy, fully immunized female is seen in the pediatrician’s office for a 3 day history of fevers to 102 °F, cough, and right-sided abdominal pain. On examination, she has a temperature of 38.6 °C, heart rate of 120 beats per minute, respiratory rate of 20 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturations of 94% on room air. She is mildly ill-appearing, with crackles over the right lung base noted on auscultation. The remainder of her exam is benign. She is clinically diagnosed with right lower lobe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). A 10-day course of oral amoxicillin is prescribed. Two days later, she is seen in the emergency department for persistent fevers, now up to 104 °F, worsening dyspnea, chest pain, abdominal pain, and vomiting. A chest x-ray at this time reveals a right lower lobe pneumonia with a large pleural effusion. She is admitted to the hospital for management of complicated CAP and treated with intravenous ampicillin. The pleural fluid is drained and sent to the microbiology lab for diagnostic evaluation. PCR of the pleural fluid is positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most common cause of bacterial CAP. She continues receiving intravenous ampicillin during her hospital stay. By day 5, she has been afebrile for over 24 hours, tolerating oral intake, and has no supplemental oxygen requirement. She is discharged home to complete a course of oral amoxicillin for treatment of complicated CAP.
ELETRIPTAN (RELPAXA™) CAUSING FALSE POSITIVE ELEVATIONS IN URINARY METANEPHRINES.

ABSTRACT Objective: Pheochromocytoma is diagnosed biochemically by demonstrating an excessive production of catecholamines and their metabolites in the blood and urine. However, these tests are at ...
On Overruling Chevron

Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. National Resources Defense Council, Inc., the foundation for much of contemporary administrative law, is under siege. Several members of the Supreme Court have suggested that they would like to overrule it. Under standard principles of stare decisis, doing that would be a serious mistake. Even if Chevron was wrongly decided, overruling it would create an upheaval—a large shock to the legal system, producing a great deal of confusion, more conflicts in the courts of appeals, and far greater politicization of administrative law. For example: What would happen to the countless regulations that have been upheld under the Chevron framework? Would they be newly vulnerable? More fundamentally,, a predictable effect of overruling Chevron would be to ensure a far greater role for judicial policy preferences in statutory interpretation and far more common splits along ideological lines. There is also the question of reliance interests: For decades, Congress has legislated against the background set by Chevron, and the resulting statutes reflect an understanding that the Court’s framework will apply. Though the argument for overruling Chevron is unconvincing, its critics have legitimate concerns. Those concerns should be addressed by (1) insisting on a fully independent judicial role in deciding whether a statute is ambiguous at Step One; (2) invalidating arbitrary or unreasonable agency interpretations at Step Two; and (3) deploying canons of construction, including those that are designed to serve nondelegation functions and thus to cabin executive authority.
A Rare Case of a Patient With Hairy Cell Leukemia Developing Blastoid Marginal Zone B-Cell Lymphoma.

There have been several case reports associating hairy cell leukemia (HCL) with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, it remains unclear whether these rare phenomena represent disease transformation or the coexistence of two separate disease entities. De novo marginal zone lymphoma can be routinely seen in elderly patients; however, in a patient with a history of HCL, a transformation is more likely than de novo blastoid marginal zone lymphoma. In this report, we present a rare case of a patient with HCL developing a high-grade blastoid marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (MZBCL).
Escape Room: Implicit Takings After Cedar Point Nursery

In the June 2021 case of Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, the Supreme Court held that a California regulation that gave union organizers limited access to agricultural worksites (three hours a day, 120 days a year) amounted to a per se taking. The Court further opined that any governmental grant of physical access, no matter how time-limited or functionally constrained, similarly works a per se taking—unless one of the Court’s exceptions applies. This essay argues that Cedar Point is best understood as part of an ongoing campaign by the Court to selectively apply heightened scrutiny to property-facing governmental acts in ways that broadly entrench the status quo. The Court has effectively created an escape room into which physical impositions on owners are thrown wholesale, along with various bewildering means of possible extrication. Although Cedar Point makes little sense as part of an analytically coherent system for assessing when burdens on owners have gone “too far,” it works well as part of a selective scrutiny machine—one designed to preserve restrictions like zoning that serve landowners’ interests while scrutinizing and financially burdening regulations that do otherwise. There is a vulnerability in the Court’s approach, however, if the goal is to knock out unwanted impositions on property owners: the Takings Clause allows the government to simply pay for what it takes. Thus, the Court’s elaborate escape room comes with a lighted exit sign located right above the cash register. And the amounts in question will often be trivial. By one back-of-the-envelope calculation, for example, California might be able to keep its labor access law in place for less than $5 per year per grower. Thus, for all its exclusion-fetishizing rhetoric, Cedar Point’s bark may prove worse than its bite.
Erlichmanite /OsS sub 2/, a new mineral.

Natural osmium disulfide (termed erlichmanite) was recognized in two occurrences on the basis of electron probe and X-ray data. One occurrence is in grains of platinum-metal sand from California, the other in a platinum-metal nugget from Western Ethiopian laterites. California erlichmanite has Os 68.0, Ir 2.6, Rh 3.8, Ru 0.4, Pd 0.5, and S 25.2, summation of 100.5 wt. %, the number of metal atoms being 1.06 on the basis of 2.00 sulfurs. Ethiopian material has higher Rh and Ir and lower Os. Both are optically isotropic. Spotty X-ray reflections from a 15-micron particle of California erlichmanite give rise to d spacing which match those of synthetic cubic osmium disulfide. Erlichmanite is defined as a cubic disulfide in which osmium is the most abundant metal atom.
Simulation of advance ignition system for a four stroke and single cylinder engine using photo sensor and 8751 H microcontroller

Two engine subsystems, a digital engine speed display and an advance ignition system, are simulated and discussed to provide the understanding and insight necessary to design a microcontroller-based electronic control system for a four stroke and single cylinder engine. A DC motor whose speed is adjusted by a voltage transformer and numerated by a photo sensor, 8751 H microcontroller, and digital readout is used as an engine. A lookup table for the nonlinear relation between the engine speed and the advance ignition angle is stored in an EPROM. A timing light is used to identify the advanced ignition angles of the spark plug. This simulation shows that some mechanical hardware can be replaced by electronic components to make automobile engines more efficient and inexpensive. >
Constraint‐Induced Movement Therapy: A Paradigm for Translating Advances in Behavioral Neuroscience into Rehabilitation Treatments

1 Behavioral Plasticity After Somatosensory Deafferentation in Monkeys 2 A Linked, but Independent, Mechanism: Use-Dependent Plastic Brain Reorganization 3 Application of the Learned Nonuse Model to Humans After Stroke 4 Application of CI Therapy to the Treatment of Other Neurological and Orthopedic Disorders 5 An Impending Paradigm Shift Keywords: neuroplasticity; neurorehabilitation; CI therapy; Constraint-Induced Movement therapy; movement; stroke; traumatic brain injury; cerebral palsy; multiple sclerosis; intensive training; shaping; transfer package; treatment; translational research
Indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase of Escherichia coli, an enzyme of the tryptophan operon.

The indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase of Escherichia coli was purified to apparent homogeneity and was crystallized. The enzyme is a single polypeptide chain of 45,000 molecular weight with 1 NH2-terminal methionine residue. The amino acid composition of the protein was determined. The rate of synthesis of this polypeptide chain in E. coli was found to be identical with the rate of synthesis of the polypeptide chains of the tryptophan synthetase α and β2 subunits.
A New Tortious Interference with Contractual Relations: Gender and Erotic Triangles in Lumley v. Gye

The tort of interference with contractual relations has many puzzling features that conflict with fundamental principles of contract and tort law. This Article considers how gender influenced the structure of the tort and gave rise to many of these anomalies. Lumley v. Gye, the English case that first established interference with contractual relations, arose from a specifically gendered dispute: two men fighting over a woman. This type of male—male—female configuration creates an erotic triangle, a common archetype in Western culture. The causes of action that served as the legal precedents for interference with contractual relations – enticement, seduction, and criminal conversation – are previous instances where the law regulated gendered triangular conflicts. Enticement prohibited a rival male from taking another man’s servant, seduction prohibited a rival male from taking another man’s daughter, and criminal conversation prohibited a rival male from taking another man’s wife. In Lumley v. Gye, the court expanded these precedents and created a cause of action that allowed Lumley to bring an action against his male rival for essentially “taking” his contracted female employee. The gendered basis for the tort explains its most problematic aspects, including why it imposes obligations on non-contractual parties, ignores the role of the breaching promisor in causing the wrong, and treats her as the property of the original promisee. In order to remedy these problematic features, the tort should be restructured as one of mixed joint liability. Further, damages should be limited to those available in contract.
Interaction of adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy with patient comorbidity status on overall survival after radical prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer

Background To evaluate the impact of adjuvant hormonal therapy after radical prostatectomy on overall survival in high-risk prostate cancer patients, stratified by comorbidity status. Methods We identified 1247 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy from 1988 to 2004 for high-risk prostate cancer, as defined by National Comprehensive Cancer Network classification. Comorbidity status was stratified by Charlson Comorbidity Index as 0, 1 or >2, as well as by the presence or absence of cardiovascular disease. Overall survival was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method, and compared within each comorbidity category/adjuvant hormonal therapy strata with the log–rank test. Results Median patient age was 65 years, and the median postoperative follow up was 11.2 years. In total, 419 patients (34%) received adjuvant hormonal therapy. The distribution of Charlson Comorbidity Index was 0, 1 and ≥2 in 861 (69%), 244 (20%) and 142 (11%) patients, respectively. The 10-year overall survival for patients who received adjuvant hormonal therapy versus those who did not was 75% versus 82% (P = 0.54) for patients with Charlson Comorbidity Index = 0, 72% versus 76% (P = 0.83) with Charlson Comorbidity Index = 1, and 70% versus 68% (P = 0.33) with Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥2. Meanwhile, 155 (12%) patients had cardiovascular disease, and the 10-year overall survival for patients with cardiovascular disease who received adjuvant hormonal therapy was 72%, compared with 76% without adjuvant hormonal therapy (P = 0.97). On multivariate analysis, receipt of adjuvant hormonal therapy was not associated with non-prostate cancer mortality (P = 0.24). Conclusions Adjuvant hormonal therapy after radical prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer does not increase non-prostate cancer mortality, even among patients with multiple comorbidities. Additional studies are warranted to determine optimal multimodal treatment approach for high-risk patients.
Biometrics assisted secure network transactions

Biometric methods of authentication such as fingerprints, hand geometry, face recognition, voice, retina and iris scan are being increasingly used for security purposes. However online transactions still use traditional knowledge based, i.e., Personal Identification Number (PIN) or password for authentication. Such methods have proved ineffective over the course of time. Traditional key based authentication has been in use over the years, but not many forays have been made in to securing network transactions using biometrics. The length of the authentication key used in authentication systems is an important piece of the authentication process. In non-biometric authentication processes such as passwords or PIN numbers, depending on the length of the key, the information may be vulnerable to access by unauthorized users. Our system makes conventional key based authentication obsolete by replacing or supplementing the normal key characters with a personal identifier of the user. Without this biometric key the service is inaccessible. In this study we propose novel authentication protocol, based on use of a contactless undistorted fingerprint images to generate authentication key. The authentication process will be reinforced by randomly selected areas of a fingerprint that are used to generate keys. An additional layer of security is provided by using blood vessel map to determine a live finger is being used. We assert that usage of contactless, thus non-distorted, fingerprint as input to generate single session keys will enhance security of network transactions because of the amount of information in randomly selected segments of a fingerprint which is available to generate unique keys.
Characterization of fractionated human diploid fibroblast cell populations.

Abstract Human diploid cell populations were fractionated on the basis of cell size by gravity sedimentation. This cell separation procedure yielded fractionated cell populations that were enriched for both large cell volumes and for slow and/or non-replicating cells (cells which did not have labeled nuclei after a 48 h incubation with [ 3 H]TdR). It also yielded fractionated cell populations that were enriched for small cell volumes and for rapidly replicating cells (cells with labeled nuclei). However, upon reintroduction to tissue culture conditions, cell populations lost their fractionated properties and soon resembled unfractionated cell cultures at similar levels of in vitro passage.
BioTab. A New Method for Analyzing and Documenting Injury Causation in Motor-Vehicle Crashes

Objective: To describe a new method for analyzing and documenting the causes of injuries in motor vehicle crashes that has been implemented since 2005 in cases investigated by the Crash Injury Research Engineering Network (CIREN). Methods: The new method, called BioTab, documents injury causation using evidence from in-depth crash investigations. BioTab focuses on developing injury causation scenarios (ICSs) that document all factors considered essential for an injury to have occurred as well as factors that contributed to the likelihood and/or severity of an injury. The elements of an injury causation scenario are (1) the source of the energy that caused the injury, (2) involved physical components (IPCs) contacted by the occupant that are considered necessary for the injury to have occurred, (3) the body region or regions contacted by each IPC, (4) the internal paths between body regions contacted by IPCs and the injured body region, (5) critical intrusions of vehicle components, and (6) factors that co...
Ultrafast Laboratory Snapshots and Movies of Intense Laser-Plasma Interactions

I will describe ultrafast holographic and tomographic methods for single-shot visualization of refractive index structures created by intense laser or charged particle pulses, including plasma wakefields, plasma bubbles, ionization fronts and self-focusing filaments.
Changes in Perikaryal organelles during axonal regeneration in goldfish retinal ganglion cells: An analysis of protein synthesis and routing

Abstract Routing of newly synthesized proteins through the perikaryal organelles of goldfish retinal ganglion cells was studied by subjecting isolated retinas to pulse-chase incubation in [ 3 H]proline-containing media and then examining the retinal ganglion cells by quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography. Regenerating cells 6 days after optic tract transection were compared to sham-operated controls and normal cells. The results of this study, together with our previous observations on 14- and 30-day regenerating cells have led us to the following conclusions. (1) Increased labeling of nucleus and nucleolus was seen at 6 days, consistent with increased synthesis of nucleoprotein during the early stages of regeneration. (2) At 6 days, when the regenarating cells were beginning to enlarge, the relative volume of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) was somewhat reduced, but there was no evidence of a major disturbance of the RER comparable to that characteristic of chromatolysis in other axotomized cells. At 14 and 30 days the relative volume of RER was the same as in control cells, indicating that its absolute volume increased in parallel with the increase in cell size. (3) In contrast to the changes in the RER, the relative volume occupied by free polyribosomes was significantly increased at all 3 regeneration times. Nevertheless, the proportion of total protein synthesized in the RER progressively increased from 6 to 30 days whereas the proportion synthesized in the free polysomes decreased. (4) The relative volume of the Golgi apparatus remained constant throughout regeneration. However, because of increased grain density in this organelle as well as increased cell size, the amount of newly synthesized protein delivered to the Golgi apparatus was significantly increased at all 3 regeneration times examined. (5) Smooth membrane elements, which may relay material from RER to Golgi apparatus, were greatly increased in relative volume and percentage of total label at all 3 regeneration times. During regeneration these elements may contribute to an increase in fast axonal transport of membranenous organelles.
Coverage of the organ donation process on Grey’s Anatomy: the story of Denny Duquette

This investigation examined the impact of Grey's Anatomy viewing on a host of organ donation-related variables: organ donation beliefs and attitudes and a willingness to discuss organ donation with family. Following exposure to a storyline in which two myths were presented: (i) the rich and famous can buy their way to the top of organ waiting lists (purchase myth) and (ii) friends and family of medical professionals receive organ transplants quicker than other individuals (relationship myth), results revealed that loyal viewers of Grey's Anatomy are less likely to believe the purchase myth compared to non-viewers. No difference emerged between these two groups with respect to the relationship myth. Additionally, loyal viewers were more likely to talk about their willingness to donate organs than non-viewers. Results are discussed with an emphasis on how Grey's Anatomy portrayals can impact perceptions and action tendencies related to organ donation.
SEXUAL SELECTION AND THE GENETIC MATING SYSTEM OF WILD TURKEYS

Abstract Molecular measures of parentage provide important insights into the opportunity for sexual selection; in birds, such studies have been conducted almost exclusively on pair-bonded passerines. Here I employ a multitiered parentage analysis involving 10-locus microsatellite genotypes to characterize the genetic mating system of a population of Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), a promiscuous species in which males and potentially females have been thought to mate multiply. Young in almost half of nests (48%, n = 15) were each apparently the product of a single male and female parent. Fourteen broods (45%) resulted from multiple paternity; seven contained eggs from multiple females, four of which appeared to be cases of quasi parasitism, in which the offspring of the brood parasitic female were fathered by the same male that sired at least one of the host females' offspring. Bateman gradients for males and females indicate that males experience a significantly greater gain in reproductive success fr...
Social Turbulence and the Safety of the Soul: Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s Response to the Mind-Body Problem

The ability of the mind and spirit to influence the body’s processes is a major theme in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) literature. Some CAM authors have taken this idea to the extreme, claiming that the mind has complete control over the body. In this article, the origins and functions of the concept of the mind’s preeminence over the body are examined from historical, psychological, and sociological perspectives. Historically, this concept became especially emphasized during times of widespread social upheaval, possibly because dissociation from the body is an effective psychological coping mechanism. Important social functions are also served by the identification with an immaterial self, which may explain this concept’s prominence in CAM. Habitual dissociation from the body, however, is unhealthy. The implications for medicine of a more balanced view of the mind-body relationship are explored.
Bounded semigroups of matrices

In this note are proved two conjectures of Daubechies and Lagarias. The first asserts that if Z is a bounded set of matrices such that all left infinite products converge, then 8 generates a bounded semigroup. The second asserts the equality of two differently defined joint spectral radii for a bounded set of matrices. One definition involves the conventional spectral radius, and one involves the operator norm.
Hydrodesulfurization of sulfur heterocyclic compounds: Reaction mechanisms

Abstract The hydrodesulfurization of sulfur heterocyclic compounds over a commercial Co-Mo γ- Al 2 O 3 catalyst has been studied under close to commercial conditions (300–350 °C, 20–40 atm). The compounds were selected on the basis of stability, steric requirement, and resonance interactions and included thianthrene, 1,4,6,9-tetramethylthianthrene, tetraphenylthiophene, dibenzothiophene, and some of its potential intermediates. The study strongly suggests that the pathways followed by the compounds are structure dependent and can be divided into two categories: (1) in compounds where the electron density is localized on the sulfur atom, desulfurization by direct coordination of the sulfur to a catalyst site can take place giving only the aromatic products; (2) in compounds such as dibenzothiophene in which the electron density of the sulfur atom is delocalized over an extensive π system and steric crowding around the sulfur atom is present, the first step in the reaction pathway is probably a π-complex formation which is followed by hydrogenation and desulfurization. In this case, both aromatic and partially saturated compounds are produced. It is proposed that these products result from a common intermediate suggesting a primarily parallel rather than sequential path for the formation of the hydrogenated products.
Cyclophilin A regulates TCR signal strength in CD4+ T cells via a proline-directed conformational switch in Itk.

Abstract Cyclophilin A (CypA/Ppia) is a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) that binds the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine. The resulting complex blocks T cell function by inhibiting the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin. To identify the native function of CypA, long suspected of regulating signal transduction, we generated mice lacking the Ppia gene. These animals develop allergic disease, with elevated IgE and tissue infiltration by mast cells and eosinophils, that is driven by CD4 + T helper type II (Th2) cytokines. Ppia −/− Th2 cells were hypersensitive to TCR stimulation, a phenotype consistent with increased activity of Itk, a Tec family tyrosine kinase crucial for Th2 responses. CypA bound Itk via the PPIase active site. Mutation of a conformationally heterogeneous proline in the SH2 domain of Itk disrupted interaction with CypA and specifically increased Th2 cytokine production from wild-type CD4 + T cells. Thus, CypA inhibits CD4 + T cell signal transduction in the absence of cyclosporine via a regulatory proline residue in Itk.
Prefrontal systems involvement in binge eating.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether severity of binge eating is associated with dysfunction in behaviors mediated by the three main areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). METHODS: One hundred fifty-one adults (mean BMI=49.50) were classified into three groups based on the presence and severity of binge eating behaviors: Binge Eating Disorder (BED) group (N=22), Binge Eating Prone (BEP) group (N=47), and non-Eating Disorder (non-ED) group (N=82). Participants completed the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), a widely used measure of neurobehavioral traits associated with the three primary regions of the PFC corresponding with the behavioral traits of apathy, disinhibition, and executive dysfunction. RESULTS: The BED and BEP groups scored significantly higher than the non-ED group on the three FrSBe subscales, as well as the FrSBe Total score. There were no significant correlations between the FrSBe and participant BMI. DISCUSSION: As expected, individuals who engaged in binge eating endorsed greater PFC dysfunction than those who did not binge eat. These results provide a complement to studies utilizing neuroimaging and neuropsychological methodologies and further support for the role of prefrontal systems in the regulation of eating behavior.
Altitude and all-cause mortality in incident dialysis patients.

Context Patients undergoing dialysis at higher altitude receive lower erythropoietin doses, yet achieve higher hemoglobin concentrations. Increased iron availability caused by activation of hypoxia-induced factors at higher altitude may explain this finding. Hypoxia-induced factors are also involved in other pathways that may affect morbidity and mortality. Objective To study whether mortality differed by altitude in patients initiating dialysis. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort of patients initiating dialysis in the United States between 1995 and 2004. Patients were stratified by the average elevation of their residential zip code. Covariates included age, sex, race, Medicaid coverage, dialysis modality, comorbidities, and reported laboratory measurements. We constructed proportional hazards models of all-cause mortality, stratifying by year, and censoring patients at 5 years from first dialysis, at the end of the database (December 31, 2004), or loss to follow-up. We also compared age- and sex-adjusted standardized mortality rates of US patients receiving dialysis with the general population. Main Outcome Measure Mortality from any cause. Results A total of 804 812 patients initiated dialysis and were followed up for a median of 1.78 years. Crude mortality rates per 1000 person-years were 220.1 at an altitude lower than 76 m ( 6000 ft). After multivariable adjustment, compared with patients living at an altitude of lower than 76 m, the relative mortality rates were 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-0.98) for those living from 76 through 609 m; 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91-0.95), from 610 through 1218 m; 0.88 (95% CI, 0.84-0.91), from 1219 through 1828 m, and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.79-0.92) higher than 1828 m. Age- and sex-standardized mortality decreased more with altitude in patients receiving dialysis than in the general population. Conclusions Altitude was inversely associated with all-cause mortality among US patients receiving dialysis.
EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION METHOD ON CHILE PEPPER YIELD AND PHYTOPHTHORA ROOT ROT INCIDENCE

A field experiment was conducted in 1995 and 1996 to examine the effects of different irrigation methods on yields and Phytophthora root rot disease of chile plants (Capsicum annum New Mexico ‘6‐ 4’). Three irrigation methods, daily drip, 3-day drip, and alternate row furrow irrigation, were applied to plots infested with P. capsici and uninfested plots. For both years, the drip irrigation (either daily or 3day) created higher marketable green chile yields than the alternate row furrow irrigation (p < 0.05), and the yields between the daily and 3-day drip irrigation were statistically similar. The effect of irrigation on marketable combined yields was similar to that on green chile yields. In 1995, root rot disease incidence in the infested plots was significantly higher under alternate row furrow irrigation than for daily and 3day drip irrigation. There was no disease development in the uninfested plots regardless of the irrigation method. The disease decreased green chile yield by 55% (p < 0.1), and combined yield (greena red chile) by 36% (p < 0.1) in 1995 compared to that in uninfested plots in alternate row furrow irrigation. In 1996, however, no disease occurred in any treatment. The results suggested that drip irrigation increases chile yield through providing either favorable soil moisture conditions or unfavorable conditions for Phytophthora propagation. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Dopamine Induces Postischemic Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis In Vivo: An Effect Ameliorated by Propofol

Background Dopamine is commonly used to improve postischemic myocardial contractile function. However, there is evidence that dopamine augments apoptosis after ischemia through increased intracellular calcium and opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is an anesthetic that has been shown to prevent mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. We evaluated the effects of propofol given during reperfusion on dopamine-mediated apoptosis. Methods Hearts from 8-week-old inbred New Zealand White rabbit siblings were subjected to 2 hours of cold cardioplegic ischemia and 6 hours of reperfusion in a heterotopic transplant model. Controls consisted of the recipient rabbit's nonischemic heart. The ischemia-reperfusion (IR) group consisted of postischemic hearts reperfused with no drugs; the IR plus dopamine (IR+D) group received dopamine (20 μg · kg −1 · min −1 ) continuously; the IR+D plus propofol (IR+D+P) group received dopamine (20 μg · kg −1 · min −1 ) plus propofol (500 to 600 μg · kg −1 · min −1 ); and the IR plus propofol (IR+P) group received propofol only (500 to 600 μg · kg −1 · min −1 ) throughout reperfusion (n = 7 to 9 in each group). Myocardial function was measured using a left ventricular balloon; terminal nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, DNA electrophoresis, and immunoblotting for caspase-3 cleavage were performed at the end of reperfusion. Results Dopamine increased the number of TUNEL-positive nuclei significantly (14.0 ± 2.0/1,000 for IR+D versus 6.7 ± 2.0/1,000 for IR, p = 0.01). Propofol (IR+D+P) reduced the total number of apoptotic cells in hearts receiving dopamine (7.1 ± 1.8/1,000, p = 0.01 versus IR+D) to the extent seen in IR alone. DNA laddering and caspase-3 cleavage were observed at greater frequency in the IR+D group compared with the IR and IR+D+P groups. Propofol had no effect on dopamine-mediated increased systolic function, but improved diastolic function after ischemia. Conclusions Dopamine infusion has a positive inotropic effect on the postischemic heart at the expense of increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The addition of propofol prevents dopamine-induced apoptosis after ischemia while maintaining positive inotropy.
Denial and selective amnesia following brain damage: A case study

Abstract A case was presented of a patient with an unusual denial pattern and memory defect. A combination of theoretical predisposition and the nature of the memory disturbance led the authors to apply certain aspects of the Gestalt theory of memory, as modified by Reiff and Scheerer (op. cit), to the case analysis. The outstanding feature of the case appeared to concern the consequences of impairment of the autobiographical frame of reference. While this loss is quite striking in this particular patient, a remembrance versus memoria analysis may prove of some value in studying amnesic conditions in general.
On fusion of PCA and a physical model-based predictive control strategy for efficient load-cycling operation of a thermal power plant

Controlling a thermal power plant optimally during load-cycling operation is a very challenging control problem. The control complexity is enhanced further by the possibility of simultaneous occurrence of sensor malfunctions and a plethora of system disturbances. This paper proposes and evaluates the effectiveness of a sensor validation and reconstruction approach using principal component analysis (PCA) in conjunction with a physical plant model. For optimal control under severe operating conditions in the presence of possible sensor malfunctions, a predictive control strategy is devised by appropriate fusion of the PCA-based sensor validation and reconstruction approach and a constrained model predictive control (MPC) technique. As a case study, the control strategy is applied for thermal power plant control in the presence of a single sensor malfunction. In particular, it is applied to investigate the effectiveness and relative advantage of applying rate constraints on main steam temperature and heat-exchanger tube-wall temperature, so that faster load cycling operation is achieved without causing excessive thermal stresses in heat-exchanger tubes. In order to account for unstable and non-minimum phase boiler-turbine dynamics, the MPC technique applied is an infinite horizon non-linear physical model-based state-space MPC strategy, which guarantees asymptotic stability and feasibility in the presence of output and state constraints.
Influence of 226Ra and 239Pu on the Dental Root Canal of the Dog

Radium 226 and plutonium 239 were injected into dogs and the rate of decrease in diameter of the pulp chambers of the lower first molar of the left side of the mandible was studied by periodic radiograms. No significant change in the rate of decrease occurred as the result of irradiation.
THE 1977 ERUPTION OF KILAUEA VOLCANO, HAWAII

Abstract Kilauea volcano began to erupt on September 13, 1977, after a 21.5-month period of quiescence. Harmonic tremor in the upper and central east rift zone and rapid deflation of the summit area occurred for 22 hours before the outbreak of surface activity. On the first night, spatter ramparts formed along a discontinuous, en-echelon, 5.5-km-long fissure system that trends N70°E between two prehistoric cones, Kalalua and Puu Kauka. Activity soon became concentrated at a central vent that erupted sporadically until September 23 and extruded flows that moved a maximum distance of 2.5 km to the east. On September 18, new spatter ramparts began forming west of Kalalua, extending to 7 km the length of the new vent system. A vent near the center of this latest fissure became the locus of sustained fountaining and continued to extrude spatter and short flows intermittently until September 20. The most voluminous phase of the eruption began late on September 25. A discontinuous spatter rampart formed along a 700-m segment near the center of the new, 7-km-long fissure system; within 24 hours activity became concentrated at the east end of this segment. One flow from the 35-m-high cone that formed at this site moved rapidly southeast and eventually reached an area 10 km from the vent and 700 m from the nearest house in the evacuated village of Kalapana. We estimate the total volume of material produced during this 18-day eruption to be 35 × 10 6 m 3 . Samples from active vents and flows are differentiated quartz-normative tholeiitic basalt, similar in composition to lavas erupted from Kilauea in 1955 and 1962. Plagioclase is the only significant phenocryst; augite, minor olivine, and rare orthopyroxene and opaque oxides accompany it as microphenocrysts. Sulfide globules occur in fresh glass and as inclusions in phenocrysts in early 1977 lavas; their absence in chemically-similar basalt from the later phases of the eruption suggests that more extensive intratelluric degassing occurred as the eruption proceeded. Bulk composition of lavas varied somewhat during the eruption, but the last basalt produced also is differentiated, suggesting that the magma withdrawn from the summit reservoir during the rapid deflation has not yet been erupted.
Life history of Gonatus onyx (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea): ontogenetic changes in habitat, behavior and physiology

In the present study 670 individuals of Gonatus onyx (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea) were observed in Monterey Bay, California from a remotely operated vehicle. The vertical distribution of this species was bimodal, with peaks at 400 and 800 m depth during the day and 300 and 500 m during the night. The bimodal distribution reflects a life stage shift between younger, schooling juveniles living in shallower water and older, solitary adults which live deeper. Ontogenetic changes in behavior associated with this life stage shift are reflected in the physiology of the organisms as well. Both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, as estimated using mitochondrial and glycolytic enzymes, decline with increasing body mass, suggesting reduced locomotory capacity in deeper-living adults. Oxygen consumption rates were also determined in relation to oxygen partial pressure. Oxygen consumption regulation was similar between juvenile and adult squids. The critical oxygen partial pressures (29 to 30 mmHg) correspond precisely to the oxygen concentrations found at the depth of maximal abundance for day and night populations of juveniles and adults, respectively. Behavioral and physiological changes with ontogeny of G. onyx are believed to result from reduced visual predator/prey interactions in the light-limited deep sea.
Isoflavone levels in five soybean (Glycine max) genotypes are altered by phytochrome-mediated light treatments

The objective of the present study was to determine whether concentrations of different isoflavones (puerarin, genistein, genistin, daidzein, and daidzin) in shoots and roots of five selected soybean genotypes would respond the same or differently to red (650 nm peak transmittance) and far-red (750 nm peak transmittance) light treatments given under controlled environments. Levels of isoflavones (mg g-1 dry weight biomass) present in seeds, control roots, and shoots and 10 day light-treated seedlings (light, dark, red, and far-red wavelengths) of soybean (Glycine max) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis in comparison with known isoflavone standards. Seeds of the five soybean genotypes studied consistently stored most of their isoflavones as glucosyl conjugates (e.g., daidzin, genistin, and puerarin). For the five soybean genotypes, isoflavone levels were lower in the seeds as compared with roots plus shoots of control, time zero (first true leaf stage) seedlings. Following 1...
Point-of-care coagulation testing and transfusion algorithms

Patients with cardiovascular disease have an array of haemostasis disorders that predispose to the development of thrombotic and embolic disease states. These patients are often maintained on anti-thrombotic medication to prevent adverse cardiovascular events. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery also have haemostatic disorders that include their intrinsic disease state, adjunctive medication, and the coagulation disturbances induced by cardiopulmonary bypass. The following review introduces the monitors that are available for monitoring perioperative coagulation, with an emphasis on cardiovascular surgery. Heparin monitors, platelet function monitors for use in transfusion algorithms, and monitoring anti-platelet drugs will be discussed.
Teleost telencephalon and memory for delayed reinforcers

Past research has imputed memorial functions to the teleost telencephalon. We tested for a possible alternative basis for the past results. Groups of normal and telencephalon-ablated fish were trained in a discriminative choice task each under two conditions. These conditions differed in whether the delayed reinforcer was delivered under stimulus conditions similar to or different from those controlling the choice response. Ablated fish were inferior to normal fish only in the latter case. This suggests that the deficit here and in earlier work is attributable to changed stimulus conditions at the time of reinforcement rather than to delay of the reinforcer after the choice response.
A differential generator for the free energy and the magnetization equation of state

Abstract We give an approximate differential generator for the Helmholtz free energy and for the magnetization equation of state. The equation of state is a function only of the limits of the renormalized Hamiltonian parameters as the renormalization parameter l → ∞.