cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonreentrant ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structural heart disease unrelated to abnormal myocardial substrate

Background Ventricular arrhythmias in the absence of structural heart disease are commonly referred to as "idiopathic." Patients with structural heart disease have ventricular arrhythmias with the same mechanisms and sites of origin as idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias, but the prevalence of such arrhythmias is not well defined. Objectives To identify the prevalence of nonreentrant ventricular arrhythmias unrelated to abnormal myocardial substrate in patients with structural heart disease and to compare these arrhythmias to ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structurally normal hearts. Methods Of 249 consecutive patients referred for ablation of ventricular arrhythmias, 97 (39%) patients had nonreentrant arrhythmias unrelated to underlying structural heart disease. Fifty-five (57%) patients had structurally normal hearts, and 42 (43%) had underlying structural heart disease. Results Compared with patients with structurally normal hearts, patients with structural heart disease were more likely to have nonreentrant ventricular arrhythmias unrelated to underlying abnormal myocardial substrate originating from the aortic cusps and left ventricular outflow tract whereas patients without structural heart disease more often had arrhythmias originating from the right ventricular outflow tract. There was a significant increase in the average left ventricular ejection fraction after ablation in patients with structural heart disease. Conclusion Nonreentrant ventricular arrhythmias unrelated to abnormal myocardial substrate are common in patients with structural heart disease, and sites of origin differ from those seen in patients with structurally normal hearts. When managing structural heart disease in patients with ventricular arrhythmias, a focus on arrhythmia mechanism, origin, and relationship to underlying myocardial substrate may have important implications for future treatment options and patient outcomes.
Transfer of the nerve growth factor gene into cell lines and cultured neurons using a defective Herpes Simplex virus vector. Transfer of the NGF gene into cells by a HSV-1 vector

Nerve growth factor (NGF) can be expressed in cells by gene transfer using a defective Herpes Simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) vector. In this report, the defective HSV-1 vector, pHSVngf, is used to infect established cell lines and cultured neurons. Infection of cell lines with pHSVngf results in gene transcription, correct RNA processing, and production of biologically active NGF. Infection of the PC12 neuronal cell line results in the production of biologically active NGF and infection of NGF-dependent neonatal sympathetic neurons in primary culture with pHSVngf leads to neuronal survival in the absence of exogenously-added NGF. NGF expressed by pHSVngf-infected cells does not appear to work through an autocrine intracellular pathway since NGF antibody added to culture media of infected cells could block NGF action. Infection with pHSVngf of cholinergic striatal or septal neurons in dissociated cell culture resulted in an increase in choline acetyltransferase activity. These studies demonstrate the efficacy of defective HSV-1 vectors for delivery and expression of neurotrophin genes in cultured neural cells.
A Compact Scanning Photomultiplier for Chemiluminescence Reaction Studies

Abstract A continuous scanning photomultiplier which is extremely useful for chemiluminescence reaction studies is described. The scanner is compact, lightweight, very inexpensive, and can be assembled readily without any elaborate shop facilities using hardware accessible in any ordinary laboratory.
Optimism-Pessimism Assessed in the 1960s and Self-reported Health Status 30 Years Later

Objective To study the association between explanatory style, using scores from the Optimism-Pessimism (PSM) scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and self-reported health status, using scores from the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Patients and Methods A total of 447 patients who completed the MMPI between 1962 and 1965 as self-referred general medical outpatients and also completed the SF-36 thirty years later compose the current study sample. The associations between the scores on the SF-36 and the MMPI PSM scale were evaluated by analysis of variance and linear regression analysis. Results Of 447 patients, 101 were classified as optimistic, 272 as mixed, and 74 as pessimistic. Scores on all 8 health concept domains from the SF-36 were significantly poorer in the pessimistic group than in both the optimistic and the mixed group. Conclusion A pessimistic explanatory style, reflected by higher PSM scale scores, was significantly associated with a self-report of poorer physical and mental functioning on the SF-36 30 years later.
Anomalous exchange interactions in III-V dilute magnetic semiconductors

Based on local-density functional calculations, we study the exchange interactions between magnetic dopants Cr, Mn, and Fe in the III-V compounds GaAs, GaN, and AlN. We show the magnetic exchange interactions deviate strongly in behavior expected from simple models, and may explain the observed maximum in critical temperature with impurity concentration. Additionally the magnetism is responsible for a strong, short-range attraction between the magnetic dopants, thus creating an anomalous effective alloy hamiltonian. This suggests that the impurities may aggregate into small nanoclusters of a few magnetic atoms.
Alternatives to Suspensions: Rationale and Recommendations

Suspensions are often used as an individual disciplinary consequence in attempts to reduce problem behaviors in the future. However, suspensions have shown to be less effective for students with specific behavioral challenges and problems. When examining suspensions in the context of behaviorist and social-ecological learning theories, suspending may be inappropriate and ineffective to promote learning or behavioral compliance, specifically for students with behavioral skill deficits. A literature review of effective prevention methods (e.g., positive behavior supports) informs a potential paradigm shift in how student misbehavior may be effectively addressed. A proposed model for alternatives to suspensions is presented, with special attention to implications and guidelines for practitioners. Additionally, a pilot initiative implementing alternatives to suspensions is discussed, and a case study serves as an example for recommendations in replacing punitive discipline practices with proactive, learning o...
The treatment of minimal change nephrotic syndrome: Lessons learned from multicentre co-operative studies

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) is the most frequent type of nephrotic syndrome in childhood. Treatment aims to induce remission, prevent relapses and avoid side-effects. MCNS is responsive to immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticosteroids, alkylating drugs and cyclosporine A. From results of multicentre controlled studies it became evident that the initial treatment with prednisone should be intensive, i.e. for 12 weeks, in order to reduce the risk of subsequent relapses. Treatment of relapses should be standardized in order to categorise the patient's disease for further treatment. In case “frequent relapsers” develop signs of steroid-toxicity, they should be treated with alkylating drugs: frequent relapsers without steroid dependency with cyclophosphamide or chlorambucil for 8 weeks, steroid-dependent cases with cyclosphosphamide for 12 weeks. If frequent relapses re-occur after cytotoxic drug therapy, treatment with cyclosporine A should be considered. Starting dose is 100–150 mg/m2 per day and needs to be adjusted to the whole blood trough level. Treatment with cyclosporine A must be strictly controlled in order to avoid chronic nephrotoxicity. Cyclosporine A does not cure MCNS. It is only effective as long as it is administered; therefore long-lasting treatment is necessary in most cases.
Tissue-Specific Stimulation of Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity by Pituitary Factors Immunologically Related to Growth Hormone11

Ornithine decarboxylase (L-ornithine carboxylyase, EC 4.1.1.17) is an important enzyme in polyamine synthesis. Its activity is influenced by several peptide hormones, including growth hormone, which may have physiological significance in various growth situations. A crude ovine pituitary growth hormone preparation (NIH-GH-S10) was subjected to gel exclusion chromatography (Sephadex G-100) and two major fractions were obtained. One of these corresponded to dimeric growth hormone (GH). The other fraction was excluded by the gel matrix, suggesting a material of higher molecular weight than GH. This was confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Analysis of the high molecular weight fraction by radioimmunoassay (antisera prepared against GH) and by bioassay (weight gain in hypophysectomized rats) gave apparent GH contents of 19% and 6%, respectively. On a weight basis, the high molecular weight fraction was more effective than GH in stimulating the activity of h...
Low serum osteoprotegerin levels in premenopausal infertile women with low bone density: an association of relevance?

Objective To evaluate if the levels of the central regulators of osteoclast activity, osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator for nuclear factor kappaB-ligand (RANk-L), correlate with bone mineral density (BMD) parameters in premenopausal infertile women. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Academic infertility practice. Patient(s) 82 Infertile, but otherwise healthy, premenopausal women Intervention(s) BMD assessment; serum samples (cycle days 1 to 3), questionnaire addressing demographics, medical, social, family, and personal histories. Main outcome measure(s) BMD categorized as "Low" (Z -1.0); Biomarkers of bone metabolism (BAP, TRAP, NTX, OPG, RANK-L) and ovarian reserve (FSH, estradiol). Result(s) The prevalence of low BMD was 23% (19/82). Significantly lower levels of OPG were observed in association with low BMD compared with normal BMD (1.37 +/- 0.57 versus 2.0 +/- 1.05 pMol/L). Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed low OPG levels as independent predictors of low BMD after adjusting for parameters known to influence bone density. Conclusion(s) We demonstrate an independent relationship between low circulating levels of OPG and low BMD in premenopausal healthy, albeit infertile, women.
National Affiliation or Local Representation: When TFA Alumni Run for School Board

Historically power to govern public schools has been delegated to local school boards. However, this arrangement of power has been shifting over the past half century and increasingly, local school boards are targeted as ineffective and antiquated. Teach For America (TFA), typically examined for its placement of teachers, also seeks to develop educational leaders and TFA now encourages and supports its alumni to run for local school boards. The involvement of a national organization, like TFA, with its own national education agenda in local school board elections may reflect the next step in the demise of local control. To investigate whether TFA’s involvement in local elections represents the spreading of a national agenda at the expense of attention to local issues, this research examines campaign messages for both TFA alumni candidates and their opponents. Results indicate that TFA alumni candidates incorporate significantly more messages aligned with TFA than their opponents (35 vs. 11), but they also maintain a focus on local issues as measured by the number of local issue messages they also incorporate into their campaign literature. Rather than debating whether school boards have lost power, this research points to the need to better understand how local politics is changing and expanding as new voices enter the arena.
Levodopa Therapy and the Risk of Malignant Melanoma

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the use of levodopa therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease and malignant melanoma.DATA SOURCES:A MEDLINE search (January 1966–September 1999) of English-language articles was conducted. Key search terms included levodopa, melanoma, and Parkinson's disease; 34 case reports were identified.DATA SYNTHESIS:Carbidopa/levodopa continues to be a mainstay in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Since the late 1970s, a warning has appeared in the prescribing literature for levodopa regarding the risk of activating malignant melanoma. An evaluation was conducted of the case reports in which a causal relationship between levodopa and melanoma was suggested.CONCLUSIONS:There is an unlikely association between levodopa and induction or exacerbation of malignant melanoma.
Surgical Repair of Ventricular Septal Defect After Myocardial Infarction: Outcomes From The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database

Background The development of a ventricular septal defect (VSD) after myocardial infarction (MI) is an uncommon but highly lethal complication. We examined The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database to characterize patients undergoing surgical repair of post-MI VSD and to identify risk factors for poor outcomes. Methods This was a retrospective review of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons database to identify adults (aged ≥18 years) who underwent post-MI VSD repair between 1999 and 2010. Patients with congenital heart disease were excluded. The primary outcome was operative death. The covariates in the current The Society of Thoracic Surgeons model for predicted coronary artery bypass grafting operative death were incorporated in a logistic regression model in this cohort. Results The study included 2,876 patients (1,624 men [56.5%]), who were a mean age of 68 ± 11 years. Of these, 215 (7.5%) had prior coronary artery bypass grafting operations, 950 (33%) had prior percutaneous intervention, and 1,869 (65.0%) were supported preoperatively with an intraaortic balloon pump. Surgical status was urgent in 1,007 (35.0%) and emergencies in 1,430 (49.7%). Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting was performed in 1,837 (63.9%). Operative mortality was 54.1% (1,077 of 1,990) if repair was within 7 days from MI and 18.4% (158 of 856) if more than 7 days from MI. Multivariable analysis identified several factors associated with increased odds of operative death. Conclusions In the largest study to date to examine post-MI VSD repair, ventricular septal rupture remains a devastating complication. As alternative therapies emerge to treat this condition, these results will serve as a benchmark for future comparisons.
Light-Activated Gene Editing with a Photocaged Zinc-Finger Nuclease

A general approach for targeted gene modification with precise external control and high spatial and temporal resolution will greatly advance investigations in genetics, gene therapy, and developmental biology. However, traditional methods such as homologous recombination[1] and nonhomologous end joining[2] for the introduction and deletion of genomic DNA sequences usually display very low efficiency in vivo, thus limiting their applicability. Recently, the efficiency of these processes has been greatly improved by the ability to site-specifically introduce doublestrand breaks (DSBs) into genomic DNA.[3,4] A family of artificial restriction enzymes, namely zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN), has been developed to sequence-selectively achieve dsDNA scission. ZFNs have since emerged as important and widely recognized tools for the genetic modification of cells, model organisms, and possibly humans to investigate gene function and to treat genetic disorders.[5–9]
Minority Youth, Physical Activity, and Fitness Levels: Targeted Interventions Needed

Background: There is a clear disparity in health in the United States such that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to suffer from morbidity and mortality related to chronic disease than their Caucasian counterparts. Purpose: We will determine whether fourth- and fifth-grade students' measures of health-related fitness and physical activity–related self-efficacy differed when compared by ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). Methods: Fourth- and fifth-grade boys and girls (N = 1432) from schools in a large Midwestern metropolitan area were given the FitnessGram fitness test and the 7-item Perceived Self-efficacy to Perform Physical Activity Scale. Results: Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) identified that both genders had significant main effects for ethnicity (P < .001) and SES (P < .001) for fitness measures and physical activity related self-efficacy. Additional post hoc analysis was completed for fitness variables and self-efficacy items. Discussion: Minority students of low ...
Batch spawning facilitates transfer of an essential nutrient from diet to eggs in a marine fish.

Fatty acid composition of eggs affects development, growth and ecological performance of fish embryos and larvae, with potential consequences for recruitment success. Essential fatty acids in eggs derive from the maternal diet, and the time between ingestion and deposition in eggs is ecologically important but unknown. We examined the dynamics of diet–egg transfer of arachidonic acid (ARA) in the batch-spawning fish, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), by measuring ARA concentrations in eggs after a single diet shift and during a period of irregular variations in diet. ARA concentrations in eggs changed within 2–16 days of a diet shift. The rate of change was proportional to the magnitude of the shift, with no evidence of equilibration. These results are not consistent with eggs being assembled entirely from accumulated body stores. The immediate source of ARA in eggs appears to be the recent diet. We propose that batch spawning produces rapid diet–egg transfer of ARA because it removes large amounts of fatty acids from the body and prevents equilibration. The immediacy of the diet–egg connection suggests that spawning migration combined with short-interval batch spawning may have evolved to take advantage of nutrients critical for offspring survival that are available at the spawning site.
Small phase-space structures and their relevance to pulsed quantum evolution: Stepwise ionization of the excited hydrogen atom in a microwave pulse

Experiments have shown that the microwave ionization probability of a highly excited, almost monodimensional, hydrogen atom subjected to a microwave pulse sometimes grows in steps when the peak electric field of the pulse is increased. Classical pulsed simulations display the same steps, which have been traced to phase-space metamorphoses. Quantum numerical calculations again exhibit the same ionization steps. I show that the time sequence of two-level interactions, responsible for the observed steps in the quantum picture, is strictly related to the classical phase-space structures generated by the above-mentioned metamorphoses.
Man–machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) v5: Augmentations, Motivations, and Directions for Aeronautics Applications

As automation and advanced technologies are introduced into transport systems ranging from the Next Generation Air Transportation System termed NextGen, to the advanced surface vehicle Intelligent Transportations Systems, to future systems designed for space exploration, there is an increased need to validly predict how the future systems will be vulnerable to error given the demands imposed by assisted technologies. One formalized method to study the impact of assisted technologies on the human operator in a safe and non-obtrusive manner is through the use of human performance models (HPMs). HPMs play an integral role when complex human–system designs are proposed, developed, and tested. One HPM tool termed the Man–machine Integration Design and Analysis System (MIDAS) is a NASA Ames Research Center HPM software tool that has been applied to predict human–system performance in various domains since 1986. MIDAS is a dynamic, integrated HPM environment that facilitates the design, visualization, and computational evaluation of complex man–machine system concepts in simulated operational environments. A range of aviation specific applications including an approach used to model human error for NASA’s Aviation Safety Program, and “what-if” analyses to evaluate flight deck technologies for NextGen operations will be discussed. This chapter will culminate by raising two challenges for the field of predictive HPMs for complex human–system designs that evaluate assisted technologies: that of (1) model transparency and (2) model validation.
Photoperiod history-dependent responses to intermediate day lengths engage hypothalamic iodothyronine deiodinase type III mRNA expression

Perihypothalamic thyroid hormone signaling features prominently in the seasonal control of reproductive physiology. Triiodothyronine (T3) signaling stimulates gonadal development, and decrements in T3 signaling are associated with gonadal regression. Type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO3) converts the prohormone thyroxine (T4) into biologically inactive 3,3′,5′-triiodothyronine, and in long-day breeding Siberian hamsters exposure to long (LD) and short (SD) photoperiods, respectively, inhibit and stimulate hypothalamic dio3 mRNA expression. Reproductive responses to intermediate-duration photoperiods (IntD) occur in a history-dependent manner; IntDs are interpreted as inhibitory only when preceded by longer photoperiods. Because dio3 expression has only been evaluated under LD or SD photoperiods, it is not known whether hypothalamic dio3 encodes absolute photoperiod duration or the reproductive interpretation of photoperiod. Male Siberian hamsters with and without a prior history of LD were exposed to IntD photoperiods, and hypothalamic dio3 mRNA expression was measured 6 wk later. Hamsters with a LD photoperiod history exhibited gonadal regression in IntD and a marked upregulation of hypothalamic dio3 expression, whereas in hamsters without prior exposure to LD, gonadal responses to IntD were absent, and dio3 expression remained low. Patterns of deiodinase expression in hamsters maintained in chronic IntD photoperiods did not appear to reflect feedback effects of gonadal status. Hypothalamic expression of dio3 does not exclusively reflect ambient photoperiod, but rather the context-dependent reproductive interpretation of photoperiod. Neuroendocrine mechanisms that compare current and prior photoperiods, which permit detection of directional changes in day length, occur either upstream, or at the level, of hypothalamic dio3 expression.
Ambulatory Pediatric Association policy statement: Ensuring integrity for research with children

Conflicts of interest (both financial and nonfinancial) have eroded public trust in medical research. There is now overwhelming evidence for systematic bias due to conflicts of interest associated with financial links between researchers and their institutions to commercial entities. To help manage and eliminate conflicts of interest and to regain public trust, the Ambulatory Pediatric Association developed a code of ethics for research in general pediatrics. While researchers in general pediatrics encounter many of the same ethical challenges as other medical researchers, many issues apply uniquely to the study of children’s health because children may not be able to protect their own interests. Background
Water Control and Maya Politics in the Southern Maya Lowlands

In this chapter, I present a model of the development of Classic Maya polities in which economy and ideology articulated to form the basis of political power. Power is manifested by the ability to acquire tribute from subjects. Many of the largest Maya polities grew in areas without lakes or rivers but with seasonal water sources such as natural rain-fed aguadas and/or swamps or bajos. At large Maya centers, rulers built immense reservoirs that would have met daily water needs during the annual dry season (January through April/May). I argue that control of water resources, symbolism and rituals during seasonal drought provided the means to amass and maintain the increasing political power evident during the Classic period (ca. A.D. 550–850) in the southern Maya lowlands. Counteracting the centripetal forces of water resources during drought, however, were the centrifugal distribution of other vital economic sources, specifically, dispersed agricultural land. In addition, standing water, if not maintained, can result in a dangerous build-up of noxious chemicals. Emerging Maya rulers associated their abilities to keep the water clean through ritual and symbolism to attract hinterland farmers and their labor.
Notes---Discovering Personal Probabilities When Utility Functions are Unknown

Standard scoring rules require knowledge of the expert's utility function. This note shows how basic reference lottery tickets can be used to develop scoring rules which do not require this information.
A conversational interface to web automation

This paper presents CoCo, a system that automates web tasks on a user's behalf through an interactive conversational interface. Given a short command such as "get road conditions for highway 88," CoCo synthesizes a plan to accomplish the task, executes it on the web, extracts an informative response, and returns the result to the user as a snippet of text. A novel aspect of our approach is that we leverage a repository of previously recorded web scripts and the user's personal web browsing history to determine how to complete each requested task. This paper describes the design and implementation of our system, along with the results of a brief user study that evaluates how likely users are to understand what CoCo does for them.
Mvb12 Is a Novel Member of ESCRT-I Involved in Cargo Selection by the Multivesicular Body Pathway

The multivesicular body (MVB) sorting pathway impacts a variety of cellular functions in eukaryotic cells. Perhaps the best understood role for the MVB pathway is the degradation of transmembrane proteins within the lysosome. Regulation of cargo selection by this pathway is critically important for normal cell physiology, and recent advances in our understanding of this process have highlighted the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) as pivotal players in this reaction. To better understand the mechanisms of cargo selection during MVB sorting, we performed a genetic screen to identify novel factors required for cargo-specific selection by this pathway and identified the Mvb12 protein. Loss of Mvb12 function results in differential defects in the selection of MVB cargoes. A variety of analyses indicate that Mvb12 is a stable member of ESCRT-I, a heterologous complex involved in cargo selection by the MVB pathway. Phenotypes displayed upon loss of Mvb12 are distinct from those displayed by the previously described ESCRT-I subunits (vacuolar protein sorting 23, -28, and -37), suggesting a distinct function than these core subunits. These data support a model in which Mvb12 impacts the selection of MVB cargoes by modulating the cargo recognition capabilities of ESCRT-I.
Precise determination of the entire antigenic structure of lysozyme: Molecular features of protein antigenic structures and potential of ‘surface-simulation’ synthesis—a powerful new concept for protein binding sites

Abstract Intensive research in the author's laboratory over a 10-year period has now culminated in the precise determination of the entire antigenic structure of native hen egg-white lysozyme. This is the second antigenic structure of a protein to be precisely defined, the first one being that of sperm-whale myoglobin which was reported by this author in 1975. The antigenic structures of the two proteins are compared and contrasted. The novel and unorthodox concept of ‘surface-simulation’ synthesis which we introduced and developed during the definition of the antigenic sites of lysozyme is described and its powerful implications and potential in protein chemistry and immunochemistry are outlined.
Intraspecific variation in reproductive traits of burrowing owls

Reviews of hatching asynchrony in birds recommended more studies on intraspecific variation in the extent of hatching asynchrony. We examined intraspecific variation in clutch size, laying chronology, onset of incubation, incubation period, and hatching asynchrony in burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) in the Imperial Valley of California. Mean clutch size was 7.4 eggs and owls averaged 0.5 eggs laid per day. Females varied considerably in laying interval and onset of incubation (range = 1st to 9th egg in the clutch). The mean incubation period was 21.9 days. Hatching interval also varied greatly among females (\( \overline{x} \) = 0.8, range 0.1–2.0 days between successively hatched eggs). Past burrowing owl studies have largely overlooked the substantial intraspecific variation in these traits or have reported estimates that differ from ours. Future studies designed to identify the environmental factors that explain the large intraspecific variation in these traits will likely provide insights into the constraints on local abundance.
Simulation of time to first water application for the First Interstate Bank fire

On May 4, 1988 a fire occurred after hours on the 12th floor of the First Interstate Bank building, a 62 story steel-frame office tower in Los Angeles California. The sprinkler system in the building was not operational. The fire spread though the 12th floor and extended to the 13th, 14th, 15th and part of the 16th floor before it was under control by the fire department. Discrete event simulation is applied here to evaluate the time for firefighters to access to the 12th floor, the fire origin. GPSS/H is used to analyze lognormal distributions developed to represent the firefighter task data. These results are compared to those using triangular distributions, as well as data collected concerning the fire department response to the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Current perspectives on primary prophylaxis and patient risk factors for venous thromboembolism in the cancer patient.

The high prevalence of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients and the factors that increase the risk for this complication deserve emphasis.
Epigenetics of the myotonic dystrophy-associated DMPK gene neighborhood.

Aim: Identify epigenetic marks in the vicinity of DMPK (linked to myotonic dystrophy, DM1) that help explain tissue-specific differences in its expression. Materials & methods: At DMPK and its flanking genes (DMWD, SIX5, BHMG1 and RSPH6A), we analyzed many epigenetic and transcription profiles from myoblasts, myotubes, skeletal muscle, heart and 30 nonmuscle samples. Results: In the DMPK gene neighborhood, muscle-associated DNA hypermethylation and hypomethylation, enhancer chromatin, and CTCF binding were seen. Myogenic DMPK hypermethylation correlated with high expression and decreased alternative promoter usage. Testis/sperm hypomethylation of BHMG1 and RSPH6A was associated with testis-specific expression. G-quadruplex (G4) motifs and sperm-specific hypomethylation were found near the DM1-linked CTG repeats within DMPK. Conclusion: Tissue-specific epigenetic features in DMPK and neighboring genes help regulate its expression. G4 motifs in DMPK DNA and RNA might contribute to DM1 pathology.
Tuberculosis in Africa.

This article presents the disparate distribution of tuberculosis (TB) globally. Several reasons have been cited in the disparity of distribution. First there is a difference in the relationship between the human host and Mycobacterium tuberculosis at several stages of infection. Infected persons could be asymptomatic with subacute or fatal TB upon entry of organism. Second the infection by M. bovis by way of ingestion of contaminated milk could produce swelling of lymph nodes or spondylitis. Third TB would become epidemic in a population with enough infectious sources over time while spread of infection in an unexposed populace could lead to the death of the organism. This process of exposure to M. tuberculosis in an otherwise unexposed populace was termed tuberculization. One documented fact that illustrates this phenomenon occurred in Western Europe 300 years ago among African Americans in 1865 and in sub-Saharan Africa in 1900. The TB epidemic is now declining in both major racial groups in America and could be attributed to the geography and prehistoric distribution of domestic plants and large animals. The abundance of natural resources which led to the development of agriculture and settlement in communities has led to the emergence of germs and development of epidemics. This in the end resulted in disparities in the distribution of infections globally.
The J-Dependence of the Vector Analyzing Power of \((\vec d,n)\) Reactions on 58Ni and 60Ni

It has been shown1) that the vector analyzing power for \((\vec d,p)\) stripping reactions on f-p shell nuclei is a reliable indicator of the total angular momentum of the transferred neutron, jn. For a given value of ln, iT11 for jn =ln+1/2 and jn = ln-1/2 is opposite in sign. This j-dependence has been used to make spin assignments for nuclear levels populated by the \((\vec d,p)\) reaction. In this paper we report measurements of angular distributions of cross section and vector analyzing power iT11 for the reactions 58Ni\((\vec d,n)\) 59Cu and 6oNi\((\vec d,n)\) 61Cu. The purpose of these measurements was to investigate the j-dependence of iT11 for transitions with lp = 1 and 3.
Effects of Food, Strain, and Sex on Estimating Thermal Requirements for Nondiapause Larval and Pupal Development of Tufted Apple Bud Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Nonlinear models were used to estimate nondiapause larval and pupal development under constant temperatures using laboratory (North Carolina and Pennsylvania) and field (North Carolina) strains of Platynota idaeusalis (Walker) reared on semisynthetic medium and excised apple leaves. Significant differences in degree-day requirements due to sex were found in the pupal, but not the larval stage. Strain and food significantly affected thermal requirements for development and the effect occurred during the larval but not the pupal stage. Strain differences showed that North Carolina field strains and Pennsylvania laboratory strains developed faster during larval stage than the North Carolina laboratory strain. When larval and pupal thermal requirements were combined, total thermal requirements for strains were not significantly different. Insects developed faster on semisynthetic medium than on leaves for larval stage alone and larval and pupal stages combined. Lower threshold temperatures and thermal requirements for individual instars reared on medium were determined. Using the thermal requirements for larval and pupal development of the North Carolina field strain reared on apple leaves (478 degree-days over a threshold of 10.2°C:) plus the thermal requirement for egg development (116 degree-days over a threshold of 13°C:), the preimaginal thermal requirement for development is estimated to be 594 degree-days (1,069 Fahrenheit degree-days).
Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor: Chemistry and Physiology

Le facteur de liberation de la STH a ete caracterise et augmente dans plusieurs especes (homme, porc, bovin, souris). Le mecanisme d'action a ete defini. La cartographie des neurones a STH-LH a ete etablie. Des essais cliniques ont ete mis en route et ont confirme la puissante activite de liberation de STH de la STH-LH chez l'homme. L'effet du peptide sur les taux d'ARNm de la STH a ete decrit et le clonage moleculaire a ete utilise pour etablir les structures de la preproSTH-RH humaine (pancreatique)
Rapid Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition of Germanium and Germanium/Silicon Alloys on Silicon: New Applications in the Fabrication of MOS Transistors

In this work, low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) of pure Ge and SixGe1-x on Si and SiO2 has been considered for new applications in future ultra large scale integration (ULSI) technologies. Depositions were performed in a lamp heated cold-wall rapid thermal processor (rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition -RTCVD) using thermal decomposition of GeH4 and SiH2Cl2 in a carrier gas of H2. It is shown that RTCVD of Ge on Si is highly selective with no deposition occuring on SiO2. The selectivity of Ge/Si depends on the amount of germane in the gas phase. The processes are relatively low temperature/high throughput processes suitable to single wafer manufacturing. In this paper, we review potential applications of Ge and SixGe1−x in future MOS processes. Specifically, Ge and SixGe1−x have been considered for three new applications: i) fabrication of raised source/drain structures where selective Ge or SixGe1−x is used as a sacrificial layer to eliminate silicon consumption during silicide formation (by forming a germanide), ii) Formation of ultra-shallow junctions in silicon using selectively deposited and implanted polycrystalline SixGe1−x as a diffusion source, iii) Formation of MOS gate structures with SixGe1−x gate electrodes for lower dopant activation temperatures and better threshold control.
Silver nanoparticle removal from drinking water: Flocculation/sedimentation or filtration?

Silver nanoparticles are used in a wide variety of consumer products and are therefore rapidly becoming ubiquitous in the natural environment; they can be expected to be found in the natural waters used as drinking water supplies. This research investigated whether such particles could be expected to be removed in conventional water treatment plants such as flocculation and filtration. Both flocculation and granular media filtration experiments with citrate-capped silver nanoparticles were performed at different ionic strengths and in the presence and absence of natural organic matter. The results were generally consistent with theories of particle destabilization that have been developed for larger particles (greater than 1 μm), suggesting that silver nanoparticles are likely to be removed in conventional treatment processes.
Hand-foot-and-mouth Disease of Yi People in Liangshan Autonomous Prefecture,2008-2011

Objective To master the incidence level of hand-foot-mouth disease and epidemic characteristics in Liangshan prefecture in recent years,and provide the scientific basis for developing prevention and control measures.Methods Descriptive epidemiology was applied for the data of 2008-2011.Results During 2008-2011,the average annual reported incidence of hand-foot-and-mouth disease was 12/105,and the incidences for each year of 2008-2011 were 10.34/105,8.30/105,17.28/105 and 12.02/105 respectively;statistical difference were found among the annual reports.The incidence of male was 15.04/105 and female was 8.44/105,with statistical difference between the two;the sex ratio of male to female was 1.85:1.Cases were reported in every month of the year and cases in May to June took a great portion of the all(35.28%);scattered children was the major occupational population(72.56%),followed by preschool children(21.1%);as to the age distribution,age of 0-5 took 93.03% of the total,which showed a typical outbreak in infants and young children;cases were scattered in each county(or city).Conclusion An up-trend appeared over the time;season and type of population are two major factors related with the incidence.Timely monitoring should be strengthened and pertinent prevention measures should be carried out.
Reconstruction Of The Pharynx And Cervical Esophagus Using Free Jejunal Transfer

Although FJT has been perceived as unreliable, current FJT survival rates of 94% or greater, FJT salvage rates of up to 100%, and perioperative mortality of 6% or less demonstrate that FJT is a safe, reliable, one-stage method of reconstructing partial and circumferential pharyngoesophageal defects. FJT is associated with some morbidity; however, the procedure is well tolerated, and swallowing function is restored in 80% or more of patients within an average of 9 to 12 days after surgery. The success of the technique requires careful attention to details, such as designing the flap to avoid vein grafts, selecting large recipient vessels with high blood flow, careful in setting of the flap, meticulous microvascular anastomotic technique, close postoperative monitoring, and early, aggressive treatment of infection. If FJT failure should occur, a repeat FJT should be performed in the immediate postoperative period to increase the possibility of salvage and to decrease the risk of infection and mortality.
Radical Prostatectomy: Palliation for Stage C Carcinoma of the Prostate

AbstractAn objective comparison is made of patients with stage C carcinoma of the prostate treated with radical prostatectomy versus more conservative measures. Morbidity from local manifestations of the tumor left in situ was markedly increased, whereas those patients afforded an extirpative operation had a much improved quality of life.
Surgical correction of presbyopia.

Presbyopia is the most common refractive disorder for people older than 40 years. It is characterized by a gradual and progressive decrease in accommodative amplitude. Many surgical procedures for the correction of presbyopia exist, with additional procedures on the horizon. This review describes the prevalent theories of presbyopia and discusses the available surgical options for correction. Financial Disclosure Proprietary or commercial disclosures are listed after the references.
Protein Serine/Threonine-Phosphatase 2C (PP2C)

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with protein serine/threonine-phosphatase 2C (PP2C). Eukaryotic organisms appear to have multiple PP2C genes; even the simplest eukaryotes, the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, have seven and five PP2C genes in their genomes, respectively. In humans there are at least 16 PP2C genes, which express at least 22 isoforms by alternative splicing. PP2Cs and related protein phosphatases are implicated in numerous biological processes, often in stress signaling. This chapter reviews various signal transduction mechanisms where the molecular functions of PP2C enzymes have been relatively well elucidated. It also briefly touches upon PHLPP, PP2C-like phosphatases implicated in the regulation of protein kinase B (PKB). The functions of PP2C in both lower and higher eukaryotes include regulation of the stress-activated MAP kinase cascades, dephosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk), and regulation in DNA checkpoint through checkpoint kinases. Specifically in higher eukaryotes, the PP2C functions take into consideration PP2Cα, a smad phosphatase in TGFβ signaling, Wip1 (PP2Cδ), an Oncogenic PP2C, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase phosphatase (CaMKP), abscisic acid signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana, and bacterial PP2Cs: key regulators of σ factors.
Do Prestin Variants Persist within the Cochlea to Affect Charge Movement In Vitro

Introduction. Prestin-associated voltage sensors exhibit charge movement, q, in response to changes in cell-membrane potential. Summed over all participating atoms, q is the product of each atom's charge and the relative distance it moves within the dielectric thickness of the membrane. The quotient of q, κB (Boltzmann's constant) and T (temperature) is the voltage sensitivity, α of the sensor. It is determined experimentally for a large number (>104) of sensors by measuring the voltage-dependent capacitance of an outer hair cell (OHC) or prestin-transfected cell.Observations. OHCs isolated from pigmented guinea pigs exhibit a higher α when they originate from the basal region of the cochlea compared to the apical region. In addition, the maximum charge measured for each OHC is inversely proportional (not directly proportional) to the measured α, suggesting the sensors do not act independently.Explanation. Prestin is the fifth member of solute carrier family 26, where SLC26A5a of Homo sapiens, also known as isoform X1 of Cavia porcellus, is the dominant variant. Three less common isoforms were reported in humans with two different variants predicted to exist in the domestic guinea pig. We hypothesize that isoforms of prestin coexist and their arrangement within an oligomer vary to account for the gradients in α, where each component of an oligomer translates a different fraction of q and the measured voltage sensitivity, represents their ensemble average.Result We find evidence forsplice variants in the cochlea of pigmented guinea pigs upon conducting reverse transcription of mRNA with PCR. The findings will be discussed with respect to experimental measurements of charge movement.
Perspectives on ERIC and Adult Education

Susan Imel is retired from Ohio State University. From December 1981 until December 2003, she was the Adult Education Specialist at the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education and Director from 1987 through 2003. This essay begins with a brief overview of the ERIC system including goals for the clearinghouses, followed by a discussion of the clearinghouses that served the field of adult education. It concludes with a section that highlights how centralization has changed ERIC.
Noise concerns and post-processing procedures in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) functional magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Functional neuroimaging with blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast has emerged as the most popular method for evaluating qualitative changes in brain function in humans. At typical human field strengths (1.5–3.0 T), BOLD contrast provides a measure of changes in transverse water relaxation rates in and around capillary and venous blood, and as such provides only a surrogate marker of brain function that depends on dynamic changes in hemodynamics (e.g., cerebral blood flow and volume) and metabolism (e.g., oxygen extraction fraction and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption). Alternative functional neuroimaging methods that are specifically sensitive to these constituents of the BOLD signal are being developed and applied in a growing number of clinical and neuroscience applications of quantitative cerebral physiology. These methods require additional considerations for interpreting and quantifying their contrast responsibly. Here, an overview of two popular methods, arterial spin labeling and vascular space occupancy, is presented specifically in the context of functional neuroimaging. Appropriate post-processing and experimental acquisition strategies are summarized with the motivation of reducing sensitivity to noise and unintended signal sources and improving quantitative accuracy of cerebral hemodynamics.
A new algorithm for the detection of sleep apnea events in respiration signals

Sleep apneas are the most common type of sleep-related breathing disorders which cause a patient to move from a good sleep into an inefficient sleep. In addition, sleep apnea widely impacts the American population and is a large cost for healthcare. Traditional detection methods of sleep apneas are complex, expensive, and invasive to most patients. Among the various physiological signals, respiration signals are relatively easy to be monitored. However, not many studies are conducted using respiration signal only, and most of the previous algorithms are insufficient to detect apnea events. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm based on only the respiration signal to detect the apnea events during sleep and conduct experiments comparing the performance of our algorithm against two apnea detection algorithms. We use 20 patients' data, all of whom have severe Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI>30: over 30 events per hour). Our study shows that our algorithm outperforms the other two algorithms.