cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attenuation of Live-Attenuated Yellow Fever 17D Vaccine Virus Is Localized to a High-Fidelity Replication Complex.

ABSTRACT The molecular basis of attenuation for live-attenuated vaccines is poorly understood. The yellow fever (YF) 17D vaccine virus was derived from the wild-type, parental strain Asibi virus by serial passage in chicken tissue and has proven to be a very safe and efficacious vaccine. We have previously shown that wild-type Asibi is a typical RNA virus with high genetic diversity, while the 17D vaccine virus has very little genetic diversity. To investigate this further, we treated Asibi and 17D viruses with ribavirin, a GTP analog with strong antiviral activity that increases levels of mutations in the viral genome. As expected, ribavirin treatment introduced mutations into the Asibi virus genome at a very high frequency and decreased viral infectivity while, in contrast, the 17D vaccine virus was resistant to ribavirin, as treatment with the antiviral introduced very few mutations into the genome, and viral infectivity was not lost. The results were confirmed for another YF wild-type parental and vaccine pair, a wild-type French viscerotropic virus and French neurotropic vaccine. Using recombinant Asibi and 17D viruses, ribavirin sensitivity was located to viral nonstructural genes. Thus, two live-attenuated YF vaccine viruses are genetically stable even under intense mutagenic pressure, suggesting that attenuation of live-attenuated YF vaccines is due, at least in part, to fidelity of the replication complex resulting in high genetic stability. IMPORTANCE Live-attenuated viral vaccines are highly safe and efficacious but represent complex and often multigenic attenuation mechanisms. Most of these vaccines have been generated empirically by serial passaging of a wild-type (WT) virus in cell culture. One of the safest and most effective live-attenuated vaccines is yellow fever (YF) virus strain 17D, which has been used for over 80 years to control YF disease. The availability of the WT parental strain of 17D, Asibi virus, and large quantities of clinical data showing the effectiveness of the 17D vaccine make this WT parent/vaccine pair an excellent model for investigating RNA virus attenuation. Here, we investigate a mechanism of 17D attenuation and show that the vaccine virus is resistant to the antiviral compound ribavirin. The findings suggest that attenuation is in part due to a low probability of reversion or mutation of the vaccine virus genome to WT, thus maintaining a stable genotype despite external pressures.
President Bush's comprehensive health reform program.

To deal with the shortcomings of the current U.S. health care system, President Bush has proposed a comprehensive reform package that would offer tax credits and deductions to low- and middle-income Americans to purchase private insurance, reform small market insurance to ensure availability and portability of insurance, allow creation of Health Insurance Networks to allow small businesses and nonprofit organizations to pool their purchasing power, reduce administrative costs, and control the growth of government health programs. Combined, the proposals would build on the strengths of the present private/public system and preserve consumer choice and free market discipline.
Encircling Scleral Buckle with Chandelier Endoillumination and Endolaser for Repair of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment.

Purpose To report a modified surgical technique for chandelier endoillumination-assisted scleral buckling using an endolaser. Methods A three patient case reports for demonstration of surgical technique. Results All patients underwent successful primary retinal detachment repair without any intraoperative or post-operative complications. Conclusion Endolaser can be employed during chandelier endoillumination assisted scleral buckling either as a standalone tool or in conjunction with cryopexy, especially in cases with posteriorly located retinal breaks.
Funding PBIS Implementation Through ESSA Title IV, Part A Funds

School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is an approach for establishing the systems needed to implement and sustain evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS has been shown to reduce unwanted behaviors, reduce bullying, increase academic achievement, and improve perceptions of school safety. Because of its effectiveness, many administrators and educators at the state and local level seek multiple ways to fund PBIS implementation efforts. One potential source of federal funding includes Title IV, Part A funds from the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). A 2018 survey on how districts planned to use their Title IV, Part A funds found that 63% said they planned to use a portion of their allotment on making students safer. When asked how they planned to use their Title IV, Part A funds to improve student health and safety, 61% of districts reported they planned to spend them on PBIS. To assist interested State Educational Agencies (SEAs) and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), this document provides background details on ESSA and answers common questions about its use to fund PBIS.
Value Assessment of Evolving Pediatric Appendicitis Imaging Strategies Between 2004 and 2018.

Abstract Objective To assess diagnostic imaging utilization and the proportion of negative appendectomies for pediatric appendicitis at US children’s hospitals between 2004 and 2018. Methods This was a retrospective study using data from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database. Pediatric patients (age: 0-17 years) who underwent an appendectomy at one of 32 children’s hospitals from January 1, 2004, through September 30, 2018, were included. Patients were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision and International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision procedure codes. Patient demographics, imaging performed, and the frequency of negative appendectomy were analyzed. Results The final study population consisted of 104,033 children. From 2004 to 2018, CT utilization decreased from 56.8% (2,951 of 5,198) to 18.6% (1,201 of 6,455; P Conclusion There has been a shift in imaging of children with appendicitis over 15 years in the United States, because the use of CT has decreased and ultrasound use has increased. This shift has likely added value to the health care system without adversely affecting outcomes (negative appendectomy rate).
Potential of Entropic Force in Markov Systems with Nonequilibrium Steady State, Generalized Gibbs Function and Criticality

In this paper, we revisit the notion of the “minus logarithm of stationary probability” as a generalized potential in nonequilibrium systems and attempt to illustrate its central role in an axiomatic approach to stochastic nonequilibrium thermodynamics of complex systems. It is demonstrated that this quantity arises naturally through both monotonicity results of Markov processes and as the rate function when a stochastic process approaches a deterministic limit. We then undertake a more detailed mathematical analysis of the consequences of this quantity, culminating in a necessary and sufficient condition for the criticality of stochastic systems. This condition is then discussed in the context of recent results about criticality in biological systems.
Dataset of low global warming potential refrigerant refrigeration system for fault detection and diagnostics.

HVAC and refrigeration system fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) has attracted extensive studies for decades; however, FDD of supermarket refrigeration systems has not gained significant attention. Supermarkets consume around 50 kWh/ft2 of electricity annually. The biggest consumer of energy in a supermarket is its refrigeration system, which accounts for 40%–60% of its total electricity usage and is equivalent to about 2%–3% of the total energy consumed by commercial buildings in the United States. Also, the supermarket refrigeration system is one of the biggest consumers of refrigerants. Reducing refrigerant usage or using environmentally friendly alternatives can result in significant climate benefits. A challenge is the lack of publicly available data sets to benchmark the system performance and record the faulted performance. This paper identifies common faults of supermarket refrigeration systems and conducts an experimental study to collect the faulted performance data and analyze these faults. This work provides a foundation for future research on the development of FDD methods and field automated FDD implementation. Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14384321
Analysis of genetic dominance in the UK Biobank

Abstract In classical statistical genetic theory, a dominance effect is defined as the deviation from a purely additive genetic effect for a biallelic variant. Dominance effects are well documented in model organisms. However, evidence in humans is limited to a handful of traits, particularly those with strong single locus effects such as hair color. We carried out the largest systematic evaluation of dominance effects on phenotypic variance in the UK Biobank. We curated and tested over 1,000 phenotypes for dominance effects through GWAS scans, identifying 175 loci at genome-wide significance correcting for multiple testing (P 0.05), we found no strong evidence of a contribution to phenotypic variance when accounting for multiple testing. Across the 267 continuous and 793 binary traits the median contribution was 5. 73 × 10−4, with unbiased point estimates ranging from -0.261 to 0.131. Finally, we introduce dominance fine-mapping to explore whether the more rapid decay of dominance LD can be leveraged to find causal variants. These results provide the most comprehensive assessment of dominance trait variation in humans to date.
Validity and reliability of the Italian version of the cardiac quality of life questionnaire for pediatric patients with heart disease (PedsQLTM).

Congenital heart disease (CHD) accounts for nearly a third of all major congenital anomalies. Advances in pediatric cardiology shifted attention from mortality to morbidity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with CHD and impact on their families. The purposes of this study were to assess the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Cardiac Module and to create normative data for the Italian population. This was an observational cross-sectional study of pediatric patients (aged 2–18 years) with congenital or acquired Heart Disease (HD) and their parents. Families were asked to complete the cardiac pediatric health-related quality of life questionnaire (the Italian PedsQL™ 3.0 Cardiac Module) and the generic pediatric health-related quality of life questionnaire (PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales). The sequential validation procedure of the original United States version of the PedsQL™ 3.0 Cardiac Module was carried out under the instruction of the MAPI Research Institute. To assess construct validity, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were assessed between scores on the Cardiac Module scales and scores on the scales of the General Module. To determine agreement between patient self-report and parent proxy-report, we used intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). To evaluate Internal consistency of items, we used Cronbach’s alpha Coefficient. The study enrolled 400 patients. Construct validity is good between PedsQL Cardiac Module total scores and PedsQL total scores (p < 0.001). The recommended standard value of 0.7 was reached on the Cardiac and General Module core scales. Intercorrelations between PedsQL Cardiac module and PedsQL scores revealed medium to large correlations. In general, correlations between Patient self-reports are poorer than Parent-proxy ones. Cardiac PedsQL scores are valid and reliable for pediatric patients with congenital and acquired HD and may be useful for future research and clinical management.
Spectroscopy of Cancer

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was initially described as a physical phenomenon and initially was developed and used exclusively for chemical and structural analyses [1, 2]. Nowadays, the most commonly used NMR methodologies in biomedicine are based on studying the physical properties of hydrogen nuclei (protons) in tissue water (which is commonly known as magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) followed by proton NMR spectroscopy (or MRS) on other endogenous metabolites and, less frequently, other “magnetically active” nuclei such as 31P, 13C, 19F, and 23Na. The strong external magnetic field aligns the magnetic moments of protons (with spins −½ and ½) parallel and antiparallel to the magnetic field. The population of spins in the parallel orientation (which are of a slightly lower energy level) is larger than in the antiparallel orientation as described by the Boltzmann distribution. This results in a net “magnetization” in the sample aligned with the direction of the external magnetic field. When a radiofrequency (rf) pulse is applied to the sample, the magnetization orientation is changed, and after the pulse is gone, the system relaxes to its original status. Hydrogen nuclei in different tissues have different relaxation properties, which can be detected by rf MR receivers. MR tissue relaxation characteristics following an excitation rf pulse reveal information about the concentration, mobility, and chemical bonding of hydrogen and, less frequently, other tissue elements. The strongest NMR signals in a living system arise from hydrogens in water and fat protons due to their metabolic abundance (water compromises up to 66 % of the body weight). Other endogenous and exogenous metabolites also give signals on 1H-NMR but with much weaker signal-to-noise ratios due to lower concentrations. A significant number of endogenous metabolite signals are usually obscured by the water signal (both in vivo and in vitro), and their detection requires adequate techniques for water suppression (and often lipid or macromolecule suppression).
The Glaciochemistry of Snow-Pits from Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru, 1982

We present glaciochemical data from a pilot study of two snow-pits from Quelccaya ice cap, Peruvian Andes. These are the first samples to be analyzed from Quelccaya for nitrate and sulfate by ion chromatography (IC), for nitrate-plus-nitrite, reactive silicate and reactive iron by colorimetry, and for sodium by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The 3 m pits used in this study represent a one year record of mass accumulation and the 29 samples collected provide the first glaciochemical data from this area which can be compared with glaciochemical studies from other locations. Reactive iron, reactive silicate and sodium, and the profiles of >0.63μm microparticles from Thompson and others (1984) are coincident, suggesting that transport and deposition into this area of each species are controlled by similar processes. The common source is probably local, resulting from crustal weathering. In general, the reactive silicate values are lower than those observed in other alpine glacier ice. The highest sulfate and nitrate values were observed in the upper few centimeters of the snow-pit. Most of the sulfate concentrations were less than 3 μM and are similar to values obtained for fresh surface snows from Bolivia (Stallard and Edmond 1981). Since biological gaseous emissions are thought to be the major source of sulfur and nitrogen to the atmosphere over the Amazon basin, the sulfate and nitrate fluctuations may be due to seasonal biological input and/or seasonal shifts in wind direction bringing material to Quelccaya. With only one exception, the colorimetric nitrate-plus-nitrite data were higher than the IC nitrate data. Unfortunately, the IC analyses were conducted 81 d after the colorimetric analyses. The difference between the two data sets could be attributable to the following: (1) the colorimetric technique may yield erroneously high results as suggested for polar ice by Herron (1982), (2) the IC technique yields erroneously low results due, in part, to the possible exclusion of nitrite concentrations, and/or (3) nitrite was lost via biological removal during the 81 d period before the IC analyses. If the IC data are correct, the mean nitrate value is 0.4μΜ (n = 29). This value is similar to those reported from pre-industrial aged polar ice (Herron 1982). If the colorimetric mean value (1.1 μM) is correct, it is similar to colorimetrically determined values from other high-elevation alpine ice (Lyons and Mayewski 1983).
Olivia Records: The Production of a Movement.

This article looks at the early years of Olivia Records, setting the context for the historic release of the album Where Would I Be Without You. From its origins as a Washington, D.C.-based activist collective in 1973, Olivia became a hugely successful recording company, marketing radical lesbian recordings and performances that soon defined the “women's music” movement. Both artistically and politically, Olivia's woman-identified albums became the soundtrack for a generation awakening to lesbian activism. Pat Parker and Judy Grahn's 1976 spoken-word recording is a unique demonstration of Olivia's radical production values and expanding catalog.
Rough Surface Scattering on a Communication Link

On a communication link between two terminals using essentially isotropic antennas, where at least one of the terminals is in the general vicinity of an extended rough surface, scattering from that surface introduces multipath fading which must be taken into account in assessing the performance of the link. Fading, of course, occurs only if the terminal or the surface changes position with time. This paper discusses the characteristics of fading under the assumption that the surface is rigid but the terminal is moving relative to the rough surface. The important systems parameters, including the depth and rapidity of fading, associated with a given communication link are evaluated. The extension to other links is indicated.
A 3.0 W 75SPECint92 85SPECfp92 superscalar RISC microprocessor

This superscalar microprocessor is a 32b implementation of the PowerPC Architecture. With an estimated performance/power ratio of 25SPECint92/W at 80 MHz, this RISC style chip offers workstation-level performance packed into a low-power consumption, low-cost design ideal for notebooks and desktop computers. >
Children killed in falls from motor vehicles

In 1978 in the United States, 38 children aged 5 years or younger were killed when they fell from the passenger compartments of moving motor vehicles not involved in crashes. Twenty-eight children (74%) were boys. Eighteen (47%) were 2 years old; 35 (92%) were aged 1 to 3 years. Thirty-six children fell out through doors, one fell out of a window, and one fell through a hole in the floor. Sixteen falls occurred when the driver was making a turn or going around a curve, nine when someone opened the door, seven when the driver was proceeding straight ahead, five when the driver was backing out of a driveway, and one when the driver was swerving. All 38 children killed in falls from vehicles were unrestrained. Use of seat belts or child restraint systems would prevent falls even if doors came open, as well as providing protection in crashes. A recent study has shown that pediatricians, by routinely counseling parents to restrain children in cars, can have some effect in increasing child restraint use. Pediatricians should also encourage parents to transport children in rear seats and to check at the start of trips to ensure that all doors are completely closed and locked.
Il-4 is an endogenous T cell growth factor during the immune response to a syngeneic retrovirus-induced tumor.

The relative contributions of IL-2 and IL-4 during the immune response to the retrovirus-induced tumor, FBL, were examined. Both proliferative and cytolytic responses to FBL were measured and compared to similar responses to minor histocompatibility Ag. The addition of alpha IL-2 partially inhibited FBL-stimulated proliferation of purified L3T4+ T cells and nearly completely inhibited the response of Lyt-2+ T cells, whereas alpha IL-4 partially inhibited the proliferative response of the L3T4+ subset but had no effect on the response of the Lyt-2+ subset. The addition of exogenous IL-4 augmented the proliferative response of both subsets. Therefore, IL-4 is an endogenous growth factor for FBL-induced specific proliferation of the L3T4+ and not the Lyt-2+ population, but both subpopulations can respond to IL-4. Similar examination of anti-FBL CTL responses revealed that alpha IL-2, but not alpha IL-4, inhibited FBL-specific Lyt-2+ CTL generation. However, exogenous IL-4 partially replaced the L3T4+ Th cell activity necessary for optimal Lyt-2+ FBL-specific CTL generation. Therefore, IL-4 is not required but can participate in the CTL response. The role of IL-4 during the immune response of B6 mice to minor histocompatibility Ag disparate BALB.B cells was analyzed. alpha IL-4 had no detectable effect on the proliferative or cytolytic response to BALB.B cells, suggesting that endogenous IL-4 does not have a significant role in these responses. The extent of involvement of endogenous IL-4 in the T cell responses to retrovirus-induced tumor Ag and minor histocompatibility Ag presumably reflects the nature of the stimulating Ag, and detection of an IL-4 response may correlate with induction of an antibody response. Thus, the immunizing Ag and/or host B cell repetoire may influence which subsets of L3T4+ Th cells are activated during priming in vivo.
On physical carrier sensing in wireless ad hoc networks

The aggregate throughput of a wireless ad hoc network depends on the channel capacity, channel utilization (i.e., the fraction of channel capacity used for generating good put), and the concurrent transmissions allowed in the network. While channel utilization is determined by MAC overhead, physical carrier sense has been used as an effective way to avoid interference and exploit spatial reuse. Prior research has attempted to identify the optimal carrier sense range that can maximize the aggregate throughput. However, the impact of MAC overhead has been ignored. In this paper, we use both an analytical model and simulation results to show that MAC overhead has significant impact on the choice of optimal carrier sense range. If MAC overhead is not taken into account properly in determining the optimal carrier sense range, the aggregate throughput can suffer a significant loss.
An ab initio model of electron transport in hematite (α-Fe2O3) basal planes

Transport of conduction electrons through basal planes of the hematite lattice was modeled as a valence alternation of iron cations using ab initio molecular orbital calculations and electron transfer theory. A cluster approach was successfully implemented to compute electron-transfer rate-controlling quantities such as the reorganization energy and electronic coupling matrix element. Localization of a conduction electron at an iron lattice site is accompanied by large iron–oxygen bond length increases that give rise to a large internal component of the reorganization energy (1.03 eV). The internal reorganization energy calculated directly is shown to differ from Nelsen’s four-point method due to the short-range covalent bridge interaction between the Fe–Fe electron transfer pair in the hematite structure. The external reorganization energy arising from modification of the lattice polarization surrounding the localization site is predicted to contribute significantly to the total reorganization energy. Th...
Evaluation of a multifaceted social marketing campaign to increase awareness of and screening for oral cancer in African Americans

Jedele JM, Ismail AI. Evaluation of a multifaceted social marketing campaign to increase awareness of and screening for oral cancer in African Americans. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2010; 38: 371–382. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract – Objectives: A 2-year social marketing media campaign and community education activities were organized to promote screening for oral cancer in a high-risk population in Detroit/Wayne County, Michigan. Long-term goals of the campaign were to reduce the oral cancer death rate, increase the proportion of oral cancers detected at an early stage, and increase the proportion of adults who report having been screened. The intermediate goals of the campaign were to increase awareness of oral cancer and of oral cancer screening. This article presents outcomes related to the intermediate goals of the campaign. Methods: The intermediate goals of the campaign were assessed by the number of calls to a toll-free hotline, which media venues led to calls, number of screenings conducted by the free screening clinic, number of precancers and cancers detected, and the number of sessions conducted, organizations involved, and persons participating in the community education program. The costs per screened case and cancers detected were also evaluated. The media campaign promoted screening using billboards, radio and newspaper ads, and a toll-free hotline. Culturally relevant messages were developed collaboratively with focus groups representing the target audience. Billboards were placed in highly visible locations around Detroit, Michigan. Sixty-second messages on the impact of oral cancer and that screening is ‘painless and free’ were aired on radio stations popular with the target audience. Ads displaying the hotline were placed in two local newspapers. Callers to the hotline were scheduled for a free screening with a clinic operated by the project. Referral to an oral surgeon was scheduled if a suspicious lesion was found. Free education sessions were also conducted with community-based organizations. Costs associated with the campaign and hotline were totaled, and the cost per screening and cancer detected were calculated. Results: During the campaign, 1327 radio spots aired; 42 billboards were displayed; two newspaper ads were printed; and 242 education sessions were conducted. The hotline received 1783 calls. The majority of callers reported that their call was prompted by a radio ad (57%). The clinic screened 1020 adults and referred 78 for further examination. Three cancers, two precancers, and 12 benign tumors were detected. The total cost associated with the campaign and toll-free hotline was $795,898. Conclusions: A multifaceted social marketing campaign including radio ads, billboards, and education sessions can effectively target a high-risk population and that given an outlet could result in a significant number of people getting screened at a relatively low cost.
Computational Continuum Mechanics: Finite Element Formulation: Large-Deformation, Large-Rotation Problem

In the preceding chapter, a nonlinear finite element formulation for the large-deformation analysis was presented. This formulation, which is consistent with the motion description used in the theory of continuum mechanics and can be used to correctly describe an arbitrary rigid-body motion, leads to a constant mass matrix and nonlinear vector of elastic forces. The formulation imposes no restrictions on the amount of rotation or deformation within the element, except for the restriction imposed by the order of the interpolating polynomials used. In large-deformation problems, in general, the shape of deformation of the bodies can be complex and this, in turn, necessitates the use of a large number of finite element nodal coordinates in order to be able to correctly capture the geometry of deformation. Therefore, in the analysis of the large deformation problem using the absolute nodal coordinate formulation discussed in the preceding chapter, one simply selects an adequate number of finite elements and formulates the equations of motion in terms of the element nodal coordinates. There is no need to introduce another reference frame or be concerned with the use of coordinate reduction techniques. The results published in the literature on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation demonstrated that this formulation can be used in modeling very large deformations with relatively small number of finite elements compared to other existing nonlinear finite element formulations.
Post-traumatic neck pain: A prospective and follow-up study

Three hundred fifty-one alert emergency department patients with post-traumatic neck pain were evaluated prospectively. Seven (2%) had proven fractures or ligament disruptions. The immediate onset of neck pain and the presence of posterior midline cervical tenderness each had 100% sensitivity, with specificity of 65% and 48%, respectively. Discharged patients were followed up by telephone or letter at a mean of 25 ± 20 weeks. Of this group, 63% saw another physician, and 43% had persistent moderate-to-severe neck pain or neurologic symptoms at a mean follow-up time of 24 weeks after injury. Of those who had not had a cervical radiograph while in the ED, 52% later obtained one. In addition, 66% of the discharged patients were pursuing litigation. The results suggest that it may be possible to identify alert patients with cervical spine injury by means of history and examination only; however, a larger study confirming these results is required. The high frequency of post-ED radiography, the high prevalence of persistent symptoms after injury, and frequent involvement in litigation are factors to be considered when evaluating ED patients with post-traumatic neck pain. These factors may support the validity of obtaining cervical spine radiographs on many more of these patients than high-yield criteria would dictate.
The Gcn5 Bromodomain of the SAGA Complex Facilitates Cooperative and Cross-tail Acetylation of Nucleosomes

Bromodomains are acetyl lysine binding modules found in many complexes that regulate gene transcription. In budding yeast, the coactivator complex SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyl-transferase) predominantly facilitates transcription of stress-activated genes and requires the bromodomain of the Gcn5 subunit for full activation of a number of these genes. This bromodomain has previously been shown to promote retention of the complex to H3 and H4 acetylated nucleosomes. Because the SAGA complex mediates histone H3 acetylation, we sought to determine to what extent the Gcn5 bromodomain directly modulates histone acetylation activity. Kinetic analysis of SAGA-mediated acetylation of nucleosomal substrates reveals that this bromodomain: 1) is required for the cooperative acetylation of nucleosomes, 2) enhances acetylation of an H3 histone tail when the other H3 tail within a nucleosome is already acetylated, and 3) augments the acetylation turnover of nucleosomes previously acetylated at lysine 16 of the histone H4 tails. These results indicate that the Gcn5 bromodomain promotes the establishment of nucleosome acetylation through multiple mechanisms and more generally show how chromatin recognition domains can modulate the enzymatic activity of chromatin modifying complexes.
Comparison of MELD and Child-Pugh Scores to Predict Survival after Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

PURPOSE To compare the value of the Child-Pugh and Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores to predict patient survival rates after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighty-seven patients underwent 169 TACE sessions. Child-Pugh and MELD values were calculated before initial treatment. Survival length was tracked from the date of the first TACE procedure. Transplant recipients were censored from the study at the time of surgery. Child-Pugh and MELD scores as well as bilirubin and albumin levels and International Normalized Ratio were placed in high and low categories defined by their respective medians. Patient survival was compared at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, and patterns were tested with χ 2 or Fisher exact tests. Survival over the entire period was examined with Kaplan-Meier analysis and differences were tested with log-rank tests. RESULTS Mean and median survival times for all patients were 24 and 17 months, respectively. Sixteen patients were censored for transplantation at a mean of 12.9 months. MELD and Child-Pugh scores correlated well with each other ( r r = −0.35, P r = −0.26, P P P P CONCLUSIONS Child-Pugh score correlates better than MELD score to overall patient survival and is a better predictor than MELD score of survival at specific time points. Of the components of the Child-Pugh and MELD systems, albumin level is the most useful predictor of survival.
THE TREATMENT OF EUTHYROID CARDIAC PATIENTS WITH INTRACTABLE ANGINA PECTORIS AND CONGESTIVE FAILURE WITH RADIOACTIVE IODINE

THE possible relationship between disturbances of the thyroid gland and cardiac symptomatology has long been recognized. In 1825, Parry (1) clearly described the development of congestive failure and angina pectoris coincident with the development of the classic signs of exophthalmic goiter. He noted the subsidence of congestive failure with a decrease in size of an enlarged thyroid gland. Similar observations have been reported by Kocher (2) and Hamilton (3) (4). In 1924, Means (5) in discussing the treatment of cardiac dyspnea noted that “first of all comes treatment directed toward reduction of the metabolic rate. This is seen most strikingly in treatment by rest, particularly in heart failure. Mere confinement to bed, of course, makes total metabolism closely approach basal and therefore, greatly diminishes the work both of the heart and the respiratory organs and consequently the dyspnea. … In the dyspnea of hyperthyroidism … those measures which reduce the hyperthyroidism and therefore the metabolis...
Extinction and Forward Scattering in a Settling Aerosol

The optical depth of a settling aerosol is measured as a function of time. An analytic model is fitted to the time record of the optical depth. This allows an inversion of the problem which results in an analytic model for the size distribution of aerosol particles for radii between 1 μ and 10 μ. The model size distribution is verified by comparison with data from a direct microscope count of particle sizes. The model size distribution is then used to calculate the time behavior of forward scattered light. This calculation is compared to experiment to provide further corroboration of the aerosol size distribution.
Abrupt mid-Holocene onset of centennial-scale climate variability on the Peru-Chile Margin

[1] Understanding the natural climate variations in the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) is crucial for predicting the evolution of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here we present the first continuous, decadal-resolution Holocene climate record from the Peru-Chile Margin, near the epicenter of the modern ENSO system. Geochemical proxies allow us to reconstruct sea surface temperature, phytoplankton productivity, and thermocline ventilation, variables that are tightly correlated to ENSO events today. Despite the observation that the mean state of all three variables did not change over the past 10,000 years, our data reveal a dramatic increase in climate variability near 5 ka; represented by prolonged periods (50–200 yrs) of climate extremes, which are absent in the early Holocene. These centennial-scale oscillations do not show typical El Nino-La Nina correlations between proxies. We therefore posit that a significant fraction of super-ENSO variance may originate outside the tropics, through processes that ventilate the ETP subsurface waters.
Postmenopausal hormones--therapy for symptoms only.

Over the past two decades, multiple observational studies have suggested that postmenopausal hormone therapy reduces the risks of osteoporotic fractures and coronary heart disease. On the basis of ...
Maternal Floor Infarction and Massive Perivillous Fibrin Deposition

Maternal floor infarction (MFI) and massive perivillous fibrin deposition (MPVFD) are pathologically overlapping placental disorders with characteristic gross and shared light microscopic features of excessive perivillous deposition of fibrinoid material. Although rare, they are associated with high rates of fetal growth restriction, perinatal morbidity and mortality, and risks of recurrence with fetal death. The cause of the extensive fibrinoid deposition is unknown, but evidence supports involvement of maternal alloimmune or autoimmune mechanisms. This article presents an updated discussion of features, placental histopathologic differential diagnosis, possible causes, clinical correlates, and adverse outcomes of the MFI/MPVFD spectrum.
Work samples from the field of art and science collaboration

This text details four art projects that I have authored in which science was an integral component. The first of these efforts, titled the Hand Up Project: Attempting to Meet the New Needs of Natural Life Forms is dedicated to fabricating alternative forms of housing for land hermit crabs. Corpor Esurit, or We All Deserve a Break Today, the second project, concerns industrial food production and considers the plight of multiple life forms that are faced with changing food sources. The third project, Listening Stations for Birds, That Play Human Music, aims to elucidate what types of human music birds might prefer. The final piece I describe is the Lichen for Skyscrapers Project. This effort seeks to ameliorate the lack of native vegetation in global cities by culturing lichen on the sides of skyscrapers and other human-made structures. This paper also explores the challenges and rewards inherent in soliciting institutional support, dealing with the media, and presenting work in this genre of art making.
Non-independent Cascade Formation: Temporal and Spatial Effects

Determining cascade size and the factors affecting cascade size are two fundamental research problems in social network analysis. The commonly considered independent cascade model, when applied to social networks such as Digg, produces a phase-transition phenomenon where the cascade is either very small or very large. This phenomenon can be explained based on the concept of Giant Propagation Component (GPC). The GPC is defined as a maximally connected component, such that, by applying the independent cascade model, once any node of the component is infected, most of the remaining nodes in the component will eventually become infected with a high probability. While GPC exists in social networks, the phase-transition phenomenon, is not observed in the actual cascade size distribution when the information propagation is due to actions such as ``like'' or ``dig''. This paper hypothesizes that the cascade process, i.e., the likeliness of a node being infected changes over time and depends on how far away the node is from the seed. Furthermore, each node will not be exactly independently considered for infection from each of its infected friends, because the chance of information propagation through ``like'' or ``dig'' does not necessarily increase when there are more friends like/dig the information. To this end, we develop and simulate a new non-independent infection cascade process. The experiment results show that the proposed cascade process generates power-law like cascade size distribution without phase transition, which resembles much better the real-world cascade distribution observed in the Digg social network.
X-ray Crystal Structures of the Estrogen-related Receptor-γ Ligand Binding Domain in Three Functional States Reveal the Molecular Basis of Small Molecule Regulation

X-ray crystal structures of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the estrogen-related receptor-γ (ERRγ) were determined that describe this receptor in three distinct states: unliganded, inverse agonist bound, and agonist bound. Two structures were solved for the unliganded state, the ERRγ LBD alone, and in complex with a coregulator peptide representing a portion of receptor interacting protein 140 (RIP140). No significant differences were seen between these structures that both exhibited the conformation of ERRγ seen in studies with other coactivators. Two structures were obtained describing the inverse agonist-bound state, the ERRγ LBD with 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), and the ERRγ LBD with 4-OHT and a peptide representing a portion of the silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone action protein (SMRT). The 4-OHT structure was similar to other reported inverse agonist bound structures, showing reorientation of phenylalanine 435 and a displacement of the AF-2 helix relative to the unliganded structures with little other rearrangement occurring. No significant changes to the LBD appear to be induced by peptide binding with the addition of the SMRT peptide to the ERRγ plus 4-OHT complex. The observed agonist-bound state contains the ERRγ LBD, a ligand (GSK4716), and the RIP140 peptide and reveals an unexpected rearrangement of the phenol-binding residues. Thermal stability studies show that agonist binding leads to global stabilization of the ligand binding domain. In contrast to the conventional mechanism of nuclear receptor ligand activation, activation of ERRγ by GSK4716 does not appear to involve a major rearrangement or significant stabilization of the C-terminal helix.
Tumefactive extramedullary hematopoiesis of the stomach.

A 3×4 cm submucosal gastric mass of extramedullary hematopoietic tissue occurred in a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Such stomach masses have been misinterpreted as malignant tumor. Tumefactive extramedullary hematopoiesis of the stomach is an infrequent occurrence in patients with extramedullary hematopoiesis but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients known to have this condition.
Mesd Is a Universal Inhibitor of Wnt Coreceptors LRP5 and LRP6 and Blocks Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Cancer Cells

Mesd is a specialized chaperone for low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) and LRP6. In our previous studies, we found that Mesd binds to mature LRP6 on the cell surface and blocks the binding of Wnt antagonist Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) to LRP6. Herein, we demonstrate that Mesd also binds to LRP5 with a high affinity and is a universal inhibitor of LRP5 and LRP6 ligands. Mesd not only blocks binding of Wnt antagonists Dkk1 and Sclerostin to LRP5 and LRP6 but also inhibits Wnt3A and Rspondin1-induced Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in LRP5- and LRP6-expressing cells. We also found that Mesd, Dkk1, and Sclerostin compete with one another for binding to LRP5 and LRP6 at the cell surface. More importantly, we demonstrated that Mesd is able to suppress LRP6 phosphorylation and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in prostate cancer PC-3 cells and inhibits PC-3 cell proliferation. Our results indicate that recombinant Mesd protein is a useful tool for studying Wnt/beta-catenin signaling on the cell surface and has a potential therapeutic role in Wnt-dependent cancers.
Optical fiber chemical sensors with sol-gel derived nanomaterials for monitoring high temperature/high pressure reactions in clean energy technologies

The development of sensor technologies for in situ, real time monitoring the high temperature/high pressure (HTP) chemical processes used in clean energy technologies is a tough challenge, due to the HTP, high dust and corrosive chemical environment of the reaction systems. A silica optical fiber is corrosive resistance, and can work in HTP conditions. This paper presents our effort in developing fiber optic sensors for in situ, real time monitoring the concentration of trace ammonia and hydrogen in high temperature gas samples. Preliminary test results illustrate the feasibility of using fiber optic sensor technologies for monitoring HTP processes for next generation energy industry.
The Visual Evoked Potential and the Process of Selective Attention Under Conditions of Simultaneous Bilateral Stimulation

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded from the left and right occipital cortices of 14 male subjects. Single digit numerical stimuli were presented simultaneously in the left and right visual fields (different stimuli for each field) for 50 ms. The subject was asked to attend to one of the fields for a block of 100 trials. The subject was instructed to report verbally the identity of the digits about 1 second after they appeared. A baseline condition requiring no specific focus of attention was introduced to establish a level for any initial hemispheric differences. All subjects received the baseline condition first, and the order of presentation of the attention conditions to the left and right visual fields was randomized across subjects.The 3-way ANOVA revealed a degree of VEP component specificity, reflecting the influence of the particular variables introduced in the study. The most critical findings for the present hypothesis were the post hoc comparisons between conditions at the right reco...
The effect of front-side silver metallization on underlying n + -p junction in multicrystalline silicon solar cells

We report on the effect of front-side Ag metallization on the underlying n+-p junction of multicrystalline Si solar cells. The junction quality beneath the contacts was investigated by characterizing the uniformities of the electrostatic potential and doping concentration across the junction, using scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy and scanning capacitance microscopy. We investigated cells with a commercial Ag paste (DuPont PV159) and fired at furnace setting temperatures of 800°, 840°, and 930°C, which results in actual cell temperatures ∲100°C lower than the setting temperature and the three cells being under-, optimal-, and over-fired. We found that the uniformity of the junction beneath the Ag contact was significantly degraded by the over-firing, whereas the junction retained good uniformity with the optimal- and under-fire temperatures. Further, Ag crystallites with widely distributed sizes from &#60;100 nm to several Ωm were found at the Ag/Si interface of the over-fired cell. Large crystallites were imaged as protrusions into Si deeper than the junction depth. However, the junction was not broken down; instead, it was reformed on the entire front of the crystallite/Si interface. We propose a mechanism of the junction-quality degradation, based on emitter Si melting at the temperature around the Ag-Si eutectic point during firing, and subsequent recrystallization with incorporation of impurities in the Ag paste and with formation of crystallographic defects during quenching.
Estimates of Tackle Loss for Five Minnesota Walleye Fisheries

Abstract Lead poisoning in waterbirds from ingestion of lead fishing items may be a growing problem. There are few studies that quantify tackle loss for recreational fisheries. Tackle loss from large recreational lake fisheries in Minnesota is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine tackle loss for five large lake fisheries targeting walleye Sander vitreus in Minnesota by means of creel surveys and to estimate recent cumulative losses. Mean rates of tackle loss were low: 0.0127/h for lures, 0.0081/h for large sinkers, 0.0057/h for small sinkers, 0.0247/h for jigs, and 0.0257/h for hooks. Many anglers lost no fishing tackle on a fishing trip. The estimated total loss of tackle for the five water bodies in the summer of 2004 was 214,811 items. Over 100,000 lead-based items were estimated to have been lost, representing about 1 metric ton of lead. Assuming 2004 lead tackle loss rates, estimates of cumulative lead item loss for Lake of the Woods and Mille Lacs and Rainy lakes from 1983 to 2004...
Outpatient retrograde placement of the indwelling voice prosthesis.

With the initial Blom-Singer prosthesis technique, the method for prosthesisplacement and replacement was based on an antegradeapproach; the prosthesis was placed into the puncture sitefrom the tracheal side to the esophageal side. This allowedfor the necessary maintenance and prosthesis changesrequired with the earlier designs.Subsequent prosthetic designs, such as the Groning-en