cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of adrenocorticotropic hormone on body growth, visceral proportions, and white blood cell counts of normal and hypophysectomized male rats.

The objective of this experiment was to induce in rats as complete a growth stasis as possible by injection of adrenocorticotropic hormone, and to maintain the animals in a state of arrested growth for a relatively long period of time. The present report describes the body growth, visceral proportions, and hematology of such animals. Their skeletal morphogenesis, skeletal uptake of radio-active calcium (Ca45), and chemical composition of the body will be described in subsequent papers. In 1937 Moon demonstrated the inhibition of somatic growth in castrate rats when adrenocorticotropic pituitary extracts were administered. He also noted arrest of hair growth, and development of disproportions in visceral weight. The purification of this hormone (Li, Evans and Simpson, 1943) made possible subsequent critical studies. Marx et al. (1943), Evans et al. (1943), and Becks et al. (1943a and 1943b) confirmed the retardation of somatic growth, demonstrated the antagonism of this hormone to the pituitary growth hormone
Molecular aspects of leaf senescence

Senescence is the last stage of leaf development and one type of programmed cell death that occurs in plants. The relationships among senescence programs that are induced by a variety of factors have been addressed at a molecular level in recent studies. Furthermore, an overlap between the pathogen-response and senescence programs is beginning to be characterized. The complexity of the senescence program is also evident in studies of senescence-specific gene regulation and the role of photosynthesis and plant hormones in senescence regulation. New molecular-genetic approaches are expected to be useful in unraveling the molecular mechanisms of the leaf senescence program.
Surgical management of upper gastrointestinal and small bowel Crohn’s disease

Burill Crohn's convincing description of the disease that now carries his name conceived of the illness as arising exclusively from the terminal ileum, involving other sites only secondarily. As a result, he took the condition to be curable by an adequate operative resection. The current concept is that Crohn's disease may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. The practical implication of this change in thinking is the need to conserve bowel when weighing medical and surgical options for each child. Operations should be used to treat complications of the disease. Absolute indications for the surgery are uncommon and include perforation, bleeding, and refractory obstruction. The margins of resection need only include a short amount of grossly normal intestine. Strictureplasty to relieve obstruction without resection should be done when applicable. Maintenance medication after an operation to limit recurrence or recrudescence is frequently advocated.
Electron form and anomalous energy radiation

This paper correlates data fromg-factor measurements and energy radiation theory, both indicating that the electron has a characteristic radius from which radiation is reflected of 1.1547 times the classical radiuse2/mc2. More important, the paper resolves an existing anomaly by reconciling the energy radiation property of the accelerated electron and the nonradiation hypothesis required to account for inertia according to the lawE=Mc2.
Feminism and religiosity: Female electoral behaviour in Western Europe

(1985). Feminism and religiosity: Female electoral behaviour in Western Europe. West European Politics: Vol. 8, Women and Politics in Western Europe, pp. 38-49.
Spectral characteristics of aging postural control

Abstract The purpose of this study was to apply techniques of spectral analysis to the study of postural control and determine if aging results in changes to spectral parameters obtained from postural forces. Subjects were young adults and elderly who live independently and had no difficulty performing tasks of daily living. Ground reaction forces were obtained from a measurement plat-form during repeated trials of static standing. Forces were analyzed using spectral analysis and selected parameters (central tendency and dispersion) were extracted from averaged spectral data. Significant differences were observed between age groups in all parameters extracted from spectra obtained from medial-lateral postural forces. Similar results were not obtained for data in the anterior-posterior direction. Results suggest that aging affects the spectral characteristics of postural forces used to maintain stability in the m-l direction.
Acts of Activism: Human Rights as Radical Performance

Acts of Activism: Human Rights as Radical Performanceby D. Soyini Madison Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, Theatre and Performance Theory Series, 2010, xi + 322 pp, ISBN 97805215...
Controlled Synthesis of Transition-Metal Ion Complex/Solvent Clusters by Electrospray Ionization

Incorporation of a solvent vapor-saturated nitrogen purge in an electrospray ionization source is demonstrated as a highly selective method for synthesizing clusters consisting of a transition-meta...
Discipline as a Cooperative Venture: Where Are We?

The study investigated to what extent conditions that induce cooperation in an activity were present in schools in relation to student discipline. Based on data from a large sample of secondary school principals, it was found that there was considerable disagreement about the quality of discipline and about the behavioral focus of teachers' and principals' concerns. Involvement in making and enforcing rules was differentially distributed, with principals and teachers much more involved than other groups. Involvement was not found to be related to the schools' identified disciplinary objectives.
Cue properties vs palatability of flavors in avoidance learning

When a flavor is immediately followed by peripheral electric shock, rats learn to use the flavor cue to avoid shock, but ingestion of that flavor is not reduced outside the shock apparatus. In contrast, when a flavor is followed by internal illness, rats will reject that fluid in or out of the situation where illness occurred. However, motor approach to visual cues previously associated with that flavor is not immediately affected. Thus flavor, used as a cue, acquires generalization properties depending upon the subsequent reinforcer and reflecting differential specialization in mechanisms controlling palatability and locomotor responses.
EVALUATION OF THE TEXAS 0.08 BAC LAW

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects on alcohol-involved traffic crashes and fatalities of the 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) per se law introduced in the state of Texas in 1999. Method: Data pertaining to alcohol- involved traffic crashes and fatalities were extracted from two datasets: the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (for the period January 1995-September 2002), and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reports of Alcohol Related Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents and Casualties (for the period January 1995- December 2000). The data were analysed using time-series methods (ARIMA routines). The effects of the law on all drivers were assessed, along with the effects among gender, racial, and age subgroups and crash location (urban vs rural). Results: Separate time-series analyses were conducted with all alcohol-involved and fatal alcohol-involved crashes from the DPS dataset and fatal alcohol-involved crashes from the FARS dataset as the outcome variables. None of the effects for either the total sample or any of the subgroups analysed was statistically significant (this was true of both the FARS and DPS datasets). Conclusions: While there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that 0.08 BAC laws can be effective in reducing alcohol-involved traffic accidents and fatalities, the present study shows that this was not the case in Texas. Future research should move beyond the simple question of whether or not 0.08 BAC laws 'work' and instead explore in more detail the conditions, such as publicity and enforcement, under which the law does or does not contribute to a decline in alcohol-involved accidents and fatalities.
ApoE4 polymorphism increases the risk for exercise-induced silent myocardial ischemia in older men.

The apolipoprotein (apo) E4 polymorphism is associated with increased risk for symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). This study examines whether the apo epsilon allele is associated with an increased risk for exercise-induced silent myocardial ischemia (SI) in healthy, older (62 +/- 7 years; mean +/- SD), normocholesterolemic, nonsmoking male volunteers. The apo epsilon 4 allele was present in 20 of 45 (44%) men with SI on graded exercise treadmill testing compared with 22 of 127 (17%) men of comparable age with normal exercise tests (P < .001), resulting in a crude relative risk of 2.57 (95% confidence limits, 1.57 to 4.23) for SI in men with the apo epsilon 4 allele compared with those without the epsilon 4 allele. Although the lipoprotein lipid levels did not differ between men with normal exercise tests and those with SI, the men with the apoE 4/3 phenotype had higher total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than those with the apoE 2/3 and 3/3 phenotypes (P < .05). Men with SI and the apoE 4/3 phenotype were older (64 +/- 5 versus 57 +/- 8 years, P < .01) and leaner (P < .01) than the normal non-SI men with the apoE 4/3 phenotype. The older age of the men with SI and the apoE 4/3 phenotype is consistent with a progression of atherosclerosis over time. Men with SI and the apoE 3/3 phenotype were of comparable age and body composition to apoE 3/3 phenotype men with normal exercise tests. Thus, even in the presence of normal LDL-C levels, the apo epsilon 4 allele may predispose older men to SI.
Historical content in computer science texts: a concern

Faculty teaching computer science courses-to majors and nonmajors alike-may have little chance to evaluate the historical material found in the texts assigned to their students. There are problems, however, in the presentations of the history of the field in many current texts, problems of which faculty are not always aware. Clarification of some of the problematic historical material found in current texts is presented, and some suggestions are offered for additional topics that should be included in the history component of the computer science curriculum. The examples are gleaned from several texts that have been otherwise valuable and effective in the presentation of computer science material; indeed, their continued presence and wide usage attest to the quality of their presentation. But the history of the field deserves the same careful treatment in these texts as do other aspects of computer science.
Recurrent Juvenile Active Ossifying Fibroma requiring Radical Maxillectomy and Palatal Prosthesis

 Histology: Exact histopathological definitions of JAOFs and their distinction from ossifying fibromas are somewhat controversial. JAOFs are generally classified as either trabecular or psammomatoid variants. Both variants are usually demarcated from adjacent bone but nonencapsulated. These tumors exhibit a cellular fibroblastic proliferation with variable mineralized components. Trabecular tumors demonstrate cellular osteoid organized in irregular strands surrounded by plump osteoblasts, whereas psammomatoid tumors form concentric lamellated rounded ossicles with basophilic centers and peripheral eosinophilic rims.
A Method for Automatically Interpreting Mass Spectra of 18O-Labeled Isotopic Clusters

16O/18O labeling is one differential proteomics technology among many that promises diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of disease. Although the incorporation of 18O in the C-terminal carboxyl group during endoproteinase digestion in the presence of H218O makes the process of labeling facile, the ease and effectiveness of label incorporation have in some regards been outweighed by the difficulties in interpreting the resulting spectra. Complex isotope patterns result from the composition of unlabeled (18O0), singly labeled (18O1), and doubly labeled species (18O2) as well as contributions from the naturally occurring isotopes (e.g.13C and 15N). Moreover because labeling is enzymatic, the number of 18O atoms incorporated can vary from peptide to peptide. Finally it is difficult to distinguish highly up-regulated from highly down-regulated or C-terminal peptides. We have developed an algorithm entitled regression analysis applied to mass spectrometry (RAAMS) that automatically, rapidly, and confidently interprets spectra of 18O-labeled peptides without requiring chemical composition information derived from product ion spectra. The algorithm is able to measure the effective 18O incorporation rate due to variable enzyme substrate specificity of the pseudosubstrate during the isotope exchange reaction and corrects for the 18O0 abundance that remains in the labeled sample when using a two-step digestion/labeling procedure. We have also incorporated a method for distinguishing pure 18O0 from pure 18O2 peptides utilizing impure H218O. The algorithm operates on centroided peak lists and is therefore very fast: nine chromatograms of, on average, 1,168 spectra and containing, on average, 6,761 isotopic clusters were interpreted in, on average, 45 s per chromatogram. RAAMS is fast enough (average, 38 ms/spectrum) to allow the possibility of performing information-dependent MS/MS on a chromatographic time scale on species exceeding predetermined ratio thresholds. We describe in detail the operation of the algorithm and demonstrate its use on datasets with known and unknown ratios.
Paleoecoinformatics: applying geohistorical data to ecological questions

Paleoecoinformatics, the development and use of paleoecological databases and tools, has a strong tradition of community support, and is rapidly growing as new tools bring new opportunities to advance understanding of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, from regional to global scales, and across the entire history of life on earth. Paleoecoinformatics occupies the intersection of ecoinformatics and geoinformatics. All face shared challenges, including developing frameworks to store heterogeneous and dynamic datasets, facilitating data contributions, linking heterogeneous data, and tracking improvements in data quality and scientific understanding. The three communities will benefit from increased engagement and exchange.
Altered nuclear cofactor switching in retinoic‐resistant variants of the PML‐RARα oncoprotein of acute promyelocytic leukemia

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) results from a reciprocal translocation that fuses the gene for the PML tumor suppressor to that encoding the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα). The resulting PML-RARα oncogene product interferes with multiple regulatory pathways associated with myeloid differentiation, including normal PML and RARα functions. The standard treatment for APL includes anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic agents plus the RARα agonist all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Relapse, which is often accompanied by ATRA resistance, occurs in an appreciable frequency of treated patients. One potential mechanism suggested by model experiments featuring the selection of ATRA-resistant APL cell lines involves ATRA-resistant versions of the PML-RARα oncogene, where the relevant mutations localize to the RARα ligand-binding domain (LBD). Such mutations may act by compromising agonist binding, but other mechanisms are possible. Here, we studied the molecular consequence of ATRA resistance by use of circular dichroism, protease resistance, and fluorescence anisotropy assays employing peptides derived from the NCOR nuclear corepressor and the ACTR nuclear coactivator. The consequences of the mutations on global structure and cofactor interaction functions were assessed quantitatively, providing insights into the basis of agonist resistance. Attenuated cofactor switching and increased protease resistance represent features of the LBDs of ATRA-resistant PML-RARα, and these properties may be recapitulated in the full-length oncoproteins.
Rapid sedmentation equilibrium in the ultracentrifuge using a modified synthetic boundary cell with step concentrations

Abstract Rapid attainment of equilibrium was achieved without overspeeding the centrifuge. A modified synthetic boundary cell was used to provide an initial multple step-concentration distribution. By this technique equilibrium was reached in about one-third the time required for a cell having comparable column height, when compared to the reported over-speeding method. It was also shown that the equilibrium time was further reduced by about one-eighth when neither the step-concentration nor the overspeeding method was used.
Twenty-four years of change in an old Tsuga canadensis woods affected by beech bark disease1

Abstract Runkle, James R. (Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435). Twenty-four years of change in an old Tsuga canadensis woods affected by beech bark disease. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132: 483–491. 2005.—Long-term studies are necessary to determine how various environmental and anthropogenic factors influence the rates of forest change. To study such changes a 2.02 ha permanent plot in the stand of Tsuga canadensis established about 1800 and located north of Lincoln Pond in the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve, Rensselaerville, NY, was established in 1978 and resurveyed in 1986, 1994, and 2002. The species, stem diameter, injury type and location (nearest 0.1 m) for all living and dead stems ≥ 1 m tall were recorded. Overall, the stand decreased in density and increased in basal area, with similar proportional changes in each time interval. Tsuga canadensis, by far the most important species, increased its relative density and basal area, as did Quercus rubra. Fagus grandifol...
The academic medical centre and nongovernmental organisation partnership following a natural disaster

The global response to the 12 January 2010 earthquake in Haiti revealed the ability to mobilise medical teams quickly and effectively when academic medical centres partner non-governmental organisations (NGO) that already have a presence in a zone of devastation. Most established NGOs based in a certain region are accustomed to managing the medical conditions that are common to that area and will need additional and specialised support to treat the flux of myriad injured persons. Furthermore, an NGO with an established presence in a region prior to a disaster appears better positioned to provide sustained recovery and rehabilitation relief. Academic medical centres can supply these essential specialised resources for a prolonged time. This relationship between NGOs and academic medical centres should be further developed prior to another disaster response. This model has great potential with regard to the rapid preparation and worldwide deployment of skilled medical and surgical teams when needed following a disaster, as well as to the subsequent critical recovery phase.
A simple and fast label correcting algorithm for shortest paths

We propose a new method for ordering the candidate nodes in label correcting methods for shortest path problems. The method is equally simple but much faster than the D’ Esopo-Pape algorithm. It is similar to the threshold algorithm in that it tries to scan nodes with small labels as early as possible, and performs comparably with that algorithm. Our algorithm can also be combined with the threshold algorithm thereby considerably improving the practical performance of both algorithms.
Transnational Yoruba revivalism and the diasporic politics of heritage

This article explores the making of social membership in U.S.-based deterritorialized contexts and interrogate the ways that black-Atlantic diasporic imaginaries are intertwined to produce transnational notions of linkage. In charting a genealogy of a transnational orisa movement that came of age in a moment of black-nationalist protest, I pose questions about how such a study should be understood in relation to ethnographies of global networks. I argue that, despite their seemingly thin representations of broad forms of linkage, transnational orisa networks produce culturally portable practices that articulate important transformations: They shape institutions through which new forms of religious knowledge are producing significant breaks with older forms.
The Transmembrane Aspartates in Presenilin 1 and 2 Are Obligatory for γ-Secretase Activity and Amyloid β-Protein Generation

The discovery that a deficiency of presenilin 1 (PS1) decreases the production of amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) identified the presenilins as important mediators of the gamma-secretase cleavage of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP). Recently, we found that two conserved transmembrane (TM) aspartates in PS1 are critical for Abeta production, providing evidence that PS1 either functions as a required diaspartyl cofactor for gamma-secretase or is itself gamma-secretase. Presenilin 2 (PS2) shares substantial sequence and possibly functional homology with PS1. Here, we show that the two TM aspartates in PS2 are also critical for gamma-secretase activity, providing further evidence that PS2 is functionally homologous to PS1. Cells stably co-expressing TM Asp --> Ala mutations in both PS1 and PS2 show further accumulation of the APP-derived gamma-secretase substrates, C83 and C99. The production of Abeta is reduced to undetectable levels in the conditioned media of these cells. Furthermore, endoproteolysis of the exogenous Asp mutant PS2 is absent, and endogenous PS1 C-terminal fragments are diminished to undetectable levels. Therefore, the co-expression of PS1 and PS2 TM Asp --> Ala mutants suppresses the formation of any detectable PS1 or PS2 heterodimeric fragments and essentially abolishes the production of Abeta. These results explain the residual Abeta production seen in PS1-deficient cells and demonstrate the absolute requirement of functional presenilins for Abeta generation. We conclude that presenilins, and their TM aspartates in particular, are attractive targets for lowering Abeta therapeutically to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
A Systematic Investigation of 16 Cases of Neonaticide

OBJECTIVE: Neonaticide, or infant murder on the day of birth, is often preceded by denial of pregnancy. The preponderance of case reports of neonaticide describes a pattern of pregnancy denial, dissociation, and ego disorganization. The author systematically investigated the clinical characteristics of 16 women charged with homicide in the United States after alleged neonaticides. METHOD: The women received a psychiatric evaluation and were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale. RESULTS: Nearly all of the women reported similar precipitants and symptoms, including depersonalization, dissociative hallucinations, and intermittent amnesia at delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of the women in the study were similar to those reported in the literature on neonaticide. The existence of this common pattern suggests that treatment strategies can be designed for women at risk for neonaticide.
Outcome of patients relapsing early after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma

8022 Background: Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard approach for eligible patients (pts) with multiple myeloma (MM). The median time to relapse after early ASCT is 2–3 yrs and o...
Efficient and Exact Local Search for Random Walk Based Top-K Proximity Query in Large Graphs

Top- $k$ proximity query in large graphs is a fundamental problem with a wide range of applications. Various random walk based measures have been proposed to measure the proximity between different nodes. Although these measures are effective, efficiently computing them on large graphs is a challenging task. In this paper, we develop an efficient and exact local search method, FLoS (Fast Local Search), for top- $k$ proximity query in large graphs. FLoS guarantees the exactness of the solution. Moreover, it can be applied to a variety of commonly used proximity measures. FLoS is based on the no local optimum property of proximity measures. We show that many measures have no local optimum. Utilizing this property, we introduce several operations to manipulate transition probabilities and develop tight lower and upper bounds on the proximity values. The lower and upper bounds monotonically converge to the exact proximity value when more nodes are visited. We further extend FLoS to measures having local optimum by utilizing relationship among different measures. We perform comprehensive experiments on real and synthetic large graphs to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Utilization of Energy and Nitrogen by Larvae of the Imported Cabbageworm, Pieris rapae , as Affected by Parasitism by Apanteles glomeratus

Larvae of Pieris rapae L., when parasitized by larvae of Apanteles glomeratus L., have a 57% greater dry biomass at the beginning of the 5th instar and accumulate energy and nitrogen into their biomass at significantly higher rates (34 and 32%, respectively) during this instar than normal larvae. This occurs because parasitized larvae convert 17% more of their assimilated energy (net growth efficiency) and of their ingested nitrogen (nitrogen utilization efficiency) into biomass; the difference in the efficiency of energy assimilation between parasitized and normal larvae is slight. Also, parasitized larvae consume energy and nitrogen at absolute rates which are 14% faster than normal larvae. In spite of a 14% lower relative food consumption rate (mg dry food ingested/mg dry larval biomass × day), parasitized larvae have a relative growth rate (mg dry biomass gained/mg dry larval biomass × day) similar to normal larvae. This occurs because parasitized larvae have a 21% lower relative metabolic rate (cal oxidized/mg dry larval biomass × day). This lower relative metabolic rate also contributes to the higher net growth efficiency of the parasitized larvae. Host compensation for a supposed energy and nutrient drain caused by the feeding of the parasites may be involved in these changes but passive effects due to the presence of the parasites in the host and active influence on host physiology by the parasites are probably foremost. Food utilization budgets for normal and parasitized 5th-instar P. rapae larvae are presented. During their life within a host larva, a mean of 28 A. glomeratus larvae/host consume ca. 50–60% of the energy and 60–70% of the nitrogen assimilated by the host without reducing energy or nutrient intake rates or laboratory survival of the host.
Trajectory options for the DART mission

Abstract This study presents interplanetary trajectory options for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft to reach the near Earth object, Didymos binary system, during its 2022 Earth conjunction. DART represents a component of a joint NASA-ESA mission to study near Earth object kinetic impact deflection. The DART trajectory must satisfy mission objectives for arrival timing, geometry, and lighting while minimizing launch vehicle and spacecraft propellant requirements. Chemical propulsion trajectories are feasible from two candidate launch windows in late 2020 and 2021. The 2020 trajectories are highly perturbed by Earth's orbit, requiring post-launch deep space maneuvers to retarget the Didymos system. Within these windows, opportunities exist for flybys of additional near Earth objects: Orpheus in 2021 or 2007 YJ in 2022. A second impact attempt, in the event that the first impact is unsuccessful, can be added at the expense of a shorter launch window and increased (∼3x) spacecraft Δ V . However, the second impact arrival geometry has poor lighting, high Earth ranges, and would require additional degrees of freedom for solar panel and/or antenna gimbals. A low-thrust spacecraft configuration increases the trajectory flexibility. A solar electric propulsion spacecraft could be affordably launched as a secondary spacecraft in an Earth orbit and spiral out to target the requisite interplanetary departure condition. A sample solar electric trajectory was constructed from an Earth geostationary transfer using a representative 1.5 kW thruster. The trajectory requires 9 months to depart Earth's sphere of influence, after which its interplanetary trajectory includes a flyby of Orpheus and a second Didymos impact attempt. The solar electric spacecraft implementation would impose additional bus design constraints, including large solar arrays that could pose challenges for terminal guidance. On the basis of this study, there are many feasible options for DART to meet its mission design objectives and enable this unique kinetic impact experiment.
Rapid automatized naming (RAN) in children with ADHD: An ex-Gaussian analysis

Children with ADHD demonstrate increased frequent "lapses" in performance on tasks in which the stimulus presentation rate is externally controlled, leading to increased variability in response times. It is less clear whether these lapses are also evident during performance on self-paced tasks, e.g., rapid automatized naming (RAN), or whether RAN inter-item pause time variability uniquely predicts reading performance. A total of 80 children aged 9 to 14 years-45 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 35 typically developing (TD) children-completed RAN and reading fluency measures. RAN responses were digitally recorded for analyses. Inter-stimulus pause time distributions (excluding between-row pauses) were analyzed using traditional (mean, standard deviation [SD], coefficient of variation [CV]) and ex-Gaussian (mu, sigma, tau) methods. Children with ADHD were found to be significantly slower than TD children (p < .05) on RAN letter naming mean response time as well as on oral and silent reading fluency. RAN response time distributions were also significantly more variable (SD, tau) in children with ADHD. Hierarchical regression revealed that the exponential component (tau) of the letter-naming response time distribution uniquely predicted reading fluency in children with ADHD (p < .001, ΔR2 = .16), even after controlling for IQ, basic reading, ADHD symptom severity and age. The findings suggest that children with ADHD (without word-level reading difficulties) manifest slowed performance on tasks of reading fluency; however, this "slowing" may be due in part to lapses from ongoing performance that can be assessed directly using ex-Gaussian methods that capture excessively long response times.
The final steps in converting a health care organization to a latex-safe environment.

Article-at-a-Glance Background In a follow-up to a previous article, which described the approach at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions to establishing a latex-safe environment, subsequent efforts to convert all the sterile gloves to nonlatex products and thereby complete the implementation of a latex-safe program are reported. Before the complete conversion to nonlatex sterile gloves, operating room use had increased to approximately one-third of our total sterile glove use during the preceding four years. New Approaches to Converting to All Nonlatex Sterile Gloves The final stages of the conversion involved both consistent follow-through with education, training, and personnel involvement at all levels and a change in the culture of the medical facility. New and improved nonlatex glove products were coming to the market, and their costs were decreasing because of increased supply and competition. Glove Trials Five synthetic neoprene or polyisoprene gloves—two from one manufacturer and three from the second manufacturer—were evaluated in glove trials. Overall, by manufacturer, a similar rate of acceptance among the various sterile nonlatex gloves (74.2% versus 78.1%) was found. However, to ensure that all users were satisfied, contracts were awarded to both vendors. The weekend before the conversion date of May 1, 2007, all old powdered sterile latex gloves were replaced with the new stock of nonlatex sterile gloves. The Conversion Process Once financial and logistical concerns were addressed, conversion to a latex-safe environment entailed readying the organization for the change in organizational culture. Key factors were (1) general acceptance from all the chiefs of the surgical departments; (2) centralization for all purchases of medical supplies, including sterile gloves, through corporate purchasing; and (3) ongoing education and vigilance.
Paradoxes of the Border: Labor Shortages and Farmworker Minor Agency in Reworking California’s Strawberry Fields

ABSTRACTI examine how strawberry growers’ experiences of a farm labor shortage have led them to attend to plant vigor and the conditions of strawberry harvesting as a labor recruitment strategy. Both allow harvest workers, who work primarily on piece rates, to earn more money per input of time. These were unexpected findings in a larger study in which I examine how California’s strawberry industry is responding to tighter regulatory restrictions for soil fumigants. Drawn from semi-structured interviews with strawberry growers and industry representatives, these data paint a picture of worker capriciousness in an industry in which loyalty has been a major form of labor control. In making the empirical case, I engage with the work of Wells, who wrote extensively about how industry structure and the natural characteristics of the strawberry had coalesced to discipline workers. Noting that her arguments revolved on conditions of labor surplus, I discuss recent changes in labor market conditions, brought about...
The Bawling Baby

This case discusses the pharmacokinetic interaction between methadone and rifampin resulting in methadone withdrawal symptoms. Methadone is a cytochrome P450 3A4 and 2B6 substrate and rifampin is a 3A4 and 2B6 inducer. Rifampin induces metabolism of methadone via 3A4 and 2B6 and can cause methadone withdrawal symptoms.
Measurement of Residual Stresses in B4C-SiC-Si Ceramics Using Raman Spectroscopy

Processing-induced residual stresses in reaction bonded B4C-SiC-Si ceramic composites were investigated using Raman peak shift measurements. The measured stresses in the residual silicon phase were compared with classical formulation which predicts stress development due to thermal mismatch between a particle and the surrounding matrix. It was found that the residual stress does not remain uniform in a given particle as predicted in the classical formulation. The two methods matched at the boundary between the particle and the matrix, but varied drastically both in magnitude and nature in the interior of the particle. This variation became more dramatic when the particle was of irregular shape with high aspect ratio.
Response Prediction to Methylphenidate in ADHD

The pattern of individual responses to methylphenidate (10 mg) and factors that predict drug response in 46 children, 6-13 years old, with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Rudolf Magnus Institute for Neurosciences, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Characterization of Microcystin-Induced Dualistic Toxic Effects on Primary Rat Hepatocytes

Microcystins (MCs) comprise a group of widely characterized cyclic heptapeptides able to induce a series of liver injuries, including acute liver failure and primary liver cancer. Although the dualistic effects of MCs have been postulated, the specific action mode according to the exposure dosage of MCs remains unknown. In the present study, primarily cultured rat hepatocytes were used to systematically investigate hepatotoxic characteristics of MC-LR (one of the most abundant and toxic MCs variants). Results showed that the dualistic toxicity of MC-LR on hepatocytes is dose dependent. Specifically, MC-LR at a high dose (>10-8 mol/L) induced a significant reduction in cell viability, whereas low-dose MC-LR (<10-8 mol/L) was observed to promote cell proliferation. Oxidative stress measurements showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels undergo a massive and rapid increase in high-dose MC-LR-treated hepatocytes and a mild and slow increase in low-dose MC-LR-treated hepatocytes. These in vitro data suggest that MC-LR is able to exert dualistic toxic effects on hepatocytes through the "two-faced" character of ROS, which causes cell death or even necrosis at high concentrations and promotes cell proliferation exclusively at low or transient concentrations.
Diagnosis of Abdominal Migraine

Researchers at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Norfolk, VA conducted a retrospective chart review on patients referred with the clinical complaint of recurrent abdominal pain, and ICHD-2 criteria were applied to identify those fulfilling criteria for abdominal migraine (AM).
Alterations in gene expression associated with primary demyelination and remyelination in the peripheral nervous system.

Primary demyelination is an important component of a number of human diseases and toxic neuropathies. Animal models of primary demyelination are useful for isolating processes involved in myelin breakdown and remyelination because the complicating events associated with axonal degeneration and regeneration are not present. The tellurium neuropathy model has proven especially useful in this respect. Tellurium specifically blocks synthesis of cholesterol, a major component of PNS myelin. The resulting cholesterol deficit in myelin-producing Schwann cells rapidly leads to synchronous primary demyelination of the sciatic nerve, which is followed by rapid synchronous remyelination when tellurium exposure is discontinued. Known alterations in gene expression for myelin proteins and for other proteins involved in the sequence of events associated with demyelination and subsequent remyelination in the PNS are reviewed, and new data regarding gene expression changes during tellurium neuropathy are presented and discussed.
Acceleration of advanced radar processing chain and adaptive pulse compression using GPGPU

Adaptive Pulse Compression (APC), which will provide super-resolution capability for current radar system, is an extremely time consuming process. It is always beneficial that have APC process been done faster to even real time to meet the demand of numerous applications, such as Airborne Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) system. In this paper, the supercomputing capability of Generalized-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) is utilized to accelerate the APC algorithm of radar signal processing. Generalized APC algorithm, such as Matched Filter (MF), as well as advanced APC algorithms, such as Reiterative Minimum Mean-Square Error (RMMSE) and RMMSE based on Matched Filter outputs (MF-RMMSE), are implemented on Central Processing Unit (CPU) based platform along with efficient CPU based libraries, such as EIGEN and FFTW, and Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) based platform along with Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) technology. Comparison of latency performance is provided between CPU and GPU based platforms. The results shows a great potential to expedite pulse compression and APC processing to meet the real-time requirement.
Identification of a 10/10 matched donor for patients with an uncommon haplotype is unlikely.

Background Despite over 6 million subjects contributing to the National Marrow Donor Program human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype frequency reference data (HFD), haplotypes cannot be predicted from the HLA assignments of some patients searching for an unrelated donor (URD) in the Be The Match Registry®. We aimed to determine the incidence of these patient searches and whether haplotypes lacking from the HFD can be found among the low-resolution typed URD pool. Materials and methods New NMDP searches with uncommon patient haplotypes (UPH), defined as a lack of haplotype pairs in any single ethnic group in the HFD based upon HLA-A˜C˜B˜DRB1˜DQB1, were identified. Each search had up to 20 potential 10/10 or 8/8 URDs typed to determine the likelihood of an allele match. Results The incidence of patient searches without haplotype pairs in a single ethnic group in the HFD was 1.2% (N=144 out of 12,172) and a majority of these patients (117; 81%) had one uncommon haplotype previously uncharacterized in the HFD. Non-White patients had the highest incidence of UPH. Importantly, no patients with UPH had a 10/10 URD identified. The transplant rate among UPH patients was 15%, and a majority of these patients utilized cord blood units as their transplant stem cell source. Conclusion Therefore, the HLA HFD that informs the HapLogic matching algorithm is thorough as UPH patient searches were infrequent. Since such patients are highly unlikely to have a fully 10/10 matched URD identified, this study supports the identification of alternative stem cell sources including cord blood or a mismatched URD early in the search process.
Introduction to the Virtual Issue: Election Fraud and Electoral Integrity

Throughout the world, elections are being used in increasing numbers of nations. Conducting elections is seen as providing legitimacy to elected leaders, as long as they are conducted fairly and with integrity. But it also seems that along with the trends toward more elections around the world there are increasing concerns about electoral fraud and the potential manipulation of the electoral process. For example, recent presidential elections in Mexico have been marred by allegations of fraud and vote buying, including claims that PRI supporters in some areas provided gift cards to voters.1 Concerns about electoral fraud, manipulation and anomalous results have swirled around recent elections in Afghanistan (Worden 2010), Angola (Collier and Vicente 2012), Armenia (Hyde 2007), Iran (Mebane 2010), Georgia (Tucker 2007), Kenya (Collier and Vicente 2012), Kyrgyzstan (Tucker 2007), Mexico (Eisenstadt 2007), Moldova (Senyuva 2010), Russia (Myagkov et al. 2009), Serbia (Tucker 2007), Ukraine (Myagkov et al. 2009; Tucker 2007), Venezuela (Levin et al. 2009), and Zimbabwe (Collier and Vicente 2012) — to name a few of the recent prominent examples. Similar concerns have arisen about some anomalies in recent U.S. elections as well, for example a dispute over the Thirteenth Congressional District’s election in 2006.2 Provoked by election controversies in the past decade, political methodologists have been at the forefront of studying both election fraud and election integrity. This Virtual Issue of Political Analysis presents a number of those recent papers, highlighting the contributions that methodologists have made in developing new approaches to analyze elections data to try to detect anomalies that might indicate the existence of deliberate manipulation that could constitute electoral fraud. Other methodologists have taken a different approach, and while not motivated to detect manipulation or fraud, they have developed analytic approaches that help us better understand and predict election results, and which can be used in the future to improve evaluations of election integrity and analyses of the causes and consequences of election fraud.
Joint-specific assessment of swelling and power Doppler in obese rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Clinical swollen joint examination of the obese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient can be difficult. Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSUS) has higher sensitivity than physical examination for swollen joints (SJ). The purpose of this study was to determine the joint-specific association between power Doppler (PDUS) and clinical SJ in RA across body mass index (BMI) categories. Cross-sectional clinical and laboratory data were collected on 43 RA patients. PDUS was performed on 9 joints (wrist, metacarpalphalangeal 2–5, proximal interphalgeal 2/3 and metatarsalphalangeal 2/5). DAS28 and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were calculated. Patients were categorized by BMI: 30. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared across BMI groups with Kruskal-Wallis test and chi-square tests. Joint-level associations between PDUS and clinically SJ were evaluated with mixed effects logistic regression models. While demographics and clinically-determined disease activity were similar among BMI groups, PDUS scores significantly differed (p = 0.02). Using PDUS activity as the reference standard for synovitis and clinically SJ as the test, the positive predictive value of SJ was significantly lower in higher BMI groups (0.71 in BMI < 25, 0.58 in BMI 25–30 and 0.44 in BMI < 30) (p = 0.02). The logistic model demonstrated that increased BMI category resulted in decreased likelihood of PDUS positivity (OR 0.52, p = 0.03). This study suggests that in an obese RA patient, a clinically assessed SJ is less likely to represent true synovitis (as measured by PDUS). Disease activity in obese RA patients may be overestimated by CDAI/DAS28 calculations and clinicians when considering change in therapy.
Revolutionary hermeneutics: translating the Qur’an as a manifesto for revolution

This essay examines the Urdu Qur’an commentary of an important but less studied Indian Muslim scholar ‘Ubaydullah Sindhī (d.1944) titled The Qur’an’s Conscience of Revolution (Qur’ānī Shu’ūr-i Inqi...
The Incidence of Dysphagia Among Patients Undergoing TAVR With Either General Anesthesia or Moderate Sedation

Objectives To determine the incidence of dysphagia and aspiration pneumonia following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) performed with either general anesthesia (GA) or moderate sedation (MS). Design Retrospective study. Setting Tertiary care university hospital. Participants One hundred ninety-seven patients undergoing TAVR from 2012 to 2016 Interventions After Institutional Review Board approval, 197 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR from 2012 to 2016 at the authors’ institution were identified for analysis and placed into groups depending on method of anesthesia received (GA: n = 139 v MS: n = 58). Groups then were compared with respect to baseline characteristics, operative details, primary outcome variables (dysphagia, pneumonia), and secondary outcome variables. Measurement and Main Results Any patient who failed the institution's postprocedure bedside swallow test subsequently underwent a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing test, confirming the diagnosis of dysphagia. GA patients were significantly more likely to develop dysphagia, which occurred in 10 GA patients and no MS patients (p = 0.04). MS patients also were found to have significantly reduced operative durations and spent less time in the intensive care unit and hospital (p Conclusions Patients who underwent TAVR with moderate sedation were less likely to develop dysphagia. Use of MS may be particularly suitable in patients predisposed to swallowing dysfunction.
Niche theory and plant growth form

Plant growth form diversity (GFD) is high in the vegetation of North American deserts, and increases from north (Great Basin Desert) to south (Sonoran Desert). While abiotic features (annual temperature, precipitation, and seasonality) appear to limit the range of desert plant GFD, biotic features associated with the coexisting plants at a site, and their GF distribution, add further constraints. Climate may constrain the GF options at certain sites and select for some degree of GF convergence there, but within sites other species in the vegetation select for GF segregation that fosters the local coexistence of species. In this paper GF variation is viewed along structural niche axes, and related to classical niche theory; several corollaries of the theory are examined in the light of plant GF patterns. These are: a) regular spacing of species on the structural niche axis, and the concept of limiting similarity; b) niche axis complementarity, such that species dissimilar in position on one axis, e.g. GF, are similar in position on other axes, e.g. habitat or substrate, and vice versa; c) niche shifts in GF within species are expected, and occur, as the suite of coexisting species varies among sites with similar climate; d) in some desert plant guilds species with very similar GF do not coexist at a site, but act as geographical replacements in different sites.