cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glatiramer Acetate Reverses Motor Dysfunction and the Decrease in Tyrosine Hydroxylase Levels in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and there are no effective treatments that either slow or reverse the degeneration of the dopamine (DA) pathway. Using a 4-week progressive MPTP (1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) neurotoxin model of PD, which is characterized by neuroinflammation, loss of nigrostriatal DA, and motor dysfunction, as seen in patients with PD, we tested whether post-MPTP treatment with glatiramer acetate (GA), an immunomodulatory drug, could reverse these changes. GA restored the grip dysfunction and gait abnormalities that were evident in the MPTP treated group. The reversal of the motor dysfunction was attributable to the substantial recovery in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein expression in the striatum. Within the substantia nigra pars compacta, surface cell count analysis showed a slight increase in TH+ cells following GA treatment in the MPTP group, which was not statistically different from the vehicle (VEH) group. This was associated with the recovery of BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) protein levels and a reduction in the microglial marker, IBA1, protein expression within the midbrain. Alpha synuclein (syn-1) levels within the midbrain and striatum were decreased following MPTP, while GA facilitated recovery to VEH levels in the striatum in the MPTP group. Although DA tissue analysis revealed no significant increase in striatal DA or 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels (DOPAC) in the MPTP group treated with GA, DA turnover (DOPAC/DA) recovered back to VEH levels following GA treatment. GA treatment effectively reversed clinical (motor dysfunction) and pathology (TH, IBA1, BDNF expression) of PD in a murine model.
Tracking Public Health Workforce Retention: Observations From CDC’s Public Health Associate Program

Objectives. To describe the career trajectories of 1 cohort of US Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) alumni over 3 years since completing PHAP.Methods. We distributed a Web-based survey at 3 ti...
Methods for Absolute Quantification of Human Plasma Free Amino Acids by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Using Precolumn Derivatization.

Plasma free amino acid (PFAA) concentrations in humans are affected by various diseases. However, the variations caused are not dramatic, so a high accurate and precise method for analyzing PFAAs is required. The PFAA analysis protocol described in this chapter covers blood sampling, sample pretreatment, amino acid derivatization, and LC-MS analysis. Each procedure is important for accurate and precise quantification.In the protocol, a human blood sample is collected using an EDTA-2Na or 2K vacuum collection tube and then immediately cooled in water mixed with crushed ice. The sample is then centrifuged on cooling to allow a plasma sample to be removed. A stable-isotope-labeled internal standard solution is added to the plasma, and then the plasma is deproteinized with acetonitrile. The amino acids in the plasma are then derivatized using 3-aminopyridyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate (APDS) reagent which is designed for LC-MS analysis. The derivatized amino acids are separated by reverse-phase HPLC and detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Using this method, 21 amino acids in human plasma can be analyzed with a 12 min cycle. The accuracy and precision are both better than the required criteria given by the US Food and Drug Administration in guidance of Bioanalytical Method Validation.
Evaluation of an emergency department buprenorphine induction and medication-assisted treatment referral program

Abstract Background Emergency departments are struggling to manage the increasing number of patients seen for opioid use disorders and opioid overdose. With opioid overdose deaths rising at alarming rates, emergency physicians are beginning to induce patients with long-acting opioids such as buprenorphine and referring patients to outpatient medication-assisted treatment facilities. The objective of this study was to describe a pragmatic approach to buprenorphine induction, referral to treatment, and assess follow-up rates. Methods Single center, retrospective analysis of emergency department patients undergoing buprenorphine induction and referral to outpatient medication-assisted treatment. Patients were identified by an ongoing log of induced patients, between May 2017 and October 2018. The data is analyzed using descriptive statistics, with means and associated standard deviations, medians and interquartile ranges for continuous variables, and frequencies as percentages for categorical data. Results Overall, 219 patients were seen and induced with buprenorphine in the emergency department. Mean age was 35 years old (SD 10.3) and 56% were male. Intravenous opioids were most commonly abused at 75%. Our primary outcome of interest was the percentage of patients enrolled in MAT at 30 days, which occurred in 49.3% of our population. Patients were in moderate withdrawal based on initial COWS scores of 13.1(SD 5.8), and received mean total doses of 7.7 mg (SD 3.3). Median ED length of stay decreased by 40% between May 2017 and October 2018. Conclusion Emergency department initiated buprenorphine induction using a structured pragmatic approach is effective at maintaining patients in medication-assisted therapy.
An exploration of genetic counseling information needs and information‐seeking behaviors

Genetic counseling is a rapidly growing field with increasingly diverse practice settings. The growth of genomics and precision medicine across all medical specialties has been accompanied by corresponding growth in the amount of information available to genetic counselors. However, few published studies on genetic counseling information needs and seeking behaviors exist, and none look at information use across the profession. Meanwhile, a substantial body of research exists on this topic for other healthcare professionals, providing an evidence base supporting profession-tailored information-related services and resources. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore genetic counseling information needs and seeking behaviors and to compare these needs and seeking behaviors across genetic counseling students and genetic counselors broadly, as well as to explore differences across various professional subgroups of genetic counselors. Genetic counselors and genetic counseling students were recruited via the National Society of Genetic Counselors and accredited genetic counseling programs to complete an online survey assessing information needs and seeking behaviors. Respondents were asked how often they used 70 different resources; whether 16 specific situations required additional information and how long it would take to get it and about specific barriers to obtaining that information. The results included a range of observations, including that GeneReviews and PubMed are frequently used resources across all respondents, that genetic counselors working 0-5 years are significantly more likely to need additional information when counseling patients from different cultural backgrounds than those working 6+ years, and that not having enough time is a common barrier to getting information across various situations. These results provide initial evidence to guide additional study on the efficient use and provision of information within the genetic counseling field.
Response: Let This Be an Example: Three Remarks on a Thematic Cluster about Climate Change Exemplarity

This thematic section of Culture Unbound brings together five articles which in very different ways invite us to reflect on the importance of examples in the discourse on climate change. At first glance, such an invitation might be surprising, if not puzzling. Anthropogenic climate change is something radically unprecedented, so it would seem counter-intuitive to approach it through the discussion of prior examples. Furthermore, the analytical vocabulary which is already mobilized in the title of the section (exemplarity) and the introduction (exemplification) may seem alien to most readers. Do these terms actually serve as precise conceptual tools in the analysis? Indeed, is there really something like an operative theory of examples? To my mind, the five articles gathered here are very successful in dispelling such an initial reticence. Each piece is rich and thought-provoking on its own terms. Moreover, taken together, these articles help us appreciate the extent to which the use of examples is an unexpected and promising index for mapping how climate change discourse navigates between effect and affect, between illustration and ideal, between facts and values, between science and politics. In so doing, this thematic section also provides tools for better grasping the power of examples as such, which should be of methodological interest for other fields of study. In what follows, I will briefly comment on three aspects that I not only found particularly intriguing, but which are illuminated differently according to the shifting perspectives of the case studies in the articles. First, the surprising emphasis on the archive in certain articles; second, the position of exemplarity and exemplification between theory and practice; and third, the meaning of the deep desire for potent examples of climate change in the wider society, which will, in closing, bring me back to the title of my response.
Couchsurfing and the marked body: the emergence of queer identity in a hybrid collective

This research uses theories of identity, sociality, and mobility as a framework through which to examine the features of the Couchsurfing community and introduces the term hybrid collective as a th...
Epistemology, Socialization, Help Seeking, and Gender-Based Views in In-Person and Online, Hands-On Undergraduate Physics Laboratories.

Online, hands-on undergraduate laboratories result in similar epistemological beliefs and views of help seeking as in-person laboratories.
Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of a promising quaternary metal oxide light absorber CuBiW2O8

We have previously predicted CuBiW2O8 (CBTO) as a novel quaternary metal oxide semiconductor with favorable band gap for applications in photocatalysis and photovoltaics. Here, we report the synthesis of CBTO and the first characterization of its optical, electrical and photoelectrical properties. We demonstrate a Cu-rich solid state synthesis method that enables the synthesis of CBTO powders and continuous thin films. The CBTO contains bulk Bi2WO6 impurity that is not removed by annealing at higher temperatures, as well as CuO surface impurity. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations show that Bi2WO6 co-exists with CBTO due to reasons of thermodynamic stability and has a type II band offset that may result in electron trapping. CBTO is measured to have a direct band gap of ∼1.9–2.0 eV (which is smaller than existing oxides Cu2O and BiVO4), and optical absorption coefficient of 104 to 105 cm−1 for visible-wavelength photons. DFT calculations match these results and show that Cu-vacancies are responsible for p-type conductivity, which was also measured by Hall effect. In addition, Hall effect, time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), and optical pump – THz probe spectroscopy (OPTP) measurements reveal that both slow hopping transport of trapped carriers (with 0.32 cm2 V−1 s−1 mobility) over nanosecond timescales and fast band-like motion of free carriers (with ∼150 cm2 V−1 s−1 mobility) over picosecond timescales result in comparable diffusion lengths of ∼10 nm. However, because this carrier diffusion length is shorter than the optical absorption depth (100–200 nm), nanostructured heterojunctions will likely be needed to achieve efficient solar energy conversion.
The Influence of Diet Change and Oral Metformin on Blood Glucose Regulation and the Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses

Common treatments for Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and associated conditions include removal from pasture and adoption of an all-hay diet. Pharmacological treatments for EMS include metformin, a biguanide antihyperglycemic agent also administered to people to help improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Both treatments may work, at least partially, through the gut microbiota, yet little is known regarding these effects in the equine host. To determine the influence on the fecal microbiota of this diet change and administration of metformin, six healthy horses were removed from pasture and switched to an all-hay diet, with four of those horses also receiving oral metformin for seven days. Control horses (n = 24) remaining on pasture and receiving no metformin were sampled at the beginning and end of one week. All samples were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing, and horses undergoing the diet change were subjected to an oral sugar test twice, one week apart. Characteristic changes in the microbiota following diet change included the significant expansion of the phylum Kiritimatiellaeota. As Kiritimatiellaeota are related to Verrucomicrobia, found to expand in the microbiota of mice and humans in response to metformin, this taxon may represent the cognate microbes in equine hosts.
38766 Massively Parallel Reporter Assay Reveals Functional Impact of 3™-UTR SNPs Associated with Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Screening the effect of thousands of non-coding genetic variants will help identify variants important in the etiology of diseases OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs) can experimentally evaluate the impact of genetic variants on gene expression. In this study, our objective was to systematically evaluate the functional activity of 3’-UTR SNPs associated with neurological disorders and use those results to help understand their contributions to disease etiology. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: To choose variants to evaluate with the MPRA, we first gathered SNPs from the GWAS Catalog that were associated with any neurological disorder trait with p-value 0.8) and retrieved all the common 3’-UTR SNPs (allele-frequency > 0.05) within that region. We used an MPRA to measure the impact of these 3’-UTR variants in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and a microglial cell line. These results were then used to train a deep-learning model to predict the impact of variants and identify features that contribute to the predictions. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Of the 13,515 3’-UTR SNPs tested, 400 and 657 significantly impacted gene expression in SH-SY5Y and microglia, respectively. Of the 84 SNPs significantly impacted in both cells, the direction of impact was the same in 81. The direction of eQTL in GTEx tissues agreed with the assay SNP effect in SH-SY5Y cells but not microglial cells. The deep-learning model predicted sequence activity level correlated with the experimental activity level (Spearman’s corr = 0.45). The deep-learning model identified several predictive motifs similar to motifs of RNA-binding proteins. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: This study demonstrates that MPRAs can be used to evaluate the effect of non-coding variants, and the results can be used to train a machine learning model and interpret its predictions. Together, these can help identify causal variants and further understand the etiology of diseases.
Phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity and physical characterization of ten blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) cultivars, their juices, and the inhibition of type 2 diabetes and inflammation biochemical markers.

Abstract The objective was to analyze the phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, and physical characteristics of 10 blackcurrant cultivars, their juices, and the enzymatic inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV, α-amylase, α-glucosidase, nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2. Fruit masses ranged from 0.47 to 1.22 g and diameters from 7.42 to 14.42 mm. For the juices, pH ranged from 2.80 to 2.96, soluble solids from 11.33% to 17.5%, total acidity from 3.17 to 4.26 g/100 mL, and viscosity from 1.28 to 273.83 mPa·s. Total anthocyanins (TA) ranged from 1.81 to 5.48 mg eq cyanidin 3-O-glucoside/100 g, total polyphenols (TP) from 7.67 to 39.70 mg eq gallic acid/100 g, total condensed tannins from 3.24 to 7.76 g eq catechin/100 g, and antioxidant capacity from 219.24 to 499.26 μmol eq Trolox/100 g. Juices of the cultivars Coronet and Consort contained the highest levels of TA, TP, and antioxidants. Whistler cultivar contained high concentrations of major anthocyanins. Juices from all cultivars favorably inhibited the activities of enzymes used as surrogate biochemical markers for T2 diabetes and inflammation.
Stress formulation of elastic wave motion

Propagation of elastic waves in anisotropic solids is solved through a pure stress formalism. The stress solutions lead to the three wave solutions expected from the displacement formulation plus three non-propagating stresses with zero wave speed which do not satisfy the strain compatibility conditions. This work provides a different perspective to modeling elastic waves and is expected to be better suited for certain types of problems.
The role of oral steroids in the treatment of photodynamic therapy-associated exudative maculopathy, a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract Background Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective treatment of pachychoroid spectrum disease. PDT can cause a rare complication known as PDT-associated exudative maculopathy (PAEM). Treatments including intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medications, local or systemic steroids, and observation have been attempted with variable success to address this complication. Methods A thorough literature review was performed using the PubMed database on search terms aimed at treatments of PAEM. These cases were compared with each other and a novel case of PAEM in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) treated with oral prednisone by the authors. Results Fifteen patients were compared; 11 were treated with anti-VEGF alone or in combination with intravitreal steroid and/or vitrectomy, one was treated with topical steroid, one was observed, one was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone, and one was treated with oral prednisone. The two cases treated with systemic steroids were given adjunctive sub-tenon's triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) after a favorable response was observed. Most cases had anatomic resolution of serous retinal detachment with stability of vision between 16 days and 2 months, with the most rapid resolution occurring in a patient with PCV treated with oral prednisone and STTA. Conclusions Reported treatment of PAEM includes intravitreal anti-VEGF agents with or without local or systemic steroids. Oral steroids may be advantageous in cases where there is concern regarding the risk profile of periocular steroids, intravitreal steroids or anti-VEGF agents. However, data describing the various treatments of this rare complication is limited, precluding firm conclusions regarding relative safety and efficacy.
Virtual Control Interface: A System for Exploring AR and IoT Multimodal Interactions Within a Simulated Virtual Environment

This paper discusses the development of Virtual Control Interface (VCI), a Virtual Reality (VR) system for simulating and exploring multimodal context-sensitive interactions between Augmented Reality (AR) glasses and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Wounded Immortals: The Painful Paradoxes of Prometheus and Chiron

This chapter argues that the position of Prometheus and Chiron as teachers and healers, along with their propensity to transgress the boundaries between mortals and immortals, renders them vulnerable to unending wounds. Corporal pain brings their immortal bodies closer to the mortal experience, but without death’s release from pain. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Prometheus’ wound functions as a punishment. But in Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Prometheus’ wound is incurred because he refuses to share his secret knowledge with Zeus, framing his injury as torture. Chiron is injured by Heracles’ poisoned arrow because he mediates between beasts and heroes. Heracles resolves both of their wounds: he kills Zeus’ eagle, releases Prometheus from his chains, and assumes Chiron’s immortality, illustrating the interdependence of transgression and limits.
Neighborhood Context and the Nativity Advantage in Preterm Birth among Black Women in California, USA.

Non-Hispanic Black women remain at increased risk for adverse birth outcomes, yet Black immigrant women are at lower risk than their US-born counterparts. This study examines whether neighborhood context contributes to the nativity advantage in preterm birth (PTB, < 37 weeks) among Black women in California. A sample of live singleton births to non-Hispanic US-born (n = 83,169), African-born (n = 7151), and Caribbean-born (n = 943) Black women was drawn from 2007 to 2010 California birth records and geocoded to urban census tracts. We used 2010 American Community Survey data to measure tract-level Black immigrant density, Black racial concentration, and a neighborhood deprivation index. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated using log-binomial regression to assess whether neighborhood context partially explained nativity differences in PTB risk. Compared to US-born Black women, African-born Black women had lower PTB risk (RR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.60-0.71). The difference in PTB risk between US- and Caribbean-born women did not reach statistical significance (RR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.71-1.05). The nativity advantage in PTB risk was robust to neighborhood social conditions and maternal factors for African-born women (RR = 0.59, 95%CI: 0.51-0.67). This study is one of few that considers area-level explanations of the nativity advantage among Black immigrants and makes a significant contribution by showing that the neighborhood context does not explain the nativity advantage in PTB among Black women in California. This could be due to many factors that should be examined in future research.
Role of silicon-graphite homogeneity as promoted by low molecular weight dispersants

Abstract This study explores low molecular weight polymers with the same chemical repeat structure as high molecular weight poly acrylic acid (PAA) and lithium poly acrylic acid (LiPAA) binders which act as a dispersant to improve the silicon-graphite electrode performance. The electrodes which utilize LiPAA as a dispersant perform, on average, the best with respect to the maximum capacity (compared to theoretical), rate performance, and capacity retention with time. These electrodes also have the poorest dispersion of binder, indicating that the poor binder dispersion is essential to electrode performance. In contrast, this study shows that electrodes formulated using PAA had good dispersion and performs the worst in cycling. Finally, this work demonstrates that the binder is not uniformly distributed in the electrode, but rather resides in local regions. The results indicate these regions accommodate volume expansion during cycling.
Field observations of soil temperature and water tension feedback effects on needle ice nights

Numerous laboratory studies have indicated that thermal gradients may produce appreciable soil water movement in the absence of a strong suction field. In addition the soil water flow and thermal properties are physically interrelated. This paper presents field data taken during needle ice events at Vancouver, Canada, and yields an indication of the magnitude of interaction between the thermal and water flow properties. This feedback determines the state of soil frost hazard in a location where damage to plant material is produced by ice frost hazard in a location where damage to plant material is produced by ice needle growth. Further apparently anomalous interruption in the normal parabolic temperature-time pattern during radiation events is interpreted as the product of water flow down a thermal gradient.
Actin mRNAs in HeLa cells: Stabilization after adenovirus infection☆

We have carried out a comparative analysis of the expression of the actin genes in HeLa and adenovirus-infected HeLa cells. The rate of actin gene transcription was examined in these cells by pulse-labeling of the newly synthesized RNA and/or by in vitro transcription in nuclei isolated from uninfected or infected HeLa cells. In addition, accumulation of actin-specific heterogeneous nuclear RNA, and rate of appearance of the actin mRNAs in the cytoplasm were examined by dot and Northern blot analysis. The rate of actin gene transcription remained constant after infection of HeLa cells with adenovirus serotype 2, while the level of the actin precursor in the nuclei was slightly reduced. In the infected cells, newly synthesized actin mRNA enters the cytoplasm at a very reduced rate. The deficiency of transport does not affect the steady-state level of the messages in the cytoplasm. The half-life of cytoplasmic actin mRNAs was analyzed by traditional pulse-chase experiments and by a novel procedure using 5-6-diCl-1-beta-d-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, which does not rely on labeled RNA. Both procedures gave identical results. Uninfected HeLa cells have actin mRNAs with relatively short half-lives, from less than six to 12 hours. In contrast, the half-lives of the actin-specific mRNAs, in the cytoplasm of adenovirus-infected cells, is greater than 14 to 24 hours. These observations suggest that, although the rate of transport of actin mRNAs to the cytoplasm is reduced upon infection with adenovirus, increased half-lives result in accumulation of actin mRNAs to normal levels in the cytoplasm.
Adult Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Mental Health Implications and Interventions

The overwhelming size and negative impact of intimate partner violence are now well documented. The field has also exposed the multiple forms of abuse that women in these situations often experience. Mental health professionals are uniquely positioned through their close and confidential relationship with their clients to provide care that will promote a woman’s physical and mental health safety. This article reviews the prevalence of intimate partner violence in general and in clinical populations, describes the various forms of abuse, and focuses on critical components of clinical care in these cases.
Role of Complement in Immune Inactivation of Mycoplasma gallisepticum

Studies were undertaken to evaluate the role of complement in the interaction between mycoplasmas and antiserum. A suspension of the A-1 strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in PPLO broth was incubated at 37 C with rabbit immune serum which had been heated for 30 min at 56 C. Samples were removed from the mixture at timed intervals for 1 hr for titration of the mycoplasmas in broth. When normal guinea pig serum was included in the mixture at a final dilution of 1:40, the titer fell rapidly from 106 to 102 organisms per 0.2 ml. When the guinea pig serum was heated for 30 min at 56 C or was omitted from the mixture, the immune serum did not reduce the titer. The rate of inactivation was related to the final concentration of antiserum and to the incubation temperature. The effect of the guinea pig serum was eliminated by the addition of 0.01 m sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate or by prior absorption with an unrelated antigen-antibody complex. It was concluded that complement-like substances play an important role in immune inactivation of M. gallisepticum.
Variable expression of a yeast-phase-specific gene in Histoplasma capsulatum strains differing in thermotolerance and virulence.

By means of differential hybridization techniques, several yeast-phase-specific DNA sequences were identified in the dimorphic pathogenic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. A 1.85-kilobase (kb) HindIII fragment from one genomic clone, yps-3, hybridized to at least three distinct yeast poly(A)+ RNAs of 1.3, 1.05, and 0.95 kb from the virulent strain G217B. These mRNAs were not detected in mycelia. When mycelia from G217B were induced to become yeast by transfer from 25 to 37 degrees C, a process requiring approximately 9 days, expression of yps-3 was detected within 24 h, although not in the initial 2 h following the temperature shift. In contrast, a low-virulence strain (Downs) which completes the transition in approximately 2 weeks failed to express the yps-3 gene during phase transitions. A third isolate, G186B, intermediate in its virulence properties and in the time required for the transition (11 days), expressed a single 1.25-kb mRNA but only at low levels in the yeast phase and only after 3 days following the 25-to-37 degrees C temperature shift. Although yps-3 expression does not appear to be essential for the transformation to the yeast phase, it may facilitate the early adaptive processes which permit the mycelium-to-yeast transition and survival of the yeast phase of H. capsulatum at elevated host temperatures. The phase-specific yps-3 nuclear gene is carried on highly polymorphic restriction fragments in all three strains, suggesting that this probe may provide a sensitive diagnostic tool for the classification of H. capsulatum isolates. Images
Best practices in systems interventions to reduce the burden of fractures

The importance of bone health is far greater than the amount of attention given this topic. Considering osteoporosis alone, about ten million Americans already have the disease, and about 34 million others are at risk. Estimates suggest that among those over 50 years, about half of all women and up to one in four men will break a bone because of osteoporosis. Bone health issues are not exclusive to older people. They can impact men and women of every age and ethnic group. As the baby boomer generation ages, the urgency for action to improve bone health is increasing. It is timely for the Bone Health Conference to be focusing on best practices in systems interventions to reduce the burden of fractures. I was reflecting recently on a good friend who had a compression fracture earlier this year. She is 80 years old and what surprised me most about the situation was her experience with prednisone. This was not someone who was a stranger to medical care, and she was clearly at high risk: age 80 years, Caucasian, and of relatively small build. She had been treated for polymyalgia rheumatic and had been struggling for the past few years to get off the 5–7 mg of prednisone, but could not quite stop using it altogether. No one had talked to her about this issue. I do not know if more information at the outset might have enabled her to prevent this problem, but it was shocking to me that she was hearing it from me for the first time. Thankfully she is better, but we can do better than that. We believe that comparative effective research, or patient-centered outcomes research, is the foundation of improving the quality of care, including identifying and developing the evidence base for systems interventions. When you shop for a new car, phone, or camera, you have lots of information about your choices. But when it comes to choosing the right medicine or the best health care treatment, clear and dependable information currently can be very hard to find. As we consider best practices in systems interventions to reduce the burden of fractures, we focus on:
The dental management of depressed patients.

Summary A significant portion of the US population suffers from depression. In this paper, the psychopathology and the American Psychiatric Association's DSM III diagnostic criteria for depression are reviewed, medical treatment modalities are enumerated, and the interrelationship between the disease process, its medical therapy, and the incidence of dental disease are detailed. Appropriate nomenclature has been used to assist the dentist in obtaining meaningful consultative advice. The requisite precautions that must be taken when an individual is medicated with certain psychotropic drugs are outlined.
IDENTIFICATION OF PEPTIDE LIGANDS GENERATED BY COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY THAT BIND α-LACTALBUMIN

α-Lactalbumin is a whey protein with high digestibility and low potential for causing allergic problems in infants, making it a strong candidate for use in infant formulas. The development of an efficient and scalable process for isolation of α-lactalbumin is necessary to allow its use on a large scale. Affinity chromatography using short peptides as ligands is a promising technique because it allows the recovery of specific proteins without the use of harsh chemicals or problems due to ligand release. In the present paper we describe the identification of the hexapeptide WHWRKR, obtained from a combinatorial library, that shows affinity for α-lactalbumin.
An efficient heuristic algorithm for selecting projects

Abstract Consider the problem of selecting a set of projects from a large number of available projects such that at least some specified levels of benefits of various types are realized at a minimum cost. This problem can be formulated in terms of the well-known 0–1 multi-dimensional knapsack problem, a special case of the general integer programming problems. In view of the NP-completeness of these problems, this paper proposes a polynomially bounded and efficient heuristic algorithm for its solution. The proposed algorithm proceeds as follows: an initial selection is found by prioritizing the projects according to a computed discard index . This initial selection set is then altered to reduce total costs by using project exchange operations. Computational results indicate that the proposed algorithm is quite effective in finding optimal or near optimal solutions.
Superpipelined control and data path synthesis

The authors describe a superpipelined control and data path synthesis system. The system can handle pipelined modules in the data path, perform functional pipelining in the data path, and schedule the data path using a pipelined controller. Three control styles-serial, parallel, and pipelined-were implemented. The system automatically picks one depending on the data path, the clock frequency, and the functional unit and control path delays. The results showed that using a modifiable clock cycle time and a parameterized control style can significantly improve the throughput of high-performance systems. >
Interruption management: A comparison of auditory and tactile cues for both alerting and orienting

Tactile and auditory cues have been suggested as methods of interruption management for busy visual environments. The current experiment examined attentional mechanisms by which cues might improve performance. The findings indicate that when interruptive tasks are presented in a spatially diverse task environment, the orienting function of tactile cues is a critical component, which directs attention to the location of the interruption, resulting in superior interruptive task performance. Non-directional tactile cues did not degrade primary task performance, but also did not improve performance on the secondary task. Similar results were found for auditory cues. The results support Posner and Peterson's [1990. The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience 13, 25-42] theory of independent functional networks of attention, and have practical applications for systems design in work environments that consist of multiple, visual tasks and time-sensitive information.
Role of nitric oxide in acidosis-induced intestinal injury in anesthetized rats.

Abstract We investigated the pathogenic mechanism(s) of small intestinal injury during acidosis in relation to circulating nitric oxide (NO) in an experimental rat model. Rats were anesthetized, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated with room air. Hydrochloric acid (0.16 mmol bolus followed by 0.132 mmol/kg/h) was infused through the jugular vein for 5 hours. Control rats received a saline infusion. Arterial blood gases, blood pressure, and blood pH were measured every 30 minutes. The involvement of NO in this acidosis model was assessed by measuring plasma concentration of nitrite/nitrate (NOx) and by evaluating inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression in small intestinal mucosa. Intestinal injury was assessed by measuring myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, thiobarbituric acid reactants (TBARS), and histologic scores. HCl infusion was associated with hypotension, decreased blood pH, increased plasma concentration of NOx, augmented intestinal mucosal iNOS expression, MPO activity, TBARS, and histopathologic injury scores. Pretreatment with an iNOS inhibitor, aminoguanidine (AG, 50 mg/kg), reversed HCl-induced hypotension without a change in blood pH. HCl-induced lesions, MPO activity, TBARS, and plasma NOx production were decreased by AG. Our data show that the pathogenic mechanisms of acidosis-induced small intestinal lesions involve up-regulation of NO production by increased expression of iNOS and augmentation of superoxide radicals and MPO activity. (J Lab Clin Med 2001;138:270-6)
Activation of autoreactive T cells by peptides from human pathogens

Activation of autoreactive T cells is a necessary-but not sufficient-step in the development of T cell mediated autoimmunity. Autoreactive T cells can be activated by viral and bacterial peptides that meet the structural requirements for MHC molecule binding and T cell receptor recognition. Due to the degenerate nature of MHC class II molecule binding motifs and a certain degree of flexibility in T cell receptor recognition, such microbial peptides have been found to be quite distinct in their primary sequence from the self-peptide they mimic.
Dissection and culture of chick statoacoustic ganglion and spinal cord explants in collagen gels for neurite outgrowth assays.

The sensory organs of the chicken inner ear are innervated by the peripheral processes of statoacoustic ganglion (SAG) neurons. Sensory organ innervation depends on a combination of axon guidance cues1 and survival factors2 located along the trajectory of growing axons and/or within their sensory organ targets. For example, functional interference with a classic axon guidance signaling pathway, semaphorin-neuropilin, generated misrouting of otic axons3. Also, several growth factors expressed in the sensory targets of the inner ear, including Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), have been manipulated in transgenic animals, again leading to misrouting of SAG axons4. These same molecules promote both survival and neurite outgrowth of chick SAG neurons in vitro5,6. Here, we describe and demonstrate the in vitro method we are currently using to test the responsiveness of chick SAG neurites to soluble proteins, including known morphogens such as the Wnts, as well as growth factors that are important for promoting SAG neurite outgrowth and neuron survival. Using this model system, we hope to draw conclusions about the effects that secreted ligands can exert on SAG neuron survival and neurite outgrowth. SAG explants are dissected on embryonic day 4 (E4) and cultured in three-dimensional collagen gels under serum-free conditions for 24 hours. First, neurite responsiveness is tested by culturing explants with protein-supplemented medium. Then, to ask whether point sources of secreted ligands can have directional effects on neurite outgrowth, explants are co-cultured with protein-coated beads and assayed for the ability of the bead to locally promote or inhibit outgrowth. We also include a demonstration of the dissection (modified protocol7) and culture of E6 spinal cord explants. We routinely use spinal cord explants to confirm bioactivity of the proteins and protein-soaked beads, and to verify species cross-reactivity with chick tissue, under the same culture conditions as SAG explants. These in vitro assays are convenient for quickly screening for molecules that exert trophic (survival) or tropic (directional) effects on SAG neurons, especially before performing studies in vivo. Moreover, this method permits the testing of individual molecules under serum-free conditions, with high neuron survival8.
Trends in circuit packaging in modern digital computers

Electronic circuits in the computers have undergone big changes in their layout, packaging speed and design. This paper discusses the modern trends in circuit packaging and points out that the achievements in this field have made a great impact on the future computer systems.
Comparisons of noninvasive bone mineral measurements in assessing age-related loss, fracture discrimination, and diagnostic classification.

The purpose of this study was to examine the commonly available methods of noninvasively assessing bone mineral status across three defined female populations to examine their interrelationships, compare their respective abilities to reflect age- and menopause-related bone loss, discriminate osteoporotic fractures, and classify patients diagnostically. A total of 47 healthy premenopausal (age 33 +/- 7 years), 41 healthy postmenopausal (age 64 +/- 9 years), and 36 osteoporotic postmenopausal (age 70 +/- 6 years) women were examined with the following techniques: (1) quantitative computed tomography of the L1-L4 lumbar spine for trabecular (QCT TRAB BMD) and integral (QCT INTG BMD) bone mineral density (BMD); (2) dual X-ray absorptiometry of the L1-L4 posterior-anterior (DXA PA BMD) and L2-L4 lateral (DXA LAT BMD) lumbar spine, of the femoral neck (DXA NECK BMD) and trochanter (DXA TROC BMD), and of the ultradistal radius (DXA UD BMD) for integral BMD; (3) peripheral QCT of the distal radius for trabecular BMD (pQCT TRAB BMD) and cortical bone mineral content (BMC) (pQCT CORT BMC); (4) two radiographic absorptiometric techniques of the metacarpal (RA METC BMD) and phalanges (RA PHAL BMD) for integral BMD; and (5) two quantitative ultrasound devices (QUS) of the calcaneus for speed of sound (SOS CALC) and broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA CALC). In general, correlations ranged from (r = 0.10-0.93) among different sites and techniques. We found that pQCT TRAB BMD correlated poorly (r 0.05) using age-adjusted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Nevertheless, kappa score analysis (using -2.0 T score as the cut-off value for osteopenia and -2.5 T score for osteoporosis) showed that in general the diagnostic agreement among these measurements in classifying women as osteopenic or osteoporotic was poor, with kappa scores averaging about 0.4 (exceptions were QCT TRAB/INTG BMD, DXA LAT BMD, and RA PHAL BMD, with kappa scores ranging from 0.63 to 0.89). Often different patients were estimated at risk by using different measurement sites or techniques.
Clinical manifestations of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) remains one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, affecting 1% of the population older than the age of 65. 47 The last 5 years have been marked by rapid developments in the understanding of the pathophysiology of PD as well as the introduction of a number of new drugs for symptomatic treatment of the disease. The diagnosis of PD is still made on purely clinical grounds, based on the original description by Parkinson in 1817. 76 As a result of continuing advances in therapy, it is increasingly important to recognize PD in its earliest stages. It is no less critical to distinguish PD from other causes of parkinsonism because both prognosis and response to treatment are different.
Social determinants of health in the Romani population

Abstract The aim of our survey study is to describe the current findings in the sphere of social determinants of health among the Romani minority in the Czech Republic. The survey study mainly presents the results of three research projects carried out in the years 2001–2009, focused on the area of subjective and objective perception of the health state of Romani respondents, although we also used data processed by a content analysis of documents obtained by means of a search relating to the topic. The results of the projects described correspond in the following points: the subjective perception of their health state by Romani respondents is quite positive; the most often problematic areas include psychosomatic cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus of type II; the factors of lifestyle, especially smoking, physical inactivity and inappropriate nutrition have a significant influence on the occurrence of these diseases. On the basis of content analysis of available projects we have come to the conclusion that there is quite a big contradiction between subjective and objective evaluation of the health state of the Romani population.
Industrial Integration of Negroes: The Upgrading Process

When the top-management minority utilization policy of an industrial firm changes from one which gives preference to some racial, religious or national origin group or groups, to one which assures equality of employment opportunity to all without regard to minority status, rather profound and not readily reversible changes are set in motion. These changes involve the internal relationships of the major parties concerned in the production process—management, its employees as individuals, and, if organized, the union or unions which act as the employees' bargaining agents.
Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 (TTF-1) and Napsin A Double Staining in Metastatic Adenocarcinoma in Pleural Fluid

Lung Primary 19/23 (83%) 1/23 (4%) 2/23 (9%) 1/23 (4%) Non-lung Primary 0/15 (0%) 0/15 (0%) 0/15 (0%) 15/15 (100%)
Role of the flight object and 4DT in airspace security

The next generation air transportation system (NextGen) concept of operations (CONOPS) presents an integrated vision of all aspects of the future air transportation system, including air traffic management, airports, management, environment, safety, and operational security. This paper focuses on air transportation operational security; in particular, the "secure airspace" aspect, which addresses implementing security measures such as establishing restricted airspaces, monitoring and generating alerts for flights, and developing appropriate operational responses for security violations. Important aspects for this concept include the security restricted airspace (SRA), the flight security risk profile, and verified airspace access based on the parameters set up for the airspace and the security risk profile of the flight. Flight planning and four-dimensional trajectories (4DTs) must be managed to be consistent with security constraints. The flight object either contains or links to the flight's security-related information. This paper discusses the role of the 4DT, and the security elements of the flight object for airspace security. Their roles are illustrated through a representative operational scenario. Furthermore, this paper also proposes several security-related extensions for the flight object.