cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reducing the Pain Behind Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care.

OBJECTIVE To describe the efficacy of a comprehensive approach aimed at reducing opioid prescribing in an internal medicine resident clinic. DESIGN Retrospective observational study. SETTING Internal medicine primary care resident clinic at a large urban academic medical center. SUBJECTS All patients receiving opioid prescriptions from the primary care clinic. METHODS We reviewed pharmacy dispensing data for two hospital-affiliated pharmacies for resident primary care patients filling opioid prescriptions between July 2016 and July 2018. We instituted a comprehensive set of interventions that included resident education, limiting supervision of encounters for long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) to a fixed set of faculty champions, and providing alternate modalities for pain control. We calculated the change in number of opioid prescriptions dispensed, number of patients receiving opioid prescriptions, morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) dispensed, and average per-patient daily MMEs dispensed. RESULTS We observed an average monthly reduction of 2.44% (P < 0.001) in the number of prescriptions dispensed and a 1.83% (P < 0.001) monthly reduction in the number of patients receiving prescriptions. Over the two-year period, there was a 74.3% reduction in total MMEs prescribed and a 66.5% reduction in the average MMEs prescribed per patient. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate a significant reduction in opioid prescribing after implementation of a comprehensive initiative. Although our study was observational in nature, we witnessed a nearly threefold decrease in opioid prescribing compared with national trends. Our results offer important insights for other primary care resident clinics hoping to engender safe prescribing practices and curb high-dose opioid prescribing.
Reevaluating 30-day head ultrasound screening for preterm infants in the era of decreasing periventricular leukomalacia.

Objective: Neonatal brain injury is a potentially devastating cause of neurodevelopmental impairment. There is no consensus, however, on the appropriate timing and frequency of routine head ultraso...
Processing Contradictory CSR Information: The Influence of Primacy and Recency Effects on the Consumer-Firm Relationship

Drawing on the influence of primacy and recency effects in processing information about corporate social responsibility (CSR), the authors examine how internal (customer experience) and external (CSR reputation) factors impact the consumer-firm relationship in the presence of contradictory CSR information. Evaluating these factors provides a more comprehensive understanding of how consumers react to unethical and socially irresponsible actions. Contrary to recent research that suggests a reactive CSR communication strategy to be best due to recency effects, the present findings show that past customer experiences with the firm facilitate a ‘primacy effect’. Thus, when corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) occurs, a customer’s prior experiences mitigate negative consequences. Conversely, a firm’s positive CSR reputation may provide goodwill, although it does not guarantee that consumers will process CSR information differently. Therefore, firms cannot build a strong CSR reputation and expect to be immune from the consequences of CSI. Given these new findings of how consumers process contradictory CSR information, firms should implement a strategic and deliberate communication plan that delivers different messages to different stakeholders. Specifically, these findings suggest that firms benefit most from a proactive communication strategy with their current customers and a reactive communication strategy with the general public.
The Impact of Displaying Diversity Information on the Formation of Self-assembling Teams

Despite the benefits of team diversity, individuals often choose to work with similar others. Online team formation systems have the potential to help people assemble diverse teams. Systems can connect people to collaborators outside their networks, and features can quantify and raise the salience of diversity to users as they search for prospective teammates. But if we build a feature indicating diversity into the tool, how will people react to it? Two experiments manipulating the presence or absence of a "diversity score" feature within a teammate recommender demonstrate that, when present, individuals avoid collaborators who would increase team diversity in favor of those who lower team diversity. These results have important practical implications. Though the increased access to diverse teammates provided by recommender systems may benefit diversity, designers are cautioned against creating features that raise the salience of diversity as this information may undermine diversity.
Crafting a Statement of Cash Flows: Preferred Airline Group Corporation Buys West Coastal Air, Inc.

Marsha Alstone was fascinated with mergers and acquisitions. She had been following the news of Preferred Airline Group Corporation's (PAG's) interest in, offer for, and 100% acquisition of West Coastal Air, Inc. (WCA). When the deal closed on December 2, 2018, just a few weeks before PAG's fiscal year-end, she found herself wanting to develop, on her own, the consolidated statement of cash flows (SCF) for the year during which the WCA deal had closed. She wants to know in what ways the acquirer's postconsolidation financial statements changed in comparison to those from the year prior to the acquisition. Excerpt UVA-C-2427 Jun. 26, 2019 Crafting a Statement of Cash Flows: Preferred Airline Group Corporation Buys West Coastal Air, Inc. There was no mistaking that Marsha Alstone was fascinated with mergers and acquisitions (M&A). She was always intrigued by which company stepped into the role of acquirer and which company, willingly or not, assumed the role of acquiree. Her curiosity was almost unquenchable. She needed to know why one corporate “marriage” worked out and another did not. What were the related M&A stories presented in the company's press releases and hidden therein between the lines? And how many times did those press releases mention synergies? Why did the deal happen when it did and not sooner, not later? How did the acquirer determine the price it ended up paying? Was the acquisition defensive, offensive, or both? Were there other active bidders in the arena or presumably lurking on the sidelines? Was the acquiring company an experienced acquirer or was this its first significant foray into the M&A arena? What were the industry analysts opining about the deal's prospects and pitfalls? Which of the corporate executives from both companies got to stay on after the deal closed and which had to, or chose to, leave? Did those departing executives go to a competitor, and did they go quietly? How much was their severance package? And, in what ways did the acquirer's postconsolidation financial statements change in comparison to those from the year prior to the acquisition? At the moment, it was this last question that was occupying her time and attention. She had been following the news of Preferred Airline Group Corporation's (PAG's) interest in, offer for, and 100% acquisition of West Coastal Air, Inc. (WCA). The acquisition was rumored during the previous winter, announced in the spring, and closed on December 2, 2018, just a few weeks before PAG's fiscal year-end. Alstone had some of the related PAG financial data (Exhibit 1), but she found herself wanting to develop, on her own, the consolidated statement of cash flows (SCF) for the year during which the WCA deal had closed. . . .
Trends in hospitalizations among patients with colorectal cancer: Results from the National Inpatient Sample (2007 through 2017).

135Background: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States with a rising incidence, especially in young adults. Care for patients with colorectal can...
Purification and Characterization of a Multienzyme Complex in the Tryptophan Pathway of Neurospora crassa

Abstract A multienzyme complex which carries out the anthranilate synthetase, N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase and indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase reactions in the tryptophan pathway of Neurospora crassa has been purified and characterized. The complex, as prepared here, is a single homogeneous protein molecule having a sedimentation coefficient of 10.3 S and a molecular weight of 240,000. Sedimentation equilibrium studies in 6 m guanidine HCl and in 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate reveal that the complex consists of six 40,000 molecular weight subunits. Amino acid analysis and titration with p-chloromercuribenzoate show that the complex contains 20 sulfhydryl groups and no disulfide bridges. Titration of 12 of the sulfhydryl groups or more with p-chloromercuribenzoate leads to the quantitative dissociation of the complex into 4.4 S and 7.4 S fragments. Based on the sedimentation values, the 4.4 S fragment is a dimer and the 7.4 S fragment is a tetramer of the 40,000 molecular weight subunits. The 4.4 S fragment is itself inactive but in the presence of dithiothreitol a 7 S form of anthranilate synthetase develops as the only enzymic activity. The 7.4 S fragment on the other hand, is fully active in indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthetase and N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase. Electrophoresis in 8 m urea shows that the 4.4 S and 7.4 S fragments consist of single but distinct polypeptides, termed here the A and the I subunits, respectively. An A2I4 model for the complex is discussed.
Recursive maximum likelihood estimation of time-varying carrier frequency offset for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing systems

A recursive maximum likelihood carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimator is proposed in this work, where redundancy information contained in the cyclic prefix of multiple consecutive orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols is exploited in an efficient recursive fashion. Because the estimator is based on multiple OFDM symbols, the time-varying CFO must be considered. We investigate the effect of time-varying CFO on the performance of the estimator and the trade-off between fast tracking ability and low estimation variance. We show that, without channel noise, the mean squared error (MSE) of estimation due to CFO estimation variation increases approximately quadratically with n, where n is the number of OFDM symbols used for CFO estimation (estimation window size), whereas the MSE due to channel noise decreases proportionally to 1/n (approximately) if the CFO is constant. A closed-form expression of the optimal estimation window size (approximately) is derived by minimizing the MSE caused by both time-varying CFO and channel noise. For wireless systems with time-varying rate of change for CFO, the proposed estimator can be implemented adaptively. In addition, typical optimal estimation window sizes for WiMAX, DVB-SH and MediaFLO systems are evaluated as an example. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Novel Pactamycin Analogs Induce p53 Dependent Cell-Cycle Arrest at S-Phase in Human Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) Cells

Pactamycin, although putatively touted as a potent antitumor agent, has never been used as an anticancer drug due to its high cytotoxicity. In this study, we characterized the effects of two novel biosynthetically engineered analogs of pactamycin, de-6MSA-7-demethyl-7-deoxypactamycin (TM-025) and 7-demethyl-7-deoxypactamycin (TM-026), in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines SCC25 and SCC104. Both TM-025 and TM-026 exert growth inhibitory effects on HNSCC cells by inhibiting cell proliferation. Interestingly, unlike their parent compound pactamycin, the analogs do not inhibit synthesis of nascent protein in a cell-based assay. Furthermore, they do not induce apoptosis or autophagy in a dose- or a time-dependent manner, but induce mild senescence in the tested cell lines. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that both analogs significantly induce cell cycle arrest of the HNSCC cells at S-phase resulting in reduced accumulation of G2/M-phase cells. The pactamycin analogs induce expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins including master regulator p53, its downstream target p21Cip1/WAF1, p27kip21, p19, cyclin E, total and phospho Cdc2 (Tyr15) and Cdc25C. Besides, the analogs mildly reduce cyclin D1 expression without affecting expression of cyclin B, Cdk2 and Cdk4. Specific inhibition of p53 by pifithrin-α reduces the percentage of cells accumulated in S-phase, suggesting contribution of p53 to S-phase increase. Altogether, our results demonstrate that Pactamycin analogs TM-025 and TM-026 induce senescence and inhibit proliferation of HNSCC cells via accumulation in S-phase through possible contribution of p53. The two PCT analogs can be widely used as research tools for cell cycle inhibition studies in proliferating cancer cells with specific mechanisms of action.
Genomes of marine cyanopodoviruses reveal multiple origins of diversity.

National Science Foundation (U.S.). Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (Grant OCE-042560)
Invited: Superconducting tunnel devices as an alternative to semiconductors for fast computer circuits

Josephson tunneling devices hold promise to supercede semiconductors in high performance computer applications since they can be switched extremely fast (≤100 ps), while dissipating very low power (1 μW) and storing data without standby power. This presentation will address potential advantages and problems of this technology when viewed as an alternative to high-performance semiconductor circuitry.
Asphyxial Cardiac Arrest

Sudden cardiac arrest is a significant source of morbidity and mortality, with neurological injury affecting the majority of persons who initially have restoration of pulses. The rat asphyxial cardiac arrest is an established model for neurological injury after cardiac arrest. This model reproduces many aspects of neurological injury observed in humans – transient coma, evolving motor deficits and persistent sensorimotor deficits – as well as the systemic metabolic disruptions that attend the clinical disease. Rats are anesthetized, intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation. After establishing femoral arterial and venous access, rats are chemically paralyzed, and the ventilator turned off. Hypoxemia leads to highly reproducible bradyasystolic circulatory arrest. Cardiac arrest is reversed after 8 min by resuming mechanical ventilation, chest compressions and intravenous administration of epinephrine. After restoring circulation, rats are supported on the ventilator for 1–2 h and then extubated. After extubation, rats require fluid supplementation for several days until they are able to resume feeding. Temperature during the first day of recovery strongly influences outcome, making control of temperature essential during experiments. Neurological deficits can be measured clinically, and histological damage to the brain becomes clear after several days.
Parallel integration of planetary systems on GPUs

Direct numerical simulations of large numbers of planetary systems are key to the study extrasolar planetary systems. We investigate the potential of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to dramatically accelerate such calculations and enable new types of analyses. Here we report on a CUDA implementation of two different integrators, Verlet and Bulirsch-Stoer; that is, we are contrasting the relative efficiency of a low-memory-footprint, small-time-steps integrator with a more complex but highly stable integrator for best use of GPU resources.We verify that GPUs can serve as highly efficient dedicated parallel computing co-processors of the CPU host: the wall-clock time of integrating a large number of systems is reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to a comparable implementation we used so far on a modern CPU. We verify further that it is not only possible to port a complex integration algorithm like Bulirsch-Stoer to the restrictive GPU environment but that it can outperform the simpler Verlet integrator.
Effect of Teaching Hospital Status on Outcome of Aneurysm Treatment

Objective There is increasing literature supporting the importance in triaging patients to teaching hospitals for complex surgical procedures. This study analyzes the effect of teaching hospital status on outcome of endovascular coiling and microsurgical clipping of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. Methods We analyzed patients with cerebral aneurysms using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2001 to 2010. Patients with ruptured aneurysms were identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision codes for diagnoses of subarachnoid hemorrhage or intracerebral hemorrhage and at least one procedural code for aneurysm repair. Patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms were identified by diagnosis code 437.3 and at least one procedural code. Multivariate linear models were used to analyze the association of in-hospital death, nonroutine discharge, and length of stay with teaching hospital status, adjusting for patient age, sex, race, comorbidities, household income, time to aneurysm repair procedure, aneurysm procedure volume, hospital region, and location. Results There were 34,843 hospitalizations for treatments of unruptured (14,763 in teaching and 1794 in nonteaching hospitals) and ruptured (15,628 in teaching and 2658 in nonteaching hospitals) aneurysms. In patients with ruptured aneurysms, the odds ratio of in-hospital death and nonroutine discharges were 0.69 (95% confidence interval 0.54–0.88) and 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.60–0.99) in teaching hospitals, respectively, independent of hospital aneurysm procedure volume. Conclusions Our results suggest that the teaching status of a hospital is an independent factor for favorable outcome in the treatment of ruptured aneurysms. The difference in in-hospital death is accentuated in patients who underwent microsurgical clipping.
Mathematical foundation of trace scheduling

Since its introduction by Joseph A. Fisher in 1979, trace scheduling has influenced much of the work on compile-time ILP (Instruction Level Parallelism) transformations. Initially developed for use in microcode compaction, it quickly became the main technique for machine-level compile-time parallelism exploitation. Although it has been used since the 1980s in many state-of-the-art compilers (e.g., Intel, Fujitsu, HP), a rigorous theory of trace scheduling is still lacking in the existing literature. This is reflected in the ad hoc way compensation code is inserted after a trace compaction, in the total absence of any attempts to measure the size of that compensation code, and so on.The aim of this article is to create a mathematical theory of the foundation of trace scheduling. We give a clear algorithm showing how to insert compensation code after a trace is replaced with its schedule, and then prove that the resulting program is indeed equivalent to the original program. We derive an upper bound on the size of that compensation code, and show that this bound can be actually attained. We also give a very simple proof that the trace scheduling algorithm always terminates.
Protection of renal cells from cisplatin toxicity by cell cycle inhibitors.

The optimal use of cisplatin as a chemotherapeutic drug has been limited by its nephrotoxicity. Murine models have been used to study cisplatin-induced acute renal failure. After cisplatin administ...
Comprehending Spatial and Contextual Information in Picture-Text Instructions

ABSTRACTThe information content of picture-text instructions for two assembly tasks was classified according to a taxonomy of information (Bieger & Glock, 1984/1985). The location, in picture or text, of spatial, contextual, and operational information was then experimentally manipulated and the effect on comprehension was assessed by measuring the speed and accuracy of performance of 120 undergraduate students. It was found that textual presentation of spatial information produced fewer errors, while pictorial presentation of spatial information reduced performance times dramatically. It was further found that pictorial presentation of contextual information substantially reduced assembly times and slightly reduced the number of assembly errors. There were no differences between pictorial and textual depiction of operational information. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the design of instructional materials and the acquisition of information from picture-text materials.
Cytochrome c2 Exit Strategy: Dissociation Studies and Evolutionary Implications

Small, water-soluble, type c cytochromes form a transient network connecting major bioenergetic membrane protein complexes in both photosynthesis and respiration. In the photosynthesis cycle of Rhodobacter sphaeroides, cytochrome c 2 (cyt c 2 ) docks to the reaction center (RC), undergoes electron transfer, and exits for the cytochrome bc 1 complex. Translations of cyt c 2 about the RC-cyt c 2 docking interface and surrounding membrane reveal possible exit pathways. A pathway at a minimal elevation allowed by the architecture of the RC is analyzed using both an all-atom steered molecular dynamics simulation of the RC-cyt c 2 complex and a bioinformatic analysis of the structures and sequences of cyt c. The structure-based phylogenetic analysis allows for the identification of structural elements that have evolved to satisfy the requirements of having multiple functional partners. The patterns of evolutionary variation obtained from the phylogenetic analysis of both docking partners of cyt c 2 reveal conservation of key residues involved in the interaction interfaces that would be candidates for further experimental studies. Additionally, using the molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method we calculate that the binding free energy of reduced cyt c 2 to the RC is nearly 6 kcal/mol more favorable than with oxidized cyt c 2 . The redox-dependent variations lead to changes in structural flexibility, behavior of the interfacial water molecules, and eventually changes in the binding free energy of the complex.
Does Happiness Pay

This paper uses panel data from Russia to identify “residual” happiness levels that are not explained by the usual demographic and socioeconomic determinants of happiness. We then test whether our residual happiness variable has causal properties in addition to those of the observed demographic and socioeconomic variables on future income. We find that both residual happiness and positive expectations for the future in the initial period are positively correlated with higher income in future periods. People with negative perceptions of their own progress and with higher fear of unemployment increase their incomes less, on average. Psychologists attribute stability in happiness levels over time — analogous to the “residual” happiness levels that we identify — to positive cognitive bias, such as self-esteem, control, and optimism. The same factors may enhance individuals’ performance in the labor market.
Capillary Rewetting of Vaned Containers: Spacecraft Tank Rewetting Following Thrust Resettling

Recent investigations have successfully demonstrated closed-form analytical solutions of spontaneous capillary flows in idealized cylindrical containers with interior corners. In this work, the theory is extended and applied to complex containers modeling spacecraft fuel tanks employing propellant-management devices (PMDs) consisting of networks of vanes. The specific problem investigated is one of spontaneous rewetting of a typical partially filled liquid-fuel/cryogen tank with PMD after thrust resettling. The transients of this flow impact the logistics of orbital maneuvers and potentially tank thermal control. The general procedure to compute the initial condition for the closed-form transient flows is first outlined and then solved for several complex cylindrical tanks exhibiting symmetry. The utility and limitations of the technique as a design tool are discussed in a summary, which also highlights comparisons with NASA flight data of a model propellant tank with PMD
Effects of Solute Focusing on Zone Shape in Column—Planar Separations

Abstract Solute transfer at the interface in column—planar separations is characterized by non-selective bulk transport forces such as elution, solvent evaporation, and capillarity as well as the selective chromatographic force of classic thin-layer development. Ultimate zone shape will be dictated by a combination of these forces. Band broadening in the planar medium can be suppressed using solute focusing, a technique whereby a strong solvent is used to force all solutes to migrate together. During an analysis of focused and nonfocused zones we observed apparent “orthogonality” in the capacity ratio vs. efficiency relationships for the two treatments. This suggests that the extent of zone dispersion during solute transfer arises from the actual differences and similarities of the two displacement modes.
DECREASED OUABAIN BINDING IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS FIBROBLASTS

We have compared the sensitivities of normal and cystic fibrosis (CF) skin fibroblasts to the cytotoxic effects of ouabain (OB), a cardiac glycoside known to inhibit the transport of ions across cell membranes. Cells from 9 unrelated CF patients when plated at low density for 24 hours in K+ deficient medium and then exposed for 24 hours to OB at concentrations from 1 × 10−10 to 1 × 10−6M, show an increased survival when compared to normal cells. In agreement with these observations, studies of 3H-OB binding show that CF cells bind less OB than normal cells in medium lacking K+. At low drug concentrations (2-20 × 10−9M), the first order rate constant for 3H-OB binding in CF cells was approximately 70% of normal. Equilibrium binding experiments were performed in 3 sets of fibroblast strains from age-matched normal and CF individuals. In a Scatchard analysis the CF strains had 84 ± 2%, 56 ± 1%, and 88 ± 2% (mean ± S.E.M) of normal 3H-OB binding sites per mg cell protein (for each strain the difference from normal is p < .001). Previous studies by others of OB resistant mammalian cells isolated in culture showed decreased OB binding as well as a decreased ability of OB to inhibit ion transport. We have studied ion flux in normal and CF cells using 86Rb, a potassium analogue, and have shown identical inhibition of ion transport by OB in both cell types. Thus CF cells appear different from other previously described OB resistant cells. The relationship of these observations to the primary genetic defect in CF is not yet clear.
Pyroelectric effect in semiconductor heterostructures

Abstract In heterostructures made of dielectric or semiconductor materials a reduction in symmetry can lead to a pyroelectric effect in the heterostructure, even though the effect is forbidden by symmetry in the bulk-crystal constituent materials. The pyroelectric effect resulting from an applied electric field and a built-in strain is estimated for the cases of a [100] and [111] growth-axis GaAs-AlGaAs and GaAs-InGaAs quantum well. The effect is shown to produce pyroelectric coefficients on the order of pi = 10-6 C/m2 K, which is comparable to some bulk-crystal pyroelectric materials.
Immigration Policy and the Challenge of Globalization: Unions and Employers in an Unlikely Alliance. By Julie R. Watts. Ithaca, NY: ILR/Cornell University Press, 2001. 208p. $35.00

The study of immigration and immigration policy has become a research growth area for political scientists in recent years. And with good reason. Immigration has traditionally been a focus of other disciplines, such as demography. Thus, research has tended to focus on the demographic profile of immigrant groups, the characteristics of sending and receiving communities, and the nature of transnational social networks that facilitate immigration. Noticeably less attention has been devoted to the politics of immigration and immigration policy. Here, political scientists are helping to fill an obvious and important research niche. Immigration Policy and the Challenge of Globalization is a timely contribution to the growing political science literature in this area.
Binding Characteristics and Interactions of Depressant Drugs with [35S]t‐Butylbicyclophosphorothionate, a Ligand that Binds to the Picrotoxinin Site

[35S]t-Butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPT), a cage convulsant with picrotoxinin-like activity, binds to rat brain membranes to a single site with an apparent KD of 25.1 +/- 5.6 nM and a Bmax of 1.40 +/- 0.22 pmol/mg protein. TBPT binding to rat brain membranes was inhibited by a variety of convulsant, depressant, anxiolytic, and anticonvulsant drugs that had previously been shown to inhibit [3H]alpha-dihydropicrotoxinin binding. Depressant drugs such as pentobarbital and the nonbarbiturate (+)etomidate inhibited TBPT binding in an uncompetitive manner. Thus, pentobarbital and (+)etomidate decreased both the affinity and the number of binding sites of TBPT to whole brain membranes. The IC50 values of (+)etomidate (9 microM) and pentobarbital (90 microM) are similar to the EC50 values at which they enhance both [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid and [3H]diazepam binding in cerebral cortex membranes. RO5-4864, which has recently been shown to be a convulsant, also inhibited TBPT binding (IC50 = 10 microM). These results suggest that TBPT binds to the picrotoxinin site and further supports the notion that the picrotoxinin site is an important modulatory site at the benzodiazepine-GABA receptor-ionophore complex.
Joint analysis of sequence data and single-nucleotide polymorphism data using pedigree information for imputation and recombination inference

We developed a general framework for family-based imputation using single-nucleotide polymorphism data and sequence data distributed by Genetic Analysis Workshop 18. By using PedIBD, we first inferred haplotypes and inheritance patterns of each family from SNP data. Then new variants in unsequenced family members can be obtained from sequenced relatives through their shared haplotypes. We then compared the results of our method against the imputation results provided by Genetic Analysis Workshop organizers. The results showed that our strategy uncovered more variants for more unsequenced relatives. We also showed that recombination breakpoints inferred by PedIBD have much higher resolution than those inferred from previous studies.
Specificity in transition state binding: the Pauling model revisited.

Linus Pauling proposed that the large rate accelerations for enzymes are caused by the high specificity of the protein catalyst for binding the reaction transition state. The observation that stable analogues of the transition states for enzymatic reactions often act as tight-binding inhibitors provided early support for this simple and elegant proposal. We review experimental results that support the proposal that Pauling’s model provides a satisfactory explanation for the rate accelerations for many heterolytic enzymatic reactions through high-energy reaction intermediates, such as proton transfer and decarboxylation. Specificity in transition state binding is obtained when the total intrinsic binding energy of the substrate is significantly larger than the binding energy observed at the Michaelis complex. The results of recent studies that aimed to characterize the specificity in binding of the enolate oxygen at the transition state for the 1,3-isomerization reaction catalyzed by ketosteroid isomerase ...
Gamma-Radiation from Granite

It has been reported that measurements of the ionization produced by the gamma-rays from Quincy granite are in excess of the ionization computed from the measured uranium, thorium, and potassium content of the rock by a factor of over two. It was concluded that either the measured radioactive contents were much too low or that a hitherto unknown penetrating radiation was given off by the granite.Measurements of the gamma-radiation from Quincy granite have now been made in such a way that it is unnecessary to compute the ionization arising from the reported radioactive contents in order to make the comparison. After the measurements of the ionization produced by the Quincy granite were made, uranium, thorium, and potassium were added in the form of pitchblende, monazite, and potassium carbonate in amounts which would exactly double the reported radioactive contents. The ratio of the measured ionization in the latter case to that in the former was 2.06\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.13. The gamma-ray ionization from the Quincy granite thus seems to be fully accounted for by the measured uranium, thorium, and potassium content.Now, when the results of the previously reported measurements of the ionization from the Quincy granite and the present measurements are reduced to comparable conditions, the two sets of measurements are in good agreement; therefore, it seems likely that the discrepancy which had indicated a large excess of penetrating radiation, or a large error in the measurement of the radioactive content, may have arisen in the computation of the expected ionization. This conclusion is fully supported by very recent work on the gamma-radiation from potassium which was reported after the preparation of this paper.
Multicore DSP programming models [In the Spotlight]

A recent article in "Information Week" online [1] discussed the positive prospects for wide deployment of the next generation of mobile communication systems. These systems, embodied first in the form of WiMAX technology and later in the form of LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology promise a notable increase in communication speed and quality. With the increase in performance comes also an increase in the processing needs for the devices enabling these technologies. At the base station side, the deployment of the next generation of mobile systems is in many ways possible in a cost effective form thanks to the use of multicore DSPs.
Collective security and the future of Europe: failed dreams and dead ends

(1992). Collective security and the future of Europe: failed dreams and dead ends. Survival: Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 36-50.
A Model of Intergroup Territoriality in Organizations

A challenge for organizations lies in the fundamental need to differentiate into smaller groups for specialization, while simultaneously integrating into a coherent organization (Lawrence & Lorsch,...
No circulating human cytomegalovirus in 14 cases of glioblastoma.

Cobbs et al have reported that many gliomas contain human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) gene products.1 Mitchell et al reported that 80% of patients with diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme have HCMV DNA in their peripheral blood; seropositive normal donors and other surgical patients did not.2 However, Baumgarten et al reported that HCMV infection in tumor cells of the nervous system is not detectable with standardized pathologico-virological diagnostics,3 calling into question the etiologic role of HCMV in glioblastoma.4 In our own studies, we have collected peripheral blood in anticoagulated tubes from 14 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme who were referred for radiation therapy.5 We used standard methods for detecting HCMV by reverse transcriptase PCR6 and peripheral blood culture.7 None of our patients had circulating HCMV detected. Mitchell et al reported that 80% of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme have detectable cytomegalovirus DNA in their peripheral blood.2 The chance of a single glioblastoma patient not having detectable cytomegalovirus would be 20% or 0.2. Therefore, the chance of none of 14 patients having detectable cytomegalovirus would be 0.214 or P = 1.6 × 10−10. Moreover, HCMV seropositivity data and glioblastoma incidence data do not support a HCMV-glioblastoma association since HCMV seroprevalence rates are not consistently related to glioblastoma incidence rates.8 HCMV seroprevalence is, however, related to socioeconomic status. HCMV infection is significantly lower in whites than in blacks or Hispanics (Mexican Americans), while glioblastoma incidence is higher in whites than in blacks or Hispanics. But HCMV seroprevalence rates are significantly higher in women than in men, although glioblastoma is more common in men. Therefore, a possible HCMV-glioblastoma association cannot be readily substantiated with HCMV seropositivity rates. Age at infection may be involved since the incidence of both glioblastoma multiforme and HCMV infection are related to socioeconomic status, as described above. HCMV infection in early childhood, which is more common in lower socioeconomic groups, may be protective against glioblastoma, whereas HCMV infection in later childhood or adulthood may be a risk factor for glioblastoma. If so, glioblastoma would be similar to paralytic polio, in which low socioeconomic status, poor hygiene, and early infection are protective.9
The Higher Fullerenes: Isolation and Characterization of C76, C84, C90, C94, and C70O, an Oxide of D5h-C70

The toluene extract of the fluffy carbon material produced by resistive heating of graphite contains a variety of molecules larger than C(60) and C(70) in a total amount of 3 to 4% by weight. Repeated chromatography of this material on neutral alumina has led to the isolation of stable solid samples of C(76), C(84), C(90), and C(94). The characterization, which includes mass spectrometry, (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance, electronic absorption (ultraviolet/visible) and vibrational (infrared) spectroscopy identifies these all-carbon molecules as higher fullerenes. In addition, C(70)O, a stable oxide, has been isolated that is structurally and electronically closely related to D5h-C(70). This compound forms during the resistive heating process and probably has an oxygen atom inserted between two carbon atoms on the convex external surface of the C(70) skeleton.
E2 enzymes: expanding the 'ubi-verse' of immune signaling.

Analysis of mice lacking the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc13 provides unexpected results regarding which ubiquitination events may regulate immune receptor signaling activity.
Additive manufacturing for the food industry

Additive manufacturing of food is a nascent field with great potential but limited application, in search of utility. The key motivators for 3D printing food are customization, on-demand production, and geometric complexity. Food printings maturation can be demonstrated by the reproduction of traditional foods such as pizza using 3D printers. Methods for allowing the production of grain and protein based products which are shape stable throughout the cooking process allow for increase shape fidelity. Data driven recipes allow for customized flavor and nutrition, and printing processes allow for the production of unique textures and meso-scale porosity. Together these advances represent important steps to developing novel utility in 3D food printing.
A comparison of hospitality executives', educators', and students' views on the importance of accounting skills

Abstract The results of a survey of executives, educators, and students in the hospitality field are presented. All three groups were asked to rate the importance of a list of 31 accounting skills to lodging managers who are starting their careers and the same three groups were also asked to rate the importance of the 31 skills to lodging managers who have been employed in the industry for three years. This paper reports the skills considered to be important by the three groups and indicates the extent of agreement among the three groups as to the most important skills. This research supports the conclusion that all three groups consider certain accounting skills to be important to lodging managers and that there is good agreement among the three groups as to the top 15 skills that ought to be emphasized in hospitality and accounting courses.
Compound deletion of Fgfr3 and Fgfr4 partially rescues the Hyp mouse phenotype

Uncertainty exists regarding the physiologically relevant fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor (FGFR) for FGF23 in the kidney and the precise tubular segments that are targeted by FGF23. Current data suggest that FGF23 targets the FGFR1c-Klotho complex to coordinately regulate phosphate transport and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] production in the proximal tubule. In studies using the Hyp mouse model, which displays FGF23-mediated hypophosphatemia and aberrant vitamin D, deletion of Fgfr3 or Fgfr4 alone failed to correct the Hyp phenotype. To determine whether FGFR1 is sufficient to mediate the renal effects of FGF23, we deleted Fgfr3 and Fgfr4 in Hyp mice, leaving intact the FGFR1 pathway by transferring compound Fgfr3/Fgfr4-null mice on the Hyp background to create wild-type (WT), Hyp, Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/−, and Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice. We found that deletion of Fgfr3 and Fgfr4 in Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− and Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice induced an increase in 1,25(OH)2D. In Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice, it partially corrected the hypophosphatemia (Pi = 9.4 ± 0.9, 6.1 ± 0.2, 9.1 ± 0.4, and 8.0 ± 0.5 mg/dl in WT, Hyp, Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/−, and Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice, respectively), increased Na-phosphate cotransporter Napi2a and Napi2c and Klotho mRNA expression in the kidney, and markedly increased serum FGF23 levels (107 ± 20, 3,680 ± 284, 167 ± 22, and 18,492 ± 1,547 pg/ml in WT, Hyp, Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/−, and Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice, respectively), consistent with a compensatory response to the induction of end-organ resistance. Fgfr1 expression was unchanged in Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice and was not sufficient to transduce the full effects of FGF23 in Hyp/Fgfr3−/−/Fgfr4−/− mice. These studies suggest that FGFR1, FGFR3, and FGFR4 act in concert to mediate FGF23 effects on the kidney and that loss of FGFR function leads to feedback stimulation of Fgf23 expression in bone.
Massive haemoptysis caused by Mycobacterium xenopi.

Abstract A 62-year-old man presented with haemoptysis and radiographic features compatible with pulmonary tuberculosis. His course was complicated by severe haemoptysis that required surgical lobectomy. Myobacterium xenopi was cultured from sputum and lung tissue. The post-operative course was complicated by gastro-intestinal haemorrhage and the patient died.
Open Service Innovation in Smart Cities: A Framework for Exploring Innovation Networks in the Development of New City Services

The paper presents a multi-dimensional framework for exploring the drivers, structure and dynamics of public-private service innovation networks in the smart city context and their innovation outcomes at the project, network and city levels. The framework provides a conceptual contribution to the increasingly relevant issue of open innovation in smart cities by leveraging the interpretive potential of the open service innovation perspective, namely the concept of Public Private Innovation Networks in Services (ServPPINs), to advance the understanding of complex interactive structures and processes involved in the development of new services for smart users.
Magnon-phonon effects in ferromagnetic manganites

A model is presented for the magnon-phonon interaction in three-dimensional cubic ferromagnetic systems. The Heisenberg Hamiltonian for localized spins is used. The calculated magnon and phonon dampings are compared with the experiments and good agreement is found. It is estimated that there is a significant broadening in the magnon linewidth at the end of the zone and that the phonon linewidth is not affected by this mechanism. The modified magnon spectrum is also evaluated and compared to experimental measurements. It is found that the model predicts softening of the magnon mode at the end of the zone consistent with the experiments. The contribution from both Mn and O atoms is included. The developed model can be applied to systems with reduced dimensions and systems with different than cubic symmetry.
Self-Management and Parents as Interventionists to Improve Homework Independence in Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Homework challenges are particularly relevant for students with autism spectrum disorders who demonstrate difficulty maintaining attention, motivation, and developing effective study skills. These challenges are often exacerbated for adolescents with disabilities who face a number of challenges during the middle school years. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to test the effectiveness of an intervention package that included both parent training and self-management strategies. The following study included five middle school students who were currently receiving special education services under the classification of autism spectrum disorder. Results of this study indicate an increase in task independence following the implementation of the intervention package. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are described.
SYSTEMATIC PROPERTIES OF NEUTRON RESONANCES IN THE RARE EARTH REGION.

Abstract The S-wave neutron strength functions, level spacings and potential scattering radius parameters have been measured for a number of nuclides in the rare earth region A = 155 to A = 176. The 〈Γ n 0 〉 D and R′ are compared to rotational optical model calculations. No dependence of strength function on target nucleus spin is found. From a fit of level spacing to the Fermi gas model formula, a spin cut-off factor of 2.8 ± ± 0.2 is determined.
The Conserved Salt Bridge in Human α-Defensin 5 Is Required for Its Precursor Processing and Proteolytic Stability

Mammalian α-defensins, expressed primarily in leukocytes and epithelia, play important roles in innate and adaptive immune responses to microbial infection. Six invariant cysteine residues forming three indispensable disulfide bonds and one Gly residue required structurally for an atypical β-bulge are totally conserved in the otherwise diverse sequences of all known mammalian α-defensins. In addition, a pair of oppositely charged residues (Arg/Glu), forming a salt bridge across a protruding loop in the molecule, is highly conserved. To investigate the structural and functional roles of the conserved Arg6–Glu14 salt bridge in human α-defensin 5 (HD5), we chemically prepared HD5 and its precursor proHD5 as well as their corresponding salt bridge-destabilizing analogs E14Q-HD5 and E57Q-proHD5. The Glu-to-Gln mutation, whereas significantly reducing the oxidative folding efficiency of HD5, had no effect on the folding of proHD5. Bovine trypsin productively and correctly processed proHD5 in vitro but spontaneously degraded E57Q-proHD5. Significantly, HD5 was resistant to trypsin treatment, whereas E14Q-HD5 was highly susceptible. Further, degradation of E14Q-HD5 by trypsin was initiated by the cleavage of the Arg13–Gln14 peptide bond in the loop region, a catastrophic proteolytic event resulting directly in quick digestion of the whole defensin molecule. The E14Q mutation did not alter the bactericidal activity of HD5 against Staphylococcus aureus but substantially enhanced the killing of Escherichia coli. By contrast, proHD5 and E57Q-proHD5 were largely inactive against both strains at the concentrations tested. Our results confirm that the primary function of the conserved salt bridge in HD5 is to ensure correct processing of proHD5 and subsequent stabilization of mature α-defensin in vivo.
Low-noise CMOS LC oscillator with dual-ring structure

A dual-ring structure of LC resonators is presented to improve the phase noise performance much further, keeping the multi-phase output capability. This dual-ring oscillator is fabricated in a 0.25 µm CMOS process and achieves the measured phase noise of −137 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from a 2.27 GHz carrier.