cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis on the molecular characteristics of the first human case of influenza A (H7N9) virus infection in Gansu province

Objective To analyze the discovery process and molecular characteristics of the first human case of influenza A (H7N9) virus infection in Gansu province, so as to provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of avian influenza in Gansu province. Methods For the case detection process, the respiratory tract samples from the patient were analyzed by real-time fluroscent PCR and the isolated strain was sequenced to analyze the genetic characteristics of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Results The case had confirmed history of exposure to the environment contaminated by influenza A (H7N9) virus. The nucleic acids test results of the samples were positive for influenza A (H7N9) virus. The HA and NA genes of the isolated strain belong to the Yangtze River Delta strain of the Eurasian lineage and had high similarity with avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses isolated from poultry in Shandong province and Jiangsu province. Three mutations, G186V, T160A and Q226L occurred in HA protein. An additional glycosylation site NKS was observed at sites 165-167. sequence glycosylation at sites 22-24, 38-40, 240-242, 411-413 and 483-445 showed no significant change. Conclusions The first human case of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infection in Gansu province showed high homology with the reported avian influenza A (H7N9) virus strains. Strengthening monitoring for mutations of the virus at the genetic level may help scientific prevention and control of the epidemics. Key words: Human case of influenza A (H7N9) virus infection; Etiology; Sequence analysis
Use of pelvic model-based simulation for sacrospinous ligament fixation education in novice learners: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

We hypothesize that there will be improvement in a novice learners’ confidence and skill level with sacrospinous ligament fixation (SSLF) following a pelvic model-based simulation. We performed a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with obstetrics and gynecology residents who were novices at SSLF. The residents were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group received a lecture on the SSLF procedure and anatomy, whereas the intervention group received the same lecture in addition to a pelvic model-based simulation session taught by urogynecologists. The residents’ knowledge of SSLF anatomy and confidence level with the procedure were measured via assessments administered before and after the educational interventions. Their technical skills were objectively assessed by one of two fellowship-trained urogynecologists who were blinded to their group allocation. A total of 28 residents were recruited with 14 residents in each group and equal distribution of junior and senior trainees. None of the residents had previously performed the SSLF procedure. There was no difference in anatomical knowledge between the two groups. The intervention group showed a greater increase in their average confidence score compared with the control group: 4.0 ± 1.4 (95% CI 3.1–4.8) versus 2.6 ± 1.6 (95% CI 1.7–3.4) respectively, with p = 0.02. The intervention group also showed better objective scores in specific technical skills, such as instrument handling (p < 0.001), instrument movement/motion (p < 0.001), and speed (p = 0.01). Our results demonstrate that inclusion of a pelvic model simulation significantly improves confidence and certain technical skills of novice trainees in performing SSLF.
Pleural effusion as a novel prognostic factor in metastatic thyroid carcinoma.

Objective To identify novel prognostic risk factors and compare them with other known prognostic risk factors in follicular-cell-derived thyroid carcinoma (FDTC) with distant metastases. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of adult patients with metastatic FDTC seen at a tertiary care center between January 1990 and December 2010. A 15-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimate was created for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Hazard ratios (HR) and P values from Cox proportional hazard models were used with a 95% CI. Results There were 143 patients (60.1% male, 39.9% female), of whom 104 (72.7%) patients had papillary, 30 (21.0%) had follicular, 5 (3.5%) had poorly differentiated, and 4 (2.8%) had Hurthle cell cancers. Median length of follow-up was 80.0 months (range 1.0-564.0). The 15-year mortality rate was 32.2% and cancer-specific mortality was 25.2%, with OS and CSS having the same risk factors. Lung was the most common site of metastases in 53 patients (37.1%), and patients with pleural effusions had significantly lower CSS (HR = 5.21, CI = 1.79-15.12). Additional risk factors for a decreased CSS included: older age upon diagnosis (>45 years, HR = 4.15, CI = 1.43-12.02), multiple metastatic locations (HR = 3.75, CI = 1.32-10.67), and incomplete/unknown tumor resection (HR = 2.35, CI = 1.18-4.67). Conclusion This study is the first to demonstrate that pleural effusion is a poor prognostic sign in patients with FDTC with distant metastases and compare this risk with other accepted prognostic variables.
Wrong Turnings: How the Left Got Lost: by Geoffrey M. Hodgson, Chicago, IL, The University of Chicago Press, 2018, xi + 283 pp., $35.00 (paper)

With Wrong Turnings, Geoffrey Hodgson has produced perhaps the most ambitious and comprehensive critique of major trends within the global Left—from within the Left—in recent memory. Engaging many ...
Constipation and Fecal Incontinence in the Elderly

To review the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and management of primary constipation and fecal incontinence in the elderly. Among elderly people, 6.5%, 1.7%, and 1.1% have functional constipation, constipation-predominant IBS, and opioid-induced constipation. In elderly people, the number of colonic enteric neurons and smooth muscle functions is preserved; decreased cholinergic function with unopposed nitrergic relaxation may explain colonic motor dysfunction. Less physical activity or dietary fiber intake and postmenopausal hormonal therapy are risk factors for fecal incontinence in elderly people. Two thirds of patients with fecal incontinence respond to biofeedback therapy. Used in combination, loperamide and biofeedback therapy are more effective than placebo, education, and biofeedback therapy. Vaginal or anal insert devices are another option. In the elderly, constipation and fecal incontinence are common and often distressing symptoms that can often be managed by addressing bowel disturbances. Selected diagnostic tests, prescription medications, and, infrequently, surgical options should be considered when necessary.
19 F- and 18 F-Arene Deoxyfluorination via Organic Photoredox-Catalysed Polarity-Reversed Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution

Nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) is routinely used to install 19F- and 18F- in aromatic molecules, but is typically limited to electron-deficient arenes due to kinetic barriers associated with C-F bond formation. Here we demonstrate that a polarity-reversed photoredox-catalysed arene deoxyfluorination operating via cation radical-accelerated nucleophilic aromatic substitution (CRA-SNAr) enables the fluorination of electron-rich arenes with 19F- and 18F- under mild conditions, thus complementing the traditional arene polarity requirements necessary for SNAr-based fluorination. The utility of our radiofluorination strategy is highlighted by short reaction times, compatibility with multiple nucleofuges, and high radiofluorination yields, especially that of an important cancer positron emission tomography (PET) agent [18F]5-fluorouracil ([18F]FU). Taken together, our fluorination approach enables the development of fluorinated and radiofluorinated compounds that can be difficult to access by classical SNAr strategies, with the potential for use in the synthesis and discovery of PET radiopharmaceuticals.
Seismic signal augmentation to improve generalization of deep neural networks

Abstract Deep learning has emerged as an effective approach for seismic data processing in general, and for earthquake monitoring in particular. The ability of deep learning models to generalize beyond the training and validation data is important for comprehensive earthquake monitoring; this ability furthermore depends on the availability of a sufficiently large and complete training dataset. However, this requirement can prove challenging to meet due to significant effort and time for data collection and labeling. Data augmentation provides an efficient and effective approach for increasing the dimension of training samples and improving generalization to unseen samples. In this paper, we present augmentation methods appropriate for seismic waveforms and demonstrate their ability to reduce bias and increase performance. These augmentation methods can be applied to a wide range of deep learning applications designed for seismic data.
The Science of Workplace Instruction: Learning and Development Applied to Work

Learning is the engagement in mental processes resulting in the acquisition and retention of knowledge, skills, and/or affect over time and applied when needed. Building on this definition, we inte...
Subset, subquery and queryable-visualization in parametric big data model

Abstract In a big data model (or database as interchangeably called), the data analysis can be eased out by extracting a smaller set of the data of interest, called subset, from the mammoth original dataset. Thus, a subset helps enhance the performance of a system by avoiding the unwanted iterations through the huge parent data in further analysis. In this study, the data model of interest is the Parametric Big Data Model (ParaDB), which is well-known for handling multidimensional big data. Unlike the other classical data models, where subset provides additional strength to the system and the ParaDB completely lacks this potential functionality and consequently could not become equally efficient and effective comparatively. Therefore, in this research, we implement the subset capability in ParaDB to further strengthen its robustness and to ensure the relational outcome instead of streamed-out plain text. Furthermore, to perform the preliminary investigation, the exploratory visual analysis is an important aspect in any, especially spatio-temporal, big data model. Unfortunately, the ParaDB does not offer any visualization support earlier in any format. Therefore, some comprehensive steps are taken to implement the visualization functionality in ParaDB in a way that is conducive to its structures. Additionally, the GIS-visual richness is integrated and implemented to further strengthen the visual maturity of ParaDB, where it offers the queryable-visualization.
Monitoring, Scaffolding, Intervening, and Overriding: Adult Children's Perspectives on Supporting Older Parents.

When older parents experience age-related functional limitations, adult children may begin to monitor and try to control their parents' behavior. This shift can lead to tension due to differences in values both generations share, with parents prioritizing autonomy and self-sufficiency and adult children prioritizing safety and convention. Although a great deal of research on the transition from adolescence to adulthood focuses on governance transfer and changing boundaries of autonomy, monitoring, and control, less is known about how this happens in later life. The current study used qualitative methodology to explore the dynamic balance of autonomy, safety, and care between older parents and adult children who provide assistance in their daily lives. It focused on which areas adult children were most likely to monitor and try to control and how they did so, how parents respond to those efforts, and the dynamics of information management. Sixteen adult children who had at least one living parent (Mage = 53, SD = 6.1) discussed the challenges of managing two conflicting caregiving goals: respecting parents' autonomy and ensuring parents' moral well-being, health, and safety. Data were analyzed using directive content analysis. Although participants were concerned about the negative consequences of their parents' current behaviors and health conditions, they rarely impinged on their parents' autonomy until they were prompted by an authority figure or had clear evidence that their parents' health or safety were threatened. Parents often kept information about their activities and well-being from their children in order to protect their autonomy. Implications for balancing parents and adult children's goals of governance transfer are discussed.
Islam and Buddhism in the Changing Post-Soviet Religious Landscape

This chapter considers the changing religious geographies of the Russian Federation with particular emphasis on Islam and Buddhism, two of the four faiths legislatively recognized as historically integral to the Russian state by the 1997 Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations. Each religion has experienced a substantial revival in the post-Soviet period, both institutionally and among individual practitioners. We provide a brief review of the societal and political importance of Islam and Buddhism in contemporary Russia and then turn to a pair of case studies in Russia’s south, which illustrate how religion is changing the urban landscape. The multinational and multiconfessional city of Astrakhan and the construction of mosques provide insight into the role of Islam in Russian public space. Although the renovation of historic mosques in the city center are celebrated as a visible marker of Astrakhan’s reputation for religious tolerance, the debate over the demolition of a new mosque on the urban periphery challenges this image. In Elista, capital of the republic of Kalmykia, the construction of religious buildings has substantially altered the city’s post-communist appearance. The building of temples has reaffirmed the role of Buddhism in the national identity of the Kalmyks, while communist symbols have been displaced from positions of prominence by religious markers. These two cases illustrate that the continued negotiation of spatial and social identities is an on-going project in post-Soviet Russia for a wide range of national and confessional groups.
The Role of HSP90 in Tumor Specific Immunity

Tumors induced by chemical carcinogens usually express tumor specific transplantation antigens (TSTAs) (Law etal., 1980; Law,1985). These antigens are defined by their ability to induce tumor specific immunity when syngeneic hosts are preimmunized with irradiated tumor cells or cellular fractions containing the tumor specific antigens. An important characteristic of TSTAs, is that upon challenge with tumors the induced immunity is confined to the original tumor and not other independently derived syngeneic tumors. The immune response to these antigens is, for the most part, limited to a cellular immune response. However, under certain conditions of hyperimmunization, tumor specific cytotoxic sera have been developed in syngeneic hosts (De Leo etal., 1978). The ability of these proteins to act as antigens is probably due to a molecular change(s) in the protein, such as a missense mutation or altered post translational processing of the tumor antigen. Other mechanisms could potentially induce immunogenicity, such as expression of a normally silent gene or an alternative splicing mechanism. However, it is difficult to envision how these latter mechanisms could generate the extensive diversity of TSTAs. The goal of the research discussed here was to purify and identify these TSTAs and to determine the molecular change which rendered these proteins immunogenic and tumor specific.
Characterization and calibration of a viscoelastic simplified potential energy clock model for inorganic glasses

Abstract To analyze the stresses and strains generated during the solidification of glass-forming materials, stress and volume relaxation must be predicted accurately. Although the modeling attributes required to depict physical aging in organic glassy thermosets strongly resemble the structural relaxation in inorganic glasses, the historical modeling approaches have been distinctly different. To determine whether a common constitutive framework can be applied to both classes of materials, the nonlinear viscoelastic simplified potential energy clock (SPEC) model, developed originally for glassy thermosets, was calibrated for the Schott 8061 inorganic glass and used to analyze a number of tests. A practical methodology for material characterization and model calibration is discussed, and the structural relaxation mechanism is interpreted in the context of SPEC model constitutive equations. SPEC predictions compared to inorganic glass data collected from thermal strain measurements and creep tests demonstrate the ability to achieve engineering accuracy and make the SPEC model feasible for engineering applications involving a much broader class of glassy materials.
Silicone Based Release Systems

The pharmacologic control of fertility as presently practiced requires a substantial motivational involvement on behalf of the user and interferes with far more of the reproductive process than is necessary to achieve an acceptable level of effectiveness. A solution to both of these problems can reside in the development of delivery systems for contraceptive drugs which necessitate less overt attention by the user and/or which deliver the contraceptives more selectively to the requisite target tissue.
The evidence base for effectiveness of preparedness training: A retrospective analysis

OBJECTIVES: In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) commissioned an Evidence-Based Gaps Collaboration Group to consider whether past experience could help guide future efforts to educate and train public health workers in responding to emergencies and disasters. METHODS: The Group searched the peer-reviewed literature for preparedness training articles meeting three criteria: publication during the period when CDC's Centers for Public Health Preparedness were fully operational, content relevant to emergency response operations, and content particular to the emergency response roles of public health professionals. Articles underwent both quantitative and qualitative analyses. RESULTS: The search identified 163 articles covering the topics of leadership and command structure (18.4%), information and communications (14.1%), organizational systems (78.5%), and others (23.9%). The number of reports was substantial, but their usefulness for trainers and educators was rated only "fair" to "good." Thematic analysis of 137 articles found that organizational topics far outnumbered leadership, command structure, and communications topics. Disconnects among critical participants--including trainers, policy makers, and public health agencies--were noted. Generalizable evaluations were rare. CONCLUSIONS: Reviews of progress in preparedness training for the public health workforce should be repeated in the future. Governmental investment in training for preparedness should continue. Future training programs should be grounded in policy and practice needs, and evaluations should be based on performance improvement. Language: en
Similar activities of nerve growth factor and its homologue proinsulin in intracellular hydrogen peroxide production and metabolism in adipocytes: Transmembrane signalling relative to insulin-mimicking cellular effects

Abstract Generation of hydrogen peroxide in adipocyte plasma membrane and its intracellular metabolism and regulatory role have been shown by Mukherjee and co-workers to be a major effector system for insulin [ Fedn Proc. 35 , 1694 (1976); Archs Biochem. Biophys. 184 , 69 (1977); Biochem. Pharmac. 27 , 2589 (1978); Fedn Proc. 37 , 1689 (1978); and Biochem. Pharmac. 29 , 1239 (1980)]. The possible involvement of this mechanism in the action of structurally similar polypeptides having some insulin-like metabolic effects was investigated. The β-subunit of nerve growth factor (2.5 S NGF, mol. wt 13,500) which has a striking structural homology with proinsulin and has been reported to exert certain insulin-like metabolic effects in its own target tissues (e.g. growing neurites and sympathetic ganglia), and the insulin-derived polypeptides, desalanine-insulin and desoctapeptide-insulin, as well as proinsulin, were examined for their effects on rat adipocytes, employing the technique of formate oxidation. Both NGF and proinsulin caused increased [ 14 C]formate oxidation, showing similar intrinsic activities, up to a maximum of 140–160% of the basal rate; insulin increased the rate to 190–210% of the basal rate. The relative potencies of the hormones toward H 2 O 2 formation and stimulation of the pentose phosphate pathway activity were: insulin ( EC 50 : 2.5 × 10 −11 M ) , desalanine-insulin ( EC 50 : 2.5 × 10 −10 M ) , proinsulin ( EC 50 : 8 × 10 −9 M ) , and NGF ( EC 50 : 10 −9 M ) . The biologically inactive derivative, desoctapeptide-insulin, did not stimulate glucose oxidation, although it caused a small increase in formate oxidation, with an EC 50 of 5 × 10 −7 M , indicating a suboptimal level of H 2 O 2 formation in the elevation of the hexose monophosphate shunt activity. 3-Amino-1,2,4,-triazole (50 mM), which irreversibly decomposes the peroxidatic compound II of the catalase: H 2 O 2 complex, inhibited formate oxidation to a greater extent in the hormone-treated cells than in the control cells, whereas sodium azide, an inhibitor of the hemoprotein, catalase, completely inhibited it. The abilities of the polypeptides to stimulate H 2 O 2 formation correlated with their abilities to promote lipogenesis from [U- 14 C]- D -glucose, as expected of insulin. The cellular GSH/GSSG ratio increased concomitantly with the stimulation of glucose oxidation via the shunt, indicating a tight coupling between these processes. The results confirm that the hydrogen peroxide production is a common basis of the metabolic actions of growth-promoting polypeptide hormones or mitogens beyond their respective receptors.
Inference for Continuous Semimartingales Observed at High Frequency: A General Approach

The econometric literature of high frequency data often relies on moment estimators which are derived from assuming local constancy of volatility and related quantities. We here study this local-constancy approximation as a general approach to estimation in such data. We show that the technique yields asymptotic properties (consistency, normality) that are correct subject to an ex post adjustment involving asymptotic likelihood ratios. These adjustments are given. Several examples of estimation are provided: powers of volatility, leverage eect, integrated betas, bipower, and covariance under asynchronous observation. The first order approximations in this study can be over the period of one observation, or over blocks of successive observations. The advantage of blocking is a gain in transparency in defining and analyzing estimators. The theory relies heavily on the interplay between stable convergence and measure change, and on asymptotic expansions for martingales.
Infrared Spectroscopy and Molecules in Circumstellar Envelopes

During the last two decades there has been a tremendous renewal of interest in the circumstellar environment of evolved stars. This renewal has been mainly driven by sensitive microwave observing techniques. Microwave spectroscopy has resulted in a number of fundamental discoveries in circumstellar shells, including the discovery of maser lines and complex circumstellar chemistry. Historically, interest in circumstellar shells originates from a desire to understand the mass-loss process. It has been known for at least 50 years that circumstellar gas is the origin of interstellar gas and dust. As such the circumstellar shell becomes the pathway through which elements created in the interior of the central star enrich galactic abundances. High resolution spatial and spectral techniques and an ever improving knowledge of stellar evolution has resulted in an increased but still incomplete understanding of the mass-loss process.
Impact of deep sub-ambient cooling on GSI interconnect performance

It is shown that sub-ambient cooling can enhance the performance of GSI interconnects significantly if their design is re-optimized accordingly. Liquid-air cooling improves the latency of local interconnects significantly (e.g. 35% and 60% for 20 /spl mu/m long interconnects at 45 nm and 22 nm technology nodes, respectively), and makes semiglobal interconnects more than 150% faster. It also increases the number of bits per second that global interconnects can potentially transfer by more than 100%.
Aortic valve pathophysiology during left ventricular assist device support

The increased applicability and excellent results with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have revolutionized the available treatment options for patients with advanced heart failure. Pre-existing valve abnormalities are common in this population, and subsequent development of valve abnormalities after LVAD placement is also often noted. Although native mitral and tricuspid valve disease is more common in heart failure patients before LVAD placement, aortic valves are much more likely to generate abnormal pathophysiology in the LVAD patient during as well as after LVAD placement. The aim of this comprehensive review is to review aortic valve function in LVAD patients and highlight the consideration of pre-existing valve disease on patient treatment at the time of LVAD implant. The basis for structural changes leading to valve pathophysiology during and after LVAD placement will be described, providing a basis for improved clinical understanding and new strategies to prevent these conditions.
Immunohistochemical staining of prostate cancer with monoclonal antibodies to the precursor of prostate-specific antigen.

Abstract Objectives To characterize the immunohistochemical staining (IHS) of precursor forms of prostate-specific antigen (pro-PSA) forms in prostate cancer, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), and benign tissue from the peripheral and transition zones. Pro-PSA have previously been shown to be more concentrated in prostate cancer tissue extracts than in benign tissue. Methods Prostate needle biopsies showing HGPIN (22 sections, 11 patients) and adenocarcinoma (30 sections, 21 patients) and 17 radical prostatectomy and 3 open prostatectomy specimens were identified from the surgical pathology files of Johns Hopkins Hospital. IHS was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections using one monoclonal antibody (mAB) against pro-PSA with a truncated pro-leader peptide containing two amino acids, [−2]pPSA, and a second mAB against native pro-PSA ([−5/−7]pPSA). Results The mABs were specific for both benign and malignant prostatic glandular tissue and did not stain stromal, vascular, or colonic tissue when present in the specimens. All sections with HGPIN and/or adenocarcinoma showed staining with both mABs. HGPIN was strongly positive in most cases (66.1%). The native pro-PSA mAB showed little differential between cancer and benign glands, and the mAB to the truncated [−2]pPSA stained cancer tissue more strongly than benign tissue. Benign atrophic glands often showed negative or weak/patchy staining. No difference was found in the staining pattern between benign glands in the peripheral zone and transition zone. Conclusions This study is the first to demonstrate that mABs to pro-PSA can be used as specific IHS for benign and malignant prostatic tissue. [−2]pPSA appears to be preferentially more concentrated in cancer tissue than in benign glands, correlating with previous tissue extract studies. Unlike previous studies with PSA staining, the IHS for pro-PSA remained uniform among the different tumor grades. Therefore, pro-PSA may be a useful marker in differentiating high-grade prostate adenocarcinoma from other non-prostate carcinomas.
How does a virus bud

How does a virus bud from the plasma membrane of its host? Here we investigate several possible rate-limiting processes, including thermal fluctuations of the plasma membrane, hydrodynamic interactions, and diffusion of the glycoprotein spikes. We find that for bending moduli greater than 3 x 10(-13) ergs, membrane thermal fluctuations are insufficient to wrap the viral capsid, and the mechanical force driving the budding process must arise from some other process. If budding is limited by the rate at which glycoprotein spikes can diffuse to the budding site, we compute that the budding time is 10–20min, in accord with the experimentally determined upper limit of 20min. In light of this, we suggest some alternative mechanisms for budding and provide a rationale for the observation that budding frequently occurs in regions of high membrane curvature.
Biomimetic Protein Nanoparticles Facilitate Enhanced Dendritic Cell Activation and Cross-Presentation

Many current cancer vaccine strategies suffer from the inability to mount a CD8 T cell response that is strong enough to overcome the low immunogenicity of tumors. Viruses naturally possess the sizes, geometries, and physical properties for which the immune system has evolved to recognize, and mimicking those properties with nanoparticles can produce robust platforms for vaccine design. Using the nonviral E2 core of pyruvate dehydrogenase, we have engineered a viral-mimicking vaccine platform capable of encapsulating dendritic cell (DC)-activating CpG molecules in an acid-releasable manner and displaying MHC I-restricted SIINFEKL peptide epitopes. Encapsulated CpG activated bone marrow-derived DCs at a 25-fold lower concentration in vitro when delivered with the E2 nanoparticle than with unbound CpG alone. Combining CpG and SIINFEKL within a single multifunctional particle induced ∼3-fold greater SIINFEKL display on MHC I by DCs over unbound peptide. Importantly, combining CpG and SIINFEKL to the E2 nanoparticle for simultaneous temporal and spatial delivery to DCs showed increased and prolonged CD8 T cell activation, relative to free peptide or peptide-bound E2. By codelivering peptide epitopes and CpG activator in a particle of optimal DC-uptake size, we demonstrate the ability of a noninfectious protein nanoparticle to mimic viral properties and facilitate enhanced DC activation and cross-presentation.
Assimilating social values in computer-based technologies

Abstract This paper describes the key elements of social impact assessments for computer-based technologies. It recommends that analysts examine the infrastructural demands of new computing developments and social outcomes on 12 different criteria. Social impact analysis can be used to evaluate and select among different system alternatives and to monitor a selected system as it evolves. This paper recommends a ten stage political process which requires a project to be tracked from the early stages of design, through its implementation, and during the period it is used. The concepts developed draw upon the literatures of social impact analysis and urban planning.
Estrogenicity and nutrient concentration of surface waters surrounding a large confinement dairy operation using best management practices for land application of animal wastes.

The impact of a confinement dairy operation (>2000 head) using best management practices for land application of animal wastes, on estrogenic activity (E-Screen), estrogens, and nutrients of associated surface waters and tile drain runoff were evaluated. Farm tile drain and creek samples were collected from the drainage region: above and below a municipal wastewater treatment plant located upstream from the dairy; and downstream from animal housing, parlor, and fields receiving applied wastes. Fifty-four thousand tons of waste (from ∼1000 milking head) were applied to ∼809 ha from April to July. Maximum estradiol equivalents (E2Eqs) present in tile drain samples (≤0.257 ng/L) were 2-fold maximum creek E2Eqs, but only 25% of the proposed no observable effect concentration for E2 (1 ng/L). Relative manure slurry estrogen concentrations were estrone >17α-E2 > 17β-E2. Creek nutrient concentrations were similar above and below the dairy, with higher concentrations found in tile drain samples: tile ammonia rang...
Alkoxide‐Derived Titania Particles: Use of Electrolytes to Control Size and Agglomeration Levels

Methods of controlling the size and morphology of particles precipitated from the hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthotitanate (TEOT) in aqueous ethanol solutions through the addition of electrolytes are described. The precipitates display great sensitivity to agitation where, above a critical shear rate, agglomerated morphologies are observed. For reactions carried out at shear rates less than the critical value, narrow size distribution, spherical titania particles are formed under conditions where the particles have electrophoretic mobilities greater than 0.2 × 10−8 m2· V−1· s−1 for 0.05M < [TEOT] < 0.2M and 0.15M < H2O < 0.9M. Addition of HCl and NaCl to the precipitation solution increases particle charge and expands the TEOT, H2O concentration ranges where uniform particles are formed.
The welfare impact of HMO mergers

Abstract This paper estimates the welfare consequences of HMO mergers using data from California’s small-group market. The analysis estimates the parameters from a differentiated products demand system. The parameters are then used to simulate the effects of several HMO mergers by solving for the Nash equilibrium in prices under different ownership structures. Even small mergers in moderately concentrated markets can result in significant consumer surplus reductions. However, these welfare losses can be offset by large efficiency gains. The welfare consequences of HMO mergers turn less upon demand-side considerations than on the health plan’s ability to realize efficiencies.
Changes in protective behavioral strategies and alcohol use among college students

Background: Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are specific cognitive-behavioral strategies designed to reduce alcohol consumption and resulting negative consequences. A host of studies have examined the cross-sectional relationship between such strategies and alcohol use in the high-risk population of United States college students, but prospective studies on the construct are lacking. The primary purposes of this study were to determine if PBS use prospectively predicted subsequent alcohol use/alcohol-related problems and if changes in PBS use were associated with less alcohol use and fewer problems. Methods: Data were examined from 521 heavy drinking college students (60% male, 84% White, mean age=18.9 years). Participants completed questionnaires assessing alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and PBS use at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups. Results: Analysis of residualized change scores indicated that increases in some PBS across time were associated with less alcohol use and fewer alcohol-related problems at follow-up. Findings regarding the prospective relationship between PBS use and subsequent alcohol use/problems were equivocal. Discussion: Results from the study suggest that PBS may have value in alcohol-related interventions among college students. Clinicians who help clients increase their use of PBS may help those clients increase the probability of drinking less and experiencing fewer alcohol-related problems in the future. Language: en
Safety of Regional Anesthesia in Eisenmenger’s Syndrome

Background and Objectives Eisenmenger’s syndrome is characterized by right-to-left or bidirectional shunting and pulmonary hypertension. Perioperative risk is high for noncardiac surgery, and many clinicians avoid regional anesthesia because of the potential deleterious hemodynamic effects. We determined perioperative mortality based on published reports describing anesthetic management in patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome. Methods A literature search identified 57 articles describing 103 anesthetics in patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome. An additional 21 anesthetics were identified in patients receiving regional anesthesia for labor. Results Overall perioperative mortality was 14%; patients receiving regional anesthesia had a mortality of 5%, whereas those receiving general anesthesia had a mortality of 18%. This trend favored the use of regional anesthesia but was not statistically significant. A better predictor of outcome was the nature of the surgery (and presumably the surgical disease). Patients requiring major surgery had mortality of 24%, whereas those requiring minor surgery had mortality of 5% (P Conclusions This review of anesthesia and surgery in patients with Eisenmenger’s syndrome reveals that most deaths probably occurred as a result of the surgical procedure and disease and not anesthesia. Although perioperative and peripartum mortalities are high, many anesthetic agents and techniques have been used with success.
Using evidence in practice.

Twopriorresearchcolumnshaveaddressedlocating evidenceforuseinclinicalpracticeandtheinterpretation of research articles (Sharts-Hopko, in press-a, in press-b). After assessment is made about the available evidence, nurses may find that they want to use the evidence to change the way they practice. With that decision, they must then plan how the evidence will be used to change practice in their settings, and how change will be evaluated. This is one aspect of what biomedical scientists call implementation science, the systematic assessment of clinical outcomes of practices developed through research in various routine clinical settings. It is a subset of translation science, which refers to the translation of basic research findings in controlled environments to application in clinical settings.
Anticipatory spatial representation of 3D regions explored by sighted observers and a deaf-and-blind-observer.

Abstract Viewers who study photographs of scenes tend to remember having seen beyond the boundaries of the view [ boundary extension ; J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn. 15 (1989) 179]. Is this a fundamental aspect of scene representation? Forty undergraduates explored bounded regions of six common (3D) scenes, visually or haptically (while blindfolded) and then the delimiting borders were removed. Minutes later they reconstructed boundary placement. Boundary extension occurred: mean areas were increased by 53% (vision) and by 17% (haptics). A deaf-and-blind woman (KC) haptically explored the same regions. Although a “haptic expert”, she too remembered having explored beyond the boundaries, with performance similar to that of the blindfolded-sighted. Boundary extension appears to be a fundamental aspect of spatial cognition. Possibly constrained by the “scope” of the input modality (vision>haptics), this anticipatory spatial representation may facilitate integration of successively perceived regions of the world irrespective of modality and the perceiver's sensory history.
Oblique synoptic images, produced from digital data, display strong evidence of a “new” caldera in southwestern Guatemala

Abstract The synoptic view of broad regions of the Earth's surface as displayed in Landsat and other satellite images has greatly aided in the recognition of calderas, ignimbrite plateaus and other geologic landforms. Remote-sensing images that include visual representation of depth are an even more powerful tool for geologic interpretation of landscapes, but their use has been largely restricted to the exploration of planets other than Earth. By combining Landsat images with digitized topography, we have generated regional oblique views that display compelling evidence for a previously undocumented late-Cenozoic caldera within the active volcanic zone of southwestern Guatemala. This “new” caldera, herein called Xela, is a depression about 30 km wide and 400–600 m deep, which includes the Quezaltenango basin. The caldera depression is breached only by a single river canyon. The caldera outline is broadly circular, but a locally scalloped form suggests the occurrence of multiple caldera-collapse events, or local slumping of steep caldera walls, or both. Within its northern part, Xela caldera contains a toreva block, about 500 m high and 2 km long, that may be incompletely foundered pre-caldera bedrock. Xela contains several post-caldera volcanoes, some of which are active. A Bouguer gravity low, tens of milligals in amplitude, is approximately co-located with the proposed caldera. The oblique images also display an extensive plateau that dips about 2° away from the north margin of Xela caldera. We interpret this landform to be underlain by pyroclastic outflow from Xela and nearby Atitlan calderas. Field mapping by others has documented a voluminous rhyolitic pumiceous fallout deposit immediately east of Xela caldera. We speculate that Xela caldera was the source of this deposit. If so, the age of at least part of the caldera is between about 84 ka and 126 ka, the ages of deposits that stratigraphically bracket this fallout. Most of the floor of Xela caldera is covered with Los Chocoyos pyroclastics, 84-ka deposits erupted from Atitlan caldera. Oblique images produced from digital data are unique tools that can greatly facilitate initial geologic interpretation of morphologically young volcanic (and other) terrains where field access is limited, especially because conventional visual representations commonly lack depth perspective and may cover only part of the region of interest.
Gendered Fields: Sports and Advanced Course Taking in High School

This study explores the association between sports participation and course taking in high school, specifically comparing subjects with varied gendered legacies—science and foreign language. Analyses of a nationally representative longitudinal sample (N = 5,447) of U.S. adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the linked Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement transcript study show that male and female athletes are more likely than non-athletes to take both advanced foreign language and Physics, largely because of their higher academic orientation. However, the association between sports participation and course taking was strongest for girls’ Physics coursework, suggesting that sports may provide girls with a unique opportunity to develop the skills and confidence to persevere in the masculine domain of science.
Inhibition by cyclosporin A and butylated hydroxytoluene of the inner mitochondrial membrane permeability transition induced by Adriamycin aglycones

Effets de la cyclosporine A et du BHT (butyl-hydroxytoluene) sur la transition de permeabilite induite par la partie aglycone de l'adriamycine dans les membranes des mitochondries du foie et du coeur chez le rat
Population pharmacokinetics of temozolomide and metabolites in infants and children with primary central nervous system tumors.

To construct a population pharmacokinetic model for temozolomide (TMZ), a novel imidazo-tetrazine methylating agent and its metabolites MTIC and AIC in infants and children with primary central nervous system tumors. We evaluated the pharmacokinetics of TMZ and MTIC in 39 children (20 boys and 19 girls) with 132 pharmacokinetic studies (109 in the training set and 23 in the validation set). The median age was 7.1 years (range 0.7 to 21.9 years). Children received oral TMZ dosages ranging from 145 to 200 mg/m2 per day for 5 days in each course of therapy. Serial plasma samples were collected after the first and fifth doses of the first and third courses. Approximately eight plasma samples were collected up to 8 h after each dose, and assayed for TMZ, MTIC, and AIC by HPLC with UV detection. A one-compartment model was fitted to the TMZ and metabolite plasma concentrations using maximum likelihood estimation. Covariates, including demographics and biochemical data were tested for their effects on TMZ clearance (CL/F) and MTIC AUC utilizing a two-stage approach via linear mixed-effects modeling. The population mean (inter- and intrapatient variability expressed as %CV) for the pharmacokinetic parameters (based on the training set) were as follows: TMZ CL/F 5.4 l/h (53.4, 17.5), Vc/F 14.0 l (48.5, 39.2), Cmax 9.1 mg/l (20.8, 29.1), and MTIC AUC 1.0 μg/ml·h (13.9, 30.0). Covariate analysis showed that increasing age and body surface area (BSA) were associated with a significant increases in TMZ CL, Vc, and Cmax (P<0.05), and that increasing age was associated with significant decreases in TMZ and MTIC AUC. Indicators of liver and renal function were not significantly associated with TMZ pharmacokinetics or MTIC AUC. The final model with the significant covariates was validated using the remaining 23 pharmacokinetic studies. This study extends previous work done in adults, and identified BSA and age as covariates that account for variability in TMZ disposition in infants and children with primary CNS malignancies.
Reporting methodology protocols in three acute care journals

Our study compared the reporting of methodology protocol details in three acute care journals, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine , and Journal of Trauma . Eleven criteria previously reported for evaluation of clinical trials in the medical literature were used. These were eligibility criteria, admission before allocation, random allocation, method of randomization, patients' blindness to treatment, blind assessment of outcome, treatment complications, loss to follow-up, statistical methods, statistical analysis, and power. All prospective, interventional, controlled trials appearing in the journals from January 1980 to June 1983 were identified. A total of 45 trials was found. Each study was read independently by two reviewers to determine whether each of the 11 criteria was reported clearly, reported un-clearly, or not applicable. Disagreements were resolved by a third reader (adjudicator). The results are reported as the mean proportion of items clearly reported plus or minus the standard deviation: Annals of Emergency Medicine (n = 16), 0.40 ± 0.18; Journal of Trauma (n = 18), 0.41 ± 0.24; Critical Care Medicine (n = 11), 0.35 ± 0.18. A one-way analysis of variance found no statistically significant difference between journals with respect to these proportions (P = .75). The study reveals that these journals, as judged by these criteria, do not report enough methodologic information to allow assessment of bias-reducing techniques and statistical methodology.
Regularity at infinity for area-minimizing hypersurfaces in hyperbolic space

equipped with the hyperbolic metric y-Z(dxZ+dy2). A standard compactification of IH involves adding the boundary (R"• {0})w {*} so that I[-I is simply the one point compactification of the Euclidean closed half-space R" • [0, ~). Suppose 0 7, any interior singularities of M must remain in a bounded region of hyperbolic space. Near points of F (in the Euclidean topology), M w F may thus be described as the graph of a function. This function is the solution of an interesting partial differential equation that becomes degenerate along the part of the boundary corresponding to F. The second author has recently established [L] a boundary higher-regularity result for this equation, which implies, in particular, that M w F is r if F is cgk,~ for k=2 , 3 .... , ~ . Finally, in case F bounds a star-