cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sipuleucel-T: A Vaccine for Metastatic, Asymptomatic, Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer

Objective:To review the design, efficacy, safety, dosing, therapeutic, and pharmacoeconomic considerations of sipuleucel-T, an investigational, autologous, dendritic, cell-based prostate cancer vaccine.Data Sources:English-language literature searches of MEDLINE (1966–September 2007) and the Cochrane Database (2007, Issue 3) were performed using the terms sipuleucel-T, APC8015, and prostate cancer vaccine. Other data sources were identified from bibliographies of selected articles and from press releases.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All published articles or abstracts on human studies of sipuleucel-T for androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) were reviewed for inclusion. Manufacturer Web sites, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents, and the clinical trials registry were used to obtain information regarding ongoing clinical trials.Data Synthesis:AIPC is an incurable disease with a median survival rate of 18–20 months. Docetaxel-based chemotherapy is currently the only FDA-approved treatm...
A Novel Role of the N Terminus of Budding Yeast Histone H3 Variant Cse4 in Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis

Regulating levels of centromeric histone H3 (CenH3) variant is crucial for genome stability. Interaction of Psh1, an E3 ligase, with the C terminus of Cse4 has been shown to contribute to its proteolysis. Here, we demonstrate a role for ubiquitination of the N terminus of Cse4 in regulating Cse4 proteolysis for faithful chromosome segregation and a role for Doa1 in ubiquitination of Cse4.
Modulation of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Expression by Angiotensin II and Hypertension

Abstract—Angiotensin II and hypertension increase vascular oxidant stress. We examined how these might affect expression of the extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD), a major form of vascular SOD. In mice, angiotensin II infusion (1.1 mg/kg for 7 days) increased systolic blood pressure from 107±3 to 152±9 mm Hg and caused a 3-fold increase in ecSOD, but there was no change in the cytosolic Cu/Zn SOD protein, as determined by Western blot analysis. This was associated with a similar increase in ecSOD mRNA as assessed by RNase protection assay and was prevented by losartan. Induction of ecSOD by angiotensin II was not due to hypertension alone, because hypertension caused by norepinephrine (5.6 mg · kg−1 · d−1) had no effect on ecSOD. Similarly, exposure of mouse aortas to angiotensin II (100 nmol/L) in organoid culture increased ecSOD by ≈2-fold. In the organoid culture, angiotensin II–induced upregulation of ecSOD was prevented by losartan (10 μmol/L) and PD985059 (30 μmol/L), a specific inhibitor of...
Cell volume changes during apoptosis monitored in real time using digital holographic microscopy

Abstract Cellular volume changes play important roles in many processes associated with the normal cell activity, as well as various diseases. Consequently, there is a considerable need to accurately measure volumes of both individual cells and cell populations as a function of time. In this study, we have monitored cell volume changes in real time during apoptosis using digital holographic microscopy. Cell volume changes were deduced from the measured phase change of light transmitted through cells. Our digital holographic experiments showed that after exposure to 1 μM staurosporine for 4 h, the volumes of KB cells were reduced by ∼50–60%, which is consistent with previous results obtained using electronic cell sizing and atomic force microscopy. In comparison with other techniques, digital holographic microscopy is advantageous because it employs noninvasive detection, has high time resolution, real time measurement capability, and the ability to simultaneously investigate time-dependent volume changes of both individual cells and cell populations.
Isolation of a transforming sequence from a human bladder carcinoma cell line

We have isolated the component of human bladder carcinoma cell DNA that is able to transform mouse fibroblasts. The oncogenic sequence was isolated initially from a lambda phage genomic library made from DNA of a transfected mouse cell carrying the human oncogene. A subcloned insert of 6.6 kb that carried transforming activity was amplified in the plasmid vector pBR322. The subcloned oncogene has been used as a sequence probe in Southern blot analyses. The oncogene appears to derive from sequences present in normal cellular DNA. Structural analysis has failed so far to reveal differences between the oncogene and its normal cellular homolog. The oncogene is unrelated to transforming sequences detected in a variety of other types of human tumor cell lines derived from colonic and lung carcinoma and from neuroblastoma. In contrast, the EJ bladder oncogene appears closely related to one that is active in the human T24 bladder carcinoma cell line. The oncogene appears to have undergone little, if any, amplification in several bladder carcinoma cell lines.
Scholarly Productivity in Clinical Psychology PhD Programs: A Normative Assessment of Publication Rates

Scholarly productivity of 166 American Psychological Association–accredited clinical psychology PhD programs was measured to provide objective, normative data. Publications were tallied over a five-year period (2000–2004) for individual faculty members from PsycINFO entries. Scholarly productivity profiles are provided for each program, including total number of publications, mean number of publications per faculty member, and total publications by publication type. A moderate relationship was found between U.S. News & World Report rankings and rankings of scholarly productivity (rS = .57–.64). Correlations of program size and number of publications suggest that larger programs tend to produce more total publications; however, having more faculty members did not correlate with a higher mean or median publication rate per individual.
Suppressive Effect by Cooperation of Splenic and Peritoneal Adherent Cells on Generation of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

When spleen cells primed in vivo against allogeneic lymphoid cells were used as responder cells in secondary mixed lymphocyte cultures, a high degree of cytotoxicity was generated even in the absence of splenic adherent cells. However, removal of adherent cells from such primed responder spleen cells reduced the cytotoxicity to some extent. On the other hand, when these responder cells were transferred into the peritoneal cavity of irradiated syngeneic mice together with antigenic cells, unseparated responder cells generated a lower degree of cytotoxicity than did adherent cell-depleted responder cells. In an in vitro system, peritoneal adherent cells also suppressed the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by unseparated responders; however they augmented the cytotoxic T lymphocyte generation by adherent cell-depleted responders. These adherent cell populations with augmenting activity became inhibitory when they coexisted. The mechanism of this inhibitory action remains unclear.
Are energy-dense foods really cheaper? Reexamining the relation between food price and energy density

Background The inverse relation between energy density (kcal/g) and energy cost (price/kcal) has been interpreted to suggest that produce (fruit, vegetables) is more expensive than snacks (cookies, chips). Objective The objective of this study was to show the methodologic weakness of comparing energy density with energy cost. Design The relation between energy density and energy cost was replicated in a random-number data set. Additionally, observational data were collected for produce and snacks from an online supermarket. Variables included total energy (kcal), total weight (g), total number of servings, serving size (g/serving), and energy density (kcal/g). Price measures included energy cost ($/kcal), total price ($), unit price ($/g), and serving price ($/serving). Two-tailed t tests were used to compare price measures by food category. Relations between energy density and price measures within food categories were examined with the use of Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results The relation between energy density and energy cost was shown to be driven by the algebraic properties of these variables. Food category was strongly correlated with both energy density and food price measures. Energy cost was higher for produce than for snacks. However, total price and unit price were lower for produce. Serving price and serving size were greater for produce than for snacks. Within food categories, energy density was uncorrelated with most measures of food price, except for a weak positive correlation with serving price within the produce category. Conclusion The findings suggest the relation between energy density and food price is confounded by food category and depends on which measure of price is used.
Dual-stream flow injection method for amplified electrochemical detection of ferrocene derivatives

Abstract A dual-stream flow injection method has been developed for electrochemical detection of ferrocene derivatives in flow streams. The method is based on a previously described electrochemical amplification method in which currents for analyte oxidation are enhanced by rapid analyte regeneration via a solution-phase electron exchange reaction with a sacrificial reagent. The use of two independent flow channels in the present method, one to carry the analyte and another to supply the sacrificial reagent, eliminates the necessity of spiking samples and calibration standards with sacrificial reagent to avoid injection transients. Hydrodynamic voltammograms were recorded for a series of injections of hydroxymethylferrocene (HMFc, a model ferrocene analyte) into the carrier stream in the presence and absence of ferrocyanide (which serves as sacrificial reagent) in the reagent stream. From these voltammograms an optimum detection potential for HMFc of +0.8 V versus Ag | AgCl | KClsat was selected. Two different concentrations of sacrificial reagent were tested for a range of HMFc concentrations between 1×10−3 and 1×10−8 M for which both unamplified and amplified peaks could be detected. An amplification factor of approximately 300 was obtained for a 1×10−8 M HMFc injection with 2×10−4 M ferrocyanide present in the reagent stream.
A spectral test for observability and detectability of discrete-time linear time-varying systems

The PBH test is a well known and powerful spectral test for the observability of linear time-invariant systems. In this paper we show that a similar test exists for linear time-varying systems. The test presented here involves a check over part of the spectrum of the weighted block shift known as approximate eigenvalues.
Endocrine disruption in white ibises (Eudocimus albus) caused by exposure to environmentally relevant levels of methylmercury.

a b s t r a c t Methylmercury is a globally distributed pollutant and upper trophic level aquatic fauna are at partic- ularly high risk of exposure. Although methylmercury is known to have a number of neurological and developmental effects, relatively little is known about effects on endocrine disruption and reproduction in aquatic fauna, particularly in response to chronic exposure at low concentrations. We experimentally exposed captive white ibises for 3.5 years (2005-2008) to dietary methylmercury at three environmen- tally relevant concentrations (0.05, 0.1 and 0.3 ppm wet weight in diet). We measured fecal concentrations of estradiol and testosterone metabolites in two consecutive breeding seasons (2007 and 2008). When effects were controlled for stage of breeding, this resulted in altered estradiol and testosterone concen- trations in adult breeders of both sexes. Changes in endocrine expression were not consistent over both years, and a clear dose-response relationship was not always present. Endocrine changes were, however, associated at all dose levels with changes in reproductive behavior, reduced reproductive success and altered mate choice in males. Male-male pairing and altered courtship behavior in males were related both to dose treatment and, in 2008, to a demasculinized pattern of endocrine expression. Changes in hormone concentrations of dosed homosexually paired males, when present, were in the same direction but at a higher magnitude than those in heterosexual dosed males. Dosed homosexual males showed decreased testosterone during nest-building and elevated testosterone during incubation when com- pared with their dosed heterosexual counterparts during the 2008 breeding season. In the same year, exposed males had elevated estradiol during courtship, but had decreased estradiol during other stages in comparison with controls. Dosed females generally showed decreased estradiol and testosterone con- centrations compared to controls, albeit not with a clear dose-response effect. Our findings suggest that endocrine disruption due to chronic exposure to even low concentrations of dietary methylmercury may be a widespread mechanism by which reproduction is impaired in wild bird populations.
Circulating cardiovascular disease risk factors and signaling in endothelial cell caveolae.

Caveolae are a subset of lipid rafts that are prevalent on the plasma membrane of endothelial cells. They compartmentalize signal transduction molecules which regulate multiple endothelial functions including the production of nitric oxide (NO) by the caveolae resident enzyme endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). Recent studies have demonstrated that circulating factors known to modify cardiovascular disease risk regulate signaling in endothelial cell caveolae. In particular, high density lipoprotein (HDL) maintains the lipid environment in caveolae, thereby promoting the retention and function of eNOS in the domain, and it also causes direct activation of eNOS via scavenger receptor type BI (SR-BI)-induced kinase signaling. Estrogen binding to estrogen receptors (ER) in caveolae also activates eNOS, and this occurs through G protein and kinase activation. Discrete domains within SR-BI and ER mediating signal initiation in caveolae have been identified. Counteracting the promodulatory actions of HDL and estrogen, C-reactive protein (CRP) antagonizes eNOS through FcγRIIB and PP2A, which dephosphorylates and inactivates the enzyme. The endothelial cell functions modified by these processes include the regulation of monocyte adhesion and endothelial cell migration. Thus, signaling events in caveolae invoked by known circulating cardiovascular disease risk factors have major impact on endothelial cell phenotypes of importance to cardiovascular health and disease.
Labor epidurals and outcome

The use of epidural analgesia for labor continues to increase dramatically. It has been suggested that epidural analgesia increases the risk of cesarean section, operative vaginal delivery, and prolonged labor. These issues have been extensively investigated. The use of epidural analgesia does not increase the risk of cesarean section. It may affect the incidence of forceps delivery, but it depends on the medications used. Epidural analgesia does prolong labor, although the clinical significance of this prolongation has not been shown.
The Role of the Teacher in Children's Peer Relations: Making the Invisible Hand Intentional

Teachers must address both children’s academic and social needs to maintain a supportive and optimal learning environment. In order to successfully create and maintain an optimal learning environment, teachers’ influence on children’s peer relations in the classroom must be intentional. This can be accomplished by addressing how psychological research on children’s peer relations can be explicitly applied to the classroom context. This review addresses contemporary research in children’s peer relations during the elementary school years with a primary focus on how teachers can intentionally influence children’s peer acceptance in classroom settings. Teachers should intentionally shape children’s peer relations in their elementary classrooms through increasing their attunement to peer group affiliations, using classroom management strategies that foster intended classroom norms, and using classroom spatial arrangements effectively.
Static and Tuneable One-Dimensional Photonic Structures

Dielectric multilayer interference structures are widely applied in optics research and industry as low-loss reflectors, broadband mirrors, or filters. Commonly, such structures are called 1D photonic crystals due to the periodicity along the direction normal to the layer planes [1]. This chapter presents several approaches to create layered photonic structures made from organic or inorganic dielectric materials with static or tuneable optical performance.
Klaus Halbach, Undulator Pioneer

I am indebted to Karl Brown for suggesting that I invite Klaus, who I did not know at the time, to a workshop on wiggler magnets in March 1977. I recall Karl saying to me something like, “Herman, if you want someone who knows about magnets, you should invite Klaus Halbach.” Klaus came and even made a contribution about some aspects of the design of electromagnet wigglers, the only type of wigglers that had been considered to that time. However, it was at that workshop that Klaus got his introduction to synchrotron radiation, mostly by listening to talks by Albert Hofmann and Andy Sesler, who explained the marvelous properties of undulator magnets as radiation sources. Klaus filed this information in his long-term memory banks while working on other topics, particularly the design of permanent magnet quadrupoles for proton linacs.
Adhesion studies on dental enamel surfaces irradiated by a rapidly scanned carbon dioxide laser.

In this study, we investigated the influence of different laser scanning patterns on the adhesive strength of laser irradiated enamel surfaces both with and without post ablation acid etching. Previous studies of dental enamel surfaces ablated by a rapidly scanned carbon dioxide laser indicated that the highly uniform smooth surfaces produced by the scanned laser beam yielded low bond strength and acid etching was required in order to attain a high bond strength. However, since the enamel surface after ablation by CO 2 lasers is more resistant to acid dissolution it is desirable to avoid acid etching before bonding. The overlap between adjacent laser spots was varied to modify the effective surface roughness. In addition, small retention holes were drilled at higher laser intensity with varying spacing to increase the adhesive strength without acid etching. Varying the degree of overlap between adjacent laser spots did not significantly influence the bond strength with post ablation acid etching. The bond strength was significantly higher without acid etching with retention holes spaced 250-μm apart.
Alcohol Use and HIV Self-management

Joseph Perazzo, PhD, RN, is a Postdoctoral Fellow, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. (*Correspondence to: jdp118@case.edu). Allison Webel, PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Effect of Accelerators on the Heat Embrittlement of GR-S Vulcanizates

Abstract Two of the most serious shortcomings of GR-S type synthetic rubber are its poor resilience, leading to excessive heat build-up under severe stress cycles, and its property of hardening during exposure to heat in service. Heat embrittlement aggravates heat build-up and vice-versa, so a vicious circle develops which eventually leads to failure. The problem of minimizing heat embrittlement has received considerable attention, and much work on the subject has been published. Some of this published work is reviewed briefly below, and an account is given of certain experiments carried out in this laboratory. The results of these experiments enable some preliminary conclusions to be drawn on one aspect of the problem, namely, the effect of accelerators on the heat embrittlement of GR-S.
Addressing the Anthropocene

Environmental context We are entering an epoch – the Anthropocene – in which human activity is changing the face of the planet. To stabilise climate, we may consider deliberate intervention into Earth’s systems, on a global scale. Responsible stewardship requires that we develop a safe, economic and environmentally acceptable means of sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere. Abstract The Anthropocene is an evolutionary transition to an epoch in which human activity has become one of the most important Earth systems. To successfully navigate this transition, we must develop a fully integrated environmental science that anticipates the responses of the human system alongside other Earth systems. Applying this perspective to climate change, the signature global environmental challenge in the early part of the Anthropocene, we analyse the ongoing failures of climate policy and the prospects for serious investment in technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Medroxyprogesterone Acetate and Carbohydrate Metabolism: Measurement of Glucose, Insulin, and Growth Hormone During 6 Months’ Time

To assess the effect of injectable 6 alpha-methyl-17-acetoxyprogesterone (MP) on carbohydrate metabolism prospective investigations were performed on 49 women. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed before the initial administration of the drug and after 6 months of usage. Measurements were also made of blood glucose plasma insulin and plasma growth hormone levels at these times. Blood glucose levels rose in 85.7% of the subjects plasma insulin levels rose in all 49 subjects and a rise in weight was recorded for 77% of the subjects. Glucose tolerance curves prior to the administration of the drug showed 7 borderline abnormal and 2 diabetic. After 6 months this finding rose to 9 borderline abnormal and 3 diabetic. Fasting ambulatory growth hormone levels were unchanged. No mechanism for the changes that did occur are known. It is suggested that before any women are given this preparation a thorough test of their carbohydrate metabolism should be performed.
Adenoviral gene transfer of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) to the penis improves age-related erectile dysfunction in the rat

Nitric oxide (NO) is the principal mediator of penile erection. NO is synthesized by a variety of nitric oxide synthases (NOS). It has been demonstrated that a decrease in NOS activity, as observed in aging, is associated with a diminished erectile response. The objective of this study was to determine if adenoviral-mediated gene transfer of eNOS could reverse age-related erectile dysfunction in the rat. Two groups of animals were transfected with adenoviruses: (1) aged rats (60 weeks) with AdRSVbetagal; and (2) aged rats (60 weeks) with AdRSVeNOS. Five days after transfection, these study animals underwent cavernosal nerve stimulation (CNS) to assess erectile function and their responses were compared with young (20 weeks) control rats. Cross-sections of the rat penises transfected with AdRSVeNOS were examined after trichrome staining. Adenoviral transduction efficiency of beta-galactosidase reporter gene was measured by a galacto-light chemiluminescent reporter gene assay in cavernosal tissues of rats administered AdRSVbetagal. The transgene expression of eNOS was examined by RT-PCR in rats transfected with AdRSVbetagal and AdRSVeNOS. eNOS and iNOS protein levels were measured by Western blot analysis, and cGMP levels were assessed in cavernosal tissue by enzyme immunoassay. Adenoviral expression of the beta-galactosidase reporter gene was observed in cavernosal tissue for up to 30 days, with peak expression registered at 5 days after intracavernosal administration of AdRSVbetagal. Cross-sections of the rat penises transfected with the AdRSVeNOS revealed no pathological (morphological or histological) changes. Five days after administration of AdRSVeNOS, eNOS protein, mRNA and cGMP levels in the corpora cavernosa were significantly increased (P 0.05). In conclusion, enhanced expression of eNOS employing an adenoviral vector significantly increased the erectile response to cavernosal nerve stimulation in the aged rat, similar to the response observed in younger rats. These data suggest that in vivo adenoviral gene transfer of eNOS can physiologically improve erectile function in the aged rat.
Multiple Shooting Shadowing for Sensitivity Analysis of Chaotic Systems and Turbulent fluid flows

Sensitivity analysis methods are important tools for research and design with computational models like CFD. Traditional sensitivity analysis methods are unable to compute useful gradient information for long time averaged quantities in chaotic dynamical systems, such as high fidelity simulations of turbulent fluid flows. The Least Squares Shadowing (LSS) method has been used to compute useful gradient information for a number of chaotic systems, including a simulation of homogeneous isotropic turbulence. However, some LSS gradient calculations for the Kuramoto-Sivshinsky (K-S) equation and the Lorenz 96 system have a systematic error due to breaks in the assumption of ergodicity. Since these systems have similar characteristics to turbulent fluid flows, this ergodicity breaking error must be minimized. This paper proposes a new approach using LSS, Multiple Shooting Shadowing (MSS), which uses the multiple shooting implementation of LSS to reduce the size of the ergodicity breaking error by not running the multiple shooting algorithm to full convergence. This way, gradients are computed from an ensemble of solutions, rather than the shadow direction alone, making the method more robust to the ergodicity breaking error. In this paper, MSS is demonstrated for the K-S equation and it is found that MSS cannot fix the systematic error of LSS when the system has a wide range of chaotic time scales.
152 IS LOW-DOSE CONTINUOUS NATEGLINIDE AS EFFECTIVE AS HIGH-DOSE THREE TIMES DAILY NATEGLINIDE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES?

Purpose Nateglinide is a short-acting third-generation insulin secretagogue that is currently recommended to be administered three times a day before meals. However, this intermittent TID dosing results in poor patient compliance due to the inability to remember to take the pills. We hypothesized that administering nateglinide in a continual low-dose exposure over 24 hours would result in the same glucose control as it being administered at the recommended high dosage three times per day. Methods We conducted a double-blind, randomized, crossover study in 10 individuals with type 2 diabetes. Each subject completed 2 inpatient hospital admissions at the General Clinical Research Center. One admission involved giving nateglinide before meals and the other admission involved giving nateglinide continuously for 24 hours. Equal amounts of nateglinide were administered during both admissions. Subjects received a standardized breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Frequent blood samples for glucose, free insulin, and C-peptide were performed throughout the study. Results There was no statistical difference in glucose, free insulin, or C-peptide levels between nateglinide arms, whether it was given before meals or continuously throughout a 24-hour period ( p > .05). Conclusions Nateglinide can effectively be administered as a low continuous dosage in type 2 diabetes. Glucose control and insulin secretory response is the same when nateglinide is administered continuously or intermittently. Therefore, nateglinide compliance could be significantly improved by being administered once a day as an extended-release formulation.
Frances Brooke: Becoming a Playwright

ABSTRACTThe obstacles to having a play performed at the two patent theatres in London in the eighteenth century are familiar. The focus is usually on new-play-adverse production gatekeepers like David Garrick, but the limited opportunities to learn stagecraft are an equally powerful barrier. Understanding such things as blocking, casting decisions, and the possibilities and economics of set design and special effects not only facilitated acceptance for production, but contributed to the success of a play, as audiences had come to demand productions with spectacle and sound. The career of Frances Brooke offers the opportunity to see how a successful woman playwright learned stagecraft and used what she learned in two quite different plays produced in the early 1780s. Moreover, it uncovers the multidimensional collaborations that stand behind eighteenth-century productions. In 1773, after a long, successful career as a novelist, journalist and translator, Brooke took over co-managership of King's Theatre, t...
Generalized anxiety disorder. Longitudinal course and pharmacologic treatment.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a high-prevalence disorder with a relatively early age of onset. The disorder tends to be chronic, causes moderate levels of impairment in functioning and quality of life, and frequently is complicated by other Axis I and Axis II comorbid disorders. As a consequence, the focus of GAD treatment should be on long-term management strategies. This article summarizes available data on the longitudinal course of GAD, and provides a critical review of issues important to the long-term pharmacologic treatment of the disorder.
Game Theory Through Examples: Example: Sequential Quiz Show I

Prerequisites: Chapters 8, 12, and 16. Pre-Class Activity: Every student should bring a hard multiple-choice question with five choices for answers from another class. SEQUENTIAL QUIZ SHOW( n , m ): Three players, Ann, Beth, and Cindy, have a difficult multiple choice question with five choices. Starting with Ann and continuing cyclically, the player whose move it is can answer or wait. If the player answers correctly, the player gets $ n . If the answer is incorrect, the player pays $ m and is out of the game. If the player waits, the quiz master reveals a wrong answer (decreasing the number of choices by one), and the next player moves. Student Activity Play the game several times, using the questions brought to class. Candidates with Little Knowledge It is easy to play the game well if you know the right answer: give it when it is your turn. In the remainder of this chapter we will show how to play the game if the players don't know the right answer. We assume that the question is so difficult that the players don't know which choice is right, nor can they rule out any of them of being right. So, for the players each of the answers has probability 1/5. All they can do is guess. Although the procedure of revealing some wrong answers by the quiz master may recall the Monty Hall paradox, it is not related to it. After an answer has been revealed as wrong, either by a candidate betting on it or by the quiz master when a candidate waits, the probability of being right increases for the remaining answers uniformly. This is different from the Monty Hall paradox. Whenever a candidate faces, for instance, three choices, each could be right with probability 1/3.
Sensorimotor Integration: Barrels, Vibrissae and Topographic Representations

Neural systems are consistent and based in specific components grouped by location, connections, and function. In many animals, particularly mice and rats, brain components called barrels are directly related to specific body parts (whiskers) and are visible in brain sections with standard and special methods. This simple fact, coupled with the importance of information derived from the whiskers in development and behavior, makes basic studies of structure, function, and relevant genes and their interrelationships practical. Beyond providing data on normal brain function, such studies may enhance understanding of brain disorders such as mental retardation, dementia, stroke, and neoplasm and afford insight into the neural consequences and impacts of potential therapies.
What About Getting More Farmers off Their Farms

“The trouble with American agriculture is that there are too many farmers.” Some people still say this. They say that all we need to do is encourage still more farmers to leave agriculture, and the food surplus will disappear. In addition, agriculture’s income problems would be solved, too, since fewer farmers would share the total receipts of agriculture.
Cytogenetics of Hematologic Neoplasms

Cancer is a genetic disease that could develop either from a predisposing mutation followed by acquired somatic mutations or from an accumulation of somatic mutations that develop into a cancer phenotype. Many different types of DNA alteration have been reported in cancer, with some of the recognized forms being as follows: Subtle DNA or RNA alterations DNA methylation Changes in chromosome number (aneuploidy) Loss of heterozygosity Chromosome translocations in somatic cells rather than in germ cells Gene amplification Incorporation of exogenous sequences
The New Woman in Wales: Welsh Women’s Writing, 1880–1920

In 1909 two Fellows of the Royal Anthropological Institute edited a volume entitled Women of All Nations: A Record of their Characteristics, Habits, Manners, Customs, and Influence, in which Welsh women were hailed as forerunners in the march of progress. In a chapter on the British Isles, M.H. Morrison notes that, though ‘the English woman […] lags behind her husband’ and the Scotswoman ‘sits at his feet’, the same cannot be said of Welsh women. ‘[I]n Wales […] women take a very ample share in the life of the country’, claims Morrison, ‘they discuss with keenest intellectual alertness the gravest theological, ethical, and philosophical problems’ and ‘reveal a perfect passion for secondary and higher education.’ In higher education Welsh women were indeed in the vanguard of reform in this period: by 1888 they comprised one-third of the University of Wales’s students and were awarded full degrees. The 1889 Welsh Intermediate Education Act afforded girls the same secondary school opportunities as boys and succeeded in ensuring that the numbers of boys and girls in Welsh secondary schools were more or less equal by the close of the century.
Critical Limb Ischemia and the Angiosome Model

While conservative therapy options are available, the mainstay of treatment for CLI is revascularization, either surgical or endovascular. There are theoretical advantages to basing revascularization upon angiosomes; the six areas of the foot that correspond to areas supplied by the primary arteries and their branches. Intervention upon an artery which correlates with a lesion in the affected angiosome is direct revascularization (DR), and indirect revascularization (IR) is when the two do not correlate. Numerous studies have investigated the efficacy of both DR and IR on wound healing, amputation-free survival, limb salvage, and overall survival with variable results. Data suggests that there is a benefit to DR compared with IR, although IR in patients with collaterals or a patent plantar arch may be just as effective. This is true for both surgical and endovascular approaches without significant difference in outcomes, although surgical revascularization may be better in terms of overall survival in patients expected to live beyond 2 years of follow-up. Future work has yet to be done, particularly with randomized controlled trials, to determine the most appropriate therapy in individual patients.
A Systematic Approach to Programmatic Assessment.

Context: Accrediting bodies and universities increasingly require evidence of student learning within courses and programs. Within athletic training, programmatic assessment has been a source of angst for program directors. While there are many ways to assess educational programs, this article introduces 1 systematic approach. Objective: This article describes the steps necessary to create an assessment plan that meets the needs of the accrediting body, the program, and the athletic training students. Background: Assessment helps determine if the program's goals and objectives are meeting the athletic training students' needs. Program review cannot be accomplished in a manner that is helpful unless the assessment plan is systematic, planned, and ongoing. Recommendation(s): Effective and systematic assessment plans provide a framework for program evaluation, modification, and improvement. Conclusion(s): Assessment should be an ongoing process which creates opportunities for active learning. Clinical educat...
Ammonia sensor device using graphene modified with platinum

Gas sensing behavior of graphene with platinum nano-particles on graphene films was investigated. Synthesis of graphene was carried out on a copper substrate under the flow of methane and hydrogen gas mixture by a CVD process at the atmospheric pressure. The graphene films were transferred to different substrates after wet etching of the copper substrates. Graphene based device for gas sensing was fabricated using photolithography technique and lift off process. The device showed a better sensitivity when the platinum nano-particles are deposited on graphene surface as compared to graphene without platinum particles.
Optimal Design of Seismic Protective Devices for Highway Bridges Using Performance-Based Methodology and Multiobjective Genetic Optimization

AbstractThis study investigates the effectiveness and optimal design of protective devices for the seismic protection of highway bridges. The Painter Street Overcrossing is seismically redesigned with protective devices. Component-level fragility functions are first derived by probabilistic seismic demand analysis using nonlinear time history analyses that include soil–structure interaction effects and ground motion uncertainties. The bridge repair cost ratios are then derived using a performance-based methodology and the associated component failure probability. Results of the comparison of two initial protection designs show that the bridge repair cost ratios provided an efficient evaluation of the protective devices. Subsequently, a multiobjective genetic optimization method utilizing the Pareto optimal concept is employed to identify the optimal design parameters of protective devices for six design cases with various combinations of isolation bearings and fluid dampers. Finally, the repair cost ratio...
Reduced ability of calcitriol to promote augmented dopamine release in the lesioned striatum of aged rats.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that affects over one million people in the United States. Previous studies, carried out in young adult rats, have shown that calcitriol, the active metabolite of vitamin D, can be neuroprotective in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) models of PD. However, as PD usually affects older individuals, the ability of calcitriol to promote dopaminergic recovery was examined in lesioned young adult (4 month old), middle-aged (14 month old) and aged (22 month old) rats. Animals were given a single injection of 12 μg 6-OHDA into the right striatum. Four weeks later they were administered vehicle or calcitriol (1.0 μg/kg, s.c.) once a day for eight consecutive days. In vivo microdialysis experiments were carried out three weeks after the calcitriol or vehicle treatments to measure potassium and amphetamine evoked overflow of DA from both the left and right striata. In control animals treated with 6-OHDA and vehicle there were significant reductions in evoked overflow of DA on the lesioned side of the brain compared to the contralateral side. The calcitriol treatments significantly increased evoked overflow of DA from the lesioned striatum in both the young adult and middle-aged rats. However, the calcitriol treatments did not significantly augment DA overflow in the aged rats. Postmortem tissue levels of striatal DA were also increased in the young and middle-aged animals, but not in the aged animals. In the substantia nigra, the calcitriol treatments led to increased levels of DA in all three age groups. Thus, the effects of calcitriol were similar in the young adult and middle-aged animals, but in the aged animals the effects of calcitriol were diminished. These results suggest that calcitriol may help promote recovery of dopaminergic functioning in injured nigrostriatal neurons; however, the effectiveness of calcitriol may be reduced in aging.
DroidVisor: An Android secure application recommendation system

In current Android systems, the application recommendation function is an important feature that users can use to find a similar application to replace a targeted one. The current recommendation system provided through Google and the Google Play store presumably recommends applications similar to a target application while accounting for the popularity of each application. However, it does not take the security features of each application or users preferences into consideration when doing so. In this paper, we propose DroidVisor, an Android tool that provides users with fine-grained and customizable application recommendations. Compared to the Google store recommendation function, DroidVisor does not only use the similarity to a preselected target application, but also considers other metrics such as popularity, security, and usability. More specifically, DroidVisor provides an interface for users to configure the weight of each metric and a recommendation algorithm that generates a list of recommended applications based on the combined scores. We evaluate our proposed criteria and the quality of recommendation through use case studies. Finally, we present our findings through a discussion of accuracy as well as possible ways to improve our recommendation results.
Optimal Adaptive Designs with Inverse Ordinary Differential Equations

Summary Many industrial and engineering applications are built on the basis of differential equations. In some cases, parameters of these equations are not known and are estimated from measurements leading to an inverse problem. Unlike many other papers, we suggest to construct new designs in the adaptive fashion ‘on the go’ using the A-optimality criterion. This approach is demonstrated on determination of optimal locations of measurements and temperature sensors in several engineering applications: (1) determination of the optimal location to measure the height of a hanging wire in order to estimate the sagging parameter with minimum variance (toy example), (2) adaptive determination of optimal locations of temperature sensors in a one-dimensional inverse heat transfer problem and (3) adaptive design in the framework of a one-dimensional diffusion problem when the solution is found numerically using the finite difference approach. In all these problems, statistical criteria for parameter identification and optimal design of experiments are applied. Statistical simulations confirm that estimates derived from the adaptive optimal design converge to the true parameter values with minimum sum of variances when the number of measurements increases. We deliberately chose technically uncomplicated industrial problems to transparently introduce principal ideas of statistical adaptive design.
The Marginal Notes in the Abba Gärima Gospels

It is clear that, due to the age of the manuscripts of the Abba Garima Gospels and the condition in which they are preserved, some leaves of one Gospel manuscript have been inadvertently rebound with another Gospel manuscript. My presentation follows Garima I and Garima II, as titled, which have been graciously sent to me for this conference. For my personal study of the notes, I was fortunate to have access to copies made three times, first by D.M. Davies, then by Jacques Mercier, and now by HMML, the Museum and Library to which I am affiliated. Unfortunately, there are letters and words that might be lost forever unless there is a technology that can retrieve them. Also, a few people and many places will remain unidentified, at least for now, as it is not clear if two words which come following one another are names of one place or of two. As one will see, the method I followed is this: (1) editing the texts, (2) translating them into English, and (3) offering my views under ‘Commentary’. The Index helps when questioning if words that look alike are names of the same place or of different places. Conti Rossini’s edition of Liber Axumae (1909) and the study of its ‘Land Charters’ by Huntingford (1965) have been helpful. These notes are what one might call Land Charters; none of them is a colophon.
Chimeric Guides Probe and Enhance Cas9 Biochemical Activity

DNA substitutions in RNA can probe the importance of A-form structure, 2′-hydroxyl contacts, and conformational constraints within RNA-guided enzymes. Using this approach, we found that Cas9 biochemical activity tolerated significant substitution with DNA nucleotides in the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat RNA (crRNA). Only minimal RNA content was needed in or near the seed region. Simultaneous substitution at all positions with predicted crRNA–Cas9 2′-hydroxyl contacts had no effect on enzyme activity. The trans-activating crRNA (tracrRNA) also tolerated >50% substitution with DNA. DNA substitutions in the tracrRNA-pairing region of crRNA consistently enhanced cleavage activity while maintaining or improving target specificity. Together, results point to a prominent role for guide:target A-form-like helical structure and a possible regulatory role for the crRNA–tracrRNA pairing motif. A model chimeric crRNA with high activity did not significantly alter RNP assembly or target bind...
The Challenge of Measuring Surgeon Spending for Payment Policies.

OBJECTIVE Our objective was to understand the reliability of profiling surgeons on average health care spending. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Under its Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), Medicare will measure surgeon spending and tie performance to payments. Although the intent of this cost-profiling is to reward low-cost surgeons, it is unknown whether surgeons can be accurately distinguished from their peers. METHODS We used Michigan Medicare and commercial payer claims data to construct episodes of surgical care and to calculate average annual spending for individual surgeons. We then estimated the "reliability" (ie, the ability to distinguish surgeons from their peers) of these cost-profiles and the case-volume that surgeons would need in order to achieve high reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) >0.8]. Finally, we calculated the reliability of 2 alternative methods of profiling surgeons (ie, using multiple years of data and grouping surgeons by hospitals). RESULTS We found that annual cost-profiles of individual surgeons had poor reliability; the ICC ranged from <0.001 for CABG to 0.061 for cholecystectomy. We found that few surgeons in the state of Michigan have sufficient case-volume to be reliably compared; 1% had the minimum yearly case. Finally, we found that the reliability of the cost-profiles can be improved by measuring spending at the hospital-level and/or by incorporating additional years of data. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the Medicare program should measure surgeon spending at a group level or incorporate multiple years of data to reduce misclassification of surgeon performance in the MIPS program.
Understanding Misinformation in the Pro-tanning Communication Environment: A Content Analysis

ABSTRACTBackground: To respond to the Surgeon General’s call to develop, disseminate, and evaluate messages to reduce indoor tanning (IT) in the 2014 Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer, an understanding of the IT communication environment is necessary. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the most prevalent false or misleading IT claims. Methods: Pro-tanning websites (N = 78) were identified in a Google search. Using systematic quantitative content analysis, website characteristics were coded, as well as claims regarding health, safety, appearance/social, and mood/relaxation benefits of IT. All text appearing on the websites was reviewed and coded. Results: Two prominent types of claims emerged: health (86%) and IT safety (90%) benefits of IT. Within health, the most common claims were: (1) prevent health conditions (73%) and (2) a base tan provides protection from the sun (41%). Within safety, the most common claims were: (1) safe because it is controlled (81%) and (2) government regulat...