cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene expression profiling of epigenetic chromatin modification enzymes and histone marks by cigarette smoke: implications for COPD and lung cancer

Chromatin-modifying enzymes mediate DNA methylation and histone modifications on recruitment to specific target gene loci in response to various stimuli. The key enzymes that regulate chromatin acc...
The Promise of Collaborative Data Sharing Across Research Sectors

From survey data to big data, there are more data available about people than ever before. However, many of these datasets are locked away in ways that prevent or slow external use, which limits the value of all of these data. In the private sector, concerns about liability and intellectual property ownership limit data sharing, and the data tend to not be as rich or as carefully collected. For data collected by the government and academia, the pace at which data are released often limits the value of the data to external users. This chapter discusses some of the obstacles to improved data sharing and proposes a new approach that could produce better cooperation between data collecting organizations across government, academia, and the private sector.
Hinterland transport chains: a behavioral examination approach

Abstract A hinterland transport chain is the transport network on the landward side of a seaport, over which cargo moves to/from the seaport. A hinterland transport chain choice is jointly determined by seaports, dry ports, intermodal carriers, importers and exporters. In this paper, determinants of sea/dry port choice, shipper choice and intermodal carrier choice are deduced to also be determinants of hinterland transport chain choice. Furthermore, a behavioral model is presented that describes the joint choice of a hinterland transport chain, accounting for each of the above parties’ objectives: sea/dry ports seek to maximize throughput; intermodal carriers seek to maximize profits; and shippers seek to minimize logistics cost. The behavioral model is used in the analysis of unexplored areas in the hinterland transport chain literature, i.e. the fundamental issues of the existence and uniqueness of such chains.
Use of Posterior Hamstring Harvest During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population.

Background:Posterior hamstring harvest has been described in the adult population in a limited fashion, but no study is available describing the use of posterior hamstring harvest in an active pedi...
Negation, Denial and Language Change in Philosophical Logic

This paper uses the strengthened liar paradox as a springboard to illuminate two more general topics: i) the negation operator and the speech act of denial among speakers of English and ii) some ways the potential for acceptable language change is constrained by linguistic meaning. The general and special problems interact in reciprocally illuminating ways. The ultimate objective of the paper is, however, less to solve certain problems than to create others, by illustrating how the issues that form the topic of this paper are more intricate than previously realised, and that they are related in delicate and somewhat surprising ways.
Diverticular and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

This chapter deals with three colon diseases that have been recognized with increased frequency during the 20th century: diverticulosis of the colon, nonspecific ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease (granulomatous ileitis and/or colitis). Although diverticular disease is probably of different etiology than nonspecific ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s ileitis, all three have in common an unknown etiology, inflammation of the colon, an increasing incidence during this century, and suggested environmental factors in their etiology.
A Review of Recent Advances in the Understanding of Liquid Metal Embrittlement

Significant advances in the study of liquid metal embrittlement have occurred since 2000 but there have been few reviews of the liquid metal embrittlement literature since that time. This review discusses recent advances in modeling and testing. Specific solid–liquid systems (including steel exposed to molten lead–bismuth and aluminum–gallium) are reviewed. Relationships between various studies are considered and the need for careful test protocols is emphasized. The individual effects of wetting, crack initiation, and propagation are discussed. Mechanisms of liquid metal embrittlement including interatomic and mass transport-based phenomena are analyzed.
From grouped to de-grouped data: a new approach in distribution fitting for grouped data

Sampling within a given interval with a constraint has not been previously considered. Standard parametric simulation engines require knowledge of the parameters of the distribution from which a sa...
Prophecy and poetry: The Second World War and the turn to biblical typology in George Herbert’s The Temple

Rosemond Tuve’s Chapel Talks reveal that her demonstration of the connection between Herbert’s imagery and biblical typology is related to events of the Second World War. Her argument for Herbert’s use of typology is widely regarded as a reaction to William Empson’s ahistorical New Critical reading of Herbert. Her Chapel Talks indicate that her interest in typological imagery predated her dispute with Empson and are connected to her experience with mostly Jewish refugees at Black Mountain College in Asheville, NC. These talks illustrate the moral commitment behind her groundbreaking historical research and its relationship to theological movements leading to the Second Vatican Council and to a changed relationship between Christians and Jews following the war. As Tuve’s typological criticism was widely regarded as an influential vehicle for larger arguments for the value of historicism, her Chapel Talks suggest a connection of historical criticism to world historical events.
15N n.m.r. measurement of the in vivo rate of glutamine synthesis and utilization at steady state in the brain of the hyperammonaemic rat.

The rate of glutamine synthesis and utilization at steady state was measured in vivo in the brains of hyperammonaemic rats by 15N n.m.r. in combination with biochemical techniques. Rats were given an intravenous 15NH4+ infusion at the rate of 4.8 +/- 0.3 mmol/h per kg body wt. for 3.5 +/- 0.2 h, followed by 14NH4+ infusion at the same rate for an additional 5.1 h (chase period). During the chase period, blood ammonia (0.61 +/- 0.015 mumol/g), brain ammonia (2.9 +/- 0.3 mumol/g), glutamate (9.4 +/- 0.8 mumol/g) and glutamine (15N + 14N; 14.4 +/- 1.3 mumol/g) were at steady state. The rate of change in the cerebral [5-15N]glutamine concentration was measured in vivo by 15N n.m.r. at 20.27 MHz. To estimate 15N enrichment of precursor ammonia for glutamine synthetase (GS) in astrocytes which are interposed between cerebral capillaries and neurons, 15N enrichments of blood and brain ammonia were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The in vivo rate of glutamine synthesis, which is equal to the rate of glutamine utilization at steady state, was estimated, from the observed rate of change in [5-15N]glutamine concentration and 15N enrichment of brain glutamine, to be 4.8 +/- 1.1 mumol/h per g of brain if 15N enrichment of ammonia at the site of GS in astrocytes is equal to that of blood-borne ammonia, and 13.0 +/- 3.9 mumol/h per g if it is equal to that measured for the whole brain. The observed GS activity in vivo in the brain of the hyperammonaemic rat is 2-5% of the reported optimum activity in vitro measured at enzyme-saturating concentrations of all substrates. The result suggests that substrates and/or cofactors other than ammonia kinetically limit GS activity in vivo. The g.c. chromatogram and mass spectrum of ammonia-derived N-trifluoroacetyl-dibutylglutamate (TAB-glutamate) are shown in Supplementary Publication SUP 50170 (4 pages), which has been deposited at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, U.K., from whom copies can be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J.
Observer-based Controller Design for Systems with Derivative Inputs

This paper considers observer-based controller design for systems involving input derivatives. First, we analyze the class of systems with derivative inputs which appear naturally or in connection to other class of systems such as singular systems. Due to the presence of input derivatives, we provide a procedure to eliminate the derivative inputs in order to facilitate the process of stabilization by state feedback. The elimination procedure transfers the input derivatives in the output equations. However, we show that the observer can also be designed by using change of variables avoiding derivative inputs in the final observer equation. Consequently, we construct the observer based controller design and establish separation principle for input derivative systems. Numerical example is provided to support the theoretical result.
A Feedback Controlled MEMS Probe Scanner for On-chip AFM

Abstract Atomic force microscope (AFM) provides a unique possibility in nanoscience research and development for interrogation and manipulation of matter at nanoscale. Miniaturization of AFM significantly reduces the manufacturing cost and breaks the barrier to widespread adoption of this scientific instrument. This paper presents the characterization and control of a novel microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based AFM. For in-plane motion, the device is equipped with a micro stage with integrated electrostatic actuators and electrothermal sensors. For use in taping-mode AFM imaging, a microcantilever is embedded within the device, featuring a piezoelectric layer for actuation. Positive position feedback (PPF) controller is used to attenuate the highly resonant dynamics of the stage. Scanning performance of device is evaluated by tracking a raster pattern where a 50 Hz triangular signal is applied to the actuators along the X axis. To reduce the tracking error, turnaround points of triangular signal are smoothed by using an optimization method. Moreover, the closed-loop bandwidth is increased with inversion-based feedforward technique. A 50Hz optimal reference signal combined with an inversion-based feedforward technique results in a fivefold decrease in root mean square of tracking error compared with triangular reference signal.
Effects of the recurrence pattern on patient survival following SABR for stage I lung cancer

Background: Information on the effect of the recurrence pattern on survival for stage I lung cancer following stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is limited.Materials and Methods: The recurre...
Weightlifting Should Not Be Taken Lightly: Do You Know What's Happening in Your Gym?

Strength training or resistance training should not be confused with weightlifting. Weightlifting can put too much strain on immature bodies—especially when proper technique is forgone in favor of ...
The effects and costs of laparoscopic versus abdominal myomectomy in patients with uterine fibroids: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abdominal myomectomy (AM) and laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) are commonly see surgery for the uterine fibroids, several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have compared the role of AM and LM, the results remained inconsistent. Therefore, we attempted this meta-analysis to analyze the role of LM versus AM in patients with uterine fibroids. We searched PubMed et al. databases from inception date to July 31, 2019 for RCTs that compared LM versus AM in patients with uterine fibroids. Two authors independently screened the studies and extracted data from the published articles. Summary odd ratios(OR) or mean differences(MD) with 95% confidence intervals(CI) were calculated for each outcome by means of fixed- or random-effects model. Twelve RCTs with a total of 1783 patients were identified, with 887 patients for and 897 patients for AM. Compared with AM, LM could significantly decrease the blood loss (OR = − 29.78, 95% CI -57.62– − 0.95), shorten the duration of postoperative ileus (OR = − 10.91, 95% CI -18.72– − 3.11), reduce the length of hospital stay (OR = − 1.57, 95% CI -2.05– − 1.08), but LM was associated with longer duration of operation (OR = 16.10, 95% CI 6.52–25.67) and higher medical cost (OR = 17.61, 95% CI 7.34–27.88). LM seems to be a better choice for patients with uterine fibroids, more related studies are needed to identify the role of LM and AM for the treatment of uterine fibroids.
Building a Shared Resource HPC Center Across University Schools and Institutes: A Case Study.

Over the past several years, The George Washington University has recruited a significant number of researchers in a wide variety of domains requiring the availability of advanced computational resources. We discuss the challenges and obstacles encountered planning and establishing a first-time high performance computing center at the university level and present a set of solutions that will be useful for any university developing a fledgling high performance computing center. We focus on justification and cost model, strategies for determining anticipated use cases, planning appropriate resources, staffing, user engagement, and metrics for gauging success.
Econometric analysis of models with social interactions

Abstract This chapter discusses two main issues relating to the econometrics of models of social interactions. First, this chapter discusses the identification of models of social interactions. Models with social interactions are typically estimated with data on many small groups. For each group, the data typically consist of the outcome and treatment of each individual and perhaps other data like the demographic characteristics. The identification question asks whether it is possible to use such data to recover information about the underlying model that generated the data. And second, this chapter discusses the interpretation and policy relevance of models of social interactions. An important consideration in the application of models of social interactions concerns the adequacy of the specification of the model. Models of social interactions inevitably involve assumptions, either explicit or implicit, about the nature of the interactions. These assumptions often times entail significant restrictions on behavior that are not necessarily implied by economic theory for all applications. These assumptions also concern the relationship between the observed data and the underlying model that generated the data. Therefore, such assumptions are important considerations in the assessment of the adequacy of models of social interactions for particular applications.
Replacing cottonseed meal and sorghum grain with corn dried distillers’ grains with solubles in lamb feedlot diets: carcass, trained sensory panel, and volatile aroma compounds traits

In a randomized design study, lambs were individually fed with ad libitum access to 70.9% concentrate diets for 56 d in individual pens. The positive control diet (CNTL) contained cottonseed meal (CSM), sorghum grain, and cottonseed hulls, but no dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS). Four treatment diets were similar to CNTL but did not contain CSM. Corn DDGS replaced 0% (0DDGS), 33% (33DDGS), 66% (66DDGS), or 100% (100DDGS) of the sorghum grain in the treatment diets. At 48-h postmortem, the longissimus muscle (LM) was removed from the carcass, cut into chops, frozen, thawed, cooked, and evaluated by a trained sensory panel. Lambs fed CNTL were compared with 0DDGS using contrasts and linear and quadratic effects were evaluated among the four DDGS diets. Lambs fed CNTL had greater (P ≤ 0.03) hot carcass weight (HCW) and LM area than lambs fed 0DDGS. As DDGS incrementally replaced sorghum grain, marbling linearly decreased (P = 0.03), LM area tended to linearly increase (P = 0.06), and skeletal maturity tended to linearly decrease (P = 0.06). As DDGS incrementally replaced sorghum grain, flavor attributes quadratically increased to 33DDGS then decreased (brown, roasted, umami; P ≤ 0.03), quadratically decreased to 33DDGS then increased (metallic; P = 0.004), or linearly decreased (lamb flavor identity; P = 0.03). Volatile aroma compounds 2-(hexyloxy)-ethanol decreased and 2,3-octanedione and methyl pyrazine increased quadratically with an increase in DDGS (P < 0.05). Additionally, 2-heptenal, heptanal, and 2-pentyl furan increased linearly, while 2-butanone decreased linearly as DDGS increased in the diet (P < 0.05). Results indicate that carcass and sensory characteristics and volatile aroma compounds are not negatively affected, in fact brown, roasted, and umami flavors are enhanced, when 33% DDGS replaces CSM and sorghum grain in Dorper lamb feedlot diets.
Effects of Implementing a Comprehensive Opioid Reduction Protocol on Overall Opioid Prescribing Among Patients with Chronic, Non-Cancer Pain in a Rural Family Medicine Clinic: A Controlled Cross-over Trial.

Background: The opioid crisis presents many challenges for family practice providers in rural communities who treat patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). Unfortunately, evidence for effective opioid reduction strategies is sparse. We evaluated the effects of implementing a comprehensive opioid reduction protocol on overall opioid prescribing among patients with chronic non-cancer pain in our rural family medicine clinics. Methods: We compared mean daily milligrams morphine equivalent (MME) prescribed to patients with CNCP in our rural family medicine clinic (n = 93) with another matched clinic (n =93) after implementation of our comprehensive protocol. We also compared mean daily MME prescribed to our patients with CNCP before and after implementation of the protocol. In a subsequent cross over phase, we examined the effects of the protocol when applied to the original control group patients. Results: Mean daily MME in the intervention clinic (29.77) was significantly lower than the control clinic (93.2) after the intervention (t = 6.03; P Discussion: Our comprehensive opioid reduction protocol led to significant reductions in opioid prescribing in our rural family medicine clinics. Future studies should include important qualitative outcome measures such as patient function.
Community-Onset Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in Young Infants: A Systematic Review.

Objective To summarize and evaluate current reports on community-onset severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in young infants. Study design We performed a systematic review to identify reports published from November 1, 2019, until June 15, 2020, on laboratory-confirmed community-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants younger than 3 months of age. We excluded studies reporting neonates with perinatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure and diagnosis before hospital discharge and hospital-onset disease, as well as clinically diagnosed cases without confirmation. Two independent reviewers performed study screening, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessment. Variables of interest included patient age, exposure to COVID-19, medical history, clinical symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 testing, laboratory findings, clinical course, and disposition. Results In total, 38 publications met inclusion criteria, including 23 single case reports, 14 case series, and 1 cohort study, describing 63 infants younger than 3 months of age with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most cases were mild to moderate. Fever, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiac, and neurologic findings were reported. Laboratory abnormalities included neutropenia, lymphopenia, and elevated serum levels of inflammatory markers and aminotransferases. Fifty-eight (92%) infants were hospitalized, 13 (21%) were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 2 (3%) required mechanical ventilation. No death was reported. Conclusions Among young infants with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, most cases were mild to moderate and improved with supportive care. Our results demonstrate a need for a high index of suspicion for SARS-CoV-2 infection in young infants presenting with generalized symptoms such as fever or decreased feeding, even in the absence of respiratory symptoms.
Surgical Anatomy of the Parathyroid Glands

The superior and inferior parathyroid glands are derived from the fourth and third pharyngeal pouches, respectively. This accounts for their differences in terms of variability in anatomic location. While most parathyroid glands can be found in their normal anatomic position, there remains a significant percentage of supernumerary glands and ectopic glands, which not uncommonly reside in the mediastinum. Understanding the possible sites of ectopic parathyroid glands will help guide the surgeon during parathyroid exploration.
Transatlantic guidelines on dyslipidemia and cardiovascular risk: key differences across the pond.

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to compare and contrast the key messages from the 2018 American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC) Multisociety Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol and the 2019 European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemias. We also review some of the evidence that served as the basis for these guidelines and share our opinion regarding these guidelines. Recent findings Patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), severe hypercholesterolemia, familial hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes should be treated aggressively with lipid-lowering therapy. In addition to traditional risk factors included in risk scores, assessment of risk enhancers/modifiers may improve risk stratification. The addition of ezetimibe ± proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors plays an integral role in the management of very-high-risk ASCVD patients; the ESC/EAS guidelines support more aggressive use of these medications. Summary Both the AHA/ACC Multisociety and ESC/EAS guidelines provide an evidence-based approach to management of blood cholesterol. The greatest difference between these two guidelines is the classification and recommended management of very-high-risk patients. Implementation of either guideline will likely lead to improved ASCVD outcomes compared with current treatment practice. Video abstract http://links.lww.com/COE/A22.
Association between household exposure and cycle threshold in COVID-19 infected health care workers

Author(s): Chien, Ai; Domeracki, Sandra; Guntur, Sandeep; Taylor, Kristopher; Lu, Chuanyi M; Lampiris, Harry; Blanc, Paul D | Abstract: ObjectiveHousehold SARS-COV-2 contact constitutes a high-risk exposure for health care workers (HCWs). Cycle threshold (Ct) of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing provides an estimate of COVID-19 viral load, which can inform clinical and workplace management. We assessed whether Ct values differed between HCWs with COVID-19 with and without household exposure.MethodsWe analyzed HCW COVID-19 cases whose Ct data could be compared. We defined low Ct at a cut-point approximating a viral load of 4.6 × 106 copies per ml. Logistic regression tested the association of household exposure and symptoms at diagnosis with a low Ct value.ResultsOf 77 HCWs with COVID-19, 20 were household exposures cases and 34 were symptomatic at testing (7 were both household-exposed and symptomatic at testing). Among household exposures, 9 of 20 (45%) manifested lower Ct values compared to 14 of 57 (25%) for all others. In a bivariate model, household exposure was not statistically associated with lower Ct (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.20; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.97-1.51). In multivariable modelling both household exposure (OR] 1.3; 95% CI 1.03-1.6) and symptoms at diagnosis (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.15-1.7) were associated with a low Ct value.DiscussionHousehold exposure in HCWs with newly diagnosed COVID-19 was associated with lower Ct values, consistent with a higher viral load, supporting the hypothesis that contracting COVID-19 in that manner leads to a greater viral inoculum.
A low density wave's spiral pattern speed, from the tracer separations (age gradient) across a spiral arm in the Milky Way

We observe the density wave angular pattern speed OMEGA-p to be near 12 to 17 km / s / kpc, by the separation between a typical optical HII region (from the spiral arm dust lane) and using a HII evolution time model to yield its relative speed, and independently by the separation between a typical radio maser (from the spiral arm dust lane) with a maser model.
Global Marketing Strategy: Perspectives and Approaches

Global marketing strategy involves formulating marketing strategy across a range of countries. A number of different approaches have been taken in studying global marketing strategy, including the transaction cost perspective, standardization/adaptation, configuration/coordination perspective, global integration perspective, and the evolutionary perspective. Typically, each focuses on different decisions or aspects of global marketing strategy and corresponds in many respects to differences in the experience of the firm in international markets. Depending on the degree of experience in international markets, the firm must deal with issues related to beginning operations in global markets, refining and developing global marketing strategy, or consolidating/integrating global strategy. In beginning global market operations, the firm needs to decide which international markets to enter and how they should be entered, as well as the timing and sequencing of international market entry. As the firm expands within international markets, attention shifts to deciding how far to tailor various elements of the marketing mix to local market characteristics. Attention is then required to coordinate and integrate marketing strategy across countries and regions. The design of global marketing strategy is thus a continually evolving and adaptive process requiring an ability to respond to new demand and competitive factors as well as changing global environmental conditions and pressures. Keywords: global marketing strategy; standardization versus adaptation; configuration/coordination; global integration; evolution perspective; emerging markets
Family history: a special opportunity for psychosocial intervention.

Family history traditionally has been important in the diagnosis of rare genetic disorders. Recently, due to the development of potential interventions, the role of family history has expanded to identify potential risk factors for myocardial infarction or the presence of certain genetically determined birth defects. I would like to suggest that routine family history be expanded to highlight two common mental health problems that affect children: major depression and alcoholism. Major depression occurs in 3% of adult men and 4% to 9% of adult women.1 Alcoholism occurs in 1 of 8 adults in the United States,2 and 1 of 6 children has an alcoholic parent.3 Identification of these problems in parents and grandparents provides a special opportunity for intervention by pediatricians during health care supervision visits or when examining children with behavioral or developmental problems. The presence of either disorder in one or both parents is a good predictor of future psychiatric disorder in the child. Although some specificity of transmission has been shown, children may develop other problems.4 Two possible mechanisms may account for the transmission of either of these problems. The first is genetic transmission.
Research on the Phase Transformation and Separation Performance in Calcification-Carbonation Method for Alumina Production

With the rapid development of China’s aluminum industry, deficiency of high-quality bauxite reserves has become a bottleneck restricting for the healthy development of China’s aluminum industry. According to these issues, “Calcification-Carbonization Method” was purposed by Northeastern University for alumina production by using low grade bauxite. This paper researched on the transformation and separation performance in the new method. The experiment results indicated that: Al, Fe, Si transformed into hydrated garnet at 180°C and 245 °C through calcification treatment, and silicon phase changed into 2CaO • SiO2 through carbonization treatment. The settling performance of calcification slurry by using gibbsite is near to that of bayer process, when the settling performance by using diaspore get worse because of the solid content is higher than that of bayer process. Under the pressure of 0.18MPa, the filter constant of calcinated slurry are 4.18 × 10-5m2/s and 1.15 × 10-4m2/s for diaspore and gibbsite.
Nociceptor Hyper-Responsiveness during Vincristine-Induced Painful Peripheral Neuropathy in the Rat

Neuropathic pain accompanies peripheral nerve injury after a wide variety of insults including metabolic disorders, traumatic nerve injury, and neurotoxic drugs. Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, caused by drugs such as vincristine and taxol, occurs in cancer patients who receive these drugs as antineoplastic agents. Although a variety of remediations have been attempted, the absence of knowledge concerning mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain has hindered the development of treatment strategies. Vincristine, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, produces painful peripheral neuropathy in humans and mechanical hyperalgesia in rats. To test the hypothesis that alterations in C-fiber nociceptor function occur during vincristine-induced painful peripheral neuropathy, we performed in vivo extracellular recordings of single neurons from the saphenous nerve of vincristine-treated rats. Forty-one percent of C-fiber nociceptors were significantly hyper-responsive to suprathreshold mechanical stimulation. As a population, these mechanically hyper-responsive nociceptors also had significantly greater responses to suprathreshold heat stimulation; however, heat hyper-responsiveness was found only in a subset of these nociceptors and was never detected in the absence of mechanical hyper-responsiveness. In addition, mean conduction velocities of A-fibers and C-fibers in vincristine-treated rats were significantly slowed. Mean heat and mechanical activation thresholds of C-fiber nociceptors, their distribution among subclasses, and the percentage of spontaneously active neurons in vincristine-treated rats were not statistically different from controls. Vincristine does not, therefore, cause generalized impairment of C-fiber nociceptor function but rather specifically interferes with mechanisms underlying responsiveness to suprathreshold stimuli. Furthermore, vincristine-induced nociceptor hyper-responsiveness may involve alterations specifically in mechanotransduction in some nociceptors and alterations in general cellular adaptation mechanisms in others.
Cheating in Online Student Assessment: Beyond Plagiarism

Online student assessment features in many distance-learning programs. The prevention of plagiarism has been subject of much attention, but insufficient attention has been given to other problems of dishonesty in online assessment. We survey the types of problems that can occur and what can be done about them. In general, we believe educators are too unaware and/or deliberately oblivious to these problems, and most countermeasures proposed are insufficient. This paper was published in the On-Line Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Summer 2004.
Structure, dynamics, and heating of the solar atmosphere.

There is no observable level of the solar atmosphere where the magnetic field does not interact with the solar plasma to produce inhomogeneities, to accelerate flows, and to channel the flow of heat and momentum. At the level of the photosphere the motions are still largely hydrodynamic except where these motions have assembled the magnetic field into intense flux tubes, or where intense flux tubes have newly intruded into the atmosphere from below the surface. In these low layers, plane-parallel or mean models of the atmosphere are still very useful and capable of reproducing the center-to-limb behavior of most of the solar radiation. Inhomogeneities and the magnetic field can for many purposes be considered important, but local, intrusions into an otherwise homogeneous atmosphere.
New minimal structures for the implementation of PC IIR systems

Power complementary systems find applications in digital filter banks. The authors present two new structural representations that span the entire set of IIR (infinite-impulse-response) power complementary vectors. The first representation is in terms of complex planar rotation angles and gives rise to a lattice structure. The second representation is in terms of unit-norm vectors. The structures are also minimal in the number of both scalar delays and parameters used. >
Who Will Attend? -- Predicting Event Attendance in Event-Based Social Network

Human mobility prediction has received considerable attention because it helps addressing many practical problems in mobile networks. Most existing techniques focus on regular mobility prediction by studying the periodic mobility pattern of users. However, they fail to detect users' irregular mobility patterns, like attending a sporadic event. We address this problem by proposing techniques to predict event attendance based on the following basic idea: if a user is interested in events related to a topic, he may also attend future events related to this topic. In our solution, to learn how users are likely to attend the future events, three sets of features are identified by analyzing users' past activities, including semantic, temporal, and spatial features. Then, the supervised learning models are trained to predict event attendance based on the extracted features. To evaluate the performance of the proposed techniques, we collect a dataset based on Meet up that contains semantic descriptions of all events organized over a period of two years. Evaluation results show that the supervised classifiers built by all features outperform those built by individual features, and semantic features are more effective than temporal features and spatial features for predicting event attendance.
Poly[(μ-2-acet-oxy-benzoato)(2-acet-oxy-benzoato)-μ-aqua-mercury(II)].

In the title compound, [Hg(C9H7O4)2(H2O)]n, the HgII ion is five-coordinated by three acetylsalicylate anions and water leading to the formation of a coordination polymer extending parallel to (001). O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are effective in the stabilization of the crystal structure.
Addressing health disparities by building organizational capacity in the community: a case study of the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.

Native Hawaiians and other residents living in economically disadvantaged communities suffer disproportionately from many health conditions, especially chronic diseases. Reversing this trend requires a comprehensive approach encompassing more than just improvement in healthcare delivery. Indeed, societal changes at multiple levels must occur, including environmental, systems, and policy change, in order to bring about sustainable improvements in community health and wellness. A key strategy to accomplish these upstream changes is an increase in the capacity of community-based organizations to provide leadership in health advocacy, support community health promotion, prioritize resource allocation, and participate in community health research. In disadvantaged communities where health disparities are the most severe, community health centers (CHC) are well positioned to take a pivotal role in these efforts. This report is a case study to describe processes taking place at Hawai‘i's largest CHC to build organizational capacity and bring about upstream changes that improve community health and wellness. Ongoing processes at the CHC include (1) Institutional: commitment to address health disparities, expand the CHC research infrastructure, and develop a comprehensive worksite wellness program (2) Collaborative: development of a network of community partners committed to the common goal of improving the health and wellness of community residents, and (3) Systems and Policy: activities to strengthen the CHC's and community's ability to influence systems changes and policies that reduce health disparities. Preliminary results are encouraging although the processes and timelines involved require a long-term commitment in order to affect tangible results that can be measured.
Entangled-coherent-state quantum key distribution with entanglement witnessing

This research was supported by the DARPA QUINESS program through U.S. Army Research Office Award No. W31P4Q-12-1-0015. We would like to thank Prof. N. Lutkenhaus for a very helpful discussion. (W31P4Q-12-1-0015 - DARPA QUINESS program through U.S. Army Research Office)
CoSREM: a graph mining algorithm for the discovery of combinatorial splicing regulatory elements

Alternative splicing (AS) is a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism for gene expression regulation. Splicing decisions are affected by the combinatorial behavior of different splicing factors that bind to multiple binding sites in exons and introns. These binding sites are called splicing regulatory elements (SREs). Here we develop CoSREM (Combinatorial SRE Miner), a graph mining algorithm to discover combinatorial SREs in human exons. Our model does not assume a fixed length of SREs and incorporates experimental evidence as well to increase accuracy. CoSREM is able to identify sets of SREs and is not limited to SRE pairs as are current approaches. We identified 37 SRE sets that include both enhancer and silencer elements. We show that our results intersect with previous results, including some that are experimental. We also show that the SRE set GGGAGG and GAGGAC identified by CoSREM may play a role in exon skipping events in several tumor samples. We applied CoSREM to RNA-Seq data for multiple tissues to identify combinatorial SREs which may be responsible for exon inclusion or exclusion across tissues. The new algorithm can identify different combinations of splicing enhancers and silencers without assuming a predefined size or limiting the algorithm to find only pairs of SREs. Our approach opens new directions to study SREs and the roles that AS may play in diseases and tissue specificity.
Review of accommodation strategies in the workplace for persons with mobility and dexterity impairments: Application to criteria for universal design

The goal of this literature review is to gather, review, and summarize knowledge regarding accommodation of persons with mobility and dexterity impairments in the workplace environment and use that knowledge to inform universal design. Accommodations to the physical work environment, the use of assistive technology, changes in job requirements, and personal assistance have been noted in the literature as ways to support workers with mobility and dexterity impairments. Some of these accommodations are useful not only to people with disabilities, but potentially all workers. Other accommodations are specialized to meet an individual's particular needs. This review provides insight and direction to future research regarding accommodations of persons with physical impairments, and the future practice of universal design in the workplace.
Synergy of irofulven in combination with other DNA damaging agents: synergistic interaction with altretamine, alkylating, and platinum-derived agents in the MV522 lung tumor model

Purpose Irofulven (MGI 114, NSC 683863) is a semisynthetic derivative of illudin S, a natural product present in the Omphalotus illudins (Jack O’Lantern) mushroom. This novel agent produces DNA damage, that in contrast to other agents, is predominately ignored by the global genome repair pathway of the nucleotide excision repair (NER)2 system. The aim of this study was to determine the antitumor activity of irofulven when administered in combination with 44 different DNA damaging agents, whose damage is in general detected and repaired by the genome repair pathway.
Ammonium uptake in carrot cell structures is influenced by pH-dependent cell aggregation

Semicontinuously grown wild carrot (Daucus carota L.) cells were used in an investigation of the effect of culture medium pH on ammonium uptake in suspension cultures as a first step in exploring the relationship between pH and anthocyanin biosynthesis. In contrast to published data showing decreasing uptake rates with decreasing culture medium pH, ammonium-limited, semicontinuous carrot cell cultures showed a 25% greater ammonium uptake rate at pH 4.5 than at pH 5.5. When cells that had been grown semicontinuously in medium with a pH of 4.5 or 5.5 were grown in batch cultures at pH 4.5, 5.5 or 6.5 the ammonium uptake rates were those of the semicontinuous cultures, indicating that the pH of the batch culture medium had no effect on ammonium uptake rates over 7 days. The cell culture was composed of very small aggregates when it was grown semicontinuously in medium at pH 4.5, but was composed of large aggregates when it was grown semicontinuously in medium at pH 5.5. The aggregation/disaggregation of the cells was pH dependent, as changing the pH of the semicontinuous culture medium altered the extent of the aggregation. We conclude that the change in culture medium pH caused the cells to aggregate or disaggregate which in turn decreased or increased the rate of ammonium uptake from the medium.
Single-Particle Spectra Associated with High-Multiplicity Events in 800-MeV/Nucleon Ar on KCl and Pb

High-multiplicity events were selected in collisions of 800-MeV/nucleon Ar on KCl and Pb. In these events, projectile fragments are highly suppressed, and the angular distributions of high-energy protons are almost isotropic in a moving frame whose rapidity is ${y}_{0}$ (${y}_{0}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.60$ for KCl and 0.43 for Pb targets). Comparisons with inclusive proton data are used to estimate the relative importance of single and multiple $\mathrm{NN}$ collisions. Pion spectra in high-multiplicity events are also presented.
Skeletal muscle fat oxidation: timing and flexibility are everything

In order to examine the factors governing the timing and flexibility of skeletal muscle switching between fat and carbohydrate oxidation, Ukropcova et al. studied the effect of glucose and fatty acid availability on the preference for fat oxidation in myocytes cultured from human male quadriceps muscle taken from subjects with varied BMI, fat mass, and insulin sensitivity. The authors found that in vivo insulin sensitivity was related to a higher in vitro capacity for fat oxidation. These findings support the concept that the capacity of skeletal muscle to oxidize fat under appropriate physiological conditions is related to leanness, aerobic fitness, and insulin sensitivity.
Motor unit firing behavior during prolonged 50% MVC dorsiflexion contractions in young and older adults.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in motor unit firing behavior during prolonged contractions in young and older adults. Motor unit activity was recorded from the tibialis anterior of 16 subjects (8 young and 8 older), while they performed isometric dorsiflexion at 50% MVC until task failure. Mean motor unit firing rate, the standard deviation (SD), and coefficient of variation (CV) of the interspike intervals, and number of doublet discharges were calculated for a total of 52 motor units, tracked for an average of 92.9 ± 68.6 s. There was no age-related difference in the time to task failure. A modest decline in firing rate was observed in 71% of the motor units, with no significant age-related difference. The SD and CV of the interspike interval had a positive slope in 65% and 69% of the motor units, respectively, with no significant age-related differences. The number of doublet discharges remained stable throughout the contraction. Both groups exhibited motor unit dropout (discharge cessation) during the contraction. Thus, a fatiguing task producing modest changes in firing rate in young and older adults is accompanied by an appreciable increase in firing rate variability. The incidence of doublet discharges is not increased during fatiguing contractions.
The efficiency of multi-unit electricity auctions

Using a complete information game-theoretic model, the authors analyze the performance of different electricity auction structures in attaining efficiency (i.e., least-cost dispatch). The authors find that an auction structure where generators are allowed to bid for load slices outperforms an auction structure where generators submit bids for different hours in the day.
Inhibition by chlorpromazine of thyroxine modulation of flavin metabolism in liver, cerebrum and cerebellum.

Abstract In livers of adult rats that have been treated with thyroxine, the rate of incorporation of radiolabeled riboflavin into both flavin adenine clinucleotide (FAD) and FAD covalently attached to specific apoflavoenzymes was enhanced markedly. By contrast, thyroxine diminished riboflavin incorporation into FAD in cerebrum and cerebellum but continued to enhance incorporation into the covalently bound fraction of FAD. Diminished net incorporation of riboflavin into FAD in brains of adult rats may reflect increased utilization of this fraction for covalent attachment into specific apoflavoenzymes rather than down regulation of the FAD biosynthetic enzymes, flavokinase and FAD pyrophosphorylase, inasmuch as covalent attachment of FAD occurs subsequent to the formation of FAD. The psychotropic drug, chlorpromazine, over a wide dose range, exerted an inhibitory effect on both incorporation of riboflavin into FAD and the utilization of FAD for incorporation into covalently bound flavoenzymes in liver, cerebrum, and cerebellum. Thus, chlorpromazine inhibition of FAD metabolism occurred regardless of the direction of the thyroxine effect and was compatible with an observed inhibitory effect by this drug upon the flavin biosynthetic enzymes.
Lacunae and likeableness in the Big Five model of personality

Abstract In the abridged Big Five-factor Circumplex (AB5C) model of Hofstee, deRaad, and Goldberg (1991) each circumplex is divided into 12 facets, each of 30 degrees. Most facets contain several points representing the loadings of adjectives on the pair of factors involved. But 28 facets have between zero and two points. Significantly more such ‘lacunae’ arise in facets of the Factor I+ and Factor II− variety (heterogeneous blends) than in facets for I+ and II+ or I− and II− (homogeneous blends). Three studies examine different aspects of the overall hypothesis that most lacunae arise from inconsistent implications for likeableness associated with heterogeneous blend items. Study 1 examines the Anderson Likeableness values of adjectives falling in different types of facets. Study 2 expects raters to have difficulty assigning heterogeneous blend items correctly to their predicted factor membership. In Study 3, subjects rate the likeableness of items that explicitly pair adjectives of high and low likeableness. Results support the overall hypothesis that most lacunae are associated with incompatible implications for likeableness.