cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Actualism Has Control Issues

According to actualism, an agent ought to φ just in case what would happen if she were to φ is better than what would happen if she were to ~φ. We argue that actualism makes a morally irrelevant distinction between certain counterfactuals, given that an agent sometimes has the same kind of control over their truth-value. We then offer a substantive revision to actualism that avoids this morally irrelevant distinction by focusing on a certain kind of control that is available to an agent. Finally, we show how this revised view has two additional advantages over actualism.
ATXN2 Is Regulated by a Promoter Associated Antisense Long Noncoding RNA (lncRNA) (P05.030)

OBJECTIVE: Our study objective is to characterize the role of a novel ATXN2 promoter associated antisense long non-coding RNA ( ATXN2 -lncRNA) in regulating the spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 gene ATXN2 . BACKGROUND: SCA2 is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder caused by CAG repeat expansion in the ATXN2 gene. The ATXN2 gene protein product ataxin-2 is characterized by gains of function upon ATXN2 mutation, caused by expansion of the CAG-encoded polyglutamine tract in ataxin-2. In seeking ways to develop therapeutics for SCA2 that lower ATXN2 expression we discovered a long non-coding RNA encoded by a portion of the ATXN2 antisense strand corresponding to the ATXN2 upstream sequence and 59-UTR. The upstream region of the ATXN2 -lncRNA includes a CTG repeat (antisense of the ATXN2 CAG repeat). DESIGN/METHODS: ATXN2 -lncRNA expression in ATXN2 -BAC mouse cerebellum was determined by reverse-transcription PCR (rtPCR). The effects of ATXN2 -lncRNA expression on ATXN2 was studied in transfected HEK293 or SH-SY5Y cells by luciferase assays and western blotting. RESULTS: The ATXN2 antisense lncRNA is a spliced transcript with two exons of 56 and 429 bp separated by a 274 bp intron. The spliced 485 bp human ATXN2 -lncRNA was present in one online database, HEK293, SH-SY5Y, and cerebellum of ATXN2 -BAC mice but not in wildtype littermates, by rtPCR. ATXN2 -lncRNA-luciferase constructs with CTG58 or CTG100 had 30-40% reduced expression compared to CTG22 (normal length). CMV-ATXN2 -lncRNA expression reduced endogenous ATXN2 by 60% on western blots. ATXN2 -lncRNA driven by its own promoter reduced ATXN2 -luciferase expression by 30-50%; CTG length in the ATXN2 -lncRNA upstream sequence did not significantly correlate with the magnitude of ATXN2 inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: Increased expression of the promoter associated antisense ATXN2 -lncRNA was associated with reduced ATXN2 expression. We believe this is due to a sequence-specific interaction between the ATXN2 -lncRNA and the ATXN2 promoter. This study supports ATXN2 -lncRNA as a therapeutic target for the treatment of SCA2. Supported by: National Institutes of Health (R01NS033123 to S.M.P. and RC4NS073009 to S.M.P. & D.R.S.). Disclosure: Dr. Scoles has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pflieger has nothing to disclose. Dr. Thai has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pulst has received personal compensation for activities with Athena Diagnostics. Dr. Pulst has received license or royalty payments from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis: Do Not Get Fooled by Pediatric Knee Pain

Abstract Diagnosis of slipped capital femoral epiphysis can be easily missed by medical practitioners and lead to progressive deformity, prolonged pain and disability, and increased health care costs from unnecessary imaging or procedures. A review of slipped capital femoral epiphysis is presented, including etiology, presenting signs and symptoms, radiologic findings, management, and potential complications.
High fidelity adaptive cyber emulation

Having reviewed a wide array of tools to either implement user models or simulate network traffic, we were unable to find a tool that generates network traffic while maintaining simplicity, portability and extensibility. To overcome these issues, we introduce a new adaptive user-modelling framework for cyber activity emulation. Our framework supports the creation of high-level user models that can react to changes in their environments and vary the way they emulate cyber activity based on those changes. We create an illustrative scenario showcasing the framework's adaptability — a key feature most other tools are lacking. Furthermore, we show that our framework is also extensible, portable and more conducive to rapid development than other user modelling tools currently available.
Valuing Employees with Disabilities: A Chain Effect of Pro-Disability Climate on Organizational Commitment

Previous organizational research has focused heavily on organizational commitment, for employees in general, as well as for specific minority groups. However, there is a large gap in the research literature concerning the organizational commitment of people with disabilities. The current study contributes to the literature both by investigating the predictors of reported organizational commitment of people with disabilities, as well by examining organizational-level predictors, rather than individual-level phenomena. Additionally, rather than examining legal or compliance issues related to people with disabilities, as is found in most previous research, the current study examines contextual predictors of organizational commitment, pro-disability climate, pro-disability technology, and availability of flexible work arrangements. Structural equation modeling results suggest that there is a chain effect of pro-disability climate, which impacts the organizational commitment of people with disabilities through pro-disability technology and flexible work arrangements. Implications for both research and human resource practitioners are discussed.
Inhibition by Commercial Aminoglycosides of Human Connexin Hemichannels Expressed in Bacteria

In addition to gap junctional channels that mediate cell-to-cell communication, connexins form hemichannels that are present at the plasma membrane. Since hemichannels are permeable to small hydrophilic compounds, including metabolites and signaling molecules, their abnormal opening can cause or contribute to cell damage in disorders such as cardiac infarct, stroke, deafness, skin diseases, and cataracts. Therefore, hemichannels are potential pharmacological targets. A few aminoglycosides, well-known broad-spectrum antibiotics, have been shown to inhibit hemichannels. Here, we tested several commercially available aminoglycosides for inhibition of human connexin hemichannels using a cell-based bacterial growth complementation assay that we developed recently. We found that kanamycin A, kanamycin B, geneticin, neomycin, and paromomycin are effective inhibitors of hemichannels formed by connexins 26, 43, and 46 (Cx26, Cx43, and Cx46). Because of the >70 years of clinical experience with aminoglycosides and the fact that several of the aminoglycosides tested here have been used in humans, they are promising starting points for the development of effective connexin hemichannel inhibitors.
Skin test results with common and melanoma antigens compared to clinical outcomes of melanoma patients treated with intralesional (IL) dinitrochorobenzene (DNCB) or IL bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).

59Background: In a previous study involving in vitro serial testing in patients receiving IL BCG or IL DNCB we determined that measurements of serial in vitro phytohemagglutinin stimulation levels ...
Structure of CD26 (Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV) and Function in Human T Cell Activation

1996 was the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the cluster of differentiation antigen, CD26 by the Second Workshop and Conference on Human Leukocyte Differentiation Antigens1. First described as a T cell activation antigen, CD26 was found to he strongly expressed on subsets of both activated CD4 and CD8 T cells2. Subsequent work showed the expression of CD26 on activated Nk cells, B cells and B cell lines and demonstrated CD26 expression on a variety of different cell types, most abundantly on epithelia of the intestine, prostate and the proximal tubuli of the kidneys3,4,5. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that CD26 possesses enzymatic activity, dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV; EC 3.4.14.5), in its extracellular domain4 and is identical to the previously described adenosine deaminase (ADA, EC 3.5.4.4) binding protein6,7. Recent studies indicate that CD26 plays a seminal role in T cell costimulation and may be involved in severe combined immunodeficiency and HIV infection 8,9.
Hypermutation: give us a break.

Hypermutation and gene conversion appear to be distinct mechanisms that can explain somatic diversification of the antibody repertoire. Data in a recent Nature paper suggest unappreciated links between the two.
Aulas de campo para a alfabetização científica: uma intervenção pedagógica no Parque Estadual da Fonte Grande (Vitória/ES)

O ensino de ciencias pode se valer de atividades que valorizem o contexto ambiental e social, com vistas a ensinar pela observacao do lugar, do entorno onde vivemos, papeis que dialogam com as aulas de campo, as quais nao sao tao usuais no ensino de ciencias. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar as potencialidades de uma aula de campo no Parque Estadual da Fonte Grande (PEFG), municipio de Vitoria/ES, com vistas ao desenvolvimento de acoes capazes de permitir uma leitura critica de mundo e promover a alfabetizacao cientifica dos alunos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo intervencao pedagogica, com procedimento do tipo observacao participante e para coleta de dados utilizamos a videogravacao, o registro de fotografias, desenhos e relatos escritos pelos alunos. Enfatizamos, entre os resultados, seis categorias que apontaram avancos na alfabetizacao cientifica dos estudantes, os quais evidenciaram a apropriacao de um olhar critico em relacao aos fenomenos vivenciados em campo.
Beyond TILs: Predictors of pathologic complete response (pCR) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients with moderate tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) receiving neoadjuvant therapy.

572Background: Increased TIL in TNBC is associated with higher rates of pCR. High TIL is also associated with improved disease free survival and overall survival. The aim of this study is to identi...
Sustainability in the first-year experience: Taking library orientation online

Since 2012, Pace University in New York City has used a library scavenger hunt for the required library orientation for first-year undergraduates. As detailed in a 2013 article in C&RL News, the scavenger hunt replaced library tours and classroom sessions as undergraduate enrollment grew and individual class visits were no longer feasible. As student enrollment continued to increase each year, it became less manageable and more wasteful to conduct a paper scavenger hunt. Each fall, more than 1,000 students collected five separate sheets of paper in order to complete the activity. Not only was this a waste of library resources and an unacceptable environmental impact, it also required a great deal of Jennifer Rosenstein’s time to print the volume of clues and complete the data entry for the surveys. For fall 2016, she was determined to make the scavenger hunt as close to paperless as possible.
Narrative Possibilities in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats

Like the non-fictional exposes on which it draws, Ruth Ozeki’s 1998 novel, My Year of Meats, takes clear aim at the disastrous social and ecological consequences of global capitalism, exposing how profit-seeking ventures have created a climatic crisis of epic proportions in which animals and people live, and die, in horrid conditions. However, because it dramatically centres on the contradictions in the processes of the production and consumption themselves, in its form as a novel, My Year of Meats calls attention to the ideological limitations of the expose genre. This essay analyzes the novel’s potential to narrate the contradictions in the reigning system of production by examining the different modes of narration present within its own structure. The analysis is attentive to the specific ways in which the notion of contemporary cultural imagination unfolds in the story as a dialectic between the ideas of political possibility and those of its closure.
A phase II trial of cetuximab in high-risk premalignant lesions of the upper aerodigestive tract.

5528 Background: High risk head and neck premalignancy includes patients with prior HNSCC and loss of heterozygosity (LOH). These patients demonstrate 30-60% rates of progression to malignancy desp...
MRI and the Brain

MR imaging provides exquisite anatomical detail and is an invaluable tool in the assessment of brain pathology. This chapter discusses some basics about MR indications and commonly performed imaging sequences.
Rapid and progressive decline despite early intervention in a case of bilateral hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis.

Abstract Purpose To present a case of severe bilateral hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis (HORV) after uncomplicated cataract surgery with intracameral vancomycin. We present a report of a single patient with bilateral presentation of HORV that demonstrated classic features of the disease and progressed to profound vision loss despite early and aggressive intervention. Observations On initial presentation, the patient had good Snellen visual acuity of 20/25 PH 20/20 OD and 20/60 PH 20/30 OS with retinal hemorrhages in both eyes and sub-hyaloid hemorrhage in the left eye. Early therapeutic intervention with intravitreal corticosteroids, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents and oral steroids was pursued. Even with treatment, the clinical picture rapidly deteriorated with progression of occlusive and hemorrhagic complications in both eyes resulting in bilateral ischemic retinopathy and breakthrough vitreous hemorrhage. After a prolonged course of treatment including the aforementioned along with panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in both eyes and vitreoretinal surgery in the left eye, the final visual acuity was light perception (LP) OD and 20/100 OS. Conclusions and importance Hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis remains a feared complication of uncomplicated cataract surgery utilizing intracameral vancomycin. Despite early recognition and appropriate intervention, our patient still had a poor visual outcome with significant ischemic damage.
Finding Minima Algorithms

The learning process in supervised learning consists of tuning the network parameters (weights and biases) until a certain cost function is minimized. Since the number of parameters is quite large (they can easily be into thousands), a robust minimization algorithm is needed. This chapter presents a number of minimization algorithms of different flavors, and emphasizes their advantages and disadvantages.
Developmental Considerations in Consultation-Liaison Psychology

Developmental disabilities (DDs) are characterized by impairment in motor, cognitive, linguistic, or behavioral functioning. Pediatric patients with DD are overrepresented in hospital settings and exhibit a higher prevalence of medical conditions than the general population. These patients benefit from additional support from pediatric psychologists given increased rates of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. During the formulation phase of treatment, psychologists are encouraged to attend to developmental level, communication, preferences, and behavioral/emotional functioning. Inpatient care plans benefit from collaboration with caregivers, open communication, and environmental modifications. Psychological intervention models can draw from a number of evidence-based practices such as modified cognitive behavioral therapy, picture schedules, and social stories. Special considerations for patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include environmental and structural modifications to address challenging behaviors, rigidity, and sensory sensitivity. In the outpatient setting, warm handoffs and brief, targeted interventions can be utilized to address challenging behaviors.
Long-acting Injectable vs. Oral Antipsychotics: Adherence, Persistence and Switching over three Years of Real-life Analysis.

BACKGROUND Persistence and adherence to treatment are considered efficacy outcomes in psychiatric disorders. One of the best ways to improve these values in patients with psychiatric disorders is to prefer Long-Acting Injectable (LAI) drugs to oral AP. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to evaluate adherence, persistence and switching of antipsychotics and compare in real life long-acting with oral formulations. MATERIALS AND METHODS This pharmacological, observational, retrospective and non-interventional study involved all patients of the ASL of Pescara treated in the front-line with AP in the period between January 2011 and February 2019. Adherence was measured using the ratio between the received daily dose and prescribed daily dose. Persistence to treatment with antipsychotics was calculated as the daily difference between the beginning and end of treatment. RESULTS We examined 840 patients treated with aripiprazole, 130 patients treated with paliperidone and 925 patients treated with risperidone. Adherence was significantly better in long-acting formulations with values of 0.89 (aripiprazole) and 0.82 (paliperidone and risperidone) than in oral formulations with values of 0.78, 0.70 and 0.58, respectively (p> 0.999, p= 0.0091, p=< 0.0001). Threeyear persistence curves relating to three study drugs did not show a statistically significant difference (p = 0.3314). Persistence curves based on formulation have not shown a statistically significant difference (p= 0, 4658, p=0, 4794, p=0, 2199 for ariprazolo, paliperidone and risperidone, respectively). 7% of patients were treated with aripiprazole, 12% of patients were treated with risperidone and 28% of patients were treated with paliperidone switched therapy. CONCLUSION In all the drugs of present study, adherence values were better in LAI than in OA, whereas no statistically significant difference was found in persistence values.
Causal Structure Identification from Corrupt Data-Streams.

Complex networked systems can be modeled and represented as graphs, with nodes representing the agents and the links describing the dynamic coupling between them. The fundamental objective of network identification for dynamic systems is to identify causal influence pathways. However, dynamically related data-streams that originate from different sources are prone to corruption caused by asynchronous time stamps, packet drops, and noise. In this article, we show that identifying causal structure using corrupt measurements results in the inference of spurious links. A necessary and sufficient condition that delineates the effects of corruption on a set of nodes is obtained. Our theory applies to nonlinear systems, and systems with feedback loops. Our results are obtained by the analysis of conditional directed information in dynamic Bayesian networks. We provide consistency results for the conditional directed information estimator that we use by showing almost-sure convergence.
Exclusionary Zoning: Policy Design Lessons From the Mount Laurel Decisions

Exclusionary zoning takes many forms, but always aims to limit economic integration within certain communities. Understanding the effectiveness of programs designed to reduce exclusionary zoning yi...
Proposal to create discussion forum to consider evidence on theories of consciousness.

I consider the Doerig, Schruger, Herzog (this issue) paper to be a very important paper on the multiple empirical theories of consciousness (ToCs). The paper compared 13 different approaches. It wo...
Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes of Seronegative Pediatric Autoimmune Encephalitis

Background and purpose New diagnostic criteria for pediatric autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) have been introduced recently. A substantial proportion of cases of pediatric AIE are diagnosed as seronegative based on these criteria, and so the clinical characteristics of this group remain to be investigated. Methods This study included 46 pediatric patients younger than 18 years with suspected AIE. Clinical features, laboratory or radiological findings, and treatment outcomes were compared between seronegative and seropositive patients. Results Nine (19.6%) of the 46 patients were diagnosed as seropositive AIE. All of the patients with seropositive AIE had anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibodies. Commonly identified neuropsychiatric symptoms were altered mental status, cognitive dysfunction, seizure, speech dysfunction, and psychotic disorder in both the seronegative and seropositive groups. Immunotherapy produced favorable treatment outcomes in both the seropositive (n=7, 77.8%) and seronegative (n=35, 94.6%) AIE patients. Treatment outcomes for first-line immunotherapy were better in seronegative AIE than seropositive AIE patients (p=0.003), and hence a smaller proportion of seronegative patients required second-line treatment (p=0.015). Conclusions Pediatric seronegative AIE patients showed clinical presentations similar to those of seropositive AIE patients, with favorable treatment outcomes after immunotherapy.
Denormalization Strategies for Data Retrieval from Data Warehouses

In this study, the effects of denormalization on relational database system performance are discussed in the context of using denormalization strategies as a database design methodology for data warehouses. Four prevalent denormalization strategies have been identified and examined under various scenarios to illustrate the conditions where they are most effective. The relational algebra, query trees, and join cost function are used to examine the effect on the performance of relational systems. The guidelines and analysis provided are sufficiently general, and they can be applicable to a variety of databases in particular to data warehouse implementations for decision support systems.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation – A Decade of Experimentation and Continued Evolution

Over the last decade, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI or the “Innovation Center”) has lived up to its charge from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to “test innovative payment and services delivery models.” [1] CMMI was appropriated $10 billion of mandatory funding during 2010–2019, which will continue unless Congress amends the law, and these resources have been used to launch numerous models that are increasing in scope and reach. In 2016–2018 alone, CMMI announced or tested 36 models [2]. In 2019, major new initiatives were announced that stretch across the care continuum with direct contracting (DC) models that build on accountable care organizations (ACOs), primary care first (PCF) models, radiation oncology bundles, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) models, and even a low-acuity ambulance triage model. CMMI’s work has spanned Democratic and Republican administrations and Congresses, signaling bipartisan support for the entity and its mission.
By Precedent Unbound: The Nature and Extent of Unresolved Intercircuit Conflicts

For two decades, prominent judges and scholars have expressed concern that numerous intercircuit conflicts remain unresolved because the Supreme Court does not have the capacity to hear them. Other writers have disputed the existence of a problem. Congress, adopting a recommendation of the Federal Courts Study Committee, asked the Federal Judicial Center to conduct an objective study to settle the controversy. The Center in turn commissioned Professor Hellman to undertake the research. In this article, Professor Hellman describes the methods of the study, the underlying jurisprudential issues, and the results. He concludes that although the number of unresolved conflicts is larger than previous studies have suggested, the numbers alone give a distorted picture of the phenomenon. Most of the conflicts that the Supreme Court does not hear either do not generate any of the consequences that might make them “intolerable” or do so only for a short period of time. Overall, the study points strongly to the conclusion that unresolved intercircuit conflicts do not constitute a problem of serious magnitude in the federal judicial system.
A quantitative bioassay for extracellular metabolites that antagonize growth of filamentous fungi, and its use with biocontrol fungi

A bioassay and an empirically derived formula were developed to quantify fungitoxic effects. This bioassay can be easily performed and objectively read, and it is suitable for low-volume samples originating from aqueous or organic solvents. The formula defines the Inhibition Index (I), a single value that incorporates both the response to concentrations of the inhibitory compound and the persistence of inhibition. Antagonistic efficacy of metabolites produced by biocontrol strains of Trichoderma spp. were measured based on inhibition of growth of Rhizoctonia solani. Although the bioassay itself was not influenced by pH or light conditions, these factors affected metabolite production or activity. Aqueous extracts from light-grown germlings of Trichoderma virens inhibited R. solani more than extracts from germlings grown in the dark. Low pH increased the inhibitory activity of extracts from T. virens. Tests of fungal strains developed for biocontrol demonstrated that the bioassay reflected their activity both in the field and in other in vitro tests. The bioassay and formula are readily adapted for use with other fungi.
Holy Ground: The Klezmatics Channel Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie’s personal connections to Judaism and Jewish culture began with his courtship and marriage to Marjorie Greenblatt Mazia, daughther of Yiddish writer Aliza Greenblatt, and blossomed when he and his family settled in Brooklyn’s Coney Island. Out of this Jewish connection came a rich body of songs eventually recorded by the New York-based Klezmer band, the Klezmatics. With concert performances and two albums of Guthrie songs — Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah and Wonder Wheel — the Klezmatics were instrumental in furthering Nora Guthrie’s project (begun with Billy Bragg and Wilco’s Mermaid Avenue releases) to expand the parameters within which Guthrie has been received. Concerned that biographers and folk music critics had placed too much emphasis on her father’s early Dust Bowl Ballads while downplaying his later songs, Nora Guthrie argued: “He was a poet and a lyricist that wrote about everything. I don’t want to see him turned into a freeze-dried, Dust Bowl icon representing a narrow version of what somebody thinks he was. These songs are just one more facet of his work that will add to a fuller picture of him as a songwriter.”
The meta‐analytic big bang

This article looks at the impact of meta-analysis and then explores why meta-analysis was developed at the time and by the scholars it did in the social sciences in the 1970s. For the first problem, impact, it examines the impact of meta-analysis using citation network analysis. The impact is seen in the sciences, arts and humanities, and on such contemporaneous developments as multilevel modeling, medical statistics, qualitative methods, program evaluation, and single-case design. Using a constrained snowball sample of citations, we highlight key articles that are either most highly cited or most central to the systematic review network. Then, the article examines why meta-analysis came to be in the 1970s in the social sciences through the work of Gene Glass, Robert Rosenthal, and Frank Schmidt, each of whom developed similar theories of meta-analysis at about the same time. The article ends by explaining how Simonton's chance configuration theory and Campbell's evolutionary epistemology can illuminate why meta-analysis occurred with these scholars when it did and not in medical sciences.
The Influence of Social Network Ties on Recreation and Leisure: An Exploratory Study.

Social structural analyses of recreation and leisure experiences have traditionally focused on the influence of small, bounded activity groups, ignoring the extended personal and social networks in...
Process for reducing false negative mammography bilateral registration

Each woman presents slightly different risk factors that should be considered during mammography image interpretation to reduce the risk of false negative. Given the complexity of the risk situation, and the variety of practical and affordable image processing techniques available, processes and systems sensitive to individual risk factors may reduce false negative reports. Bilateral registration as a process improvement may help to reduce risk of false negative mammography by providing statistical objective metrics to identify regions of interest in screening at risk women for whom historic images are not available, or for whom historic images are not useable.
Risk Assessment of Chemicals

Risk assessment of chemicals is a process that results in a quantitative and/or qualitative estimate of risk posed by chemical exposure. It includes identification of the hazard, a dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization. The process of risk assessment continually evolves as science refines estimates of exposure and toxicity. There are two main types of risk assessment, human health and ecological, which have evolved separately to a large extent. Human health risk assessment is concerned with the protection of individuals. It considers hazard and risk to sensitive subpopulations, such as children and the elderly. Ecological risk assessment is concerned with protecting the environment and considers multiple species. Because the entity of concern is the ecosystem, the focus is on protection of populations rather than individuals. Both types of risk assessments typically utilize models to estimate the dose of chemical received and the likelihood that toxicity will occur in a particular exposure scenario. These models incorporate assumptions about exposure and toxicity, and must address both variability and uncertainty associated with risk estimates. Risk assessment is an important tool in managing potential public health and environmental impacts resulting from the use of chemicals. Keywords: risk assessment; hazard assessment; toxicity; uncertainty factors; dose-response relationship; deterministic risk; probabilistic risk; exposure; threshold dose; benchmark dose; ecological risk assessment
Hepatic Influence on Pulmonary Neutrophil Sequestration Following Intestinal Ischemia - Reperfusion

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) causes a myriad of systemic physiologic derangements including pulmonary neutrophil (PMN) sequestration, increased microvascular permeability, and adult respiratory distress syndrome. It has been suggested that the observed lung injury is mediated by transhepatic passage of portal venous blood from ischemic intestine resulting in hepatic Kupffer cell activation and cytokine secretion. The purpose of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that PMN sequestration and microvascular permeability reflect Kupffer cell activity and/or portal venous blood flow. Experiments were designed to independently test the contribution of (1) Kupffer cell activity and (2) portal venous blood flow. In the first set of experiments, Kupffer cells were eliminated by treatment with gadolinium chloride 10 mg/kg iv (KC-ablated, n = 11). Control rats were treated with saline (KC-intact, n = 10). Intestinal ischemia was induced by SMA occlusion for 2 hr followed by 2 hr of reperfusion. In additional studies, the liver was excluded from the circulation by creation of a complete portosystemic shunt (portal vein to right femoral vein; shunt, n = 23). Control rats were treated by insertion of a loop of tubing within the intact portal vein (sham, n = 23). Intestinal ischemia was induced by SMA occlusion for 15 min followed by reperfusion for 1-3 hr. In both models, lung PMN accumulation and pulmonary microvascular permeability were assessed by myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and 125I-albumin lung/blood ratio (AL/BR), respectively. Kupffer cell elimination had no effect on PMN accumulation (MPO: KC-intact 29 +/- 8 vs KC-ablated 26 +/- 5 delta A/min/g; P = NS) or microvascular permeability (AL/BR: KC-intact 0.22 +/- 0.01 vs KC-ablated 0.23 +/- 0.03; P = NS). Hepatic exclusion also had no effect on either PMN accumulation or permeability after reperfusion for 1 hr (MPO: sham 38 +/- 12 vs shunt 42 +/- 14 delta A/min/ g; AL/BR: sham 0.24 +/- 0.02 vs shunt 0.23 +/- 0.03; P = NS), 2 hr (MPO: sham 27 +/- 5 vs shunt 29 +/- 7 delta A/min/g; AL/ BR: sham 0.29 +/- 0.02 vs shunt 0.26 +/- 0.05; P = NS), or 3 hr (MPO: sham 24 +/- 12 vs shunt 32 +/- 7 delta A/min/g; AL/ BR: sham 0.33 +/- 0.03 vs shunt 0.33 +/- 0.01; P = NS). In this animal model, pulmonary PMN sequestration and microvascular permeability following intestinal I/R are independent of hepatic portal blood flow and Kupffer cell activity.
Opportunity knocked and no one was home: Aspinothoracid arthrodires (Placodermi) from the Ohio Shale Formation (Upper Devonian, North America)

Abstract The vertebrate fauna from the Ohio Shale formation is a key element to our understanding of aspinothoracid arthrodires. Many of the original descriptions for taxa from this important fauna are based on incomplete material or lack phylogenetic analyses. An ongoing study already has provided redescriptions of a number of these taxa based on a wealth of new material recovered from the Interstate 71 Paleontological Salvage Project. Continuing work centers on remaining problematic taxa from the Ohio Shale. Further analysis of this fauna will provide important information for phylogenetic studies and our understanding of the complex history of the Upper Devonian.
Decreasing functional responses as a result of adaptive consumer behavior

Several different mechanisms that may produce decreasing functional responses are investigated using models that assume that an optimally foraging consumer is exploiting one or two resources. Decreasing functional responses are associated with situations in which there are costs to resource consumption. If the process of resource acquisition has costs, decreasing functional responses may occur when there is a single homogeneous resource. If the cost is solely a function of the amount of resource ingested, decreasing functional responses on a single resource do not occur. Both types of cost can produce decreasing functional responses when there are two resource types and a trade-off relationship between consumption of one and consumption of the other. Decreasing functional responses seem to be most likely to occur on a food that yields high benefits and costs per unit of foraging time or effort when there is an alternative resource which yields low benefits and costs. Given this type of foraging choice, the functional response is most likely to decrease when the benefits of ingestion increase at a decreasing rate, and the costs of ingestion increase at an increasing rate with amount ingested. An important and unique consequence of decreasing functional responses is the possibility of population cycles in differential equation models of consumer-resource systems with non-reproducing resources; this is illustrated with a simple comsumer-resource model.
Adaptive Fuzzy System for Disassembly Process Planning with Uncertainty

Disassembly is rapidly growing in importance as manufacturers face increasing pressure to deal with obsolete products in an environmentally responsible and economically sound manner. This paper builds upon our previous work to address uncertainty management in disassembly. By taking advantage of fuzzy logic and the formalism of Petri nets, this paper proposes a Fuzzy Disassembly Petri Net (F-DPN) model to mathematically represent uncertain product/component conditions. An adaptive fuzzy system with an iterative learning mechanism is then designed to dynamically estimate their impact on a disassembly process. Finding the disassembly path of a discarded product with the highest economic value and prediction confidence is accomplished through a recursive computation. The proposed method is exemplified and validated through the disassembly of a batch of telephone handsets.
Plasmacytomas of the head and neck

Plasmacytomas are rare tumors that often appear in the head and neck region and are characterized by a monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells. On both clinical presentation and pathologic examination these tumors may be confused with more common tumors of the head and neck. The purpose of this article is to review our experience with these rare neoplasms, with emphasis on clinical, pathologic, and therapeutic features. On retrospective chart review, we identified 20 patients with the diagnosis of plasmacytoma of the head and neck region at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation between 1976 and 1993. Records were reviewed with regard to initial symptoms, location of the neoplasm, diagnostic evaluation, treatment modalities, and survival. Of the 20 cases we identified, the tumor arose in the sinonasal/nasopharyngeal region in 11 (55%). Two cases (10%) represented medullary plasmacytomas, arising in the clavicle and presenting as supraclavicular masses. The mean follow-up was 60.2 months (range 6 to 131 months). In 15 of the 20 cases, immunohistochemistry staining for immunoglobulin light chain production was conducted. One of the two cases (50%) classified as medullary plasmacytoma demonstrated conversion to multiple myeloma, whereas only 2 of 18 cases of extramedullary plasmacytoma (11%) converted to multiple myeloma. The primary modality of treatment was radiation therapy with typical doses of 4500 to 6000 cGy. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates demonstrated 95% survival at 1 year, 82% survival at 5 years, and 10-year estimated survival of 72%. Plasmacytomas of the head and neck region are rare and on initial evaluation must be distinguished from multiple myeloma. The diagnostic evaluation includes appropriate radiologic and pathologic studies including immunohistochemistry. Despite the typical presentation as a locally destructive tumor, plasmacytomas are highly radiosensitive, and 70% to 80% survival may be obtained with the use of radiotherapy. Patients with plasmacytomas require long-term follow-up to detect conversion to multiple myeloma.
Prediction of Successful Ventilator Weaning Using Airway Occlusion Pressure and Hypercapnic Challenge

We studied eleven patients during 14 attempts at weaning from mechanical ventilation to determine whether central ventilatory drive, measured as airway occlusion pressure 0.1 s after onset of inspiration (P 0.1), during spontaneous breathing before and during a brief hypercapnic challenge, could accurately predict the success or failure of the attempt. All patients were recovering from acute respiratory failure and could breathe spontaneously for 20 minutes on a T-piece but were judged clinically to be marginal weaning candidates. Minute ventilation (VI) and P 0.1 were measured while breathing spontaneously and were repeated during a hypercapnic challenge that raised end-tidal PCO2 approximately 10 mm Hg. Seven of the 14 weaning attempts were unsuccessful, requiring reinstitution of mechanical ventilation. Although the failure group had lower mean maximum inspiratory force and higher spontaneous respiratory rate, no threshold value separated the failure from the success group. Ventilation increased more during hypercapnic challenge in those patients whose weaning attempt was successful, but overlap of results between the two groups rendered this test inaccurate for predicting weaning success. In contrast, successfully weaned patients had greater augmentation of P 0.1 during hypercapnia, expressed as the ratio of P 0.1 during CO2-stimulated to P 0.1 during baseline values, than did those who failed weaning (p less than 0.005). This ratio succeeded, and was thus both specific and sensitive as a predictor of successful weaning from mechanical ventilation in these patients.
Identifying salient poses in lecture videos

The communicative importance of gestures in teaching environments have been widely studied. Two classes of gestures — point and spread gestures — have been identified to indicate pedagogical importance in teaching discourse [1]. In this work, we propose a system for the identification of the poses of point and spread gestures as a preliminary step toward their identification in low-quality unstructured videos. We use a joint-angle descriptor derived from an automatic pose estimation framework to train an SVM in order to classify extracted video frames of an instructor giving a lecture. Ground-truth is collected in the form of 2500 manually annotated frames covering approximately 20 minutes of a video lecture. Cross validation on the ground-truth data showed initial classifier F-scores of 0.54 and 0.39 for point and spread poses.
Macronutrient Needs of Active Individuals: An Update

The macronutrient needs of active individuals have been extensively studied to determine how their needs may differ from those of sedentary individuals and how the amount and timing of macronutrient intakes can improve health and performance. From this research, macronutrient recommendations for act
Computer-Assisted Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Human Dermal Dendrocytes

We attempted to characterize the three-dimensional structure of dermal dendrocytes and to clarify the spatial relationships between dermal dendrocytes and mast cells, macrophages, and nerves. Normal human adult skin (breast, n = 2) was routinely processed for electron microscopy. Every other section (about 50 per data set) was collected at 80-nm intervals traversing about 8 microns of tissue. Grids showing the same cells were photographed by electron microscopy at a magnification of 4000x. Based on the 10-20 photographs per data set, cell outlines were digitized into the reconstruction program at appropriate layers and aligned. Thin, elongated cytoplasmic "dendrites" of dermal dendrocytes in two-dimensional micrographs proved to be thin, membrane-bound flaps in three-dimensional reconstruction. For dermal dendrocytes concentrated about superficial vessels (perivascular dendrocytes), the flaps enshrouded the vessel wall, and for dermal dendrocytes directly beneath the epidermis (subepidermal dendrocytes), these flaps were aligned parallel to the dermal-epidermal junction. The three-dimensional feature of dermal dendrocytes (perivascular and subepidermal) is quite similar to that of perivascular adventitial veil cells, suggesting ultrastructurally identified perivascular dendrocytes and veil cells must be identical cells. In conventional ultrathin sections, 20-40% of perivascular dendrocytes and occasional subepidermal dendrocytes were closely associated with mast cells. When viewed by computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction, membrane flaps of dermal dendrocytes consistently shrouded mast cell membranes for 50-90% of their perimeter; mast cells resembled a ball in a baseball glove (dermal dendrocytes). Occasional dermal dendrocytes surrounded non-myelinated nerves in the superficial dermis. Membrane flaps also enabled dermal dendrocytes to present extensive areas to the plasma membranes of adjacent monocyte/macrophages. These findings indicate that dermal dendrocytes are non-dendritic cells that are spatially related to mast cells, monocyte/macrophages, microvessels, and nerves by their membranous flaps. This suggests the need for further study of functional interactions between these cells.
Once-daily budesonide aqueous nasal spray for allergic rhinitis: A review

Abstract Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a highly prevalent inflammatory condition with substantial direct and indirect costs. Intranasal corticosteroids are recommended as first-line therapy for moderate to severe persistent AR. Intranasal budesonide is effective and well tolerated; budesonide aqueous nasal spray (BANS) offers several advantages of potential importance to patients, including once-daily dosing at a low volume of spray in a formulation that is free of chlorofluorocarbon propellants, alcohol, benzalkonium chloride, and scents. Objective: This article reviews the findings of randomized, blinded studies assessing the efficacy, safety profile, quality-of-life effects, patient preference, and cost-effectiveness of once-daily BANS in the treatment of AR. Methods: A MEDLINE search (1966-April 2003) was conducted to identify potentially relevant English-language articles. Pertinent abstracts from recent allergy society meetings were also identified. The search strategy employed the medical subject heading terms budesonide, intranasal corticosteroid , or nasal steroid and allergic rhinitis . Selected studies were randomized, controlled clinical trials of once-daily BANS in patients with AR. Results: Based on the results of randomized, double-blind, controlled trials, once-daily BANS is an effective treatment for both seasonal and perennial AR at doses as low as 64 μg (one 32-μg spray per nostril). BANS was well tolerated in these studies, with an adverse-event profile similar to that of placebo, and caused no clinically meaningful suppression of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function at doses 4-fold higher than the recommended starting dose. Once-daily administration of BANS 64 μg was similar in efficacy to mometasone furoate nasal spray 200 μg once daily; comparable doses of BANS and fluticasone propionate nasal spray (FPNS) were similar in efficacy as well. Based on specific sensory attributes, patients preferred BANS to FPNS at the recommended once-daily starting doses. BANS was associated with more days of treatment per prescription at a lower cost per day compared with other intranasal corticosteroids. Conclusions: Based on the studies reviewed, BANS administered once daily is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for seasonal and perennial AR in both children and adults. Due to its sensory attributes, efficacy, safety profile, and relatively low cost, BANS may help improve patient adherence.
Impaired selection of relevant positive information in depression

Background: A hallmark characteristic of depression is the inability to regulate the effect of emotional material on cognition. Previous research has demonstrated that depressed individuals are less able than are nondepressed persons to expel irrelevant negative information from working memory (WM), thereby exacerbating the effects of negative content on cognition. The primary goal of this study was to examine whether depressed individuals are also impaired at selecting relevant positive content in the context of representations competing for resources in WM; such an impairment would limit depressed persons' ability to use positive material to ameliorate the cognitive effects of negative information. Methods: We administered a Recency-probes task with neutral, positive, and negative words to 20 currently depressed and 22 never-depressed participants. This task assesses the selection of relevant content in WM by inducing interference between current and prior representations of a stimulus in WM. Reaction times to interference and noninterference trials were compared across valence and group to assess how effectively depressed individuals select task-relevant emotional content to resolve interference. Results: Compared to never-depressed controls, depressed individuals were impaired in selecting task-relevant positive stimuli; the performance of the two groups was comparable for selecting task-relevant neutral and negative stimuli. Conclusions: Findings indicate that a valence-specific deficit in WM may contribute to the inability of depressed individuals to regulate emotion, and provide empirical support for formulations that implicate positive insensitivity in the maintenance of depression. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. Published 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.