cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcohol is associated with a lower pneumonia rate after traumatic brain injury.

Background Recent evidence supports the beneficial effect of alcohol on patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Pneumonia is a known complication following TBI; thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of alcohol on pneumonia rates following moderate to severe TBI. Methods From 2005 to 2009, the Los Angeles County Trauma Database was queried for all patients ≥14 y of age with isolated moderate to severe TBI and admission serum alcohol levels. The incidence of pneumonia was compared between TBI patients with and without a positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level. The study population was then stratified into four BAC levels: None (0 mg/dL), low (0–100 mg/dL), moderate (100–230 mg/dL), and high (≥230 mg/dL). Pneumonia rates were compared across these levels. Results A total of 3547 patients with isolated, moderate to severe TBI were evaluated. Nearly 66% tested positive for alcohol. The pneumonia rate was significantly lower in the TBI patients who tested positive for alcohol (2.5%) compared with those who tested negative (4.0%, P = 0.017). The pneumonia rate also decreased across increasing BAC levels (linear trend P = 0.03). After logistic regression analysis, a positive ethanol (ETOH) level was associated with a reduced incidence of pneumonia (AOR = 0.62; 95%CI: 0.41–0.93; P = 0.020). Conclusion A positive serum alcohol level was associated with a significantly lower pneumonia rate in isolated, moderate to severe TBI patients. This may explain the observed mortality reduction in TBI patients who test positive for alcohol. Additional research is warranted to investigate the potential therapeutic implications of this association.
Preparation and properties of dimethyl phosphonomethyl methylsiloxane dimethylsiloxane copolymers

Dimethyl phosphonomethylheptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (II) and 1, 3-bis(dimethyl phosphonomethyl)tetramethyldisiloxane (III) have been prepared by Arbuzov reaction of trimethyl phosphite with bromomethylheptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (I) and 1, 3-bis(bromomethyl)tetramethyldisiloxane, respectively. Dimethyl phosphonomethylmethylsiloxane dimethylsiloxane copolymers have been prepared by acid-catalyzed ring-opening polymerization of II with hexamethyldisiloxane (MM) as an end-capping reagent and by reaction of II with III as an end-capping reagent. Dimethylsiloxane polymers with dimethyl phosphonomethyldimethylsiloxy end groups have been prepared by acid-catalyzed polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and III. Under these conditions hydrolysis of the dimethyl phosphonate ester groups was a problem. On the other hand Arbuzov reaction of trimethyl phosphite with bromomethylmethylsiloxane dimethylsiloxane copolymer gave a dimethyl phosphonomethylmethylsiloxane dimethylsiloxane copolymer with uniform properties. These polymers have been characterized by 1H-, 13C-, 29Si-, and 31P-NMR spectroscopy. Their molecular weight distributions have been determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and their thermal stability measured by TGA.
Ethical implications of using the paro robot with a focus on dementia patient care

This paper examines the ability of the Paro robot to improve the lives of elderly dementia patients by applying modern technology to medicine, Paro is not intended to be a replacement for social interaction with people or animals. Some patients who know Paro is a robot still enjoy using the robotic seal, and it can calm patients who are otherwise unreachable, Robots like Paro which mimic the behaviors of pets offer excellent opportunities to connect with challenging patients; however they raise concerns regarding patient rights and autonomy, While such concerns are worthy of consideration, which we discuss in this paper, we nonetheless conclude that the benefits of using such a treatment tool outweigh its potential risks.
The scalenus anticus syndrome as a complication after gynecologic operations

Summary The syndrome of neurocirculatory compression by lesions of the scalenus anticus muscle is reviewed, and four cases illustrating this syndrome are presented. 1. This syndrome may result from the faulty positioning of the patient on the operating table. Injury to the scalenus anticus muscle may be caused by shoulder braces when the patient is maintained in Trendelenburg position, especially when one arm is abducted for intravenous fluid administration and when the head is hyperextended during the administration of the anesthetic. 2. Prophylactic measures relate to protection of the scalenus muscle during the operation.
Isolation of large numbers of enriched human megakaryocytes from liquid cultures of normal peripheral blood progenitor cells

Investigations linking human megakaryocyte development and cell biology have been hindered by an inability to obtain large, relatively pure megakaryocyte cell preparations from in vitro stem cell cultures. We report here that such preparations can be generated from liquid cultures of normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated by a serum source of megakaryocyte colony stimulating activity (Meg-CSA, the 0% to 60% ammonium sulfate protein fraction of aplastic canine serum). Adherent-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells are suspended at 5 x 10(5) to 10(6) cells/mL in supplemented liquid culture medium, platelet-poor human plasma 20% (vol/vol) and 1 to 2 mg/mL serum Meg-CSA protein. After 12 to 14 days of incubation, megakaryocytes constitute 3.0 +/- 2.9% (mean +/- SD, n = 8) of the unseparated cultured cell population. Megakaryocytes can be enriched by counterflow centrifugal elutriation to a purity of 58 +/- 14% (+/- SD) with a recovery of 13 +/- 7% and a viability of 67 +/- 19%. This algorithm results in the average isolation of approximately 3 x 10(5) enriched megakaryocytes from a 100-mL starting volume of peripheral blood. Cultured megakaryocytes exhibit normal light and ultrastructural morphology by Wright-Giemsa staining and electron microscopic analysis. After a 12-day culture interval, enriched megakaryocyte preparations exhibit morphologic stage distributions that are similar to normal human marrow. Stage distributions move rightward with culture duration indicating partial synchrony of megakaryocyte maturation. On cytospin preparations, megakaryocyte diameter averages 30.2 +/- 1.5 microns and increases with maturation stage. Flow cytometric analyses demonstrate the expression of platelet glycoproteins (GP) Ib and IIb/IIIa by the cultured megakaryocytes. The modal ploidy of the enriched cells at day 12 of culture is 16N and most remaining megakaryocytes are 8N or 32N. Liquid culture of serum Meg-CSA-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells represents a valuable investigative tool that should permit studies of human megakaryocyte biology that have not been possible in the past.
Arthroscopic Stabilization for Chronic Latent Syndesmotic Instability

Subtle syndesmotic instability not evident on radiography can result in chronic ankle pain. The diagnosis is uncommon, and arthroscopic evaluation remains the gold standard for diagnosis. Definitive surgical management can be performed at the time of diagnosis. Patients with 2 to 4 mm of diastasis of the syndesmosis or translation can be treated with debridement alone, and patients with 4 mm or more of diastasis or translation can be treated with arthroscopic debridement and reduction followed by percutaneous stabilization. Percutaneous stabilization is accomplished by a TightRope technique, which involves passing 1 or 2 suture buttons through all 4 cortices of the distal tibia and fibula. This technique is used in lieu of the traditional syndesmotic screw, which requires a subsequent operation for removal.
Amniotic fluid thymosin α1 levels increase during gestation

Thymosin alpha 1 is one of several cytokines produced by the thymus that modulates immune function. The presence of elevated serum levels of thymosin alpha 1 in pregnant women and their newborns has suggested that this peptide may play a role in perinatal immunology. In this investigation, we used a microenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assay amniotic fluid for immunoreactive thymosin alpha 1 and found levels that were remarkably higher than newborn serum levels (P less than 10(-4]. The increase of thymosin alpha 1 in amniotic fluid with fetal age was natural logarithmic (r = 0.838, P less than 10(-6]. Thymosin alpha 1 in amniotic fluid may account for some of the immunologic properties of this medium.
Optimizing the Use of Barrier Zones to Slow the Spread of Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in North America

Slowing the expansion of the range of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), in North America will reduce the area affected by gypsy moth populations in the future and hence may be economically justified. The rate of range expansion can be reduced by eradication of isolated gypsy moth infestations in a barrier zone that is located just beyond the expanding population front and is slowly shifted in the direction of population spread. We developed a model to optimize the allocation of resources for monitoring and treatment of isolated colonies in a barrier zone. Model parameters were estimated using data collected in the central Appalachian Mountains. The model predicted that the cost of slowing population spread is minimized when the density of pheromone traps and eradication activity within the barrier zone decrease with increasing distance from the population front. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the output was most sensitive to the change of the maximum distance from the population front at which colonies can become established. The present value of predicted costs of all monitoring and treatment in the barrier zone were <1/4 the present value of expected benefits from slowing the spread of the gypsy moth over 25 yr.
Effect of Formulation and Mode of Application of Aldrin on the Loss of Aldrin and Its Epoxide from Soils and Their Translocation into Carrots

Aldrin was applied at 5 lb per acre to Carrington silt loam plots, employing 4 application variables: 1) emulsion left on the soil surface, 2) emulsion incorporated into the soil, 3) granules left on the soil surface, and 4) granules incorporated into the soil. Carrots were grown in these soils, to study the effect of mode of application on the rate of translocation of insecticidal residues into the crop tissue. The greatest loss of residues occurred in soils where the insecticidal was left on the soil surface following an emulsion application. The greatest persistence of residues was noticed after granules had been incorporated into the upper 4-5-inch soil layer. Forty to 62% of the applied dosage was recovered in the form of aldrin or dieldrin 1 year after the insecticide had been incorporated into the soil. Only 6.5 to 13% of the applied dosage was recovered from soils where aldrin was left on the surface. The highest rate of aldrin epoxidation occurred in emulsion-treated soils. The greatest residues in carrots were found in those grown in soils into which the insecticide had been incorporated as an emulsion, although the comparable granule-treated soil contained 1.5 times more toxicants. Residue levels in carrots grown on the 4 differently treated plots did not vary as much as did the soil residue levels.
TLR2 Mediated CD39+Treg Induction by a Human Gut Commensal Antigen Protects EAE Mice and Restores Impaired Treg Function in Man (P05.107)

Objective: To assess the role for gut commensal bacteria in CNS demyelination. Background Our understanding for the role of the gut microbiota in the control of autpimmunity is evolving. We have identified a polysaccharide (PSA) produced by the human commensal B.fragilis that confers protection to EAE in mice. Gut associated CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs) accumulate within the CLN of PSA immunized EAE mice. These CD103+ DCs enhance the conversion of naive CD4+ T cells into protective IL-10-producing FoxP3+ T cells. The role of gut commensal microbiota in human MS has yet to be established. Design/Methods: CD103+/- DCs were co-cultured with CLN isolated CD4+ T cells in the presence of purified PSA (100 μg/ml). FoxP3+CD39+ and IL-10 production by CD4+T cells was determined by FACS and ELISA. Fluorochrome labeled PSA was used to identify the DC subpopulations from the PBMC that was associated with PSA uptake. PBMC were isolated from those with defined RRMS naive or off treatment x 30 days. Results: TLR2 deficiency impaired uptake of PSA. CD103+DCs from intact mice but not TLR2-/- provoked the acquisition of sFoxP3+ phenotype. PBMCs from TLR2 deficient mice were unable to convert CD4+ T cells into FoxP3+Tregs. TLR2 was critical for the IL-10 production as well as the upregulation of CD39+ Tregs in both humans with MS and EAE mice. The protection induced by oral immunization with PSA was abrogated in TLR2 mice confirming the essential role of TLR2 protection elicited PSA. Conclusions: TLR2 signaling is essential in the experimental protection by the human B. fragilis antigen PSA. This antigen can induce IL-10+ secreting CD39+ Tregs in both humans with MS and mice with EAE. The induction of this regulatory phenotype and cytokine profile by PSA could potentially act as therapeutic for the restoration of the Treg impaired function in those with MS. Supported by: NMSS Center of Collaboration and the Murray Bornstein Fellowship. Disclosure: Dr. Kasper has received personal compensation for activities with Teva Neuroscience, Serono, Inc., Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Genentech, Inc., Mederex as a consultant and participant on a scientifc advisory board. Dr. Kasper has received research support from Teva Neuroscience, Serono, Inc. and Bayer Pharmaceutical Corporation. Dr. Ochoa-Reparaz has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Telesford has nothing to disclose. Dr. Begum-Haque has received research support from Teva Neuroscience. Dr. Mielcarz has nothing to disclose.
In Vivo imaging of bone regeneration induced by angiogenic and osteoinductive hydrogel scaffolds

Hydrogel scaffolds releasing angiogenic and osteoinductive molecules were used to induce bone growth in a bone defect model. Optical coherence tomography was utilized to characterize morphological changes during the temporal progression of bone regeneration.
Information criteria for quantifying loss of reversibility in parallelized KMC

Parallel Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) is a potent tool to simulate stochastic particle systems efficiently. However, despite literature on quantifying domain decomposition errors of the particle system for this class of algorithms in the short and in the long time regime, no study yet explores and quantifies the loss of time-reversibility in Parallel KMC. Inspired by concepts from non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, we propose the entropy production per unit time, or entropy production rate, given in terms of an observable and a corresponding estimator, as a metric that quantifies the loss of reversibility. Typically, this is a quantity that cannot be computed explicitly for Parallel KMC, which is why we develop a posteriori estimators that have good scaling properties with respect to the size of the system. Through these estimators, we can connect the different parameters of the scheme, such as the communication time step of the parallelization, the choice of the domain decomposition, and the computational schedule, with its performance in controlling the loss of reversibility. From this point of view, the entropy production rate can be seen both as an information criterion to compare the reversibility of different parallel schemes and as a tool to diagnose reversibility issues with a particular scheme. As a demonstration, we use Sandia Lab's SPPARKS software to compare different parallelization schemes and different domain (lattice) decompositions.
Levels of PBDEs in several retail foods in a South China city

Objective:To investigate PBDE levels in several retail foods in a South China city.Methods:The total 7 categories of food were collected in the market and PBDE levels including seven tri-through heptabrominated congeners were also individually analyzed and quantitatively with Soxhlet extraction,acidic silica gel treatment,cleanup through silica gel and alumina column and determination through HRGC/HRMS.Results:Of all foods analyzed,eggs had the highest average sum of PBDE levels(227.15 pg/g ww),followed by fishs(189.50 pg/g ww),porks(75.40 pg/g),beefs(51.03 pg/g),pork offals(13.33 pg/g),rices(7.67 pg/g)and vegetables(2.39 pg/g).BDE-47 isomer accounted for the greatest proportion of the total amount of the PBDE in all samples,with percentages of 12%～65%.Conclusion:Dietary intake can't be ignored as a route of exposure to PBDEs for the general population and more concern should be given to the pollution of PBDEs in foods.
Chapter 5 - Aggravated Earthquake Risk in South Asia: Engineering versus Human Nature

One-third of the world's population lives in South Asia, an area that has lost 0.4 million people to earthquake deaths in the past 12 years, and more than 2 million in the past millennium when populations averaged one-tenth of their present levels. The large multicentury earthquake death toll results from a broad collisional zone where earthquakes with M w > 7.0 are common inland. The purpose of this article is to examine some of the underlying reasons why populations are especially vulnerable to earthquakes in the region, and why a perceived disconnect exists between earthquake-resistant engineering and those populations most at risk from earthquakes. The article notes that urban growth and changes in building styles have rendered urban populations more vulnerable than in the past, but that there exist numerous hidden factors within the structure of societies that act to thwart the best intentions of seismologists and engineers to apply ubiquitous earthquake resistance. More than 80 percent of all earthquake deaths worldwide have occurred in nations where the mean per capita income is <$3,200 per year. The Gross Domestic Product of a country influences its level of education, its financial ability to implement earthquake resistance, and the efficiency of its laws to regulate the welfare of its people. Although all these factors contribute to the resilience of building stock to shaking from earthquakes, in many cases, the absence of code enforcement in the building industry is directly responsible for the collapse of structures. Contractors who are anxious to maximize profits in societies where corrupt practices are endemic can avail themselves of numerous opportunities to circumvent not only earthquake-resistant regulations but also common-sense safe-assembly guidelines, and the resulting dwellings frequently become the homes of the urban poor. For this reason, many of the cities of Asia are disproportionately fragile, and can be expected to be the site of numerous future earthquake disasters.
Roles of ATP in depletion and replenishment of the releasable pool of synaptic vesicles

Synaptic terminals of retinal bipolar neurons contain a pool of readily releasable synaptic vesicles that undergo rapid calcium-dependent release. ATP hydrolysis is required for the functional refi...
Sympathetic Innervation of Cold-Activated Brown and White Fat in Lean Young Adults

Objective: Recent work in rodents has demonstrated that basal activity of local sympathetic nervous system is critical for maintaining brown adipocyte phenotypes in classic brown (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT). Accordingly, we sought to assess the relationship between sympathetic innervation and cold-induced activation of BAT and WAT, and its relation to local and whole body daily energy expenditure (DEE, kcal/d) in lean young adults. Methods: Twenty adult lean normal subjects (10F/10M, 23.3 + 3.8 years, BMI = 23.7 + 2.5) underwent 11C-meta-hydroxyephedrin (HED) and 15O-water PET imaging at rest and following exposure to mild cold (16oC) temperature. In addition, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) images were obtained during the cold stress condition to assess cold-activated BAT mass. Subjects were divided into two groups (High-BAT, Low-BAT) based on the presence of FDG tracer uptake (SUV > 2) in supraclavicular BAT (-150 < HU < -50). Blood flow and HED retention index (RI, an indirect measure of sympathetic innervation) were calculated from dynamic PET scans at the location of BAT, WAT, muscle and visceral WAT. Whole body DEE during rest and cold stress was measured by indirect calorimetry. Tissue level oxygen consumption (MRO2) in BAT was determined and used to calculate the contribution of cold-activated BAT and WAT to daily DEE. Results: FDG uptake identified subjects with high and low levels of cold-activated BAT mass (High-BAT, 96 + 37g; Low-BAT 16 + 4g). HED RI under thermoneutral conditions significantly predicted FDG uptake during cold stress (R2 = 0.68, p<0.01). The HED RI during cold stress was also highly correlated with FDG uptake (R2 = 0.73, p<0.01). In contrast to the significant increase of HED RI during cold in BAT (3.43+0.93 vs. 2.42+0.85, P = 0.02), cold exposure decreased the HED RI in WAT (0.44+0.22 vs. 0.41+0.18) as a consequence of decreased perfusion (1.22+0.20 vs. 1.12+0.16 ml/100g/min). Overall, blood flow, HED RI and SUV in BAT and WAT were highly correlated (R2~0.8), demonstrating a tight coupling between perfusion, sympathetic innervation and glucose uptake. The contribution of WAT to whole body DEE was ~150 kcal/day at rest (149+52 kcal/day) which decreased to ~100 kcal/day during cold (102+47 kcal/day). Conclusion: The level of sympathetic innervation, as determined by HED RI, can predict levels of functional BAT, as determined by FDG uptake. Overall, blood flow is the best independent predictor of HED RI and FDG uptake across thermoneutral and cold conditions. In contrast to BAT, cold stress reduces blood flow and FDG uptake in subcutaneous WAT, indicating that the physiological response is to reduce heat loss rather than to generate heat.
Endometrial cancer surveillance adherence reduces utilization and subsequent costs

Abstract Objectives In June 2011, the SGO recommended that physical exam and symptoms be the primary surveillance methods in patients with endometrial cancer. We sought to evaluate adherence to these guidelines by comparing the use of CT scans, paps and serum CA125 ordered for endometrial cancer surveillance before and after publication of these guidelines. Methods A retrospective review was performed for all patients undergoing surveillance for endometrial cancer at a single institution between June 2009 and June 2013. We assessed the number of patients without symptoms or abnormal physical exam findings who underwent surveillance CT scans, paps and/or CA125 during the 2years pre- and 2years post-SGO guidelines. Results 92 patients ( n =48 pre-6/2011, n =44 post-6/2011) were identified. Mean patient age was 58years. No significant difference in age, ethnicity, body mass index, or disease grade or stage was noted. There was a significant decline in surveillance CT scans ( n =13, 27% vs. n =4, 9%, p =0.03), CA125 ( n =14, 29% vs. 5, 11%, p =0.035) and paps ( n =34, 71% vs. n =8 vs. 18%, p Conclusions In a single urban academic public hospital, after only 2years, clinical adherence to the 2011 SGO endometrial cancer surveillance guidelines resulted in a significant decline in the use of CT scans, CA125 and paps. This reduction does not appear to affect patient outcomes and led to an appreciable decrease in surveillance costs.
Religion and Religious Doubt: Predictors of Psychological Distress in Emerging Adults

Abstract The present study examined the predictive effect of religious dimensions and religious doubt on psychological distress in emerging adult males and females. Participants included 637 (440 females) individuals from a religiously affiliated, Midwestern university. Data were collected online, and 66% of participants received extra credit for participating. Respondents completed the Personal Religious Inventory to assess their self-report of dimensions of religion; a single-item measure of religious doubt to understand the degree of certainty or doubt about their religious beliefs; and the Langner Symptom Survey to assess the severity of reported psychological distress. Results indicated that dimensions of religion and religious doubt significantly predicted psychological distress only in emerging adult females. Religion and religious doubt were not predictive of psychological distress for emerging adult males. The present study suggests the relationships among religious dimensions, religious doubt, and psychological distress may be unique for men and women and discusses possible reasons. Keywords : religious doubt, psychological distress, emerging adults, sex differences
Beauty and Employment: A Field Experiment on Appearance Discrimination in China's Labor Market

This article provides direct evidence of appearance discrimination in Chinese context based on an experimental approach. We perform a field experiment to study if people with more attractive faces are more likely to be contacted after submitting a resume on the job search website. We find significant appearance discrimination in Chinese labor market, where attractive applicants are 17% more likely to get a response than unattractive ones. What's more, female candidates are faced with a higher level of appearance discrimination at 27%, which proves the existence of gender discrimination in Chinese labor market. By checking possible channels for appearance discrimination, we find employers' preference the main cause in our experiment. Furthermore, this paper proposes recommendations for both job applicants and policy makers in hope of mitigating such problems.
Abstract #598: p53 and p73 transactivate the proapoptotic early growth response factor EGR2, and its expression is induced by small molecules that restore p53 signaling in tumor cells

EGR2 is a transcription factor, belonging to the immediate early gene family with Kruppel-like zinc-finger domains, that plays important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation and embryonic development. Deficiency of EGR2 in humans leads to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Knockout of EGR2 results in embryonic lethality in mice due to hindbrain deficiency and myelination arrest. Recently, EGR2 has been implicated in tumorigenesis. Deletion of EGR2 or loss of EGR2 expression has been found in various human tumors. Moreover, overexpression of EGR2 has been found to activate proapoptotic genes, such as Bax and Bnip3L and to induce tumor cell death. In an effort to explore the mechanism of p53 activation by small molecules we screened from an NCI library, we found that EGR family members, including EGR1, EGR2, EGR3, were significantly induced by small molecule p53 activators, such as CP-31398, acridine derivatives and carboline derivatives. Further experiments showed that EGR2 was induced in a p53-dependent manner in human tumor cells. The p53 family member, p73, which has been shown to be important in neural development, can also transactivate expression of EGR2, indicating that p73 may function in neural development by transactivation of EGR2. Further understanding the crosstalk between the two important families may lead to new knowledge of neural development and tumor suppression, and may help with efforts to identify novel cancer therapies targeting restoration of the p53 pathways. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 598.
Discussion on “Snow Chemistry and Biological Activity: A Particular Perspective on Nutrient Cycling”

H. Gerry Jones, INRS-Eau, Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada, has made a major attempt to demonstrate how nutrient cycling in snow is related to chemical and biological activity. His comprehensive manuscript includes topics on snow cover chemistry and biological activity, snowfall and global biological activity, snowfall chemistry (biogenic organics and nutrient pools), snowfall and living organisms, snow and vegetation, forests and snow chemistry (distribution and interception of snow and nutrient cycling, trees and snow depth patterns, litterfall and throughfall), snow and animals (mammals and invertebrates and nutrient cycling), and microbiological activity and snow chemistry (general microbial activity, snow algal biology, and snow algae and snow chemistry).
Market Rivalry and Interdependence

Interdependence of firms in an industry through input and output demand provides important linkages. These linkages sometimes called backward and forward linkages help spread growth around through inter-firm and inter-industry interdependence. However, modern technology and developments in computer and communication network have transformed the industrial economies today over the past three decades. The economies and international business have undergone a dramatic transformation from large-scale material manufacturing to the design and use of new technology and widespread use of software technology and the underlying mechanisms shaping economic activity are increasingly characterized by increasing returns (IR). These are mechanisms of positive feedback and knowledge diffusion that act to reinforce new investments which generate success and increased profitability. These mechanisms occur due to five basic reasons: 1. High fixed cost and very low variable costs resulting in low marginal costs; 2. Network economies of scale by which the value of a product increases with the number of users; 3. High switching costs for consumers; and 5. Learning by doing effects by which firms attain substantial gain through investing in human capital and skill development.
Isotype Separable Subgroups of Totally Projective Groups

A p-primary abelian group G is called almost totally projective if it has a collection C of nice subgroups with the following properties: (0) 0 ∈ C, (1) C is closed with respect to unions of ascending chains, and (2) every countable subgroup of G is contained in a countable subgroup from C. Observe that this is a generalization of the Axiom 3 characterization of totally projective groups. In this paper, we show that the isotype subgroups of a totally projective group which are almost totally projective are precisely those that are separable. From this characterization it follows that every balanced subgroup of a totally projective group is almost totally projective. It is also shown that the class of almost totally projective groups is closed under the formation of countable extensions. Finally, in some special cases we settle the question of whether a direct summand of an almost totally projective group is again almost totally projective.
The Microenvironment and Drug Resistance

Although much of the research into cancer drug resistance has focused on the cancer cells themselves, it is becoming increasingly clear that the tumor microenvironment can significantly affect the success of chemotherapy. The interactions between the tumor cells and their environment can be classified into three main categories: (1) cell-cell contacts, (2) interactions with the extracellular matrix, and (3) interactions with soluble factors/cytokines. Each of these interactions can influence the sensitivity of the tumor cells to treatment-induced apoptosis and can therefore affect the outcome of therapy. The pathways responsible for these effects are just beginning to be elucidated.
A Review: Optical Methods That Evaluate Displacement

In the literature of methods utilized to recover displacement information encoded in images as gray levels, scalar fields, converting them into vectorial fields there are available alternative methods. This paper will focus in three methods, the most widely used method the image correlation method (DIC), the HARP method that has evolved from the field of bio-engineering and a more recent method that we can call optical signal analysis method (OSA) that has its foundation on the application on the theory of Optical Signal Analysis. Basic aspects of these three methods are presented in this Part I of the paper. To simplify a very complex subject, 2D versions of these method are discussed.
Dancing Droids: An Expressive Layer for Mobile Robots Developed Within Choreographic Practice

In viewing and interacting with robots in social settings, users attribute character traits to the system. This attribution often occurs by coincidence as a result of past experiences, and not by intentional design. This paper presents a flexible, expressive prototype that augments an existing mobile robot platform in order to create intentional attribution through a previously developed design methodology, resulting in an altered perception of the non-anthropomorphic robotic system. The prototype allows customization through five modalities: customizable eyes, a simulated breath motion, movement, color, and form. Initial results with human subject audience members show that, while participants found the robot likable, they did not consider it anthropomorphic. Moreover, individual viewers saw shifts in perception according to performer interactions. Future work will leverage this prototype to modulate the reactions viewers might have to a mobile robot in a variety of environments.
Variation of Adolescent Snack Food Choices and Preferences along a Continuum of Processing Levels: The Case of Apples.

Food processing is used for transforming whole food ingredients into food commodities or edible products. The level of food processing occurs along a continuum from unprocessed to minimally processed, processed, and ultra-processed. Unprocessed foods use little to no processing and have zero additives. Minimally processed foods use finite processing techniques, including drying, freezing, etc., to make whole food ingredients more edible. Processed foods combine culinary ingredients with whole foods using processing and preservation techniques. Ultra-processed foods are manufactured using limited whole food ingredients and a large number of additives. Ultra-processed snack foods are increasing in food environments globally with detrimental implications for human health. This research characterizes the choices, consumption, and taste preferences of adolescents who were offered apple snack food items that varied along a processing level continuum (unprocessed, minimally processed, processed, and ultra-processed). A cross-sectional study was implemented in four elementary school classrooms utilizing a buffet of apple snack food items from the aforementioned four food processing categories. A survey was administered to measure students’ taste acceptance of the snacks. The study found that the students selected significantly (p < 0.0001) greater quantities of ultra-processed snack foods (M = 2.20 servings, SD = 1.23) compared to minimally processed (M = 0.56 servings, SD = 0.43) and unprocessed (M = 0.70 servings, SD = 0.37) snack foods. The students enjoyed the taste of ultra-processed snack foods (M = 2.72, SD = 0.66) significantly more (p < 0.0001) than minimally processed (M = 1.92, SD = 1.0) and unprocessed (M = 2.32, SD = 0.9) snack foods. A linear relationship was found between the selection and consumption quantities for each snack food item (R2 = 0.88). In conclusion, it was found that as processing levels increase in apple snack foods, they become more appealing and more heavily consumed by elementary school students. If applied broadly to snack foods, this conclusion presents one possible explanation regarding the high level of diet-related diseases and nutrient deficiencies across adolescents in America. Food and nutrition education, food product development, and marketing efforts are called upon to improve adolescent food choices and make less-processed snack food options more appealing and accessible to diverse consumers.
Quine’s Ding an sich: Proxies, Structure, and Naturalism

In the fourth Immanuel Kant Lecture, Quine summons the specter of Kant’s Ding an sich, the thing in itself. Clearly antithetical to his naturalism, Quine quickly dismisses it as having feet of clay. Despite this short shrift, it is worth examining what he did say about the Ding an sich—in the Kant Lectures, in “Things and Their Place in Theories”, and in “Structure and Nature”. I offer a critical reading of these passages in the context of Quine’s proxy functions, ontological relativity, and structure. I argue that Quine uses the Ding an sich as a foil for his anti-metaphysical, deflationary structuralism—a view that grounds objectivity in true statements, without any transcendental notion of objects, without the Ding an sich.
Evaluating bacterial colonization of a developing broiler embryo after in ovo injection with a bioluminescent bacteria.

In ovo injection of probiotics has been of interest for achieving early health benefits. However, there is limited research demonstrating where bacteria could migrate within the embryo after injection. The objective of this study was to evaluate bacterial colonization or migration after in ovo injection of broiler embryo with bioluminescent Escherichia coli. Injection using 106 CFU/mL nonpathogenic E. coli was applied to amniotic and air cell regions on day 18 of incubation. On days 18, 19, 20, and 21 the amnion, skin, lung, gastrointestinal tract (GIT), bursa, and spleen were collected. On day 21, the GIT was separated into crop, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and ceca sections. All tissues were visualized using anin vivo imaging system to confirm the presence of bioluminescent E. coli. Samples were homogenized, 10-fold serially diluted, and spread onto appropriate agar to determine bacterial loads in all tissues. Results indicated that eggs injected into the amnion had significantly high numbers of E. coli cells in all tissues compared to air cell injected and control treatments 2 h post-injection (P < 0.0001). E. coli was also found on the lungs, spleen, and bursa of eggs injected either in the amnion or air cell (P < 0.05). Results indicated that in ovo injection into the amnion was more efficient than air cell injection, yielding a higher bacterial concentration in the evaluated tissues, specifically the ileum and ceca. Future research using bioluminescent probiotic bacteria may establish sites of preference for different probiotics leading to site-specific application that can maximize their overall impact when in ovo injected.
‘Ces grandes dames, ça ne va pas souvent à l’église’: A corpus-based investigation of dislocation featuring co-referent clitic ça

Although previous research has documented dislocations in which a dislocated noun phrase (NP) occurs with the co-referent pronoun ca (e.g., Carlier, 1996 ; Jones, 1996 ), this study represents the first corpus-driven examination focused on this syntactic construction. In examining examples identified in both an oral and a written corpus, the investigation serves to nuance the association between dislocation and orality (McLaughlin, 2011 ). The research also interrogates the relationship between dislocations featuring co-referent clitic ca and genericity. The extent to which this construction more frequently signals a pejorative attitude towards certain groups of animate NPs than others is also explored. Finally, this study advances methodological considerations for research on rare syntactic forms.
Exploring difference in public perceptions on HPV vaccine between gender groups from Twitter using deep learning.

In this study, we proposed a convolutional neural network model for gender prediction using English Twitter text as input. Ensemble of proposed model achieved an accuracy at 0.8237 on gender prediction and compared favorably with the state-of-the-art performance in a recent author profiling task. We further leveraged the trained models to predict the gender labels from an HPV vaccine related corpus and identified gender difference in public perceptions regarding HPV vaccine. The findings are largely consistent with previous survey-based studies.
Palliative Radiotherapy Education for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows: A National Needs Assessment.

Background: Insufficient knowledge of palliative radiotherapy (PRT) among hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) physicians is thought to be a barrier to the provision of high-quality palliative car...
Investigation of wildfire impacts on land surface phenology from MODIS time series in the western US forests

Abstract Land surface phenology (LSP) characterizes the timing and greenness of seasonal vegetation growth in satellite pixels and it has been widely used to associate with climate change. However, wildfire, causing considerable land surface changes, exerts abrupt changes on the LSP magnitudes and great influences on the LSP long-term trends, which are poorly investigated. This study for the first time conducted a systematic analysis of the wildfire impacts on LSP by investigating 838 forest wildfires occurred from 2002 to 2014 across the western United States. Specifically, we derived three LSP timing metrics that are the start (SOS), end (EOS), and length (LOS) of growing season and two LSP greenness metrics that are seasonal greenness maximum (GMax) and minimum (GMin) from daily time series of 250-m MODIS two-band enhanced vegetation index (EVI2) during 2001–2015. Burned area and burn severity were obtained from the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project. The results showed GMax and GMin were decreased at an extent of 0.063 and 0.074 EVI2, respectively. LSP timings presented diverse responses to wildfire occurrences. Absolute abrupt shift of >2 days in SOS appeared in 73% of burned areas with 40% advances and 33% delays, the shift in EOS occurred in 80% of burned areas with 33% advances and 47% delays, and the shift in LOS occurred in 85% of the burned areas with 36% shortening and 49% lengthening. Moreover, the LSP changes were significantly influenced by burn severity with the largest impact on LSP timing at the moderate burn severity and on LSP greenness at the high burn severity. Finally, the phenological trends from 2001 to 2015 differed significantly between burned and unburned reference areas and the trend difference varied with the wildfire occurrence year. Overall, this study demonstrated that wildfires exert complex and diverse impacts on LSP timing and greenness metrics and significantly influence LSP trends associating with climate change. The approach developed in this study provides a prototype to investigate LSP responses to other land disturbances associated with natural processes and human activities on the landscape.
Report from the Medical Library Association’s InSight Initiative Summit 3: Bridge Building: What Bridges to Build and How

At the Medical Library Association’s Insight Initiative Summit 3, held June 12–13, 2019, academic and hospital librarians joined with publishing industry partners to identify vexing problems in publishing and accessing health sciences information. Through a mixture of panel discussions with health sciences faculty, librarians, and information providers; small-group problem-solving exercises; and large-group consensus-building activities, the summit program invited participants to appreciate each other’s viewpoints and propose a collaborative project leading to tangible outcomes that could ultimately benefit end users. Several vexing problems were identified, including poor communication and mistrust between librarians and publishers, complexities in product pricing structures and licenses, and users’ difficulties in accessing and using vetted information resources. However, librarians and publishers agreed that building a better shared understanding of users’ needs and behavior would be the most useful bridge toward regaining trust, establishing more effective partnerships, and designing and delivering quality information resources that are easily accessible and maximally useful to health sciences researchers, educators, clinicians, and students.
State Estimation via Inference on a Probabilistic Graphical Model - A Different Perspective

This paper presents a novel solver to the state estimation (SE) problem for the power grid, based on probabilistic graphical models (PGMs). SE is a method of estimating the varying state values of voltage magnitude and phase at every bus within a power grid based on meter measurements. This is often done using iterative Newton-type methods. Our proposed PGM-based solver estimates the state values from a different perspective. Specifically, it models the power grid as a PGM, and then assigns potentials to nodes and edges of the PGM, based on the physical constraints of the power grid. This way, the original SE problem is transformed into an equivalent probabilistic inference problem on the PGM, which we show can be solved via Gaussian Belief Propagation. An advantage of using a PGM is that it offers more versatility, as it allows for the direct incorporation of additional context information when estimating state values. We illustrate this method with a simple example and show the practical equivalence between our proposed PGM-based solver and existing SE solvers in terms of state estimates.
Prevalence of Periapical Lesions in Patients with Osteoporosis

Abstract Introduction Osteoporosis is a major systemic disease that can significantly deteriorate the quality of life of the affected individuals. It is more common in women, particularly after menopause. Osteoporosis may be associated with alterations in oral health. Treatment of osteoporotic patients mainly involves the administration of bisphosphonates (BPs). Nitrogen-containing BPs are more potent therapeutically and more commonly used. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of periapical lesions in patients with osteoporosis and to evaluate the difference in the prevalence of periapical lesions in patients treated with alendronate and risedronate, 2 nitrogen-containing types of BPs. Methods Integrated data of hospital patients were used. Data from the corresponding diagnosis codes for osteoporosis and periapical periodontitis were retrieved by searching the appropriate query in the database. The odds ratio (OR) of periapical lesions, its association with osteoporosis, and the use of 2 BP medications were calculated and analyzed statistically. Results Of 1,644,953 hospital patients, 8715 presented with periapical lesions. A total of 42,292 patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis. A total of 754 patients diagnosed with osteoporosis presented with periapical lesions. The prevalence of periapical lesions in patients with osteoporosis was 1.78% compared with 0.52% in the general patient population of the hospital. The OR for the prevalence of periapical lesions in patients with osteoporosis was 3.36 and was statistically significant (P Conclusions Under the conditions of this study, it appears that the prevalence of periapical lesions is significantly higher in osteoporotic patients. Osteoporotic patients treated with BPs showed a marked reduction in the prevalence of periapical lesions, especially when risedronate was used.
Robust Digital Cluster on Jacinto6 Processor

Digital clusters need to deliver safety critical data along with informational content and demonstrate resilience to failure. The paper gives an overview of approach adopted to realize robust digital cluster solution on Jacinto6 processor from TI. The paper describes "virtual DRM" approach to enable display sharing, fallback mechanism for seamless switchover between 3D to 2D cluster in case of failure. Paper then describes the approach adopted to enable early Tell-tale and mechanism to verify Tell-tale integrity. The proposed solution is demonstrated on TI's Jacinto 6 series based hardware design platform which satisfies all requirements.