cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The evidence base for public health informing policy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Background As part of a major re-examination of its organization, in 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessed the evidence base for the effectiveness of population-based public health intervention programs. Methods For the leading causes of disease, injury, and disability, evidence was systematically reviewed for modifiable risk factors and their attributable fractions, and for public health interventions and their preventable fractions. Results For 31 conditions, 194 modifiable risk factors were identified, and attributable fractions were found for 65 (33.5%). For 137 (70.6%) of the risk factors, 702 population-based interventions were found. Preventable fractions were found for 31 (4.4%) of the interventions. Conclusions Despite considerable information about both modifiable risk factors and interventions designed to reduce the risks of the major causes of disease, injury, and disability, the evidence base that describes the effectiveness of these interventions is limited. The CDC is committed to support research that will set priorities for program development and identify effective public health interventions.
EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC ECOSYSTEM MODELING STUDY

ABSTRACT A simulation model of the Eastern Tropical Pacific ecosystem (the area west of the Americas to 160° west latitude and from 40° N to 40° S), designed to evaluate trophic interactions at the carnivore level, was built on available data. A hydrody-namic model described water flow above the thermocline. Conclusions are limited to recommendations for additional data collection.
Very large boulders were moved by storm waves on the west coast of Ireland in winter 2013–2014

Abstract Erdmann and co-authors (2018) present interesting observations of coastal boulder deposits along Ireland's western seaboard, Unfortunately, some of their interpretations are undermined by inaccurate information; and two of their main conclusions—that boulders greater >50 t were not moved during the recent strong storms, and that boulders 20–30 t were not moved significantly against gravity—are incorrect. Field records from before and after the storm events clearly show that boulders weighing 10 s to 100 s of tonnes were moved inland and uphill.
Validation of a Health-related Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire for Owners of Dogs with Heart Disease

In humans, heart disease is associated with high caregiver burden and stress, which can negatively affect the health-related quality of life (hrQoL) of both patient and caregiver. The effect of a d...
Multifunctional GdVO4:Eu core–shell nanoparticles containing 225Ac for targeted alpha therapy and molecular imaging

Gadolinium vanadate nanoparticles (NPs) doped with europium, in concentrations between 5-40%, were synthesized via an aqueous route to prove their multimodal imaging functionalities and their performance as radionuclide carriers for targeted alpha therapy. Core-shell Gd0.8Eu0.2VO4 NPs were doped with the α-emitting actinium-225 to assess the in vitro retention of 225Ac and its decay daughters; francium-221 and bismuth-213. Gd0.8Eu0.2VO4 core-shell NPs were obtained using a precipitation synthesis route having a tetragonal system, a spherical morphology, and a uniform particle size distribution. Gd0.8Eu0.2VO4 core-shell NPs displayed the characteristic intense emission at 618 nm (red) and paramagnetic behavior of Eu and Gd cations, respectively. Partial retention of radionuclides was obtained with Gd0.8Eu0.2VO4 core NPs, while deposition of two nonradioactive Gd0.8Eu0.2VO4 shells significantly decreased the leakage of both 225Ac and 221Fr. The luminescence and magnetic functionalities as well as radionuclide retention capabilities of Gd0.8Eu0.2VO4 core-shell NPs demonstrate their potential for biomedical applications.
Race, Class, and Place in the Origins of Techno and Rap Music

ABSTRACTWhile the connection between geographic space and art has been thoroughly examined in the case of rap music, the study of this relationship in the case of techno has not progressed beyond t...
Later Bedtimes Predict Prospective Increases in Symptom Severity in Individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): An Initial Study

Prior studies of sleep in individuals with OCD have often focused on sleep duration. Several studies have found that individuals with OCD sleep less than healthy controls while others have failed t...
Safety-relevant environmental sound identification in cochlear implant candidates and users.

Objectives/hypothesis To compare the identification of safety-relevant environmental sounds between experienced cochlear implant (CI) users and CI candidates. Study design Cross-sectional. Methods A sample of 19 adult, postlingually deaf CI candidates (CI-Cs), 47 experienced CI users (CI-Es), and a control group of 37 age-matched normal-hearing adults were assessed using the Familiar Environmental Sounds Test-Identification (FEST-I). A subset of 11 sounds relevant for safety were selected for analysis in the current study. Results Analysis of safety-relevant sound identification accuracy revealed no significant difference in safety-relevant environmental sound identification skills between CI-E and CI-C participants, with average scores of 68.1% and 67.9%, respectively. Both performed substantially lower than age-matched normal hearing adults (95.1%). A significant moderate negative correlation (-0.4) was found between safety-relevant sound accuracy and chronological age only in one group, the CI-E group (r = -0.4, P Conclusions These findings fail to demonstrate superior performance in safety-relevant environmental sound identification among CI-Es compared with CI-Cs. Although preliminary, these findings suggest that identification of safety-relevant sounds is a significant area of weakness for both CI-Es and CI-Cs, both of whom may benefit from rehabilitation. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 130:1547-1551, 2020.
Setting the Table: Trauma-Informed Groupwork in Challenging Times

Political developments across the globe have created circumstances in which many feel increasingly threatened by forces of political oppression. These forces have been especially pronounced for communities of color and immigrant communities in the United States in the last several years, creating a context that is ripe for the restorative and transformative potential of groupwork. In this paper, we describe our experiences as social work faculty in a university community Southwestern United States as we sought to implement a year-long groupwork initiative following the 2016 elections. Utilizing an open and self-directed approach, these inclusive dialogues were intended to provide opportunities for mutual understanding and collective action. Participant feedback suggested that they were largely positive experiences; however, attendance and deep engagement were continual challenges. In reflecting on these experiences we conclude that deeper attention to the concept of political trauma and a more explicitly trauma-informed approach to group planning, formation, and engagement could have supported our efforts. In response, we propose a framework which integrates the Sanctuary model of trauma-informed care with a pedagogy of political trauma as a means of conceptualizing trauma-informed groupwork in response to political oppression.
Earlier and Concurrent Food Insecurity Are Associated with Suboptimal Parenting in Early Childhood.

BACKGROUND Food insecurity (FI) is associated with poor health, suboptimal nutrition, and disadvantaged linguistic, social, and academic development for children. Given the prominent role that parents play in children's development, FI may be associated with parenting practices. OBJECTIVES We aimed to understand how FI and its change over time relate to parenting in early childhood. METHODS Data were from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort: parental interviews and child assessments at 9 mo and 2, 4, and 5 y old. Dependent variables were parenting practices in years 2, 4, and 5 in parent-child interaction, discipline, rules, and routines in general and food-related settings. Stratified by gender, parenting outcomes were regressed on earlier FI and child, parent, and contextual covariates, then additionally regressed on concurrent FI, using models with full-information-maximum-likelihood and cluster control. RESULTS Earlier FI was associated with harsh discipline (girls, year 5: β1 = 0.0811, P < 0.05) and frequent evening meals at a regular time (girls and boys, years 2 and 4), before adding concurrent FI. Accounting for earlier FI and covariates, concurrent FI was associated with harsh discipline (girls, years 2 and 4: β2 = 0.0489 and 0.0705, P < 0.05; boys, year 2: β2 = 0.0584, P < 0.05), rules about foods (girls, year 4), frequent evening meals as a family (girls, years 2 and 4), and frequent evening meals at a regular time (girls, years 2 and 4; boys, year 2); earlier FI remained associated with harsh discipline (girls, year 5) and frequent evening meals at a regular time (girls, years 2 and 4; boys, year 4). CONCLUSIONS FI was linked with suboptimal parenting practices in structuring a general and food-related living environment, particularly for girls and by the age of 5 y.
Does ischemic burden on stress testing influence patient survival in subjects with known severe multi-vessel CAD?

Background Ischemic burden observed during stress testing has been postulated to predict prognosis irrespective of anatomic atherosclerotic burden observed on angiography. However, it is not known if the stress test result influences the long-term prognosis of subjects with diffuse coronary artery disease. We sought to determine the prognostic importance of stress test false negativity amongst patients with severe multi-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing stress testing in the previous decade. Methods We selected subjects from the dates of 1/1/2000 to 12/31/2005 who underwent a nuclear stress test (MPI) or stress echocardiogram (SE) within six months of a coronary angiogram demonstrating severe, multi-vessel CAD. We excluded those with a prior MI, PCI, CABG, resting wall motion abnormality, or perfusion defect at rest. Determination of patient death during the followup period was performed using the U.S. social security index. Results 139 subjects (MPI 81, SE 58) were studied; stress tests were positive for ischemia in 80%. Rates of death were similar at 1 year (MPI 9%, SE 5%, p-value 0.44), 5 years (MPI 20%, SE 14%, p-value 0.36) and 10 years (MPI 30%, SE 26%, p-value 0.63). Using multivariate analysis, mortality at each time period was not affected by stress test positivity. Conclusion Amongst subjects with diffuse and severe atherosclerosis with preserved ventricular function, ischemic burden on stress testing did not influence short or long-term survival.
Modeling of globular proteins. A distance-based data search procedure for the construction of insertion/deletion regions and Pro----non-Pro mutations.

A distance-based database search scheme is proposed for modeling Pro----in non-Pro and insertion/deletion regions of homologous globular proteins up to six residues in length. In the first step, geometric descriptors, the number of residues involved and target distances corresponding to the separation of C alpha atom positions adjacent to the "missing" segment, are chosen. In the second step, a database of high-resolution X-ray structures is scanned for segments with similar descriptors and selected segments are binned according to conformational type. In the third and fourth steps, the selected conformations are docked into the protein, and geometric and energetic criteria are used to determine their viability as segment models. The fifth step consists of an interaction scheme in which the geometric descriptors are redefined. This compensates for the use of a limited database and/or for the use of a poor original protein model adjacent to the missing segment. The procedure has been tested on Pro----non-Pro mutations in the homologous proteins penicillopepsin and endothiapepsin, and on the insertion/deletion regions of the homologs penicillopepsin and endothiapepsin, trypsin and gamma-chymotrypsin and hen and human lysozyme. The test cases represent a wide variety of secondary structural elements (helix, sheet, turn and coil) and insertion/deletion lengths (0 to 4 residues). It is shown that 79% of the test cases are accurately modeled (within 0.54 A root-mean-square (r.m.s.) deviation for main-chain atoms) using the proposed scheme. Failure of the scheme (main-chain atom r.m.s. deviations greater than 1.29 A) in 21% of the cases appears to be related to the presence of infrequently observed conformations or locally unique folds of the target proteins with respect to the database (18% of the test cases); the remaining 3% are unexplained. Geometric and energetic criteria are able to discriminate between trial conformations that correspond to the X-ray structures and those that are different in 97% of the conformations generated by the distance-weighted database search scheme. The scheme is shown to be relatively insensitive to uncertainty in the template co-ordinates, since the geometric descriptors were taken from the homologous protein (r.m.s. deviations in the position of descriptors range from 0.18 to 1.35 A for the accurately modeled test cases). It is demonstrated that the scheme can be used to correct local sequence misalignments.
Ion Beam Mixing

The field of ion beam mixing studies the compositional and structural changes of a two or multiple component system under the influence of ion irradiation. Due to these changes, material properties of the system may be modified in ways sometimes difficult to achieve by conventional methods. From a collisional point of view, ion beam mixing effects result from particle-solid interactions. The phenomena become more complex when thermodynamical forces are involved, and these forces are sometimes modified by the presence of high concentrations of defects in the system.
Toward automated rational reconstruction: a case study

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews a sequence of rational reconstructions of a particular design/learning system called CPS/SCALE that characterize that system's development. CPS is a design system for implementing Boolean functions as gate networks, while SCALE is a learning system that adds refinement rules to CPS's knowledge base. Knowledge-based systems can be represented so their development over time can be expressed as a rational reconstruction process CPS is a search-based design program that performs decomposition, implementation, patching, and backtracking. It contains a knowledge base of implementation rules that map Boolean functions onto gate network implementations. CPS performs (recursive) decomposition of the Boolean function design problem and direct implementation of primitive subproblems, accompanied by patching and chronological backtracking. CPS also contains a knowledge base of patching rules that map gate networks into functionally equivalent gate networks. CPS is the problem solver of a simplified, LEX-like architecture whereas SCALE carries out the functions of critic, generalizer, and problem generator. CPS/SCALE began its life as a perturbation of the DONTE circuit design system.
Filter Order Reduction Using a Mean Value and Covariance Matching Technique

A technique of designing a reduced order filter based on covariance equivalent theory is proposed. The objective is to first obtain a reduced order model of a linear time invariant system and then design a Kalman filter for this lower order system for the purpose of state estimation. All the observations are assumed to be corrupted by noise. The covariance equivalent realization theory developed by Skelton [7,8] attempts to find a reduced order model that matches the first q-output covariances of a linear system subjected to white noise input. This research extends the scope of Skelton's theory in two ways. First, it obtains a time-variant reduced order model of a time-invariant linear system, whereas in all the previous work a time invariant model is obtained. Second, it attempts to match the first two moments (mean and covariance) of the reduced order process with the original full order one. The mean and variance have been shown to match in both the transient and steady state. The application of the results to some simple examples illustrates that filter performance obtained based on a reduced model may be comparable to that achieved when the optimal filter is employed.
Properties of Multistep Amplitudes in Charge-Exchange Reactions

In this talk we shall first review historically what is known about inelastic multistep processes in analog charge-exchange transitions at lower energies, in the few tens of MeV, particularly the possibility of measuring directly with the (p,n) reaction the isovector deformation parameter β1. We shall then show the expected energy dependence of multistep relative to one-step processes and attempt to explain the behavior.
Juror Perceptions of the Legitimacy of Legal Authorities and Decision Making in Criminal Cases

Literature on trust in legal authorities and institutions demonstrates that trust affects individual behavior, yet there is little research on whether attitudes toward legal authorities such as the police or courts influence juror behavior as a third party assessing evidence and determining legal outcomes for others. Additionally, the literature on juror decision making confirms that juror race is an important predictor of juror decisions, but explanations for differences among racial groups are not clear. Since minority groups hold less favorable attitudes toward legal authorities generally, legitimacy theory may help explain racial differences in decision making among jurors. Using data from nearly 2,000 jurors in felony trials, this research utilizes multilevel modeling techniques to find that jurors' trust in legal authorities is related to juror outcomes, though the effect of juror trust and confidence in the police is opposite that of juror trust and confidence in the courts. Additionally, juror race conditions the effect of trust in police and courts. Trust is a stronger predictor of both perceptions of evidence and voting for black jurors than it is for white jurors.
Coping strategies predictive of adverse outcomes among community adults.

Objectives To examine associations between coping strategies at baseline and adverse outcomes 13 years later, and whether gender and age moderated these associations. Method Participants (N = 651) completed a survey on demographic characteristics, coping strategies, and psychosocial outcomes (negative life events, alcohol consumption, drinking problems, and suicidal ideation). Results At the follow-up (N = 521), more use of avoidance coping was associated with more drinking problems and suicidal ideation at follow-up. Men high in avoidance coping reported more alcohol consumption and suicidal ideation at follow-up than did men low on avoidance coping. Younger adults high in avoidance coping reported more negative life events at follow-up than did younger adults low on avoidance coping. Conclusions Reliance on avoidance coping may be especially problematic among men and younger adults.
Dipole magnets for the SLAC 50 GeV A-Line upgrade

The SLAC A-Line is a transport system originally designed to deliver electron beams of up to 25 GeV to fixed target experiments in End Station A. To raise the beam energy capability of the A-Line to 52 GeV, the eight original bending magnets, plus four more of the same type, have been modified by reducing their gaps and adding trim windings to compensate for energy loss due to synchrotron radiation. In this paper we describe the modifications that have been completed, and we compare test and measurement results with predicted performance.
Niche shifts during the global invasion of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus Skuse (Culicidae), revealed by reciprocal distribution models

Aim Niche-based distribution models are often used to predict the spread of invasive species. These models assume niche conservation during invasion, but invasive species can have different requirements from populations in their native range for many reasons, including niche evolution. I used distribution modelling to investigate niche conservatism for the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus Skuse) during its invasion of three continents. I also used this approach to predict areas at risk of invasion from propagules originating from invasive populations. Location Models were created for Southeast Asia, North and South America, and Europe. Methods I used maximum entropy (Maxent) to create distribution models using occurrence data and 18 environmental datasets. One native model was created for Southeast Asia; this model was projected onto North America, South America and Europe. Three models were created independently for the non-native ranges and projected onto the native range. Niche overlap between native and non-native predictions was evaluated by comparing probability surfaces between models using real data and random models generated using a permutation approach. Results The native model failed to predict an entire region of occurrences in South America, approximately 20% of occurrences in North America and nearly all Italian occurrences of A. albopictus. Non-native models poorly predict the native range, but predict additional areas at risk for invasion globally. Niche overlap metrics indicate that non-native distributions are more similar to the native niche than a random prediction, but they are not equivalent. Multivariate analyses support modelled differences in niche characteristics among continents, and reveal important variables explaining these differences. Main conclusions The niche of A. albopictus has shifted on invaded continents relative to its native range (Southeast Asia). Statistical comparisons reveal that the niche for introduced distributions is not equivalent to the native niche. Furthermore, reciprocal models highlight the importance of controlling bi-directional dispersal between native and non-native distributions.
Components of the SMRT corepressor complex exhibit distinctive interactions with the POZ domain oncoproteins PLZF, PLZF-RARalpha, and BCL-6.

Many transcription factors function by repressing gene transcription. For a variety of these transcription factors the ability to physically recruit auxiliary proteins, denoted corepressors, is crucial for the ability to silence gene expression. We and others have previously implicated the SMRT corepressor in the actions of the PLZF transcription factor and in the function of its oncogenic derivative, PLZF-retinoic acid receptor (RARα), in promyelocytic leukemia. We report here that PLZF, and a structurally similar transcriptional repressor, BCL-6, can interact with a variety of corepressor proteins in addition to SMRT, including the mSin3A protein and (for PLZF) histone deacetylase-1. Unexpectedly, these additional interactions with corepressor components are nonequivalent for these otherwise similar oncoproteins, suggesting that transcriptional repression by BCL-6 and by PLZF may differ in mechanism. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the oncogenic PLZF-RARα chimera lacks several important corepressor interaction sites that are present in the native PLZF protein. Thus the t(11;17) translocation that creates the PLZF-RARα chimera generates an oncoprotein with potentially novel regulatory properties distinct from those of either parental protein. Our results demonstrate that otherwise similar transcription factors can differ notably in their interactions with the corepressor machinery.
Simulation of electric field effects in premixed methane flames

Abstract The objective of this study is to predict the effect of electric fields on the ionic structure of one-dimensional methane flames. The chemical kinetic mechanism devised for this study combines existing methane oxidation mechanisms with a series of chemiionization, ion-molecule, and dissociative-recombination reactions thought to be important to the ionic structure of methane flames. The governing equations include Poisson's equation to describe the electric field intensity in the flames. The model correctly predicted several features in the ionic structure of methane flames. The model was used to predict saturation currents as a function of peak flame temperature from which the apparent activation energy for the saturation process was determined. The predicted apparent activation energy compared well with the experimental range of values. This analysis determined that the rate-limiting reaction in the overall ionic reaction mechanism is: C2H3O+ + H2 → H3O+ + C2H2.
A well-type phoswich detector for nuclear explosion monitoring

In this work, a well-type phoswich detector with three scintillation layers has been designed and tested for measuring atmospheric xenon radioisotopes in order to monitor nuclear explosions. The detector was made by optically coupling three concentric cylindrical scintillation layers (BC-400, CsI(Tl) and BGO) to a single photomultiplier tube. Beta-gamma coincidence technique was used to detect beta particles and gamma rays. Other important features of this detector are its Compton suppression capability and simple, compact and cost effective design. Our calculations and measurements with the well-type phoswich detector show that the minimum detectable concentrations are close to or below 1 mBq/m3 for the four xenon radioisotopes.
Melanoblastosis and Melanoblastoma; Primary and Secondary Involvement of the Brain: An Anatomic Study

Introduction Difficulties have been experienced in classifying a large group of tumors, the common feature of which is the presence of melanin pigment (melanomas). These hardships in classification are attributable, in large measure, first to an attempt on the part of earlier observers to trace the origin of the tumor to one type of cell; second, to the existence of multiple and conflicting concepts throughout the literature on pigmented tissues; third, to the indiscriminate use of such terms as chromatophore, melanophore, melanoblast, mole, nevus, lentigo, cafe au lait spots, chromatophoroma, melanoma, etc. According to the modern usage, there are recognized three types of melanoblasts, one derived from epithelium, one from connective tissue, and one whose origin cannot be definitely stated. The first is the commonly known basal cell of the epithelium and hair follicle. The second is illustrated well by the cells comprising the blue nevus of Jadassohn or the choroid of the eye. The third is that cell which is commonly found in clusters beneath the epithelium of the skin, surrounding the dendrites of peripheral nerves. In addition to these three types, there is a group of cells which has no melanoblastic function but contains pigment by virtue of its power to phagocytose melanin. These are called chromatophores and are usually connective-tissue cells, but may in certain instances be of epithelial origin. There are several methods available for distinguishing the melanoblast from the chromatophore. One is a specific staining reaction; another, embryologic and comparative anatomic study; a third, the study of cellular morphology in conjunction with one of the first two modes of investigation.
Reply to Murray A. Straus: Readings on “Discipline and Deviance”

This paper offers a critical examination of “Discipline and Deviance: Physical Punishment of Children and Violence and Other Crime in Adulthood” by Murray A. Straus. It first examines Straus' text in terms of its methodological rigor and theoretical contributions to sociology and then compares its scientific, abstract, context-free model of social life with the heterogeneous world of lived realities. Also, the likely social control consequences of the call to “stop physical punishment” are considered. Finally, since Straus references the work of Michel Foucault, insights from Foucault's Discipline and Punish will be used to raise questions about the possible unintended consequences of focusing attention solely on “physical punishments.”
On existence of reporter strands in DNA-based graph structures

Through self-assembly of branched junction molecules many different DNA structures (graphs) can be assembled. We show that every multigraph can be assembled by DNA such that there is a single strand that traces each edge in the graph at least once. This strand corresponds to a boundary component of a two-dimensional orientable surface that has the given graph as a deformation retract. This boundary component traverses every edge at least once, and it defines a circular path in the graph that ''preserves the graph structure'' and traverses each edge.
Endocardial endothelium in the avascular frog heart: role for diffusion of NO in control of cardiac O2 consumption

We investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the control of myocardial O(2) consumption in the hearts of female Xenopus frogs, which lack a coronary vascular endothelium and in which the endocardial endothelium is the only source of NO to regulate cardiac myocyte function. Hence, frogs are an ideal model in which to explore the role of diffusion of NO from the endocardial endothelium (EE) without vascular endothelial or cardiac cell NO production. In Xenopus hearts we examined the regulation of cardiac O(2) consumption in vitro at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C. The NO-mediated control of O(2) consumption by bradykinin or carbachol was significantly (P 80%. It appears that the EE of the frog heart is the sole source of NO to regulate myocyte O(2) consumption. When these cells are removed, the ability of NO to regulate O(2) consumption is severely limited. Thus our results suggest that the EE produces enough NO, which diffuses from the EE to cardiac myocytes, to regulate myocardial O(2) consumption. Because of the close proximity of the EE to underlying myocytes, NO can diffuse over a distance and act as a messenger between the EE and the rest of the heart to control mitochondrial function and O(2) consumption.
Protective effect of nitrous oxide against total-body radiation in the mouse.

Investigations on the protective effects of nitrous oxide in mixtures with oxygen as measured by lethality in mice from whole-body irradiation show that nitrous oxide does give significant protection at elevated pressures. An attempt was made to rule out the possibility that the protection was due to narcosis, with diminished tissue oxygenation, by subjecting groups of mice to a comparable level of anesthesia with pentobarbital during irradiation in air at 2 atm pressure. In air at 1 atm pressure thcre was protection from the lethal effect of whole-body irradiation. In air at 2 atm pressure, there not only was no protection in either GBA or C57 L strain mice, but actually a higher lethality in the group anesthetized with pentobarbital. It is concluded that nitrous oxide does diminish radiosensitivity in vivo, in the presence of adequate oxygen supply, if the gas mixture is at elevated pressure. (P.C.H.)
Early Decision: Effector and Effector Memory T Cell Differentiation in Chronic Infection.

As effector memory T cells (Tem) are the predominant population elicited by chronic parasitic infections, increasing our knowledge of their function, survival and derivation, as phenotypically and functionally distinct from central memory and effector T cells will be critical to vaccine development for these diseases. In some infections, memory T cells maintain increased effector functions, however; this may require the presence of continued antigen, which can also lead to T cell exhaustion. Alternatively, in the absence of antigen, only the increase in the number of memory cells remains, without enhanced functionality as central memory. In order to understand the requirement for antigen and the potential for longevity or protection, the derivation of each type of memory must be understood. A thorough review of the data establishes the existence of both memory (Tmem) precursors and effector T cells (Teff) from the first hours of an immune response. This suggests a new paradigm of Tmem differentiation distinct from the proposition that Tmem only appear after the contraction of Teff. Several signals have been shown to be important in the generation of memory T cells, such as the integrated strength of "signals 1-3" of antigen presentation (antigen receptor, co-stimulation, cytokines) as perceived by each T cell clone. Given that these signals integrated at antigen presentation cells have been shown to determine the outcome of Teff and Tmem phenotypes and numbers, this decision must be made at a very early stage. It would appear that the overwhelming expansion of effector T cells and the inability to phenotypically distinguish memory T cells at early time points has masked this important decision point. This does not rule out an effect of repeated stimulation or chronic inflammatory milieu on populations generated in these early stages. Recent studies suggest that Tmem are derived from early Teff, and we suggest that this includes Tem as well as Tcm. Therefore, we propose a testable model for the pathway of differentiation from naive to memory that suggests that Tem are not fully differentiated effector cells, but derived from central memory T cells as originally suggested by Sallusto et al. in 1999, but much debated since.
WE‐E‐AUD C‐02: Impact of Image Quality On CT Guided Prostate Radiotherapy

Purpose: Different CT modalities with varying image quality are being used to correct for interfractional variations in patient setup and anatomy changes, thereby reducing CTV‐to‐PTV margins, for prostate radiotherapy (RT). We explore how CTimage quality affects patient repositioning and CTV‐to‐PTV margin. Method and Materials: Three CT‐based IGRT modalities routinely used in our institute for prostate RT are considered in this study: MV fan beam CT (Tomotherapy), MV cone beam CT (MVision, Siemens) and kV fan beam CT (CTVision, Siemens). Daily shifts are determined by manual registration to achieve the best soft tissue agreement. Effect of image quality on patient repositioning was determined by statistical analysis of daily shifts for 65 prostate cancer patients (34 Tomotherapy, 21 CTVision,10 MVision) treated in our clinics. The impact of soft tissue contrast on organ interface identification was evaluated by analyzing contours drawn by 7 users on the scans from each imaging modality. In addition, variability of soft tissue registration between 10 users was evaluated based on the registration of representative scan for each CT modality with its corresponding planning scan. CTV‐to‐PTV margin was defined as 1.96σ. Results: Inferior image quality with MV CT based IGRT leads to increased variations in daily shifts (3, 4, 5 mm for CTVision, Tomotherapy and MVision) and in prostate delineation (6, 3, 10 mm for CTVision, Tomotherapy and MVision). Superior image quality with the kV CT results in reduced variation between 10 users in soft tissue registration. Uniform margin introduced to account for the uncertainty in the identification of prostate edge are determined to be 2, 6 and 5 mm for CTVision, Tomotherapy and MVision. Conclusion:Image quality adversely affects the reproducibility of the manual registration for IGRT and necessitates a margin of 2 mm for kV CT and 6 mm for MV CT to ensure adequate coverage.
Blood on the embryo transfer catheter is associated with decreased rates of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy with the use of in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer

Abstract Objective: To examine the relation between blood found on the transfer catheter after ET and the rates of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy with the use of IVF-ET. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: A tertiary care center for assisted reproductive technology. Patient(s): Three hundred seven couples who underwent 354 ETs between January 1, 1994, and June 30, 1996. Intervention(s): A semiquantitative system for recording the amount of blood found inside and outside the transfer catheter after ET. Main Outcome Measure(s): Embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate (PR). Result(s): Blood found outside the transfer catheter after ET was associated with decreased rates of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy. In contrast, blood located inside the transfer catheter after ET, the type of catheter used for ET, the number of transfer attempts, and the time required for ET did not significantly affect either the embryo implantation rate or the clinical PR. Conclusion(s): Blood found outside, but not inside, the transfer catheter after ET is associated with lower rates of embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy with the use of IVF-ET. An emphasis on atraumatic transfer techniques, with prevention of bleeding at the time of ET, should contribute to improved pregnancy outcome with the use of IVF-ET.
Giants in Chest Medicine: Leonardo M. Fabbri, MD.

versity Medical School, graduating from the latter with BM and BCh degrees in 1972. Since 1987, Dr Barnes has held the positions of professor of thoracic medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute, head of respiratory medicine at Imperial College, and honorary consultant physician at Royal Brompton Hospital, London. His contributions to the medical literature are numerous. Dr Barnes has published . 1,000 peerreviewed articles on asthma, COPD, and related topics and has written or edited . 40 books. And the list of his noteworthy accomplishments continues. Dr Barnes is among the top 50 most highly cited researchers in the world and has been the most highly cited clinical scientist in Europe. For the past 20 years, he has been the most highly cited respiratory researcher in the world. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2007, the fi rst respiratory researcher to be so honored in the past 150 years. Editor’s Note: This series recognizes and highlights the accomplishments of individuals who have contributed greatly to chest medicine. To view the video interview with Dr Barnes, go to journal. publications.chestnet.org
Fast Fourier-Hadamard decoding of orthogonal codes

Posner (1968) has recently discussed a decoding scheme for certain orthogonal and biorthogonal codes which is based on the fast Fourier transform on a finite abelian group. In this paper, we present an alternate approach to this problem based on the direct product of matrices. This approach is easily understood by anyone familiar with matrix theory, and it yields results in a form convenient for implementation and generalization.
Educational attainment and life expectancy: A perspective from the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) furthers the mission of the NIH by stimulating behavioral and social sciences research throughout NIH and integrating these areas of research more fully into the NIH health research enterprise, thereby improving our understanding, treatment, and prevention of disease. OBSSR accomplishes this mission through several strategic priorities: (1) supporting the next generation of basic behavioral and social sciences research, (2) facilitating interdisciplinary research, (3) promoting a multi-level systems perspective of health and behavior, and (4) encouraging a problem-focused perspective on population health.
A Genetic Toolbox for Creating Reversible Ca2+-Sensitive Materials

A major goal of polymer science is to develop "smart" materials that sense specific chemical signals in complex environments and respond with predictable changes in their mechanical properties. Here, we describe a genetic toolbox of natural and engineered protein modules that can be rationally combined in manifold ways to create reversible self-assembling materials that vary in their composition, architecture, and mechanical properties. Using this toolbox, we produced several materials that reversibly self-assemble in the presence of Ca2+ and characterized these materials using particle-tracking microrheology. The properties of these materials could be predicted from the dilute solution behavior of their component modules, suggesting that this toolbox may be generally useful for creating new stimuli-sensitive materials.
Vaccine pricing: how can we get it right?

The 2012 World Vaccine Congress featured a cornucopia of presentations on a variety of topics related to vaccine manufacturing, regulation, delivery, administration and pricing. The focus of the co...
Factors Predicting Survival after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation: 15 Years' Experience from a Single Tertiary Medical Center

Purpose This retrospective analysis was conducted to identify factors predictive of survival after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent TIPS creation between January 1991 and December 2005 at a tertiary-care center were identified. Log-rank tests were used to compare the cumulative survival functions among groups of patients who underwent TIPS creation for various indications. Thirty-day mortality after TIPS creation was examined by logistic regression. Cox proportional-hazards analyses were performed to analyze the cumulative 90-day and 1-year survival. Selected variables such as creatinine, bilirubin, and International Normalized Ratio (INR) were assessed with respect to survival. Results The study included 352 patients, of whom 229 (65.1%) were male. The mean age at the time of TIPS creation was 53.6 years (range, 21–82 y). A Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score greater than 15 was significantly associated with poor survival ( P P P Conclusion The choice to create a TIPS in individuals whose MELD score is greater than 15 and/or whose age is greater than 70 years should involve a careful consideration of risk/benefit ratio, taking into account the finding that such patients have significantly poorer survival after TIPS creation.
Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis. Fine structural analysis of the synovium and synovial fluid cells

A patient with progressive multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MR) had foamy giant cells in the synovial fluid as well as in the synovial membrane and dermis. These cells did not stain for neutral fat, but stained faintly with Sudan Black B and periodic acid-Schiff. Electron microscopy of these unusual macrophages showed they were filled with vacuoles and inclusions that contained a flocculent material. These inclusions bore a close relationship to the Golgi apparatus and, in some cells, appeared to be developing from smooth endoplasmic reticulum. A 3-month trial on azathioprine did not improve the patient's arthritis nor reduce the size and number of skin nodules. This is the first patient described with this disorder in whom synovial fluid analysis revealed foamy appearing giant cells and in whom intracellular inclusions were related to the endoplasmic reticuium.
Depression at Birth in Term Infants Exposed to Maternal Chorioamnionitis: Does Neonatal Fever Play a Role?

Depression at Birth in Term Infants Exposed to Maternal Chorioamnionitis: Does Neonatal Fever Play a Role?
On the dependence of superconducting Tc on carrier concentration

Abstract A striking similarity exists between the dependence of T c on carrier concentration in transition metal alloys and in oxide superconductors. Such a dependence follows naturally from a mechanism of superconductivity based on pairing of hole carriers through Coulomb interactions.
Legal aspects of sharing and management of transboundary waters in South Asia: preventing conflicts and promoting cooperation

Abstract Historically, the development of cooperation among Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan with respect to the Indus and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basins, South Asia's major transboundary rivers, has been a cause of tension, apprehension and ongoing disputes. This paper draws attention to the hydro-politics on transference and allocation, along with the diverging positions and unique concerns of the riparians on bilateral, multilateral, national as well as regional fronts. While examining the official water discourses and the evolution of different international legal instruments applicable to the governance of water relations among the riparians, the paper also sketches the emerging concerns in their relationships, as well as their efforts to cooperate and collaborate to avert disputes and manage water sharing and governance. Citation Uprety, K. & Salman, S. M. A. (2011) Legal aspects of sharing and management of transboundary waters in South Asia: preventing conflicts and promoting coop...
A Path Analysis of IOS Appropriation's Impact on SC Collaboration and Collaborative Advantage

The objective of the study is to explore the impact of IOS appropriation on supply chain collaboration and collaborative advantage. Reliable and valid instruments of these constructs were developed through rigorous empirical analysis including structured interviews, Q-sort, and a large-scale study. Data were collected through a Web survey of U.S. manufacturing firms in various industries. The path analytical results indicate that IOS appropriation strongly supports supply chain collaboration, which in turn affects collaborative advantage.
Making generative classifiers robust to selection bias

This paper presents approaches to semi-supervised learning when the labeled training data and test data are differently distributed. Specifically, the samples selected for labeling are a biased subset of some general distribution and the test set consists of samples drawn from either that general distribution or the distribution of the unlabeled samples. An example of the former appears in loan application approval, where samples with repay/default labels exist only for approved applicants and the goal is to model the repay/default behavior of all applicants. An example of the latter appears in spam filtering, in which the labeled samples can be out-dated due to the cost of labeling email by hand, but an unlabeled set of up-to-date emails exists and the goal is to build a filter to sort new incoming email.Most approaches to overcoming such bias in the literature rely on the assumption that samples are selected for labeling depending only on the features, not the labels, a case in which provably correct methods exist. The missing labels are said to be "missing at random" (MAR). In real applications, however, the selection bias can be more severe. When the MAR conditional independence assumption is not satisfied and missing labels are said to be "missing not at random" (MNAR), and no learning method is provably always correct.We present a generative classifier, the shifted mixture model (SMM), with separate representations of the distributions of the labeled samples and the unlabeled samples. The SMM makes no conditional independence assumptions and can model distributions of semi-labeled data sets with arbitrary bias in the labeling. We present a learning method based on the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm that, while not always able to overcome arbitrary labeling bias, learns SMMs with higher test-set accuracy in real-world data sets (with MNAR bias) than existing learning methods that are proven to overcome MAR bias.
Storming and catastrophic system failures

Storming is an acceleration in activity at the end of a planning period that is a response to an arbitrary, time-dependent incentive system. Although storming is seldom explicitly blamed for causing a disaster, it is often the tragic catalyst that allows system failure to develop to catastrophic scale. The Wilberg mine fire, the Challenger disaster, the rush to get Three Mile Island Unit 2 on-line before the end of 1978, and typical operation of pre-perestroika Soviet factories are offered as cases in which storming progressed beyond optimal levels. By learning to recognize excessive storming, managers can more effectively select realistic and optimal production rates.