cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro assessment of EmboGel and UltraGel radiopaque hydrogels for the endovascular treatment of aneurysms.

Purpose To describe two hydrogel embolic materials, the alginate-based EmboGel and the polyethylene glycol diacrylate–based UltraGel and examine their use as embolic agents in in vitro models of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) endoleak and saccular aneurysms. Materials and Methods EmboGel is a mixture of iohexol and alginate, with a calcium chloride solution used to induce polymerization. UltraGel is a mixture of igracure, iohexol, and polyethylene glycol diacrylate and polymerizes in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light. Modified microcatheter delivery systems were used in both cases to demonstrate use of the hydrogels in fusiform and saccular aneurysm models. Results Preliminary in vitro results suggest that EmboGel and UltraGel provide effective embolization in fusiform and saccular aneurysm models, respectively. Due to the rapid polymerization of EmboGel, the agent was delivered in a strand-like form. When used in conjunction with a stent in an AAA endoleak model, this form was able to effectively fill the aneurysmal cavity and occlude it from the central blood flow. UltraGel, conversely, was delivered as a liquid and slowly polymerized in the presence of UV light. This system in a saccular aneurysm model was able to form a solid cast inside the aneurysm wall, again showing complete occlusion from the parent flow. Conclusions Preliminary results indicate these two novel hydrogel applications may prove effective for the treatment of saccular and fusiform aneurysms.
Metabolism of P2 receptor agonists in human airways: implications for mucociliary clearance and cystic fibrosis

Extracellular nucleotides are among the most potent mediators of mucociliary clearance (MCC) in human lungs. However, clinical trials revealed that aerosolized nucleotides provide only a transient improvement of MCC to patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF). In this study, we identified the mechanism that eliminates extracellular nucleotides from human airways. Polarized primary cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells were impermeable to extracellular nucleotides but rapidly dephosphorylated ATP into ADP, AMP, and adenosine. The half-life of a therapeutic ATP concentration (0.1 mm) was approximately 20 s within the periciliary liquid layer. The mucosal epithelial surface eliminated P2 receptor agonists (ATP = UTP > ADP > UDP) at 3-fold higher rates than the serosal surface. We also showed that mucosal (not serosal) ectoATPase activity increases toward areas most susceptible to airway obstruction (nose < bronchi << bronchioles). Bronchial cultures from patients with CF, primary ciliary dyskinesia, or alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency exhibited 3-fold higher mucosal (not serosal) ectoATPase activity than normal cultures. Time course experiments indicated that CF enhances ATP elimination and adenosine accumulation on the mucosal surface. Furthermore, nonspecific alkaline phosphatase was identified as the major regulator of airway nucleotide concentrations in CF, primary ciliary dyskinesia, and alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. The ectoAT-Pase activity and mRNA expression of mucosally restricted nonspecific alkaline phosphatase were 3-fold higher on bronchial cultures from these patients than from healthy subjects. This study demonstrates that the duration of nucleotide-mediated MCC is limited by epithelial ectonucleotidases throughout human airways, with the efficiency of this mechanism enhanced in chronic inflammatory lung diseases, including CF.
REGULATION OF INTRACELLULAR SODIUM IN CULTURED RAT HIPPOCAMPAL NEURONES

1. We studied regulation of intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) in cultured rat hippocampal neurones using fluorescence ratio imaging of the Na+ indicator dye SBFI (sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate). 2. In standard CO2/HCO3(-)-buffered saline with 3 mM K+, neurones had a baseline [Na+]i of 8.9 +/- 3.8 mM (mean +/- S.D.). Spontaneous, transient [Na+]i increases of 5 mM were observed in neurones on 27% of the coverslips studied. These [Na+]i increases were often synchronized among nearby neurones and were blocked reversibly by 1 microM tetrodotoxin (TTX) or by saline containing 10 mM Mg2+, suggesting that they were caused by periodic bursting activity of synaptically coupled cells. Opening of voltage-gated Na+ channels by application of 50 microM veratridine caused a TTX-sensitive [Na+]i increase of 25 mM. 3. Removing extracellular Na+ caused an exponential decline in [Na+]i to values close to zero within 10 min. Inhibition of Na+,K(+)-ATPase by removal of extracellular K+ or ouabain application evoked a [Na+]i increase of 5 mM min-1. Baseline [Na+]i was similar in the presence or absence of CO2/HCO3-; switching from CO2/HCO3(-)-free to CO2/HCO3(-)-buffered saline, however, increased [Na+]i transiently by 3 mM, indicating activation of Na(+)-dependent Cl(-)-HCO3- exchange. Inhibition of Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransport by bumetanide had no effect on [Na+]i. 4. Brief, small changes in extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o) influenced neuronal [Na+]i only weakly. Virtually no change in [Na+]i was observed with elevation or reduction of [K+]o by 1 mM. Only 30% of cells reacted to 3 min [K+]o elevations of up to 5 mM. In contrast, long [K+]o alterations (> or = 10 min) to 6 mM or greater slowly changed steady-state [Na+]i in the majority of cells. 5. Our results indicate several differences between [Na+]i regulation in cultured hippocampal neurones and astrocytes. Baseline [Na+]i is lower in neurones compared with astrocytes and is mainly determined by Na+,K(+)-ATPase, whereas Na(+)-dependent Cl(-)-HCO3- exchange, Na(+)-HCO3- cotransport or Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransport do not play a significant role. In contrast to glial cells, [Na+]i of neurones changes only weakly with small alterations in bath [K+]o, suggesting that activity-induced [K+]o changes in the brain might not significantly influence neuronal Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity.
Weighted Least Absolute Value state estimation using interior point methods

This paper addresses the application of interior point methods to the Weighted Least Absolute Value state estimation problem. Interior point methods are applied to the primal and dual formulations of the problem. The dual formulation involves solving least squares problems identical in structure to those used in conventional Weighted Least Squares state estimation. The dual formulation also provides an initial feasible interior point without any extra effort. Computational issues that are critical to the success of interior point methods are addressed and test results on standard power systems are provided. >
Extended functional variation

The following problem is investigated: determine the most general class of Lagrangian functions for which a given collection of co-ordinate transformations and variations of an arbitrary collection of geometric objects will leave the resulting action functional invariant in value. It is shown that in all cases one obtains a system of either linear or quasi linear first-order partial differential equations whose solution manifold determines the required Lagrangian class. These results provide a direct means for determining the most general Lagrangian function which admits a given collection of generalized symmetries. If a set of transformations and variationsT are invariance transformations for one Lagrangian function of the Lagrangian classL admittingT as an invariance collection, thenT is shown to be a set of invariance transformations for every element of the Lagrangian classL. This result is nontrivial (since the equations obtained in Part I which characterize an invariance transformation depend intrinsically on the Lagrangian function considered) and provides the basis for determining the most general Lagrangian function which results in strong invariance of the action functional (i.e.: invariance of the action functional even if the Euler-Lagrange equations are not satisfied).
Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among College Students: The Role of Gender Role and Gendered Violence Attitudes

This study examines the relationships between college students' attitudes regarding gender roles and gendered violence and their perpetration of intimate partner violence. Although findings from previous studies demonstrate associations between gender role and gendered violence-related attitudes and intimate partner violence, research to date fails to fully explore these associations. In an attempt to fill this void, the current study looks at attitudes before and after perpetration is reported to determine whether attitudes precede or follow perpetration. Additionally, the study examines these relationships among a previously unexplored set of attitudes within the physical violence literature—those related to chivalry. Findings suggest that the relationships between attitudes and intimate partner violence are more complex than prior research indicates and differ for female and male college students.
Recovering conceptual roles of data in a program

Tools that can bridge the gap between domain knowledge and specific program artifacts are valuable for maintenance work,. This paper describes a tool that can be used to identify conceptual roles associated with program variables and groups of related variables representing relationships in problem domain. The analysis performed by the tool has two levels. The lower-level program-centric analysis is independent of the problem domain. The program-centric analyzers extract syntactic and semantic information about program variables. The results are stored as an XML repository to enable their reuse by other tools. The higher-level analysis is knowledge-centric and customized to make effective use of domain knowledge. To allow our tool to be adaptable to different domains, we provide a customizable rule-based analysis mechanism. To illustrate our tool and the underlying approach, we present simple illustrative examples and a complete case study based on a real-world program. This tool is a part of SeeCORE, a knowledge-centric software engineering environment currently, being developed in our research laboratory.
A multiple stack architecture for intelligent vehicles

We present a general architecture for intelligent vehicles, especially collaborative driving applications. Intelligent vehicles are similar to communication networks as both types of systems interact with physical world using devices that are rapidly evolving, while intelligent vehicles are more complicated than communication network because they interact with the physical world in not only, one but several ways, and because many of the interactions have severe time constraints. The proposed architecture adopts multiple layered stack structures to address the issues. We also present a collaborative merge protocol as an instantiation of the proposed architecture, and discuss the advantage of the architecture in terms of the feasibility of model checking and conformance testing.
Modular Broadband Phased-Arrays Based on a Nonuniform Distribution of Elements Along the Peano-Gosper Space-Filling Curve

The Peano-Gosper space-filling curve provides an excellent framework for designing broadband planar antenna arrays with highly modular architectures. Uniformly distributing elements along the curve leads to an element distribution with a triangular lattice that has an irregular fractal boundary contour. This boundary contour allows for a modular subarray configuration and better sidelobe suppression than conventional triangular lattice arrays with a regular boundary contour. While they have a greater bandwidth than square-lattice distributions, arrays based on a triangular lattice still possess a rather limited bandwidth for beam steering applications due to the formation of grating lobes. In this communication it will be shown that the beam steering capabilities of the Peano-Gosper array can be enhanced by introducing perturbations into the basic recursive array generation scheme. With the proper implementation, the perturbed arrays retain the attractive features of modularity and recursive beamforming that are associated with the standard Peano-Gosper array. Examples will be presented for several stages of Peano-Gosper arrays that were designed for 2:1 broadband performance while scanning within a 30° conical volume. Full-wave simulations will be used to examine the effects of mutual coupling on these aperiodic array layouts.
Classification of breast MRI lesions using a backpropagation neural network (BNN)

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today. Mammography is currently the primary method of early detection. But research has shown that many cases missed by mammography can be detected in breast MRI. Breast MRI is more difficult to interpret than mammography, because it generates much more data. Also, because it is a non-standard modality, there are fewer people qualified to use it for diagnosis. Our primary motivation is to increase the classification specificity for readers by using automatic classification system. We propose a method for finding significant regions in the data, and classifying them into malignant and benign. In this pilot study, our method first searches the breast tissue for contrast enhanced regions, then computes a difference image by subtracting the pre-contrast and post-contrast images. Two levels of thresholding are then applied. These thresholds are used to identify suspicious lesions and separate them from the background. After thresholding, 3D connected components analysis is used to label the enhanced lesions, and lesion shape based features are computed and used as inputs to the classifier. The last step is to use a backpropagation neural network (BNN) to classifying the labeled regions into benign and malignant, using the biopsy results as the gold standard. Our preliminary results show an area under the ROC curve for the testing stage equals to 0.913. This result illustrates the promise of using BNN as a physician's assistant for breast MRI classification.
Gaming to Predict Human Responses to Mass Casualty Events: An Approach for Quick Look Tools for Pandemic Influenza

There is a need to better understand and describe social intelligence in the realm of dealing with mass casualty events, such as pandemic influenza, earthquakes, or other natural or manmade disasters. This social intelligence is needed to be able to accurately feed and drive models and simulations that attempt to describe and quantify human responses to such mass casualty events and potential mitigation strategies that might be used to minimize their impacts by reducing numbers of deaths, injuries, and other societal (e.g., economic) consequences. We propose to attempt to gain a better understanding of social intelligence and socially driven human responses through the use of games and game-like interfaces with an application toward infectious diseases.
Mps1 phosphorylation of Dam1 couples kinetochores to microtubule plus ends at metaphase.

Summary Background Duplicated chromosomes are equally segregated to daughter cells by a bipolar mitotic spindle during cell division. By metaphase, sister chromatids are coupled to microtubule (MT) plus ends from opposite poles of the bipolar spindle via kinetochores. Here we describe a phosphorylation event that promotes the coupling of kinetochores to microtubule plus ends. Results Dam1 is a kinetochore component that directly binds to microtubules. We identified DAM1-765, a dominant allele of DAM1 , in a genetic screen for mutations that increase stress on the spindle pole body (SPB) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . DAM1-765 contains the single mutation S221F. We show that S221 is one of six Dam1 serines (S13, S49, S217, S218, S221, and S232) phosphorylated by Mps1 in vitro. In cells with single mutations S221F, S218A, or S221A, kinetochores in the metaphase spindle form tight clusters that are closer to the SPBs than in a wild-type cell. Five lines of experimental evidence, including localization of spindle components by fluorescence microscopy, measurement of microtubule dynamics by fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching, and reconstructions of three-dimensional structure by electron tomography, combined with computational modeling of microtubule behavior strongly indicate that, unlike wild-type kinetochores, Dam1-765 kinetochores do not colocalize with an equal number of plus ends. Despite the uncoupling of the kinetochores from the plus ends of MTs, the DAM1-765 cells are viable, complete the cell cycle with the same kinetics as wild-type cells, and biorient their chromosomes as efficiently as wild-type cells. Conclusions We conclude that phosphorylation of Dam1 residues S218 and S221 by Mps1 is required for efficient coupling of kinetochores to MT plus ends. We find that efficient plus-end coupling is not required for (1) maintenance of chromosome biorientation, (2) maintenance of tension between sister kinetochores, or (3) chromosome segregation.
Sonic Hedgehog Regulates Ischemia/Hypoxia-Induced Neural Progenitor Proliferation

Background and Purpose— Sonic hedgehog (Shh) protein is required for the maintenance of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in the embryonic and adult hippocampus. Brain ischemia causes increased proliferation of hippocampal NPCs. We therefore examined whether Shh regulates the increase in proliferation of NPCs after ischemia/hypoxia. Methods— Male SV129 mice were exposed to a 20-minute middle cerebral artery occlusion; hippocampi were then analyzed for Shh mRNA and protein expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblot, and immunohistochemistry. Primary cell cultures of neurons, astrocytes, and NPCs were exposed to 16 hours of hypoxia (1% O2) and analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot for Shh expression. Proliferation of NPCs, in vivo and in vitro, was measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Results— Among the cell types examined in vitro, only NPC and neurons increased Shh mRNA under hypoxic conditions. Furthermore, hypoxia increased proliferation of NPCs and this ...
Team-Teaching within Schools of Business: Increasing the Chance for Success

Applications of team-teaching within schools of business appear to contain inherent defects, which lead to superficiality. A three-fold modification is suggested and a case history applying this solution is presented. A preliminary general model for team- teaching success is also presented.
A rule-based energy management strategy for a series hybrid vehicle

A rule-based control and energy management strategy for a series hybrid vehicle is presented. The strategy is based on splitting the power demand between the engine and the battery such that these power sources are operated at high efficiency. The power demand is estimated as the output of a high gain PI controller that controls the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. The focus was to improve the fuel economy of the vehicle by suitable power assignment to the power sources. This power split (assignment) is implemented under a rule-base frame. The rules depend on the values of selected variables: the power demand itself, the driver's acceleration command and the status of the SOC (state of charge) of the battery. The rules ensure that the engine and the battery operate at high efficiency whenever possible. At high power demand the engine will operate at its maximum rated power. Simulation results of the proposed strategy showed improvement in fuel economy over the "thermostat" strategy. An improvement of 11% in the urban cycle and of 6% in the highway cycle have been achieved for a series hybrid vehicle driven by a 40 KW diesel engine and a 60 kW lead acid battery.
Validation of Molecular Markers for New Stem Rust Resistance Genes in U.S. Hard Winter Wheat

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (pgt), is one of the most serious diseases of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide. The discovery of new p in Africa, Ug99 and its variants, brings a new threat to global wheat production. p yramiding several stem
Genetically encoded ratiometric biosensors to measure intracellular exchangeable zinc in Escherichia coli.

Zinc is an essential element for numerous cellular processes, therefore zinc homeostasis is regulated in living organisms. Fluorescent sensors have been developed as important tools to monitor the concentrations of readily exchangeable zinc in live cells. One type of biosensor uses carbonic anhydrase (CA) as the recognition element based on its tunable affinity, superior metal selectivity, and fluorescence signal from aryl sulfonamide ligands coupled to zinc binding. Here, we fuse carbonic anhydrase with a red fluorescent protein to create a series of genetically-encoded Forster resonance energy transfer-based excitation ratiometric zinc sensors that exhibit large signal increases in response to alterations in physiological-free zinc concentrations. These sensors were applied to the prokaryotic model organism Escherichia coli to quantify the readily exchangeable zinc concentration. In minimal media, E. coli BL21(DE3) cells expressing the CA sensor, exhibit a median intracellular readily exchangeable zinc concentration of 20 pM, much less than the total cellular zinc concentration of ∼0.2 mM. Furthermore, the intracellular readily exchangeable zinc concentration varies with the concentration of environmental zinc.
The effect of freeze-thawing on magnetic resonance imaging T2* of freshly harvested bovine patellar tendon.

Background: Analysis of fresh specimens in research studies is ideal; however, it is often necessary to freeze samples for evaluation at a later time. Limited evaluation of the effect of freeze-thawing of tendon tissue samples on inherent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters, such as ultrashort echo time (UTE) T 2 * values, have been performed to date. Methods: This study performed UTE MRI on 14 bovine patellar tendons at harvest and after four consecutive freeze-thaw cycles. Results: Results demonstrated a small but significant reduction (12%) in tendon T 2 * values after the first freeze thaw cycle, but not after successive cycles. Tendons from juvenile animals with open physes had a significant reduction of T 2 * following a single freeze thaw cycle, P Conclusions: The results of this study emphasize the importance of using uniform tendon storage protocols when using UTE MRI in preclinical models.
Computer Security Breaches A Threat To Credit Sales

Business security has progressed from the wooden cash box to the cash register and now the nightmare of the computer. Control has progressively slipped from the control of the instrument operator to a little understood collection of networked instruments. This evolution of difficulty has created numerous protection problems for the business operator. Not only does the cash and other payment means need collection and protection, but now the payment instrument itself has fallen under the responsibility of the vendor. Business owners are as much at risk from cyber security as from physical security. Thieves don’t have to rush the store with guns blazing to steal money in fact they don’t have to steal money from the store at all. Information and data are the sources of new gold. The information collected from customers’ credit cards contains enough data to secure riches for any enterprising evil doer. In addition to normal data growth, regulatory compliance (Sarbanes/Oxley (SOX), SEC17a, HIPAA, Patriot Act, Freedom of Information etc.) is contributing exponentially to data growth, as more records are generated; more regulations are created in more industries. This creates a big fat target as much a target as any “old west” bank, and businesses are responsible for the protection and security of customers’ data.
Neurological and Neuromuscular Diseases

For anesthesiologists nervous system pathologies are important for a number of reasons. These reasons are defined by the essential components of anesthesia: immobility, analgesia, unconsciousness, and suppression of autonomic reflexes. These components provide the context in which neurological disorders should be considered by the anesthesiologist. This chapter will specifically focus on the interaction of movement disorders with anesthetic management. In order to facilitate understanding of these interactions, a simplified yet fundamental structure of the motor pathway is discussed below.
Model-based auto coding of embedded control software with full semantics

Control software is one of the most important elements of safety-critical systems, whether it is used in aerospace, automotive, naval or medical engineering. Control software is used, for example, to regulate the altitude of an aircraft, the speed of an automobile, the heading of a ship or the intensity of an ion beam. The design of modern embedded software requires that its functional and non functional semantics, including those of the entire system, be expressed clearly within the software to support its correctness at all levels of its implementation. Such semantics must be expressed in languages adapted to the different levels of software implementation and the systems they interact with. Therefore, block diagrams used by control theorists must also be able to support semantic properties, such as stability and performance, and their proofs. Software implementations of these block diagrams must be, correspondingly, fully documented with the same properties and their proofs, in such a way that they can be automatically parsed and verified.
Consumers Shopping Effort And Evaluation Of Store Image Attributes: The Roles Of Purchasing Involvement And Recreational Shopping Interest

Purchasing involvement and recreational shopping are two consumer characteristics associated with active shopping and information-seeking. This study examines how these characteristics influence consumers shopping effort and consumers importance ratings of department store attributes. Significant differences are found among highly involved consumers, minimally involved, consumers, and recreational shoppers and between groups of consumers classified on the basis of these two characteristics. Public policy and research implications are discussed.
Ammonia Generation and Utilization in a Passive SCR (TWC+SCR) System on Lean Gasoline Engine

Lean gasoline engines offer greater fuel economy than the common stoichiometric gasoline engine, but the current three-way catalyst (TWC) on stoichiometric engines is unable to control nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions in the oxygen-rich exhaust. Thus, lean NOX emission control is required to meet existing Tier 2 and upcoming Tier 3 emission regulations set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While urea-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) has proven effective in controlling NOX from diesel engines, the urea storage and delivery components can add significant size and cost. As such, onboard NH3 production via a passive SCR approach is of interest. In a passive SCR system, NH3 is generated over a close-coupled TWC during periodic slightly rich engine operation and subsequently stored on an underfloor SCR catalyst. Upon switching to lean operation, NOX passes through the TWC and is reduced by the stored NH3 on the SCR catalyst. In this work, a passive SCR system was evaluated on a 2.0-liter BMW lean burn gasoline direct injection engine to assess NH3 generation over a Pd-only TWC and utilization over a Cu-based SCR catalyst. System NOX reduction efficiency and fuel efficiency improvement compared to stoichiometric engine operation were measured. A feedback control strategymore » based on cumulative NH3 produced by the TWC during rich operation and NOX emissions during lean operation was implemented on the engine to control lean/rich cycle timing. 15% excess NH3 production over a 1:1 NH3:NOX ratio was required (via longer rich cycle timing) to achieve 99.7% NOX conversion at an SCR average inlet temperature of 350 C. Increasing NH3 generation further resulted in even higher NOX conversion; however, tailpipe NH3 emissions resulted. At higher temperatures, NH3 oxidation becomes important and limits NH3 availability for NOX reduction. At the engine conditions studied here, greater than 99% NOX conversion was achieved with passive SCR while delivering fuel efficiency benefits ranging between 6-11% compared with stoichiometric operation.« less
Cyclic AMP regulates mRNA expression of alpha-1d and alpha-2a adrenergic receptors in cultured human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells.

While the physiological effects of contractile (e.g. norepinephrine) and relaxatory (e.g. PGE1, forskolin) agents on corpus cavernosum smooth muscle tone have been characterized, the regulation of alpha adrenergic receptor mRNA expression in erectile tissue remains to be investigated. The goal of this study was to investigate the modulation of alpha-1 and alpha-2 adrenergic receptor mRNA expression in cultured human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in response to increased intracellular cAMP induced by prostaglandin E1 and forskolin. Human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells were incubated for 24 h with or without PGE1 (5.7 µM), forskolin (10 µM) or an admixture of both. Total RNA was prepared from the cultures. Expression of alpha-1d adrenergic receptor, alpha-2a adrenergic receptor and m2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor was determined by RNase protection assays. Loading was normalized by RNase protection of the housekeeping gene, cyclophilin A. The relative abundance of mRNAs was quantitated by scanning densitometry. Treatment of human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells with PGE1 or forskolin resulted in decreased mRNA expression of alpha-1d and alpha-2a adrenergic receptors and m2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor when compared to untreated cells. Combinations of PGE1 and forskolin produced a more pronounced decrease in mRNA than either agent alone. PGE1 and forskolin increased intracellular levels of cAMP in human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells and combinations of both agents produced a more pronounced increase in cAMP synthesis. These results suggest that cAMP modulates the expression of alpha adrenergic receptors, one of the principal contractile receptor systems in the corpora cavernosa. These observations further support the concept that erectile function is a balance between contractile and relaxatory processes, which in turn regulate structure and function of the corpora cavernosa. International Journal of Impotence Research (2000) 12, Suppl 1, S41-S47
The local roots of federal policy change: Transportation in the 1990s

Although allegedly "all politics is local, " studies of policy changes in the United States tend to emphasize national political cleavages, national issue-attention cycles, and inside-the-Beltway approaches to issue networks. We argue that more accurate and complete explanations of national policy changes require a broader consideration of problem definition and issue framing at the local level, as well as intergovernmental political pressures. Using hearing testimony, media coverage, and other data, we test this proposition by examining alterations to U.S. transportation policy in the 1990s. The reauthorizations of the federal transportation law in 1991 and 1998, which shifted considerable discretion away from states and toward previously weak metropolitan planning organizations, are typically viewed as major victories for mass transit and environmentalists. Our analysis suggests that a conventional explanation focusing on national factors like public opinion, interest group involvement, and Congressional membership provides less leverage in accounting for these substantive and procedural policy shifts than an explanation centered on local and intergovernmental factors.
Pokemon Phenomenon and Seizures

A survey by questionnaire of 67 Japanese children affected by watching the animated television series Pocket Monsters (Pokemon) on December 16, 1997 and their parents was compared with that of children not affected by the program, in a study conducted at Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, and other centers.
Effect of Electronic Health Record Implementation in Critical Care on Survival and Medication Errors.

Abstract Background Electronic health records (EHR) with computerized physician order entry have become exceedingly common and government incentives have urged implementation. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effect of EHR implementation on medical intensive care unit (MICU) mortality, length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS and medication errors. Materials and Methods Prospective, observational study from July 2010-June 2011 in MICU at an urban teaching hospital in Atlanta, Georgia of 797 patients admitted to the MICU; 281 patients before the EHR implementation and 516 patients post-EHR implementation. Results Compared with the preimplementation period ( N = 43 per 281), the mortality risk at 4 months post-EHR implementation ( N = 41 per 247) and at 8 months post-EHR implementation ( N = 26 per 269) significantly decreased ( P P = 0.002). However, the mean hospital LOS was not statistically decreased. Although medication errors increased after implementation ( P = 0.002), this was attributable to less severe errors and there was actually a decrease in the number of severe medication errors (both P Conclusions We report a survival benefit following the implementation of EHR with computerized physician order entry in a critical care setting and a concomitant decrease in the number of severe medication errors. Although overall hospital LOS was not shortened, this study proposes that EHR implementation in a busy urban hospital was associated with improved ICU outcomes.
Measurement of Pyrogenicity

Probably the most characteristic effect of bacterial lipopoly-saccharides is the elevation of body temperature. Less than 1 μg given intravenously raises the temperature of rabbits by several degrees centigrade. The mechanism of this phenomenon is not fully understood, although some experimental data show involvement of the central nervous system in the reaction. In this Exercise a stimplified version of this rather demanding measurement is given. Please follow the instructions carefully.
Analysis on epidemiology characteristics of Hepatitis C in Hebei district of Tianjin,2004-2013

Objective To analyze the epidemiology characteristics of Hepatitis C,and to provide scientific evidence for disease prevention strategies. Methods Data of hepatitis C cases in Hebei district of Tianjin which reported through national notifiable disease reporting system during 2004- 2013 were collected and analysed. Results The incidence of hepatitis C in Hebei district increased by years from 2004 to 2006 and decreased from 2006 to 2010,whereas it has showed a declining trend since 2011. The top three incidence regions mainly located in the area with greater migrants,the zone of rural-urban fringe and the community with more middle and aged residents. The disease had no significant seasonal distribution. Among the patients,there were more males than females. The incidence in 15- 59 age group was gradually increased with age. Conclusion The incidence rate of hepatitis C had increasing tendency in the recent years. Comprehensive prevention measures including propaganda should be enhanced by health department.
Galectin‐3 and Risk of Heart Failure and Death in Blacks and Whites

Background The association between galectin‐3 and heart failure (HF) or death is well established for white, but not for black, adults. Methods and Results Galectin‐3 was measured in 1809 participants (1375 white, 434 black), enrolled in a substudy of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) observational cohort during 2004–2005. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the adjusted association between galectin‐3 and outcomes. Analyses were conducted overall and by race category. Median (interquartile range) galectin‐3 levels were 13.4 (11.2–16.4) and 14.8 (12–17.6) ng/mL, in white and black participants, respectively. In the sample overall, galectin‐3 was not independently associated with HF or death over a maximum of 7.9 years. However, in race‐stratified analyses, galectin‐3 was independently associated with a composite of HF or death among whites (eg, hazard ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.2–3.9, comparing Q4 versus Q1); but not among blacks (hazard ratio of 0.8 [0.4–1.8] for Q4 versus Q1, race interaction P =0.03). Associations between galectin‐3 and both outcomes analyzed individually also demonstrated similar racial differences. Furthermore, results were qualitatively similar with galectin‐3 modeled as a continuous exposure. In addition, galectin‐3 improved discrimination for the composite of HF or death among whites (increase in Harrell's C statistic from 0.729 to 0.735 [difference of +0.006], P =0.049), but not among blacks (0.696 to 0.695 [difference of −0.001], P =0.814). Conclusions In contrast to whites, galectin‐3 may have limited prognostic utility for predicting HF and death in blacks. While our results require replication, they could reflect racial differences in the processes by which galectin‐3 mediates disease.
HIV-1, AIDS, and Related Malignancies

HIV type 1 (HIV-1) is a lentivirus that causes the global acquired immunodeficiency disease pandemic. HIV-1 infection of CD4+ lymphocytes and macrophages modulates signal transduction pathways and immune response. Although rarely oncogenic itself, HIV-1 exacerbates clinical disease course in individuals dually infected by HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus, human papilloma virus, Epstein-Barr virus, or human herpesvirus-8. No vaccines or treatments to prevent or cure HIV-1 infection are available. Combinations of antiretroviral drugs reduce perinatal infection and HIV-1 associated morbidity and mortality. Increased survival among HIV-1 infected adults and children could lead to an increase in malignancies owing to chronic immune suppression, coinfection by oncogenic viruses, and/or persistent HIV-1 infection.
Towards a general form for the quark mass matrix.

It is shown that the mass matrices for both charges of quarks may be written in a most general form consistent with the data for quark masses and Kobayashi-Maskawa (KM) matrix elements. The most-general form is displayed explicitly for plausible choices of the masses and KM matrix elements. It is shown by direct calculation that in the good-CP limit there exists a basis for the quarks in which the squares of the elements of the up-quark mass matrix are proportional to the squares of the elements of the down-quark mass matrix. In this basis, the KM matrix is nontrivial solely because of differing signs of the mass-matrix elements.
Brokerage Firms' Characteristics and the Sale of Residential Property

Brokerage firms are continually searching for opportunities to improve their business and position in the market. Given a resistance to price competition, firms typically compete by offering different services to their customers. These services range from media access to new search technology to reputation. Firms offering new services may enhance the experience of home transition for individuals and attract business when past customers describe their comfort with the firm. This paper empirically examines the firms' impact on a more tangible feature of the home sale process: the sale price.There is a generally accepted trade-off when individuals sell their homes. Speed of sale and price obtained are balanced against each other. Holding days on the market constant, as well as property amenities, evidence is presented suggesting that some firms consistently achieve higher sale prices than other firms. Specifically, in the given market, when homes are listed with one of the largest firms, the owner can antici...
Big data, smart computer systems, and doctor-patient relationship.

This editorial refers to ‘Machine learning for prediction of all-cause mortality in patient with suspected coronary artery disease: a 5-year multicentre prospective registry analysis’, by M. Motwani et al ., doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw188 Decision-making in medicine is based on the factual knowledge of the physician/practitioner, but is significantly influenced by various humanistic factors that play a role in the physician–patient relationship. Despite the increasing amount of electronic data available ‘online’ during the patient encounter, the ability to utilize a patient-centred approach is a central quality of superior practitioners. However, electronic health records (EHRs) and use of smart computer systems are having an increasing impact on established approaches in medicine. The basic EHR collects and stores all data generated in a healthcare system (e.g. clinical notes, test results, and imaging studies). In addition to these data traditionally generated within the clinical setting, there are several novel feeds of information that can impact patient care. Specifically, wearable devices, and information from sensors and apps that capture and track various environmental, socio-economic, and other personal data can be valuable in understanding an individual's health status …
Effective Sampling, Modeling and Optimization of Constrained Black-box Problems

Abstract An effective strategy for the sampling, modeling, and optimization of black-box problems with constraints is proposed. Black-box systems are often approximated and solved using surrogate models. Motivated by the fact that the surrogate model needs to be accurate in the feasible region, we use feasible samples to train surrogate model and reduce the overall number of function evaluations. A new mathematical programming based approach is employed to obtain the desired number of feasible, unique and space-filling samples. We then approximate the black-box function by kriging function and apply trust region based e -exact method to converge to a local optimal solution. The overall framework comprising of mathematical programs to obtain feasible samples, modeling and optimization was tested on a suite of 16 problems from GlobalLib. Compared to case when both feasible and infeasible samples are used to train surrogate model, an average reduction of 25.69% was observed when only the feasible samples are selected a priori . The framework is also applied to optimize operating conditions of a tri-reformer to convert and utilize CO 2 from power plants.
Implementing Clinical Pharmacogenetics: Point-of-Care and Pre-Emptive Testing

Although the field of pharmacogenetics was established over 50 years ago, clinical testing for germline pharmacogenetic variants implicated in interindividual drug response variability has only recently become available to help physicians guide pharmacotherapy. However, despite robust pharmacogenetic associations with medication efficacy and/or adverse effects, physician adoption of clinical pharmacogenetic testing has not been widespread. This is likely due to a number of factors including a lack of professional education and practice guidelines, concerns over clinical utility, regulatory and reimbursement issues, and the feasibility of integrating rapid turnaround-time genetic testing into routine clinical practice. To address the specific challenge of testing feasibility and turnaround time, both point-of-care and pre-emptive pharmacogenetic testing programs have recently been deployed in selected clinical contexts and academic centers. This chapter aims to review pharmacogenetic testing implementation with a focus on the germline genetic variants that are implicated in drug response variability and their use at the point of care.
Evidence-based practice in occupational health: Description and application of an implementation effectiveness model

Work-related muscuoloskeletal disorders (WMSDs) continue to represent the most costly category of occupational diseases. There is a growing body of literature regarding the causal nature of these injuries and effective intervention strategies. In this context, the consistent utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) to address these problems can be viewed as one indicator of occupational health effectiveness. However, the routine integration of EBP remains elusive in occupational and physical therapy practice, including the occupational health arena. This article describes an implementation effectiveness model from the field of organizational management and applies it to the implementation of EBP within the occupational health practice arena. As a predictive or evaluative tool regarding implementation success, the model can assist clinic managers and clinicians in developing targeted approaches to EBP initiatives within any health care facility.
Charles Hales (1941–2015)

With sadness, we mark the passing of one of our own, Charles Hales, one of the beacons in our field. As the news spread, the same story came from the students, fellows, and junior faculty. All could remember Charles when he visited their posters at the American Thoracic Society meetings. That they remembered him seems incredible, as the poster sessions are chaos; hours of a blur; the curious stopping by; and the dread of looking stupid, or ignorant, or incoherent. Then, of course, the dorsal fins were heading down the aisle, the great whites of the field, amplifying the dread. How, in the midst of all that chaos, could one person stand out to the point of being remembered, even now and after all that time?
Electrostatics Facilitates the Trimer-of-Dimers Formation of the Chemoreceptor Signaling Domain

Chemoreceptors are crucial components of the bacterial sensory system that modulates cellular motility. They detect changes in the environment and transmit information to CheA histidine kinase, which ultimately controls cellular flagellar motors. The prototypical Tsr chemoreceptor in E. coli is a homodimer containing two principle functional modules: (i) a periplasmic ligand-binding domain and (ii) a cytoplasmic signaling domain comprising an antiparallel, four-helix coiled-coil bundle. Receptor dimers are arranged into a trimer-of-dimers, which is a minimal physical unit essential for enhancing the CheA activity several hundredfold. Recent advances in cryo-electron tomography showed that trimers-of-dimers are arranged into highly ordered hexagon arrays at the cell pole; however, the mechanism underlying the trimer-of-dimer and higher order array formation remains unknown. Current evidence from structural and biochemical studies suggest that trimers-of-dimers are maintained exclusively by contacts at the chemoreceptor cytoplasmic tip. Here, using all-atom, microsecond-range MD simulation of the Tsr trimer-of-dimers crystal structure, we show that dimers within the trimer may interact throughout the entire length of the signaling domain. While inter-dimer contacts at the chemoreceptor tip occur via hydrophobic interactions, complete dimer “zipping” is facilitated by electrostatics, especially by the polar solvation component. We also show that many of the residues involved in establishing hydrogen bonds and salt bridges between dimers are evolutionary conserved.
Evaluation of Nursery Container Designs for Minimization or Prevention of Root Circling

Abstract Six different container designs were evaluated for their effectiveness in minimizing or preventing the development of circling roots around the sides and/or bottoms of containers. While both shrub and tree species were tested, the roots of the shrubs were generally small and fibrous enough that selection of a container to minimize or prevent circling roots was not an important consideration. For the tree species, the greatest amount of circling reduction was achieved with the soft polybags and the rigid stepped-pyramid containers. Because considerable difference exists in the cost of the newly-designed containers, both cost and root-modifying effectiveness should be considered if root modification is deemed important.
Evolution of Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in the Era of Transcatheter Valve Technology.

Author(s): Mantha, Aditya; Juo, Yen-Yi; Morchi, Ravi; Ebrahimi, Ramin; Ziaeian, Boback; Shemin, Richard J; Benharash, Peyman