cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
2016 – TRANSCRIPTIONAL DYNAMICS OF THE PU.1-GATA NETWORK AT SINGLE MOLECULE RESOLUTION IN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS

Molecular noise is a natural and inescapable physical phenomenon inherent to all biological systems. How robust tissue homeostasis can arise despite these stochastic processes is a conundrum. Here, to quantitatively investigate this issue, we use single-molecule mRNA FISH (smFISH) in HSPC to measure the transcription dynamics of three key transcription factor (TF) genes: PU.1, Gata1 and Gata2. Our results indicate that infrequent, stochastic bursts of transcription result in the co-expression of these antagonistic TF in the majority of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Moreover, by pairing smFISH with time-lapse microscopy and the analysis of pedigrees, we find that while individual stem cell clones produce offspring that are in transcriptionally related states, akin to a transcriptional priming phenomenon, the underlying transition dynamics between different transcriptional states are nevertheless best captured by stochastic and reversible models. As such, the outcome of a stochastic process can produce cellular behaviors that may be incorrectly inferred to have arisen from deterministic dynamics. Considering our findings, we propose a model of HSC transcriptional network sampling whereby the intrinsic stochasticity of gene expression facilitates, rather than impedes, concomitant maintenance of transcriptional plasticity and stem cell robustness. Using these tools, the quantitative predictions from our studies, and live cell imaging at single protein resolution, we are now determining how extrinsic factors integrate into these dynamics, both at the level of expression of these TF and at the level of their respective gene regulatory functions.
Development of an a priori computational approach for brain uptake of compounds in an insect model system.

Abstract Delivery of compounds to the brain is critical for the development of effective treatment therapies of multiple central nervous system diseases. Recently a novel insect-based brain uptake model was published utilizing a locust brain ex vivo system. The goal of our study was to develop a priori, in silico cheminformatic models to describe brain uptake in this insect model, as well as evaluate the predictive ability. The machine learning program Orange® was used to evaluate several machine learning (ML) models on a published data set of 25 known drugs, with in vitro data generated by a single laboratory group to reduce inherent inter-laboratory variability. The ML models included in this study were linear regression (LR), support vector machines (SVN), k-nearest neighbor (kNN) and neural nets (NN). The quantitative structure–property relationship models were able to correlate experimental logCtot (concentration of compound in brain) and predicted brain uptake of r2 > 0.5, with the descriptors log(P*MW−0.5) and hydrogen bond donor used in LR, SVN and KNN, while log(P*MW−0.5) and total polar surface area (TPSA) descriptors used in the NN models. Our results indicate that the locust insect model is amenable to data mining chemoinformatics and in silico model development in CNS drug discovery pipelines.
Recognizing the Benefit of Telemedicine Before and After COVID-19: A Survey of Pediatric Surgery Providers

Abstract Background Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine to evaluate pediatric surgery patients was uncommon. Due in part to restrictions imposed to mitigate the spread of the virus, the use of telemedicine within pediatric surgery has significantly expanded. Methods Prior to the use of telemedicine within surgery divisions at our institution, pediatric surgeons were surveyed to determine their perspectives on the use of telemedicine. Following the expanded use of telemedicine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a follow up survey was distributed to determine the impact of telemedicine and the perceived benefits and barriers of continuing its use going forward. Results The pre-COVID survey was completed by 37 surgeons and the post-COVID survey by 36 surgeons and advanced practice providers across 10 pediatric surgical divisions. General surgeons were the most represented division for both the pre- (25%) and post-COVID (33.3%) survey. Less than 25% of providers reported use of telemedicine at any point in their career prior to COVID-19; but following the expanded use of telemedicine 95% of respondents reported interest in continuing its use. After expansion, 25% of respondents were concerned with the possibility of inaccurate diagnoses when using telemedicine compared to nearly 50% prior to expanded use. Conclusion Following the expanded use of telemedicine within pediatric surgery, there was a decrease in the concern for inaccurate diagnoses and a near uniform desire to continue its use. Going forward, it will be imperative for pediatric surgeons to take an active role in creating a process for implementing telemedicine that best fits their needs and the needs of their patients and patients’ families.
Fibrin Sheath and its Relation to Subsequent Events after Tunneled Dialysis Catheter Exchange

The use of tunneled catheters (TDC) for chronic hemodialysis is frequent and often fails due to fibrin or thrombus and infection. We hypothesized that the presence of fibrin sheath in TDC increases the risk for subsequent catheter malfunction and infection. We did a retrospective review of TDC exchanges and de novo placements from January 2005 to September 2011. Demographic data, information about the catheter procedure, and radiological data were collected. Final outcome analysis included 168 procedure events. Three groups of catheter procedures were identified: catheter exchange without a fibrin sheath (CE), catheter exchange with a treated fibrin sheath (CEF), and de novo catheter placements (DCP). Fibrin sheath incidence was 47%. In the CEF group, there was no statistical difference in the incidence of subsequent infections or dysfunctions (7% and 60%, respectively), when compared with the CE group (9% and 43%, respectively), (p=0.3). Mean time to subsequent dysfunction or infection was similar for CEF and CE (135 vs. 136 days, p-value, 0.98). Fibrin sheaths are common and should be evaluated when performing TDC exchange. If the fibrin sheath is treated, there is no increased incidence in subsequent catheter dysfunction or infection compared with patients without a fibrin sheath.
Carcinoma in situ of the vagina following treatment for carcinoma of the cervix: A distinctive clinical entity

A series of 10 patients who presented with carcinoma in situ of the vagina following treatment for carcinoma of the cervix were seen in a 3 year period and their clinical and histologic features reviewed. Vaginal lesions developed 1 to 22 years after diagnosis of carcinoma of the cervix was made. In three patients the vaginal lesions progressed to invasion. In the remaining patients repeated biopsies have revealed persistent carcinoma in situ. From this series of 10 patients we conclude that the biologic behavior of vaginal carcinoma in situ following carcinoma of the cervix resembles that of carcinoma in situ of the cervix and that carcinoma of the vagina following carcinoma of the cervix should be considered a separate clinical entity distinctive from primary invasive carcinoma of the vagina.
Return-Beam Vidicon Multispectral Camera System for ERTS A and B

This paper describes the return-beam vidicon camera system that RCA is developing for use in the ERTS A and B missions. The major parameters of the two-inch return-beam vidicon camera subsystem are explained, and its performance characteristics are given. The relationship of the three-camera subsystem and the associated ground stations is illustrated. A multispectral aerial photograph is shown which is a simulation of a scene taken on the Apollo 9 mission. The simulated scene was made by the return-beam vidicon camera and a laser-beam image reproducer, and is representative of a typical scene as it would be viewed from space during an ERTS mission.
Refractory α-SiAlON Containing La2O3

Refractory Y-α-SiAlON with elongated grain morphology was obtained by utilizing La 2 O 3 as a densification aid, which resulted in excellent room-temperature and high-temperature strength. Room-temperature strength of 1000 MPa was achieved when La 2 O 3 was augmented by adding Y 2 O 3 or removing AlN. With only La 2 O 3 , a temperature-independent strength of 800-950 MPa was maintained up to 1100°C, then gradually decreasing by 25% when reaching 1300°C. The R-curve measurements of fracture toughness showed relatively little dependence on microstructure, consistent with a strong interface that suppresses grain boundary decohesion. Compared with other densification aids such as SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Sc 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , and Lu 2 O 3 , a finer microstructure was obtained by using La 2 O 3 . High nitrogen content in the residual La-Si-Al-O-N glass in equilibrium with the nitrogen-rich α-SiAlON is suggested to be the cause of these findings.
Receptor signaling as a regulatory mechanism of DNA repair

Radiotherapy plays a crucial role in the treatment of many malignancies; however, locoregional disease progression remains a critical problem. This has stimulated laboratory research into understanding the basis for tumor cell resistance to radiation and the development of strategies for overcoming such resistance. We know that some cell signaling pathways that respond to normal growth factors are abnormally activated in human cancer and that these pathways also invoke cell survival mechanisms that lead to resistance to radiation. For example, abnormal activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) promotes unregulated growth and is believed to contribute to clinical radiation resistance. Molecular blockade of EGFR signaling is an attractive strategy for enhancing the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy and, as shown in numerous reports, the radiosensitizing effects of EGFR antagonists correlate with a suppression of the ability of the cells to repair radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). The molecular connection between the EGFR and its governance of DNA repair capacity appears to be mediated by one or more signaling pathways downstream of this receptor. The purpose of this review is to highlight what is currently known regarding EGFR signaling and the processes responsible for repairing radiation-induced DNA lesions that would explain the radiosensitizing effects of EGFR antagonists.
Sorption of water by nylon 66 and kevlar 29. Equilibria and kinetics

The sorption of water by nylon 66 and Kevlar 29 fabrics was studied over a range of 20–98% relative humidities at 27°C. Equilibrium and rate relationships were developed from the data in this study and from nylon 66 and nylon 6 data of other studies involving fiber and film. The ratio of sorbed moisture to amide concentration is, on average and at high relative humidities, one water molecule per amide unit. The nylon equilibrium data show that there exist threshold relative humidities above and below which sorption properties differ. One threshold is correlated with the glass transition. Another is identified in the glassy state of nylon 6 in which moisture is tightly bound. The equilibrium constant values are highest and the moisture is most tightly bound at very low humidities, and the values are lowest in the plastic region at high humidities. NMR, DSC, and mechanical property data from others are correlated with the sorption discontinuities observed in this study. Rate data indicate that sorption is a diffusion-controlled process.
Forskolin and phosphodiesterase inhibitors stimulate rat granulosa cell differentiation

Abstract The effect of forskolin (an adenyl cyclase activator) and 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) on granulosa cell steroidogenesis and LH receptor formation was studied in vitro. Granulosa cells from immature hypophysectomized, estrogen-treated rats were cultured for 2–3 days in androstenedione-supplemented media in the absence or presence of FSH or forskolin (10−7−10−4 M). Some cultures were also treated with forskolin with or without MIX (0.125–1.0 mM) or theophylline (1.25–10 mM). Forskolin (3 × 10−6−10−4 M) stimulated the production of estrogen, progesterone, 20α-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20α-OH-P) and cAMP in a dose-related manner to levels similar to or higher than that elicited by FSH alone. Similarly, forskolin and FSH both increased LH/hCG receptor content in cultured granulosa cells, although forskolin was only 50% as effective as FSH. Treatment with MIX alone increased basal levels of cAMP, accompanied by elevations of estrogen and progestin biosynthesis without affecting LH/hCG receptor content. In contrast, theophylline treatment only increased cAMP and progestin accumulation. Furthermore, MIX potentiated the stimulatory effects of forskolin and FSH on cAMP and progestin production. In contrast, MIX inhibited FSH- and forskolin-stimulated estrogen production. Thus, activation of adenyl cyclase and inhibition of cAMP breakdown in the cultured rat granulosa cells enhance steroidogenesis and LH receptor formation, reinforcing the concept that cAMP is a (but may not be the only) second messenger in the hormonal regulation of granulosa cell differentiation.
Sipuleucel-T in the treatment of prostate cancer: an evidence-based review of its place in therapy

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is the lethal form of cancer of the prostate. Five new agents that prolong survival in this group have emerged in the past 5 years, and sipuleucel-T is among them. Sipuleucel-T is the only immunotherapy shown to improve survival in prostate cancer. It is currently indicated in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients, as it has never shown a direct cancer effect. This paper describes the process of creating the sipuleucel-T product from the manufacturing and patient aspects. It discusses the four placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of sipuleucel-T, focusing on survival and adverse events. There are three RCTs in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, all of which showed improved overall survival without meaningful decreases in symptoms, tumor volumes, or prostate-specific antigen levels. One RCT in castration-sensitive, biochemically relapsed prostate cancer attempted to find a decrease in biochemical failure, but that endpoint was not reached. Adverse events in all four of these studies centered around cytokine release. This paper also reviews a Phase II study of sipuleucel-T given neoadjuvantly that speaks to its mechanism of action. Additionally, there is a registry study of sipuleucel-T that has been used to evaluate immunological parameters of the product in men ≥80 years of age and men who had previously been treated with palliative radiation. Attempts to find early markers of response to sipuleucel-T are described. Further ongoing studies that explore the efficacy of sipuleucel-T in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors and second-generation hormonal therapies that are summarized. Finally, the only published economic analysis of sipuleucel-T is discussed.
The neo-Weberian revolution: A theoretical balance sheet

sende Vernunft: Max Webers philosophische Fundierung der Soziologie und der Kulturwissenschaften. Freiburg: Karl Alber. Skinner, Quentin 1969 "Meaning and understanding in the history of ideas." History and Theory 8:3-53. Tenbruck, Friedrich H. 1959 "Die Genesis der Methodologie Max Webers." Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 12:573-630. 1986 "Das Werk Max Webers: Methodologie und Sozialwissenschaften." Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 38:13-31. 1987a "Max Weber and Eduard Meyer." Sam Whimster, tr. In Wolfgang J. Mommsen and Jurgen Osterhammel (eds.), Max Weber and His Contemporaries: 234-267. London: Allen and Unwin. 1 987b "Ein Diskussionsbeitrag? Erwiderung auf Gerhard Wagner und Heinz Zipprian." Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 39:150155. Wagner, Gerhard 1987 Geltung und normativer Zwang: eine Untersuchung zu den neukantianischen Grundlagen der Wissenschaftslehre Max Webers. Freiburg: Karl Alber. Wagner, Gerhard and Heinz Zipprian 1987 "Tenbruck, Weber und die Wirklichkeit: Ein Diskussionsbeitrag." Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 39:132-149. Weber, Marianne 1975 Max Weber: A Biography. Harry Zohn, tr. New York: Wiley. Weber, Max 1977 Critique of Stammler. Translation and introduction by Guy Oakes. New York: The Free Press. Windelband, Wilhelm 1924 "Kritische oder genetische Methode?" In Praludien: Aufsatze und Reden zur Philosophie und ihrer Geschichte, 9th ed. Vol. II: 99-135. Tubingen: Mohr.
Demonstration of type-R and type-C virus particles in hamster pancreatic adenocarcinomas

Abstract Two transplanaable solid tumors (CBP and PDP) and two continuous cultured cell lines (CBP-TC and PDP-TC) were established from nitrosamine-induced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas in inbred Syrian hamsters. Electron microscopic examination of both CBP and PDP solid tumors as well as CBP-TC cultured cells revealed the presence of type-R virus particles, which consisted of a 100 nm envelope containing a central 50 nm nucleoid with characteristic radiating ‘spokes’. Type-R particles were abundant in cultured CBP-TC cells, moderately frequent in CBP solid tumors, and rare in PDP solid tumors; they were not present in PDP-TC cultured cells. The CBP and PDP solid tumors and cultured PDP-TC cells exhibited type-C viral particles, having a 150 nm envelope containing a 75 nm nucleoid. Mature, immature and budding forms of Type-C viruses were present and quite prominent in PDP tumors. Type-C particles were present but rare in CBP solid tumors and in PDP-TC cells. C-particles were not observed in cultured CBP-TC cells. Examination of normal hamster pancreas, liver, duodenum, muscle and connective tissue failed to reveal evidence of type-R or type-C virus particles. It is important to recognize the presence of virus particles in hamster pancreatic carcinoma lines, since viruses could potentially affect biochemical or immunological studies on the carcinomas through the production of viral proteins that could be mistaken for tumor-associated antigens.
Photochemical functionalization of gallium nitride thin films with molecular and biomolecular layers.

We demonstrate that photochemical functionalization can be used to functionalize and photopattern the surface of gallium nitride crystalline thin films with well-defined molecular and biomolecular layers. GaN(0001) surfaces exposed to a hydrogen plasma will react with organic molecules bearing an alkene (CC) group when illuminated with 254 nm light. Using a bifunctional molecule with an alkene group at one end and a protected amine group at the other, this process can be used to link the alkene group to the surface, leaving the protected amine exposed. Using a simple contact mask, we demonstrate the ability to directly pattern the spatial distribution of these protected amine groups on the surface with a lateral resolution of <12 μm. After deprotection of the amines, single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides were linked to the surface using a bifunctional cross-linker. Measurements using fluorescently labeled complementary and noncomplementary sequences show that the DNA-modified GaN surfaces exhibit excellent...
The effect of radiation therapy on microcystic adnexal carcinoma: A case report

Background. Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC) is a rare, locally aggressive tumor. Treatment for this neoplasm typically requires extensive local excision leading to morbidity. Therefore, the temptation to use alternative treatment options remains high. Methods. We report one case of a nasal dorsum MAC treated with external beam radiation secondary to the patient's poor health status and preference. Results. After initial dramatic clinical resolution, the tumor recurred in a clinically more extensive and histologically more aggressive form. Conclusion. On the basis of this case and several detailed in the literature, we therefore hypothesize that radiation therapy is not only an ineffective treatment for MAC, but evidence exists that this modality may induce conversion to a histologically and clinically less favorable neoplasm. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 25: 251–254, 2003
An economic analysis of adherence engineering to improve use of best practices during central line maintenance procedures.

OBJECTIVE Adherence engineering applies human factors principles to examine non-adherence within a specific task and to guide the development of materials or equipment to increase protocol adherence and reduce human error. Central line maintenance (CLM) for intensive care unit (ICU) patients is a task through which error or non-adherence to protocols can cause central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). We conducted an economic analysis of an adherence engineering CLM kit designed to improve the CLM task and reduce the risk of CLABSI. METHODS We constructed a Markov model to compare the cost-effectiveness of the CLM kit, which contains each of the 27 items necessary for performing the CLM procedure, compared with the standard care procedure for CLM, in which each item for dressing maintenance is gathered separately. We estimated the model using the cost of CLABSI overall ($45,685) as well as the excess LOS (6.9 excess ICU days, 3.5 excess general ward days). RESULTS Assuming the CLM kit reduces the risk of CLABSI by 100% and 50%, this strategy was less costly (cost savings between 860) and more effective (between 0.05 and 0.13 more quality-adjusted life-years) compared with not using the pre-packaged kit. We identified threshold values for the effectiveness of the kit in reducing CLABSI for which the kit strategy was no longer less costly. CONCLUSION An adherence engineering–based intervention to streamline the CLM process can improve patient outcomes and lower costs. Patient safety can be improved by adopting new approaches that are based on human factors principles. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0): 1–7
Work-related fatal injuries in older California workers, 1979-1985

Abstract Accurate information on those injured while at work depends on the quality of the reporting mechanisms in place. There is ample evidence that such reporting mechanisms in the United States are flawed, and injuries to some segments of the work force may be grossly underenumerated. This research reports on a new system to identify, more accurately, work-related fatal injuries with particular reference to those past normal retirement age. The system relies on the death certificate and involves a computer search of data fields possibly indicative of a work association. In addition, the actual certificate is examined, and when necessary, the coroner's record is obtained to clarify the work-related connection. From 1979 through 1985, 195 deaths were confirmed as work-related, all but ten among working males. The rate in males was ten times higher than for females. Homicide was the most frequent external cause of death. Rates were highest in mining, agriculture, transportation, communication and utilities, and business services, cooks, bartenders, farmers, drivers, and security guards. Forty-six percent of the deaths occurred among self-employed persons.
Beyond Pedagogy: Service Learning as Movement Building in Higher Education

This article focuses on how service learning can function as a democratizing and empowering approach to pedagogy, research, organizational learning, and community development. The dominant discourse of service learning has evolved into a narrowly-defined alternative pedagogy that promotes student learning and enrichment but very little community development, institutional change, and policy change. For service learning to lead to more meaningful social change, beyond pedagogical innovation, it must be reinvented as a more robust approach including pedagogy, research, organizational learning, and community development. We illustrate weak and robust forms of each of the previously mentioned dimensions with concrete examples from our service-learning work and in particular, from case study research comparing two global service-learning programs in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. We discuss challenges and implications for designing, implementing, and sustaining a more robust approach to service learning...
Provenance-Assisted Classification in Social Networks

Signal feature extraction and classification are two common tasks in the signal processing literature. This paper investigates the use of source identities as a common mechanism for enhancing the classification accuracy of social signals. We define social signals as outputs, such as microblog entries, geotags, or uploaded images, contributed by users in a social network. Many classification tasks can be defined on such outputs. For example, one may want to identify the dialect of a microblog contributed by an author, or classify information referred to in a user's tweet as true or false. While the design of such classifiers is application-specific, social signals share in common one key property: they are augmented by the explicit identity of the source. This motivates investigating whether or not knowing the source of each signal (in addition to exploiting signal features) allows the classification accuracy to be improved. We call it provenance-assisted classification. This paper answers the above question affirmatively, demonstrating how source identities can improve classification accuracy, and derives confidence bounds to quantify the accuracy of results. Evaluation is performed in two real-world contexts: (i) fact-finding that classifies microblog entries into true and false, and (ii) language classification of tweets issued by a set of possibly multi-lingual speakers. We also carry out extensive simulation experiments to further evaluate the performance of the proposed classification scheme over different problem dimensions. The results show that provenance features significantly improve classification accuracy of social signals, even when no information is known about the sources (besides their ID). This observation offers a general mechanism for enhancing classification results in social networks.
Placing the sun in galactic chemical evolution: Mainstream SiC particles

We examine the consequences and implications of the possibilities that the best-fit m = 4/3 line of the silicon isotopic ratios measured in mainstream SiC grains is identical or parallel to the mean ISM evolution line of the silicon isotopes. Even though the mean ISM evolution proceeds along a line of unity slope when deviations are expressed in terms of the native representation (the mean ISM), the evolution line can become a slope 4/3 line in the solar representation, provided that the solar composition is displaced from the mean ISM evolution. During the course of this analysis, we introduce new methods for relating the solar composition to that of the mean ISM at the time of solar birth. These new developments offer a unique view on the meaning of the mainstream SiC particles and afford a new way of quantitatively answering the question whether the Sun has a special composition relative to the mean ISM at solar birth. If the correlation slope of the silicon isotopes in the mean ISM could be decisively established, then its value would quantify the difference between the solar and mean ISM silicon abundances. Our formalism details the transformations between the two representations and applies not only to 29Si and 30Si, but also to any two purely secondary isotopes of any element (O, Ne, Mg, and perhaps S). Both the advantages and disadvantages of this technique are critically reviewed.
Smart versus knowledgeable online recommendation agents

This paper studies how smart recommendation agents (those that filter and integrate information and offer feedback to customers) influence consumer decision making in online stores, in comparison to recommendation agents that are merely “knowledgeable” of the alternative options that exist in a product assortment. The cognitive cost model is used to propose hypotheses that link information search and alternative evaluation with two shopping environment influences that are typical of online settings. A study that simulates search and evaluation in a Web-based choice environment is conducted to test the hypotheses. The results offer insights into how the “feedback” provided by a recommendation agent on the product options available may have an effect on search and evaluation in an online store.
H-Plane Coupling between Rectangular Microstrip Antennas,

A new model that theoretically characterises mutual coupling effects between two rectangular microstrip antennas is presented. Numerical S-parameter results exhibiting mutual coupling effects are reported.
Angiotensin 2 type 2 receptor activity and ischemic stroke severity.

Background: Drugs that increase angiotensin 2 formation, including thiazides, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin 2 type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor blockers, may be more effective in stroke prevention than angiotensin 2 suppressive drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and β-blockers. Objective: To assess whether angiotensin 2 formation increasing drugs reduce incident stroke severity compared with angiotensin 2 formation suppressive drugs. Methods: Consecutive patients presenting within 24 hours of first-ever ischemic stroke over an 18-month period were studied. Subjects were only included if they were on only angiotensin 2 formation increasers, only angiotensin 2 formation suppressors, or no antihypertensive agents. NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at presentation was used as the index of stroke severity. Demographic data, risk factors, admission blood pressures, other medications, and stroke mechanisms were controlled for across the three groups using least absolute deviation linear regression. Results: One hundred seventy-five individuals met study criteria. Mean age was 67.4 years; 45% were women. Forty-nine patients were on angiotensin 2 formation suppressors and 16 on angiotensin 2 formation increasers. Age at admission, atrial fibrillation, previous antithrombotic use, cardioembolic and large-vessel atherosclerotic mechanisms, and mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significant univariate predictors of presenting median NIHSS score. On multivariate analysis, the adjusted median NIHSS score was lower in the angiotensin 2 increasers (median = 2.2; p = 0.005) and trended lower for angiotensin 2 suppressors (median = 4.4; p = 0.054) compared with the no-antihypertensive group (median = 6.0). There was no difference in stroke severity between angiotensin 2 increasers compared with angiotensin 2 suppressors ( p = 0.123). Conclusions: Angiotensin 2 formation increasing agents did not reduce ischemic stroke severity more than angiotensin 2 formation suppressing agents. However, the prestroke use of antihypertensives was associated with reduced severity of incident ischemic strokes.
On the nature of learning in oviposition site acceptance by apple maggot flies

Abstract In a previous study, we found that after a female apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella , had arrived on a host fruit, its propensity to accept (bore into) or reject that fruit prior to egg deposition was modifiable through experience, and hence involved learning. Here, we aimed to determine whether the true nature of the learned response was either (a) one in which a conditioned female, as a result of having become familiar with a particular fruit type, formed a greater propensity to accept that type in a future encounter than had a naive female, or (b) one in which a conditioned female formed no greater propensity to accept a particular fruit type but simply was less prone than a naive female to accept a novel fruit type. The results of two experiments supported the latter mechanism, while the results of a third experiment provided evidence for both mechanisms. The possible adaptive significance of learning to refuse a novel resource type is discussed.
Spontaneous Emission in Microcavity Electrodynamics

We present a general, semimicroscopic, self-consistent treatment of spontaneous emission for a two-level atom in a dielectric microcavity with arbitrary shape. Both lossless and absorbing media are considered. Our approach is based on linear-response theory and the coupled-dipole method. We illustrate our method on spherical and cubic cavities. We discuss the Purcell effect, the frequency shift, the local-field effect, and the dipole-dipole coupling experienced by a source placed in a microcavity.
Antioxidants improve cattle immunity following stress

Abstract Free radical and nonfree radical oxidants can produce damaging effects in animal tissues if antioxidants are deficient. These oxidants are produced during metabolism and may be substantially increased by aerobic exercise, stress, tissue injury, infection, and detoxification of many compounds. Stress may precede an infectious episode in animals by decreasing antioxidants needed later by an active immune response. Antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin E, β-carotene and the trace elements selenium, copper, zinc and manganese in enzymes are very important in protecting an animal's tissues from oxidative destruction. This protective benefit also results in an improved immune response which decreases mastitis in dairy cows and infectious disease incidences arising in stressed cattle following shipping. The amount of nutrients needed for immunoenhancement is higher than the suggested required amounts by NRC.
The Gunn effect under imperfect cathode boundary conditions

The usual assumption in the theory of the Gunn effect of a well-behaved cathode is replaced by a more general set of boundary conditions adapted to the treatment of cathode contacts with some interface resistance. The treatment is in terms of a "control characteristic": that is, the current-field characteristic of the cathode interface itself. For contacts with an interface resistance, the control characteristic lies at least partially below the bulk current-field characteristic. This leads to the primary nucleation of depletion rather than accumulation layers. Depending on the detailed shape of the control characteristic and the location of its crossover point (if any) with the bulk characteristic, a large variety of device behavior can be explained. Examples are Gunn's preoscillation cathode fall, Kennedy's prethreshold amplification behavior, the occurrence of excessive threshold fields for the onset of oscillations, and oscillations with lower amplitude and higher frequency than for well-behaved transit time oscillations, despite good doping homogeneity.
Convective-Scale Structure and Evolution during a High-Resolution Simulation of Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification

Abstract The role of convective-scale processes in a 1.67-km mesoscale model simulation of the rapid intensification (RI) of Hurricane Dennis (2005) is presented. The structure and evolution of inner-core precipitating areas during RI, the statistical properties of precipitation during times experiencing vigorous convection (termed convective bursts here) and how they differ from nonburst times, possible differences in convective bursts associated with RI and those not associated with RI, and the impacts of precipitation morphology on the vortex-scale structure and evolution during RI are all examined. The onset of RI is linked to an increase in the areal extent of convective precipitation in the inner core, while the inner-core stratiform precipitating area remains unchanged and the intensity increases only after RI has begun. RI is not tied to a dramatic increase in the number of convective bursts nor in the characteristics of the bursts, such as burst intensity. Rather, the immediate cause of RI is a s...
Changes in Graduate Management Education and New Business School Strategies for the 21st Century

We examine strategic options for business schools, noting that within the next 10–20 years, major changes in the demand and supply of education are likely. Management educators need to develop care...
Classroom communication media

As part of our investigations into the design and development of media for expressing and viewing dynamic processes, we have been teaching children from ages 8 to 15 the Smalltalk programming language. Our intention in this paper is to introduce a new communication medium with which young children create and explore powerful computing tools, including free-hand and programmed graphics, animation, and music synthesis. It is our objective here to offer suggestions and to specify guidelines by which teachers and learners can design, plan, and expand their programming projects.
Angiotensin I Conversion by Human and Rat Chymotryptic Proteinases

Human skin chymotrypsin-like proteinase, human neutrophil cathepsin G, rat mast cell chymase, and rat salivary gland tonin are cell-derived serine proteinases of similar size with specificity for amino acids of aromatic residues. Each enzyme was examined for its ability to convert angiotensin I to angiotensin II and to cleave a panel of synthetic substrates. Skin chymotryptic proteinase, cathepsin G, and tonin cleaved the phe 8 - his 9 bond of angiotensin I and converted angiotensin I to angiotensin II without further degradation. In contrast, chymase formed relatively small amounts of angiotensin II because it preferentially cleaved the tyr 4 -ile 5 bond of angiotensin I. The rank order of angiotensin I converting activity was skin ehymotryptic proteinase > tonin > cathepsin G > chymase. The K m and K cat for angiotensin I conversion by the human skin enzyme were 6.6 × 10 -5 M and 50 s -1 , respectively. The angiotensin I converting activity of human skin chymotryptic proteinase is equal to or greater than the peptidyl dicarboxypeptidase angiotensin-converting enzyme. Substrate specificities of each enzyme were further distinguished by use of benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester. A limited immunologic characterization of each enzyme was performed with monospecific goat antiserum to cathepsin G and chymase by Ochterlony gel diffusion. Each antiserum gave a precipitin line against its respective immunogen without evidence of cross-reactivity against the other enzymes. Human skin chymotryptic proteinase, cathepsin G, and tonin provide unique pathways for the generation of angiotensin II in tissue and may be of significance in regulation of biologic processes of the tissue microenvironment. The kinetic constants of the human skin chymotryptic proteinase for angiotensin I conversion, are consistent with the potential to carry out a reaction of physiologic importance.
The Effects of Multiple Carrier Frequency Offsets on the Performance of Virtual MISO FSK Systems

In this letter, a virtual multiple-input single-output (VMISO) network employing non-coherent frequency shift keying (FSK) is considered. In the VMISO network, spatially separated single-antenna nodes transmit the same information cooperatively to a single receiver where each received signal is affected by an independent carrier frequency offset (CFO). The existing works in this area assume a perfect carrier synchronization between the nodes. However, in this letter, the effects of CFOs on the performance degradation of this network are analyzed. For that purpose, the expression for the probability of symbol error has been derived. The results indicate that the performance is degraded due to CFOs, which is dependent upon the magnitude of CFOs, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), number of transmitting nodes, and the modulation order of FSK. At high SNR, the CFOs affect the system severely and the performance margin is minimum.
Sources of patient uncertainty when reviewing medical disclosure and consent documentation

Abstract Objectives Despite evidence that medical disclosure and consent forms are ineffective at communicating the risks and hazards of treatment and diagnostic procedures, little is known about exactly why they are difficult for patients to understand. The objective of this research was to examine what features of the forms increase people's uncertainty. Methods Interviews were conducted with 254 individuals. After reading a sample consent form, participants described what they found confusing in the document. With uncertainty management as a theoretical framework, interview responses were analyzed for prominent themes. Results Four distinct sources of uncertainty emerged from participants’ responses: (a) language, (b) risks and hazards, (c) the nature of the procedure, and (d) document composition and format. Conclusions Findings indicate the value of simplifying medico-legal jargon, signposting definitions of terms, removing language that addresses multiple readers simultaneously, reorganizing bulleted lists of risks, and adding section breaks or negative space. Practice implications These findings offer suggestions for providing more straightforward details about risks and hazards to patients, not necessarily through greater amounts of information but rather through more clear and sufficient material and better formatting.
Are Emergency Department Patients Thinking about Advance Directives

Objectives: To assess the percentage of adult patients presenting to an urban ED who have a written advance directive (AD) and to determine whether age, sex, a patient's perception of his or her health status, and having a regular physician are associated with the patient's having an AD. Methods: This was a cross-sectional patient survey performed at a community teaching hospital ED. Surveys were completed by 511 adult ED patients during representative shifts over a 3-month period. The questions included age, sex, “self-reported” health status, whether the patient had a “regular” physician, a patient-generated list of medical problems, and whether the patient had a written AD. For this study, ADs included health care proxies, living wills, and do-not-attempt-resuscitation (DNAR) orders. Results: Of the patients surveyed, 27% reported having an AD. Males and females were equally likely to have an AD. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of having an AD were older age, having a “regular” physician, and the patient's perception of his or her health status as ill. Most patients who had an AD (82%) discussed it with their families, but only 48% discussed it with their physicians. Conclusion: Only 27% of the adult patients presenting to the ED had an AD. Older age, the patient's perception of his or her health status as ill, and having a “regular” physician increased the likelihood of having an AD.
RiskMon: continuous and automated risk assessment of mobile applications

Mobile operating systems, such as Apple's iOS and Google's Android, have supported a ballooning market of feature-rich mobile applications. However, helping users understand security risks of mobile applications is still an ongoing challenge. While recent work has developed various techniques to reveal suspicious behaviors of mobile applications, there exists little work to answer the following question: are those behaviors necessarily inappropriate? In this paper, we seek an approach to cope with such a challenge and present a continuous and automated risk assessment framework called RiskMon that uses machine-learned ranking to assess risks incurred by users' mobile applications, especially Android applications. RiskMon combines users' coarse expectations and runtime behaviors of trusted applications to generate a risk assessment baseline that captures appropriate behaviors of applications. With the baseline, RiskMon assigns a risk score on every access attempt on sensitive information and ranks applications by their cumulative risk scores. We also discuss a proof-of-concept implementation of RiskMon as an extension of the Android mobile platform and provide both system evaluation and usability study of our methodology.
HRLEED and STM study of misoriented Si(100) with and without a Te overlayer

The growth of high quality Te on misoriented Si(100) is important as an intermediate phase for epitaxial growth of CdTe. The misorientation angle plays a key role in the growth quality of CdTe/Si(100); this incited our curiosity to investigate the effect of the misorientation angle on the topography of the surface structure of Si(100). Our main goal is to show the relation between the misorientation angle, the terrace width and the step height distributions. HRLEED ( High Resolution Low Energy Electron Diffraction ) provides information in reciprocal space while STM gives real space topographic images of the surface structure. STM and HRLEED measurements were performed on Si(100) with misorientation angle υ= 0.5°, 1.5° and 8° towards the ]110] direction and υ= 4° towards the ]130] direction. Except for the 8° misorientation in which case a regular step array with diatomic step height was observed, for the other misorientations the terrace width was variable. The average terrace width decreased with increasing misorientation angle. A mixture of diatomic and monatomic step heights was observed on the 0.5° and 1.5° misoriented Si(100) samples. It proves that one can not assume purely monatomic step height for low misorientation angles. Our results do not agree with the belief that at low miscut angle A and B terraces are equal and that as the misorientation angle increases the B terrace tends to be wider than the A terrace. In fact, pairing of terraces was not observed at all. Te was deposited at a substrate temperature of 200 C. We observed a significant reduction in the terrace widths for all miscut angles.
Testicular epidermoid cysts in children: sonographic characteristics with pathological correlation.

Testicular epidermoid cyst is a rare benign tumor in children. Although this entity is widely described in adults in literature, there are no large series describing the pathological and radiological findings in children. Knowledge of the sonographic features seen in children may alter surgical treatment. To describe the specific US characteristics of testicular epidermoid cyst in children and to correlate these findings with pathology. All children with pathologically proven epidermoid cyst and preoperative sonograms diagnosed at a single children’s hospital between 1978 and 2008 were included. For each child, the medical records, preoperative US and pathological specimens were reviewed and correlated. Eleven patients (ages 1–17 years old) met our criteria. Nine cysts had characteristic target or onion ring appearances, the youngest patient had a simple cyst-like lesion, one cyst had a heterogeneous appearance, and more than 80% of the cysts presented daughter cysts attached along the periphery of the main cyst. In addition to the commonly described findings of the epidermoid cyst (the target and onion ring appearances), simple cysts and the presence of daughter lesions are newly described findings that point to the diagnosis of this benign entity in children.
Beyond Gender: Equity Issues for Home Economics Education.

(1986). Beyond gender: Equity issues for home economics education. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 25, Sex Equity and Education, pp. 276-283.
Spectroscopic Determinations of Solar Rotation

Spectral line shift data obtained from full-disk magnetograms recorded at Mt. Wilson are analyzed for differential rotation. The method of analysis is discussed and the results from the data for 1966 through 1968 are presented. The average equatorial velocity over this period is found to be 1.93 km/sec or 13.76 deg/day (sidereal). This corresponds to a sidereal period of 26.16 days. The average results areω = 2.78 × 10-6 - 3.51 × 10-7 sin2 B - 4.43 × 10-7 sin4 B rad/sec, whereB is the solar latitude. This indicates a smaller decrease of angular velocity with latitude than found by earlier investigators. Variations from day to day are caused by large-scale short-lived velocity fields on the solar surface. There also appear to be secular variations.