cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seeking and Offering Expertise across Categories: A Sustainable Mechanism Works for Baidu Knows

This paper presents the first comprehensive exploration of the largest Chinese online knowledge sharing community- Baidu Knows. With analyzing 5.2 millions questions and 2.7 million users participated during 4.5 months on the site in 2008, we investigate how users adjust initial attempts and behave differently according to the level of participation; in particular, there is a positive dynamic for answerers to input more, be more focused, win more, and thus be rewarded more. As the result, a core user group forms to actively participate in both asking and answering across categories, thus maintaining a self-sufficient community. In addition, a prominent "sense of community" would enhance the social bonds within the community, especially for the contributors who can offer expertise but can rarely learn from others. The study suggests Baibu Knows as a successful design instance for further studies. awareness (employing a prominent honor title system and explicitly promoting experts). Furthermore, paralleling to other ongoing studies on many English QA sites like Yahoo! Answers or Google Answers, we also expect to learn cultural reflections in terms of system design through comparable large scale analysis on Baidu Knows. Very interestingly, this site presents a sustainable mechanism where people's incentives can be successfully addressed within the system: unlike some other sites where users can be largely identified between askers and answerers, on Baidu Knows, a significant portion of users play as both asker and answerer; they answer questions and ask somewhere else using the points they earned by answering. We explore how users spread over multiple categories: users asked in more categories than answered; and in some categories, we observe considerably more concentrating users while in others, users tend to participate for short visit. To the asker end, points are allocated among questions and those valued more important were awarded higher; and consequently obtaining more answers. In addition, askers can gradually improve the efficiency of per point in terms of buying participation. To the answerer end, there is a positive dynamic for answerers to input more, be more focused, win more, and thus be rewarded more. Finally, we observe the only-answering group although less active, seeking more challenging questions and performing better thus suggesting other non-point community features could be complementary to incentivize those users. This paper first introduces Baidu Knows and the dataset; then examines how the reward mechanism works and users behave differently according to their activity level; in particular, we look into the participation pattern of the user group who both asked and answered which makes the main core of the community; we discuss our findings with related work and conclude the design implications and future work in the end.
Nerve Growth Factor Systems in Alzheimer’s Disease

In many neurological disorders, specific neuronal populations are selectively vulnerable. This is especially true for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A consistent and early pathological feature of AD is the degeneration of cholinergic basal forebrain neurons (CBF) (Bartus et al., 1982; Whitehouse et al., 1983; Mufson et al., 1989a), a cell population that projects widely to the entire cortical mantle (Mesulam et al., 1983). Although there are numerous neuropathological and neurochemical deficits in the AD brain, cortical cholinergic dysfunction resulting from atrophy and degeneration of cholinergic basal forebrain (CBF) neurons is the pathologic feature that correlates best with the cognitive impairment (Bierer et al., 1995). During the last fifteen years it has become increasingly clear that neurotrophic molecules play a key role in the survival and maintenance of some adult neuronal populations, including the cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain (see Hefti et al., 1989, for review). The viability and phenotypic expression of CBF neurons are potently modified by nerve growth factor (NGF), the prototype neurotrophic molecule first characterized by Levi-Montalcini and coworkers (see Levi-Montalcini and Angelleti, 1968; Thoenen and Barde, 1980). Nerve growth factor is just one member of a superfamily of neurotrophic factors that includes brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), neutotrophin-5 (NT-5), and neurotrophin-6 (NT-6) (Maisonpierre et al., 1990; Bothwell, 1991; Ibanez et al., 1992; Ip et al., 1992; Jing et al., 1992; Barbacid, 1994; Koster et al., 1994).
Traveler, There Is No Road: Theatre, the Spanish Civil War, and the Decolonial Imagination in the Americas by Lisa Jackson-Schebetta (review)

Lisa Jackson-Schebetta’s book considers Spain as an idea and an imaginary that circulated through theatre, radio, and images of war in the 1930s in ways that scrambled the codes of coloniality/modernity in the Americas. Traveller, There Is No Road will be of interest for those teaching US theatre from transatlantic and hemispheric perspectives.
Differentiating Defect Types in LENS TM Metal AM via In Situ Pyrometer Process Monitoring

In order for metallic additive manufacturing (AM) to find application in industrial production environments, methods for quality control need to be developed. Presently, even precisely calibrated process parameters cannot prevent the stochastic occurrence of defects resulting from elements in the AM process which are difficult to control. This study utilizes low framerate (10 Hz) pyrometry to record in situ temperature measurements of the molten pool and surrounding substrate in LENSTM AM. The data is statistically analyzed in search of anomalous behavior which is compared to the actual population of voids and inclusions found using X-ray Computed Tomography. This statistical analysis technique was able to identify volumetric defects as small as 40 μm in diameter as well as inclusions such as powder contamination. This study shows that the thermal analysis parameters can be tuned specifically for detecting different anomalies in the build.
Characteristics of banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) den sites across the human-wildlife interface in Northern Botswana

Abstract Denning behavior is a critical life history attribute for many mammalian species and can be impacted by urbanization, affecting species’ reproductive success and survival in these landscapes. One significant factor that is influenced by this behavior is the spread of disease. Banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in Northern Botswana are often infected with a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex pathogen, M. mungi, that is transmitted through olfactory communication networks that allow the pathogen to move through the population by both direct and environmental transmission routes. We have studied characteristics of active banded mongoose den sites across 24 troops and 308 den sites in Northern Botswana (348 den nights from 2008 to 2010 and 281 den nights from 2016–2017). Dens were located across the human-wildlife interface (national park, lodge, urban, residential, and undeveloped). Cluster analysis and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis of the den sites identified differences in den site characteristics across the land area designations. Habitat was the most important factor for den sites located at lodges, associated with the presence of gallery forest and teak woodlands. Distance to the nearest tar road was the most important variable separating the dens in the National Park from those in human-transformed landscapes. Den type was the most predictive of den sites located in human-modified environments. Sites that had the longest use were dominantly anthropogenic in nature (94% ± 6%, n = 67, used in 2008–2010 and 2016–2017). Natural dens, in contrast, appeared to be more vulnerable to destruction, shortening the period of structural soundness and use. Although banded mongoose are territorial, den use by troops other than the resident troop was observed, but only for anthropogenic dens sites (6%, n = 308). These space-sharing behaviors can significantly impact pathogen transmission dynamics and disease spread. Anthropogenic landscapes can have a critical influence on animal behavior and space use, potentially influencing infectious disease exposure and transmission potential.
Building a theory of change for community development and HIV programming: The impact of social capital, stigma reduction and community-level changes on HIV-related health outcomes for orphans and vulnerable households in Mozambique

ABSTRACTUSAID-funded programs for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) provide comprehensive sets of services to improve child and household wellbeing for households affected by HIV. Research suggests that OVC programs enhance household- and child-level resilience to economic, environmental, social, or political shocks, but there is little evidence elucidating the pathways by which intervention components, including economic strengthening and social protection programs, affect these outcomes. This case study uses exploratory qualitative research to generate a causal model for the Community Care Program (CCP) in Mozambique. We used the Most Significant Change methodology to compile mini-case studies and identify primary causal pathways between program components and outcomes. We also used the Community Capitals Framework to explore how CCP affected community-level resilience. Our findings suggest that CCP’s multi-component approach generated mutually reinforcing drivers that enhanced child-, household-, a...
A Brief Essay on Slurs

Slurs target race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, politics, immigrant status, line of work and many other demographics. They offend their targets—some more than others. Children who blurt out slurs are scolded regardless of their ignorance; but not uncommonly, targets appropriate slurs for themselves. The main questions of this paper are by which mechanism do slurs derogate, why some more forcefully than others, and how do targeted members succeed in mollifying some slurs? A lacuna in the literature on slurs is the rarity with which their offenses are specified. We are told little more than that they derogate, belittle, disparage, or diminish, but never how. Explanatory options here are, however, limited. We know a lot about how words achieve efficacy; with that in mind, in what follows we will canvass alternatives in the hope of illuminating the offensive nature of slurs. Our view, in brief, is that slurs are banished words, not because of any linguistic feature they exhibit or any content they carry, but rather because they are on a list of prohibited words—the higher up the list the more offensive their uses. This leaves a slew of questions: what determines whether a word is on or off the list, its position on the list; and why is it sometimes appropriate to flout its prohibition? The backdrop for this paper is the role of linguistics and philosophy of language in the investigation of slurs. Our answer is none.
Integrating multi-source block-wise missing data in model selection

For multi-source data, blocks of variable information from certain sources are likely missing. Existing methods for handling missing data do not take structures of block-wise missing data into consideration. In this paper, we propose a Multiple Block-wise Imputation (MBI) approach, which incorporates imputations based on both complete and incomplete observations. Specifically, for a given missing pattern group, the imputations in MBI incorporate more samples from groups with fewer observed variables in addition to the group with complete observations. We propose to construct estimating equations based on all available information, and optimally integrate informative estimating functions to achieve efficient estimators. We show that the proposed method has estimation and model selection consistency under both fixed-dimensional and high-dimensional settings. Moreover, the proposed estimator is asymptotically more efficient than the estimator based on a single imputation from complete observations only. In addition, the proposed method is not restricted to missing completely at random. Numerical studies and ADNI data application confirm that the proposed method outperforms existing variable selection methods under various missing mechanisms.
Next Steps for examining the common-sense of health behaviour

Modelling the automatic and deliberative processes that interact and underlie common-sense perceptions and behaviours for managing health and illness requires prototypes at multiple levels; specific illnesses and treatments at the 'surface' and generic acute, episodic and chronic prototypes at deeper levels. Models need to represent how multi-level processing can generate inconsistent as well as consistent expectations regarding successful management and how the limited visibility of process affects communication and symptom labelling by practitioners.
Mineralocorticoid activity of 16β-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone and related steroids

16beta-Hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone (16beta-OH-DHEA) and related C19-steroids have recently been reported to be etiologic in low-renin essential hypertension. The mineralocorticoid potency of 16beta-OH-DHEA and several C19-steroids (16-oxo-A-diol, 16-oxo-testosterone, 16beta-OH-epiandrosterone, 5-androstene-3beta, 16beta,17beta-triol, 19beta-OH-testosterone, 18-OH-DHEA, and 16alpha-OH-DHEA) were investigated in two different rat bioassay systems under a variety of experimental conditions. In all but one instance, only negligible mineralocorticoid activity was observed, usually less than 0.1 per cent that of aldosterone. Since 16beta-OH-DHEA has negligible mineralocorticoid activity in the rat bioassay and the toad bladder assay (as reported by others), does not cause hypertension when injected chronically into the rat, and does not displace aldosterone from its renal receptors, it appears unlikely to be etiologic in low-renin essential hypertension. On the other hand, when 16-oxo-testosterone was injected intraperitoneally instead of subcutaneously, it demonstrated a slight increase in mineralocorticoid activity (from less than 0.1 per cent to 0.2 per cent) which equaled that of 18-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone (18-OH-DOC) injected subcutaneously. Thus, the possibility remains that 16-oxo-testosterone or a closely related metabolite may have sufficient mineralocorticoid activity to be involved in certain forms of hypertension in man.
Budget Uncertainty and the Quality of Nonprofit Charter School Enrollment Projections

Rarely can outsiders assess the accuracy of business planning efforts by nonprofit organizations. We examine the relationship between nonprofit charter school characteristics and the accuracy of enrollment projections, which are the primary driver of organizational revenues and costs. Overall, we find that while the average charter school organization’s enrollment projection is quite accurate, there is wide variation in the quality of forecasts. School and organizational factors are especially prominent determinants of projection quality, with larger and older organizations less likely to make and present overly optimistic enrollment projections. Governance structure, including the presence of a charter management organization and different authorizer types, also matter for the quality of projections. As with all plans, the ability of charter schools to accurately project enrollments worsens dramatically in the later years of extended forecasts.
Factors Influencing Patients' Intention to Perform Physical Activity During Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Objectives To examine theoretical and medical variables influencing a patient's intention to perform physical activity during hospitalization for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Sample & setting 54 patients undergoing HCT at the Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Methods & variables A longitudinal, prospective cohort design was used. Instruments included the Self-Report Habit Index, tailored to assess exercise habit, the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form, and an investigator-constructed survey of intention, attitude, control, and subjective norm toward physical activity. Descriptive statistics, univariate logistic regression, and linear regression were used. Results Intention for physical activity remained high at all time points. Previous exercise habits were not related to intention. Inverse relationships between symptom distress and the theoretical constructs that influence intention occurred at the critical time points of nadir and discharge during transplantation. Implications for nursing Nurses should reinforce physical activity regardless of exercise habits. Symptom distress may influence physical activity differently during the transplantation trajectory.
Critical discourse analysis in the bilingual classroom: Uncovering stereotypes in children’s picture books

This study visually and linguistically examines the various manifestations of power and language in mainstream and alternative children’s picture books, and analyzes the students’ linguistic produc...
Caregiver Attendance as a Quality Indicator in the Implementation of Multiple Evidence-Based Practices for Children.

Objective: This study investigated a quality indicator for children’s mental health, caregiver attendance in youth psychotherapy sessions, within a system-driven implementation of multiple evidence...
Defense Against the Dark Cars: Design Principles for Griefing of Autonomous Vehicles

As autonomous vehicles (AVs) become a reality on public roads, researchers and designers are beginning to see unexpected reactions from the public ranging from curiosity to vandalism. These behaviors are concerning, as AV platforms will need to know how to deal with people behaving unexpectedly or aggressively. We call this griefing of AVs, adopting the term from harassment in online gaming. We discuss several examples of griefing observed in on-road field studies using a Wizard-of-Oz driverless car. While Uber and Waymo have anecdotally mentioned vandalism towards AVs, we believe this to be the first public video available of AV griefing ranging from playful to aggressive. To stimulate discussion, we propose speculative design principles to address griefing. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Interaction design theory, concepts and paradigms; Empirical studies in interaction design; Interface design prototyping. ACM Reference Format: Dylan Moore, Rebecca Currano, Michael Shanks, and David Sirkin. 2020. Defense Against the Dark Cars: Design Principles for griefing of Autonomous Vehicles. In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI ’20), March 23–26, 2020, Cambridge, United Kingdom. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 9 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3319502.3374796
Effects of Nutrition Knowledge, Personal Health and Self-Efficacy on Food-Related Teaching Practices of Elementary School Pre-Service Teachers.

Objective:This study aimed to determine the impact of personal health, body mass index (BMI), nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy on classroom food-related beliefs and practices.Design:A cross-se...
GPU-NEST: Characterizing Energy Efficiency of Multi-GPU Inference Servers

Cloud inference systems have recently emerged as a solution to the ever-increasing integration of AI-powered applications into the smart devices around us. The wide adoption of GPUs in cloud inference systems has made power consumption a first-order constraint in multi-GPU systems. Thus, to achieve this goal, it is critical to have better insight into the power and performance behaviors of multi-GPU inference system. To this end, we propose GPU-NEST, an energy efficiency characterization methodology for multi-GPU inference systems. As case studies, we examined the challenges presented by, and implications of, multi-GPU scaling, inference scheduling, and non-GPU bottleneck on multi-GPU inference systems’ energy efficiency. We found that inference scheduling in particular has great benefits in improving the energy efficiency of multi-GPU scheduling, by as much as 40 percent.
THE CARNEGIE HUBBLE PROGRAM: THE LEAVITT LAW AT 3.6 AND 4.5 μm IN THE MILKY WAY

The Carnegie Hubble Program (CHP) is designed to calibrate the extragalactic distance scale using data from the post-cryogenic era of the Spitzer Space Telescope. The ultimate goal of the CHP is a systematic improvement in the distance scale leading to a determination of the Hubble constant to within an accuracy of 2%. This paper focuses on the measurement and calibration of the Galactic Cepheid period-luminosity (PL, Leavitt) relation using the warm Spitzer/IRAC 1 and 2 bands at 3.6 and 4.5 {mu}m. We present photometric measurements covering the period range 4-70 days for 37 Galactic Cepheids. Data at 24 phase points were collected for each star. Three PL relations of the form M = a(log (P) - 1) + b are derived. The method adopted here takes the slope a to be -3.31, as determined from the Spitzer Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) data of Scowcroft et al. Using the geometric Hubble Space Telescope guide-star distances to 10 Galactic Cepheids, we find a calibrated 3.6 {mu}m PL zero point of -5.80 {+-} 0.03. Together with our value for the LMC zero point, we determine a reddening-corrected distance modulus of 18.48 {+-} 0.04 mag to the LMC. The mid-IR period-color diagram and themore » [3.6]-[4.5] color variation with phase are interpreted in terms of CO absorption at 4.5 {mu}m. This situation compromises the use of the 4.5 {mu}m data for distance determinations.« less
A Review of Artificial Intelligence Applications to Achieve Water-related Sustainable Development Goals

This paper reviews the Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications that help achieve water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Current applications of AI in the water sector include i) predictive maintenance of water infrastructure, ii) forecasting water demand and consumption, iii) monitoring water reservoirs and dams, iv) tracking water quality, and v) monitoring and predicting water-related disasters. These applications contribute to achieving water-related SDG targets, specifically 3, 6, 11, and 15. The literature review shows that: i) the rate of adoption of AI-based solutions in predictive maintenance of water infrastructure has accelerated, as AI becomes increasingly accessible, and data analytics and smart sensors become more efficient and affordable; ii) deep learning technology has enabled a new generation of water management systems, which can generate short-term (daily) and long-term (annual) forecasts. iii) as Asia and South America experience an increase in water reservoir and dam construction, AI-based techniques are being successfully implemented in reservoir development and operation; iv) water quality monitoring has been the most significantly impacted by AI relative to other applications, as AI is used to examine small samples and large water bodies, and for real time water quality monitoring; v) AI can be used to forecast water-related disasters with higher accuracy, frequency and lead time, allowing for focused management of post-disaster activity. The paper ends by highlighting the challenges of adopting AI to achieve water-related SDGs.
Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of ethanol produced via fermentation of sugars derived from shrub willow (Salix ssp.) hot water extraction in the Northeast United States.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been on the rise for more than a century. Bioenergy crops are seen by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as an essential part of the solution to addressing climate change. To understand the potential impact of shrub willow (Salix spp.) crop in the northeast United States, effective and transparent life cycle assessment of these systems needs to occur. Here we show, ethanol produced from the fermentation of sugars from hot water extract of willow grown on cropland can sequester 0.012 ± 0.003 kg CO2eq MJ−1 for a supply system incorporating summer harvest and storage. Despite decreases in soil organic carbon when willow is instead grown on grassland, the produced fuel still can provide significant climate benefits compared to gasoline. Shrub willow converted to ethanol can be a carbon negative source of transportation fuel when the electricity and heat required for the conversion process are generated from renewable biomass. The sequestration of carbon in the belowground portion of the plants is essential for the negative GHG balance for cropland and low GHG emissions in grassland.
Thoughts on the First Decade of Hospital Pediatrics.

After more than 10 years editing Hospital Pediatrics , I am retiring from the job. I am not usually at a loss for words, but I find myself nearly dumbstruck by this particular event. How can I sum up this experience? What has happened here over the last decade? The phrase “a whole lot” keeps coming to mind, although it falls a little short on word count. For the younger members of our community, believe it or not, this journal grew out of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine newsletter. Jennifer Daru, former chair of the section who tragically died at a young age, was the driving force behind that newsletter. As it grew, she began to envision the possibility of launching a journal. Today, we may see the idea of pediatric hospital medicine as a specialty in pediatrics as obvious, but 15 years ago, it was anything but. Jennifer believed. And she believed strongly enough that she willed this journal to life by convincing the Academy that hospitalists had a future that would inevitably include an academic journal. I wish she could see us now. We published one issue that first year. On July 1, 2011, volume 1, issue 1 appeared, and frankly, it took nearly a year to put together that meager tome. Reading it today, I see the names of so many friends and colleagues coaxed into contributing. No one really knew where this project was going, and it …
Heparin oligosaccharides bind L- and P-selectin and inhibit acute inflammation

Initial attachment of leukocytes to the vessel wall at sites of inflammation is supported by a family of carbohydrate-binding adhesion molecules called the selectins. Selectin ligands include sialyl-Lewis x (sLex, Neu5Ac alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4[Fuc alpha 1-3]GlcNAc--) and related structures. We report here that defined heparin oligosaccharides interact with the selectins. Heparin chains containing four or more monosaccharide residues inhibited the function of L- and P-selectin, but not E-selectin, in vitro. In a competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measuring inhibition of solution-phase selectin-Ig fusion proteins (selectin-Ig) binding to immobilized bovine serum albumin-sLex neoglycoprotein, a heparin-derived tetrasaccharide mixture inhibited 50% of L- and P-selectin-Ig binding (IC50) at 200 +/- 40 mumol/L and 850 +/- 110 mumol/L, respectively. A single hexasulfated tetrasaccharide (delta UA2S alpha 1-4GlcNS6S alpha 1-4IdoA2S alpha 1-4GlcNS6S) was particularly active against L- and P-selectin-Ig (IC50 = 46 +/- 5 mumol/L and 341 +/- 24 mumol/L). By comparison, the tetrasaccharide sLex was not inhibitory at concentrations up to 1 mmol/L. In cell adhesion assays, heparin tetrasaccharides reduced binding of neutrophils to COS cells expressing P-selectin but not to COS cells expressing E-selectin. They also blocked colon cancer cell adhesion to L- and P-selectin but not E-selectin. In a model of acute inflammation, intravenously administered heparin tetrasaccharides diminished influx of neutrophils into the peritoneal cavities of thioglycollate-treated mice. We conclude that heparin oligosaccharides, including non-anticoagulant tetrasaccharides, are effective L- and P-selectin inhibitors in vitro and have anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Multi-resolution modeling of complex and detailed cultural heritage

The article reports the interdisciplinary project of the virtualization of the Great Inscription of Gortyna (Crete) for 3D documentation, structural studies and physical replica purposes. The digitization of the longest epigraphic text of the Greek civilization (6 m long and 1.75 m high, with ca 2-3 mm depth engraved letters) and its surrounding heritage area (ca 30 x 30 m), required a long planning and the construction of a dedicated acquisition system to speed up the surveying time, limited to few hours per day. Primarily range sensors were employed in a multi-resolution way, digitizing detailed parts in highresolution and less smoothed areas with lower geometric resolution. Some selected areas were also modeled with our multi-photo geometrically constrained image matching approach to demonstrate that the same accuracy and details can be achieved using either scanners or photogrammetry. The derived 3D model of the heritage is now the basis for further archaeological studies on the incision techniques and a deeper structural analysis on the monument. The challenges of the work stay in the acquisition, processing and integration of the multi-resolution data as well as their visualization.
Norovirus infection in immunocompromised children and children with hospital-acquired acute gastroenteritis.

Norovirus (NoV) is a leading cause of acute viral gastroenteritis among children, yet its burden of disease among immunocompromised hosts and its role in hospital acquired infections (HAI) is not well characterized. To determine the prevalence, genotypes, and NoV loads among immunocompromised children and children with HAI, residual stool samples, and clinical data were collected at two major pediatric hospitals in metropolitan Atlanta from 92 children that were immunocompromised and/or had a hospital acquired acute gastroenteritis. NoV was identified in 16.3% (15/92) of all stool specimens; 23.4% (11/47) in immunocompromised only children, and 13.3% (4/30) in children with HAI. All NoV positive cases were genogroup II (GII), and GII.4 was the predominant strain followed by GII.3, GII.12, and GII.13. The average NoV load for immunocompromised patients was 6.3 +/- 1.4 log genome equivalent copies (GEC) per gram of stool compared to 5.8 +/- 1.1 log GEC among patients with HAI. NoV infections are common among immunocompromised children and children with hospital-acquired gastroenteritis, underscoring the urgent need for rapid NoV detection system, and highlighting the importance of strict hospital hygiene practices. J. Med. Virol. 86:1203-1209, 2014. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Theoretical Study of Atomic Rydberg States

Recently, a new microwave-optical method was developed by Wing and Lamb1for the experimental study of the atomic Rydberg states. The new technique, with a 104 -fold improvement in resolution over the conventional spectroscopic methods, makes it possible for the first time to obtain accurate details on the previously unresolved electrostatic fine structures. As emphasized by those authors, the physics of the atomic Rydberg states holds special theoretical interest not only because of its quasi-hydrogenic nature but also because of its close relation to the scattering of slow electrons by the charged ion core. Thus the experimental breakthrough has added great impetus to the search for a parallel progress in theory, the search for a general, first-principle approach, capable of improved quantitative predictions as well as qualitative interpretations. As an attempt along this direction, we have carried out a theoretical study on the electrostatic fine structure of the Rydberg series for atomic helium within the framework of the Brueckner-Goldstone2 many-body perturbation theory approach.
The Effects of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on In Vitro Human NK Cell Development from Hematopoietic Stem Cells

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] is the biologically active form of vitamin D and is immunoregulatory. 1,25(OH)2D3 binds the vitamin D receptor complex present in many immune populations and can illicit transcriptional responses that vary among different immune subsets. The effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on mature and developing human NK cells are not well characterized. In the present study, we examined the influence of 1,25(OH)2D3 using an established NK cell differentiation system. Briefly, umbilical cord blood CD34(+) cells were isolated and cultured in conditions optimal for NK cell differentiation, and varying concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3 were administered. At physiological concentrations (10 nM), 1,25(OH)2D3 impaired NK cell development. Moreover, the NK cells that did develop under the influence of 1,25(OH)2D3 showed a significant reduction in function (cytotoxicity and cytokine production). Conversely, 1,25(OH)2D3 strongly induced hematopoietic stem cells to differentiate along a myeloid pathway, giving rise to CD14(+) cells. Mechanistically, 1,25(OH)2D3 drives hematopoietic progenitor cells to rapidly upregulate monocyte genes (i.e., C/EBP-α and CD14). There were no effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on mature NK cytotoxicity or cytokine production. Collectively, these studies provide novel data showing the negative regulatory effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on NK cell development.
Are US imports really hurting US households?: an analysis of the relationship between US households’ consumption and US imports

This paper seeks evidence of the relationship between US households’ consumption and imports, notably imports from China. Using MSA-level data from the consumer expenditure survey from 1986 to 2007, we find that in general imports, and especially those from China, are positively related with households’ consumption. A one-percentage point increase in the size of imports relative to GDP increases consumption (total and non-durable goods consumption) by 2%. This positive relationship is stronger for imports from China.
Measurement of various respiratory dynamics parameters following acute inhalational exposure to soman vapor in conscious rats

AbstractRespiratory dynamics were investigated in head-out plethysmography chambers following inhalational exposure to soman in untreated, non-anesthetized rats. A multipass saturator cell was used to generate 520, 560 and 600 mg × min/m3 of soman vapor in a customized inhalational exposure system. Various respiratory dynamic parameters were collected from male Sprague-Dawley rats (300--350 g) during (20 min) and 24 h (10 min) after inhalational exposure. Signs of CWNA-induced cholinergic crisis were observed in all soman-exposed animals. Percentage body weight loss and lung edema were observed in all soman-exposed animals, with significant increases in both at 24 h following exposure to 600 mg × min/m3. Exposure to soman resulted in increases in respiratory frequency (RF) in animals exposed to 560 and 600 mg × min/m3 with significant increases following exposure to 560 mg × min/m3 at 24 h. No significant alterations in inspiratory time (IT) or expiratory time (ET) were observed in soman-exposed animals 2...
A role of mTOR in cigarette smoke-induced corticosteroid insensitivity

Introduction The corticosteroid insensitivity is a major barrier to the treatment of severe asthma and COPD. It has been revealed that cigarette smoke induced inactivation of HDAC2 through activation of PI3K/Akt pathway, leading to corticosteroid insensitivity. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is one of the most important effectors of PI3K/Akt pathway. It is a serine/threonine kinase, and implicated in disease states where growth is deregulated and homeostasis is compromised. Aims To determine the role of mTOR on the development of corticosteroid insensitivity in COPD and under oxidative stress. Methods mTOR activity was calculated by the phospho-p70s6k band intensity in Western blot analysis. Corticosteroid sensitivity was determined as the 50% inhibitory concentration of dexamethason on TNF-a-induced interleukin-8 release in U937 cells. Results mTOR activity was increased within 5minutes after cigarette smoke stimulation in U937 cells, then decreased gradually until below the baseline. mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, totally suppressed this increase. The EC50 value of dexamethasone was 5.0nM and the Emax value was 62.8 +/- 6.4 %(n=4) in the intact cells, but after incubation with cigarette smoke extract, EC50 was increased to 47.9nM and Emax was decreased to 42.4 +/- 9.1 %, suggesting cigarette smoke decreased dexamethasone sensitivity almost by one-tenth. EC50-Dex was 12.9nM and Emax was 55.9 +/- 6.9 % in the presence of Rapamycin (20nM, 2hr) and rapamycin partially reversed this insensitivity. Conclusions Cigarrete smoke extract treatments increased mTORC1 activity in U937 cells, and rapamycin partially reversed corticosteroid insensitivity caused by cigarette smoke exposure.
Cytochemical Reactions of Human Leprosy Bacilli and Mycobacteria: Ultrastructural Implications

Leprosy bacilli harvested from freshly biopsied tissue from cases of lepromatous, borderline and histoid leprosy were, in conjunction with Mycobacterium lepraemurium and representative mycobacteria, examined cytochemically with and without their pyridine-extractable acid-fastness. Unlike the mycobacteria, unextracted leprosy bacilli failed to give a positive response to the periodic acid Schiff test or to take up Sudan black B, toluidine blue O, alkaline methylene blue or safranin O. Once their acid-fastness was removed with pyridine, leprosy bacilli were stained by all of the foregoing dyes except Sudan black B, under this condition they remained gram positive. While permanent loss of acid-fastness from leprosy bacilli always resulted in a loss of acid hematein-fixing material (Smith-Dietrich-Baker tests), the reverse was not true. Mild aqueous saponification, bromination, or sequential treatment with lipase and phospholipase D resulted in a loss of acid hematein-positivity but not acid-fastness. After pyridine extraction, bromination, or aqueous saponification, true mycobacteria lost neither their acid hematein-positivity nor their acid-fastness. The acid hematein-positive material and the acid-fastness of both leprosy bacilli and mycobacteria were lost after treatment with alkaline ethanol. These cytochemical findings are discussed in the light of what is known of the ultrastructure of leprosy bacilli and mycobacteria, and of the occurrence of a dl-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine oxidase in leprosy bacilli but not in mycobacteria. An effort is made to explain the rather unique cytochemical properties of leprosy bacilli. Since pyridine-extractable acid-fastness (and acid hematein-positivity) serve to distinguish human leprosy bacilli from M. lepraemurium, one or the other, or both, are suggested as bases for differentiating these two organisms in animal experiments designed to show the in vivo propagation of human leprosy bacilli.
School Board Member Definitions of Accountability: What Are They, and Do They Impact District Outcomes?

ABSTRACTRecent reforms in K–12 education governance shift the accountability responsibility in public education away from the democratic governance provided by school boards, but little is known about how school board members define accountability. In this article, survey data from school board members in Wisconsin is combined with school district demographic and performance variables to determine how board members define accountability, and how those definitions relate to outcomes. The analysis finds no connection between any single accountability definition and school district outcomes, but does find a significant positive relationship between board member agreement on accountability definitions and academic performance indicators.
Shear stress increases endothelial platelet-derived growth factor mRNA levels

We have investigated the effect of shear stress on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) A and B chain mRNA levels in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (hUVEC). The levels of both PDGF A and B mRNA in hUVEC were increased by a physiological shear stress (16 dyn/cm2), reaching a maximum approximately 1.5-2 h after the onset of shear stress and returning almost to control values at 4 h. The peak levels showed a more than 10-fold enhancement for PDGF A mRNA and a 2- to 3-fold increase for PDGF B mRNA (P less than 0.05). PDGF A mRNA also showed a shear-dependent increase from 0 to 6 dyn/cm2 (P less than 0.05) and then plateaued from 6 to 51 dyn/cm2. PDGF B mRNA levels were elevated as shear stress increased from 0 to 6 dyn/cm2 then declined gradually to a minimum at 31 dyn/cm2 (P less than 0.05) and increased again when shear stress rose to 51 dyn/cm2 (P less than 0.05). PDGF, a potent smooth muscle cell mitogen and vasoconstrictor, released from the endothelium may regulate the blood flow in vivo. The shear stress-dependent elevation of PDGF A and B mRNA in endothelial cells may be involved in the adaptation of blood vessels to flow mediated by the endothelium.
Discontinuities in the Orkiszewski Correlation for Predicting Pressure Gradients in Wells

The Orkiszewski correlation is used extensively in the petroleum industry for predicting pressure gradients when gas and liquid flow simultaneously in wells. Unfortunately, the correlation contains a parameter called the liquid distribution coefficient, {Gamma}, that can be discontinuous at a superficial mixture velocity of 10 ft/sec. The liquid distribution coefficient is used to predict both the elevation and friction components of the pressure gradient for slug flow. The accepted trail and error method for integrating the pressure gradient to obtain pressure loss in wells can fail to converge when pressure gradients are discontinuous. Examples of discontinuities in {Gamma} for oil as the continuous phase are presented for several liquid viscosities ranging from 0.3 to 200 cp and for pipe diameters of 1.049, 2.441 and 6.049 in.
Intimacy and Scarcity of Self-Disclosure Effects on Interpersonal Attraction for Males and Females

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that the relationship between the intimacy of self-disclosure and liking for the self-disclosing person is mediated in part by the perceived scarcity of the revelations. Within a factorial design, subjects expecting to hear a same-sex partner disclose information which was low, medium, or high in intimacy, were either given no information about the scarcity of the disclosures or were led to believe that the partner would ordinarily reveal such information to a great many people or to very few people. Although both males and females gave clear evidence of disclosure reciprocity, males' liking for their partners failed to be influenced by either the intimacy or scarcity of the expected revelations. For females, when no scarcity information was provided, increased information intimacy produced greater liking. As anticipated, when scarcity was held constant at either a high or low level, the effects of intimacy on attraction were attenuated and nonsignificant...
Interdisciplinary Environmental Analysis for Timber Sale Planning

: A method of project planning for systematically assessing and recording impacts of alternative timber harvest startegies for subareas of a sale planning area is presented. This method uses an interdisciplinary team composed of specialists and decisionmaker to develop and analyze treatment alternatives and uses impact prediction matrices with explicit evaluation criteria to illustrate and record ratings of impacts on resource factors. The method is a system for organizing, for discovering appropriate alternatives, for facilitating interaction, and for documenting environmental analysis. It provides for decisionmaker control over the project, for exchange of value perspectives, and for reduction in conflict between specialists. The quality of decisions which result from the method presented depends upon the information available and the effectiveness of interaction between all members of the interdisciplinary team.
Invited Commentary: Low Cholesterol and Nonatherosclerotic Disease Risk: A Persistently Perplexing Question

In contrast to clinical trials using statin drugs, which suggest that cholesterol lowering from high to moderate levels is safe, many, but not all, prospective studies report higher nonatherosclerotic disease rates in people with low serum total cholesterol, even after deleting deaths in the 5 years after cholesterol determination. A perplexing and unanswered question is whether low cholesterol is causally related to nonatherosclerotic disease risk. Cholesterol is reduced during the acute phase reaction; a state of immune activation that persists for more than 5 years may explain the prospective observations. Higher cholesterol may be a marker for other protective substances such as fat-soluble antioxidants. Low cholesterol might mark poor nutrition, for example, during depression. Alternatively, higher cholesterol levels may result in enhanced delivery of lipids to cells during the immune response or tissue repair or may enhance defense against endotoxins and viruses. Although we believe that populationwide efforts to lower cholesterol should continue, we think that important biology may be reflected in the repeatedly observed associations of low cholesterol with nonatherosclerotic disease. The authors urge that research continue to elucidate any biologic bases of these relations.
Intermittent treatment with human parathyroid hormone (hPTH[1‐34]) increased trabecular bone volume but not connectivity in osteopenic rats

Previous studies have determined that intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) therapy increases bone mass and improves biomechanical strength in osteopenic animal models. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if intermittent human parathyroid hormone (hPTH[1-34]) therapy increased trabecular bone volume and connectivity in a rat model of established osteopenia using three-dimensional (3D) ex vivo in situ morphometry by X-ray tomographic methods (XTM). Six-month-old retired Sprague-Dawley breeder rats were used. Thirty animals were ovariectomized (OVX) and six were Sham operated. On day 56, post-OVX, a prePTH-treatment OVX group was sacrificed. The remaining OVX animals were randomized into four groups of six animals each, given injections 5 out of every 7 days for 28 days of either vehicle or hPTH(1-34) at 4, 40, or 400 μg/kg of body weight (BW)/day and were sacrificed on day 84 post-OVX. At sacrifice, the left proximal tibias were harvested for XTM scans. hPTH(1-34) at medium and high doses significantly increased trabecular bone volume and trabecular thickness compared with ovariectomized animals treated with vehicle (p < 0.05). The trabecular bone volume was equal to or greater than the Sham-operated animals in both hPTH(1-34) 40 and 400 μg/kg of BW treatment groups. Trabecular bone connectivity decreased by nearly 50% compared to the Sham-operated group at day 84 post-OVX and did not increase with any of the hPTH(1-34) treatments. Intermittent hPTH(1-34) treatment in osteopenic OVX rats increased trabecular bone volume to control levels or higher by thickening existing trabeculae. Human PTH(1-34) did not re-establish connectivity when therapy was started after 50% of the trabecular connectivity was lost. We hypothesize that to re-establish trabecular connectivity, a therapeutic intervention would have to be given before a significant distance between trabeculae has developed. Further studies will need to be done to refute or confirm our hypothesis. (J Bone Miner Res 1995 ;10 :1470-1477)