cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitamin K and its analogs: Potential avenues for prostate cancer management

// Subramanyam Dasari 1 , Syed M. Ali 1 , Guoxing Zheng 1 , Aoshuang Chen 1 , Venkata Satish Dontaraju 2 , Maarten C. Bosland 3 , Andre Kajdacsy-Balla 3 and Gnanasekar Munirathinam 1 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Rockford, IL, USA 2 Internal Medicine, Rockford Memorial Hospital, Rockford, IL, USA 3 Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Correspondence to: Gnanasekar Munirathinam, email: mgnanas@uic.edu Keywords: prostate cancer, Vitamin K, dietary constituents, apoptosis and autophagy Received: December 06, 2016 Accepted: April 15, 2017 Published: May 19, 2017 ABSTRACT Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between cancer incidence and dietary habits. Especially intake of certain essential nutrients like vitamins has been shown to be beneficial in experimental studies and some clinical trials. Vitamin K (VK) is an essential nutrient involved in the blood clotting cascade, and there are considerable experimental data demonstrating its potential anticancer activity in several cancer types including prostate cancer. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have focused mainly on anti-oxidative effects as the underlying anticancer mechanism of VK. However, recent studies reveal that VK inhibits the growth of cancer cells through other mechanisms, including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, and modulation of various transcription factors such as Myc and Fos. In the present review, we focus on the anticancer effect of dietary VK and its analogs on prostate cancer, with an emphasis on the signaling pathways that are activated following exposure to these compounds. This review also highlights the potential of VK and its derivatives as an adjuvant treatment in combination with other vitamins or with chemotherapeutic drugs. Based on our recent results and a review of the existing literature, we present evidence that VK and its derivatives can potentially be explored as cancer therapy, especially for prostate cancer.
Risk attitude chain: safety climate, risk attitude and risk decisions

We explore safety climate, risk attitude, and risk decisions through a new framework - the risk attitude chain. We discuss intersubjective processes as a foundation of behaviours and attitudes. Given these intersubjective processes, we relate how a decision model may incorporate attitudinal measures to evaluate risk strategies.
Lab-on-chip (LOC) devices and microfluidics for biomedical applications

Abstract: This chapter reviews typical types of flow control mechanisms developed for microfluidic lab-on-chip (LOC) platforms and used for hand-held point-of-care testing and table-top high-throughput analysis. The typical LOC platforms include pressure-driven, capillary-driven, electrokinetic-driven, centrifugal-driven, droplet-based, and electrowetting-based LOC. In each section, their working principles, basic unit operations, and selected applications will be focused. The chapter then discusses future trends in recent research and development of the LOC platform technology.
Delayed diagnosis of paragonimiasis in Southeast Asian immigrants: A need for global awareness

Paragonimiasis is a food-borne parasitic infection that commonly affects humans after ingestion of raw or undercooked crustaceans. The disease is caused by lung flukes of the genus Paragonimus, which is endemic to Southeast Asia. In this report, we describe two cases of paragonimiasis diagnosed in North American immigrants from Southeast Asia. The first patient presented with a 5-year history of hemoptysis. The second presented with a 3-week history of productive cough. Both patients were initially treated with antibiotics for presumed pneumonia. The inciting pathogen was not identified by blood, sputum, or stool analyses. Ultimately, surgical resection was required, leading to the diagnosis of paragonimiasis. In the United States and other nonendemic areas, the diagnosis of paragonimiasis is often delayed due to its rarity. Increased awareness and inclusion in differential diagnoses, especially in patients originating from endemic areas, may prevent diagnostic delay and associated morbidity. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Practice-based learning and improvement, Medical knowledge, and Patient care.
Job satisfaction as a determinant of employees’ optimal well-being in an instrumental variable approach

The correlation between measures of a high level of job satisfaction and well-being is well documented in the literature; however, such a relationship may be potentially bidirectional. If an increase in job satisfaction affects optimal well-being, the reverse relationship can also be hypothesized. In addition, the relationship between job satisfaction and well-being may be polluted by the presence of omitted variables that can be correlated both with the satisfaction in the workplace and with a measure of optimal wellbeing. Using the sixth round of the European Social Survey, this paper utilizes an instrumental variable approach to isolate the effect of job satisfaction on optimal well-being variation that is independent of unobserved individual characteristics. After having controlled for the role of socio-economic profiles of interviewed individuals, our findings confirm a strong and significantly positive influence of job satisfaction on optimal well-being. The novelty of our analysis is twofold: firstly, we employ an instrumental variable approach to correct for endogeneity that might the effect of job satisfaction on well-being. Secondly, we use an innovative measure of optimal well-being, which we adopt as an outcome variable for measuring a multi-dimensional definition of well-being dealing with both hedonic and eudemonic streams.
NeuroPose: geriatric rehabilitation in the home using a webcam and pose estimation

Many chronic diseases and common risks to elderly patients can be assessed and treated through standardized training and rehabilitation programs. Unfortunately, there is a need to make risk assessment and preventative care for the elderly more easily accessible as many programs either use specialized hardware or require human supervision. We seek to reduce the barrier to entry for patients through a portable application which enables fall risk prevention assessment and rehabilitation anywhere. Our work leverages the latest in machine learning and computer vision, accomplishing pose estimation and body tracking with a simple and ubiquitous web cam. Thus patients can be screened anywhere with the ability to get feedback in near-real time.
Knowledge Graph based Learning Guidance for Cybersecurity Hands-on Labs

Hands-on practice is a critical component of cybersecurity education. Most of the existing hands-on exercises or labs materials are usually managed in a problem-centric fashion, while it lacks a coherent way to manage existing labs and provide productive lab exercising plans for cybersecurity learners. With the advantages of big data and natural language processing (NLP) technologies, constructing a large knowledge graph and mining concepts from unstructured text becomes possible, which motivated us to construct a machine learning based lab exercising plan for cybersecurity education. In the research presented by this paper, we have constructed a knowledge graph in the cybersecurity domain using NLP technologies including machine learning based word embedding and hyperlink-based concept mining. We then utilized the knowledge graph during the regular learning process based on the following approaches: 1. We constructed a web-based front-end to visualize the knowledge graph, which allows students to browse and search cybersecurity-related concepts and the corresponding interdependence relations; 2. We created a personalized knowledge graph for each student based on their learning progress and status; 3. We built a personalized lab recommendation system by suggesting more relevant labs based on students' past learning history to maximize their learning outcomes. To measure the effectiveness of the proposed solution, we have conducted a use case study and collected survey data from a graduate-level cybersecurity class. Our study shows that, by leveraging the knowledge graph for the cybersecurity area study, students tend to benefit more and show more interests in cybersecurity area.
Basic Properties of Univariate Stable Distributions

Stable distributions are a rich class of probability distributions that allow skewness and heavy tails and have many intriguing mathematical properties. The class was characterized by Paul Levy in his study of sums of independent identically distributed terms in the 1920s.
A Connectome Wide Functional Signature of Broad Risk for Mental Illness

High rates of comorbidity, shared risk, and overlapping therapeutic mechanisms have led psychopathology research towards transdiagnostic dimensional investigations of clustered symptoms. One influential framework accounts for these transdiagnostic phenomena through a single general factor, sometimes referred to as the p factor, associated with risk for all common forms of mental illness. Here we build on past research identifying unique structural neural correlates of the p factor by conducting a data-driven analysis of connectome wide intrinsic functional connectivity. We demonstrate that higher p factor scores and associated risk for common mental illness maps onto hyper-connectivity between visual association cortex and both frontoparietal and default mode networks. These results provide initial evidence that the broad risk for common forms of mental illness is associated with patterns of inefficient connectome wide intrinsic connectivity supporting executive control and self-referential processes, which are often impaired across categorical disorders.
The Influence of Short Selling on the Production and Market Consequences of Negative Press Coverage

The production, dissemination and market consequences of firm-specific information are shaped by the incentives of market players operating within the constraints imposed by securities regulation. In this paper we focus on constraints to short selling activity and address two questions: Do short sale constraints influence (1) the extent to which the business press reports negative news stories?; and (2) the speed and intensity with which market participants respond to the publication of negative news reports? Following exogenous relief of short sale constraints, we find that treated firms’ press coverage tilts significantly more negative relative to untreated firms still facing higher constraints. This result is stronger for media-initiated articles than for firm-initiated press releases. With respect to market consequences we find that for treated firms, stock returns and open short interest become significantly more sensitive to negative news reports, and news sentiment-based trading strategies earn lower abnormal returns.
Associations Between Financial Transfer from Grandparents and Family Expenditures for Children’s Precollege Education in Japan

Given higher family spending for education and the relative poverty rate in Japan, the recent (2013–2021) tax incentive for grandparents’ support for educational expenditures for children might widen opportunities offered to the younger generation. Using nationally representative data from the 2017 Keio Household Panel Survey (n = 502) and a double-hurdle model, this paper examined the associations between grandparents’ financial contributions and family expenditures for school age children’s education, controlling for family characteristics associated with such expenditures. Although examining just the period when the tax incentive is in effect limited the ability of this study to suggest the findings were related to the incentive, overall, variations in financial support from grandparents were not associated with family expenditures for children’s educations in the multivariate model. Although there was no evidence of an educational advantage from intergenerational transfers during the observation period, financial transfers from grandparents may have served as a substitute for the overall family expenditures for children’s education, thus potentially widening the opportunity gap among children.
'Now My Eyes are Open': Latina women's experiences in long-term support groups for intimate partner violence survivors.

One in four women has experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. The effects of intimate partner violence on women's mental health may be long-term; possible conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Latina women may be particularly vulnerable to long-term effects of intimate partner violence. The purpose of this study was to describe Latina women's experiences in long-term support groups for survivors of intimate partner violence. Forty-nine Latina women were interviewed about their experiences in a nurse-led long-term support group, with participation from 2 months to 9 years. The women ranged in age from 26 to 73 years and all but two interviews were in Spanish. Five themes emerged from the qualitative data: awakening, transformation, community, empowerment, and advocate. Women described their thoughts of still feeling the 'ugliness of the abuse', even years after it occurred with some women enduring abuse for as long as 32 years. The need for long-term support groups was evident as women described the value of the group for providing support and gaining an understanding that they are not alone, or their awakening to the idea that they can have a life without abuse. Long-term support groups give voice to Latina women who are survivors of intimate partner violence. By raising their awareness and sense of community, women survivors can be transformed and empowered to improve their lives and advocate for others who face similar struggles.
Female Mice with Selenocysteine tRNA Deletion in Agrp Neurons Maintain Leptin Sensitivity and Resist Weight Gain While on a High-Fat Diet

The role of the essential trace element selenium in hypothalamic physiology has begun to come to light over recent years. Selenium is used to synthesize a family of proteins participating in redox reactions called selenoproteins, which contain a selenocysteine residue in place of a cysteine. Past studies have shown that disrupted selenoprotein expression in the hypothalamus can adversely impact energy homeostasis. There is also evidence that selenium supports leptin signaling in the hypothalamus by maintaining proper redox balance. In this study, we generated mice with conditional knockout of the selenocysteine tRNA[Ser]Sec gene (Trsp) in an orexigenic cell population called agouti-related peptide (Agrp)-positive neurons. We found that female TrspAgrpKO mice gain less weight while on a high-fat diet, which occurs due to changes in adipose tissue activity. Female TrspAgrpKO mice also retained hypothalamic sensitivity to leptin administration. Male mice were unaffected, however, highlighting the sexually dimorphic influence of selenium on neurobiology and energy homeostasis. These findings provide novel insight into the role of selenoproteins within a small yet heavily influential population of hypothalamic neurons.
The Phillips Curve and Expectations

One theoretical result of Chap. 4 is the short-run tradeoff between unemployment and inflation (4.16), but in the history of economic thought this relation originated as an empirical regularity. Its name derives from Phillips’ (1958) statistical plot of a century of unemployment rates for the United Kingdom against nominal wage inflation. Subsequent investigators found that this empirical regularity can take several forms: general price inflation can be substituted for the wage inflation rate, and the deviation of actual output from its natural level for the unemployment rate. The curve implies a limit on governmental options. It was originally thought, as implied by Fig. 4.2, that a government could employ Keynesian techniques to pick any point along the Phillips curve.
The Long-Term Effect of Sarbanes-Oxley on Cross-Listing Premia

This paper uses a triple difference approach to assess whether the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act predicts long-term changes in cross-listing premia of affected foreign firms. I measure cross-listing premia as the difference between the Tobin's q of a cross-listed company and a non-cross-listed company from the same country matched on propensity to cross-list (first difference). I find that average premia for firms cross-listed on levels 2 or 3 (subject to SOX) declined in the year of SOX adoption (2002) and remained significantly below their pre-SOX level through year-end 2005 (second difference). Firms listed on levels 2 or 3 experienced larger declines in premia than firms listed on levels 1 or 4, which are not subject to SOX (third difference). At the same time, the 2002 decline overpredicts the long-term change in premia. Roughly 30-35% of the firm-level change in premium during 2002 reversed during 2003; firms with larger 2002 declines had larger increases in 2003. Riskier firms and firms from high-disclosing countries suffered larger post-SOX declines. Firm size predicts larger (smaller) declines in premia in poorly (well) governed countries. Faster growing firms in poorly (well) governed countries experienced smaller (larger) declines in premia. The results are robust to the use of different before-and-after periods; the use of annual, quarterly, or monthly data; and different regression specifications. The overall evidence is consistent with the view that SOX negatively affected cross-listed premia, and particularly hurt riskier firms and firms from well-governed countries, while perhaps helping high-growth firms from poorly-governed countries.
Cancer survivors and infertility: a review of a new problem and novel answers

Improvements in cancer treatment have changed the way in which cancer is viewed and experienced. However, these same treatments have led to numerous early and late effects, including the loss of fertility. Infertility can influence the biologic and psychologic health of both male and female survivors. Reproductive science can now offer methods to address this concern and provide promising new approaches that may eliminate or mitigate this treatment-related outcome. For current and future reproductive options to serve the needs of survivors more fully, health providers must understand the complexities of infertility as well as their role in delivering answers their patients require. This review will discuss what is known about the causes and experience of infertility among cancer survivors as well as the forms of fertility preservation available.
Persistent Changes in Spontaneous Firing of Purkinje Neurons Triggered by the Nitric Oxide Signaling Cascade

Many types of neurons fire spontaneously because of the activity of pacemaking ion channels. Although endogenous firing can serve as a persistent signal to downstream targets, little attention has been paid to factors that might modulate such intrinsic electrical activity. We tested for modulation of spontaneous firing of Purkinje neurons in cerebellar slices under conditions in which principal synaptic inputs were blocked. Loose-patch recordings from single neurons show that sustained (>40 min) increases in the spontaneous firing rate can be triggered by activation of the nitric oxide–cGMP signaling pathway. Inhibitors of soluble guanylate cyclase and protein kinase G block this modulation. Increases in firing rate are also observed after stimulation of parallel fibers but not in response to basket cell activity. These findings elucidate a novel role for the nitric oxide–cGMP signaling cascade in the brain. This mechanism could permit long-term adjustments in the baseline firing rate of endogenously active neurons in response to changes in afferent activity.
Las manifestaciones lúdico-verbales en el marco escolar

La existencia de manifestaciones ludico-verbales reflejadas en la utilizacion de los aspectos foneticos y ritmicos del habla, asi como los aspectos lexicales y semanticos del lenguaje (empleo de la metafora, la homonimia, invencion de palabras) y la situacion de conversacion, son estudiadas en este articulo en el marco escolar. El trabajo se ha llevado a cabo con dos grupos de ninos, integrados por 30 y 32 alumnos respectivamente, de 5 anos de edad, que en el momento de la observacion estaban cursando el ultimo curso de pre-escolar. La escuela es privada y practica una pedagogia activa. La lengua utilizada para los aprendizajes escolares es el catalan. Se ha recogido la informacion a partir de observaciones periodicas, realizadas en la clase y en el patio, de 20 minutos de duracion, distribuidas a lo largo de los 8 meses que ha durado la observacion. Hemos efectuado un total dc 58 observaciones. En este primer intento por establecer unas categorias ludico-verbales, nos hemos limitado exclusivamente a estudiar el intercambio verbal que los ninos mantienen entre si en el marco de la clase.
Human Ovarian Tumors Express γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase

Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) is a cell surface enzyme that initiates the cleavage of extracellular glutathione, thereby providing the cell with the amino acids necessary for increased synthesis of glutathione. GGT is induced in ovarian tumor cell lines selected in vitro for resistance to cisplatin. No study has examined GGT expression in primary human ovarian tumors. We analyzed frozen sections of 80 normal human ovaries and 56 ovarian tumors for expression of GGT. Histochemical staining showed that GGT was not expressed in the cells of the follicle or surface germinal epithelium of the normal ovary. GGT was expressed in some epithelial inclusion glands and occasionally in a small subset of stromal cells. Granulosa-stromal cell tumors were largely GGT-negative. In contrast, GGT-positive neoplastic cells were observed in 33 of 45 common epithelial ovarian tumors. None of the patients had been treated with chemotherapy. Some of the tumors had only rare GGT-positive cells, while others consisted almost entirely of GGT-positive cells. Among the low malignant potential and invasive tumors, at least one-half of the cells were GGT-positive in 6 of 9 serous borderline tumors (2 with mucinous foci), 0 of 1 borderline mucinous tumor, 3 of 12 serous papillary carcinomas, 2 of 3 mucinous carcinomas, 1 of 2 endometrioid carcinomas, 2 of 2 clear cell carcinomas, 0 of 2 transitional cell carcinomas, and 4 of 5 undifferentiated carcinomas. There was no correlation between the stage of the tumor and GGT expression, indicating that a GGT-negative tumor does not become GGT-positive as it progresses to a more widely disseminated lesion. In addition, there was no correlation between serum levels of CA 125 and GGT expression. These data show that GGT is expressed in many common ovarian epithelial neoplasms. We are currently following the response of these patients to chemotherapy to determine if expression of GGT serves as a marker for identifying neoplasms with enhanced resistance to platinum-based therapy.
EINE UNBEACHTETE REZENSION ZUM ERSTEN BAND DER ERZÄHLUNGEN (1810) HEINRICH VON KLEISTS

The earliest review, hitherto almost unknown, of the first volume of Heinrich von Kleist's Erzalungen (1810) appeared in a Berlin newspaper. While sharing a predominantly positive assessment of this volume with other contemporary critics, the anonymous reviewer is the only one to appraise it in terms of the rhetorical theory of stylistic levels and to allude to a source for Kleist's Die Marquise von O . . . . The anecdote he refers to may turn out to be unknown to Kleist researchers. A preliminary survey of collections of anecdotes published around 1800 has not yet led to the discovery of the text which Kleist allegedly adapted for his story. However, already a consideration of narrative conventions of this genre may open up new possibilities for the interpretation of Die Marquise von O . . . .
Digital particle image thermometry and its application to a heated vortex-ring

A computerized flow visualization technique capable of automatically quantifying the temperature field in a two-dimensional cross section of a flow field is described. The temperature sensors used are fast-response temperature-sensitive micro-encapsulated liquid crystal particles. Illuminating the flow by a thin sheet of white light, the reflected colors from the liquid-crystal particles were captured through a 3-chip video color camera and stored onto a videotape for subsequent data processing. The temperature flow field was obtained through an automatic color-temperature calibration scheme in HSI rather than RGB space, thus allowing for data processing of approximately one-third the time of RGB processing. The technique is finally applied to the study of a heated vortex-ring and some preliminary results are discussed.
Open colorings, the continuum and the second uncountable cardinal

The purpose of this article is to analyze the cardinality of the continuum using Ramsey theoretic statements about open colorings or open coloring axioms. In particular it will be shown that the conjunction of two well-known axioms, OCA [ARS] and OCA [T] , implies that the size of the continuum is N 2 .
Evaluation of two commercial real-time PCR assays for detecting Campylobacter in broiler carcass rinses.

ABSTRACT Traditional plating methods are reliable means for Campylobacter identification from poultry samples but automated gene-based detection systems now available can reduce assay time, data collection and analysis. Bio-Rad and DuPont Qualicon recently introduced Campylobacter assays for their real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instruments. We evaluated the utility of these assays compared with standard plating and enumeration methods routinely used in our laboratory. Two replicates of 40 broiler carcass rinses collected before and after defeathering at a commercial processing plant were tested. All samples were positive for Campylobacter by direct plating of rinses: log10 cfu values ranged from 0.24 to 4.61. In contrast, the Bio-Rad iQ-Check assay returned 60–72.5% positives on direct rinses; the Qualicon BAX Q7 test produced 60–85% positives with direct rinse samples. Using aliquots of 24 h enrichment broth from rinses in the real-time assays significantly improved detection: the Bio-Rad test had 95–100% positive while the Qualicon assay found 90–95% positive. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Traditional detection methods for Campylobacter are time-consuming, requiring as much as 5 days to complete. The recent introduction of commercial real-time PCR instruments for the identification of Campylobacter offer more rapid, simplified alternatives to standard culture-based techniques.
Material Requirements Planning: tool to improve production planning and control

O presente estudo tem o objetivo de identificar a importância do MRP (Planejamento das Necessidades de Materiais) para e eficiencia operacional do Planejamento e Controle da Producao (PCP) a partir da implantacao de uma ferramenta de MRP em uma empresa de medio porte do setor metal mecânico localizada na Serra Gaucha no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul/RS. Para tanto, foram entrevistados tres gestores da area de producao da empresa visando melhor percepcao do funcionamento da ferramenta e das atividades realizadas pela area de PCP. A coleta de dados se deu por meio da aplicacao de um roteiro de entrevista semi estruturada. No que tange a aplicacao do MRP, buscou-se utilizar um modelo simples e de facil entendimento, possibilitando identificar as contribuicoes da ferramenta para o PCP. Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem: i) agilidade para realizacao do calculo das necessidades de materiais; ii) atendimento dos prazos de entrega dos produtos; iii) acuracidade dos estoques; iv) flexibilidade na (re)programacao da producao; v) reducao de custos; vi) minimizacao dos desperdicios; e vii) aumento da produtividade fabril. Palavras-chave: Empresa de Medio Porte. MRP. PCP. Setor Metal Mecânico.
Student Performance in Three Classroom Settings

Abstract This study evaluated the effectiveness of interactive television in teaching an MSW foundation research methods course. Specifically, the performance of distant students who received instruction via interactive television was compared with the performance of their peers who received simultaneous face-to-face instruction in an interactive television classroom on-campus and with students who took the course in a traditional classroom. This retrospective analysis of student performance, spanning a four-year period, found that students performed comparably regardless of the setting for the course. The three groups of students studied did not differ statistically on their combined midterm/final examination test scores, the required course paper, or final course grades.
PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF SERIAL 18FDG-PET/CT TO ASSESS RESPONSE TO TOCERANIB PHOSPHATE THERAPY IN CANINE CANCER

Palladia(TM) (toceranib phosphate-Pfizer Animal Health) is a novel orally administered receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved for treatment of canine mast cell tumors. Receptor tyrosine kinase dysregulation leads to tumor growth, progression, and metastasis. Toceranib's targets include vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR-2/Flk-1/KDR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and kit. Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is used commonly to diagnose, prognosticate, and monitor response to antineoplastic therapy in human patients. In this study, serial PET/CT imaging with (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18) FDG) was used to assess response to toceranib therapy in dogs with measurable solid malignancies. Six tumor-bearing dogs underwent tumor assessment using both standard RECIST criteria and PET/CT prior to and at a median of 5 weeks postinitiation of toceranib treatment. Toceranib was prescribed initially at a target dose 3.25 mg/kg PO q48 h, with subsequent modifications based on observed toxicity. Treatment was continued in patients achieving stable disease with acceptable drug tolerance. One dog was maintained on drug despite dose modification due to toxicity; measurable clinical and image-based responses were seen after 10 weeks of therapy. All others had stable or progressive disease based on clinical restaging and PET/CT at first recheck. . Due to discordance with anatomic and metabolic imaging, further studies are needed to investigate the role of molecular imaging in assessment of drug response and identify other potential molecular targets of toceranib.
Triage of the pediatric patient in the emergency department: are we all in agreement?

Objective. To compare triage categorization as a measure of perceived patient acuity on presentation to the emergency department by pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) attending physicians, nurses, and pediatric residents with their general emergency medicine (GEM) counterparts. Methods. A questionnaire that contained 12 pediatric triage scenarios was sent to all PEM attending physicians, triage-trained nurses, and pediatric residents and their GEM counterparts at a large urban hospital with separate pediatric and general emergency departments. Participants were asked to use a 3-tier triage system (emergent, urgent, nonurgent) to assign a triage level for each patient scenario. Results. The response rate was 99%. The κ level of agreement was highest (.39) among the PEM physicians. Significantly more GEM attending physicians triaged the following scenarios at a higher acuity level as compared with PEM attending physicians with a trend toward emergent triage: simple febrile seizure, 50% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30%–70%) versus 7.7% (95% CI: 1%–34%); 18-month-old with fever and bumps on lips, 21% (95% CI: 9%–43%) versus 0% (95% CI: 0%–23%); and 15-month-old well-appearing child with high fever, 50% (95% CI: 30%–70%) versus 7.7% (95% CI: 1%–34%). Significant differences were found between GEM and PEM triage-trained nurses only in the 15-month-old high fever scenario and between GEM and pediatric residents in the 15-month-old high fever scenario, the 18-month-old with fever and bumps on lips scenario, and a fever/limp scenario. Conclusions. The level of agreement of triage assignment within each group was only fair. GEM participants and PEM participants agreed on most scenarios. However, GEM participants were more likely to triage children with certain febrile illnesses at higher acuity levels as compared with their PEM counterparts.
Inquiry in Interaction: How Local Adaptations of Curricula Shape Classroom Communities

In this study, we seek a better understanding of how individuals and their daily interactions shape and reshape social structures that constitute a classroom community. Moreover, we provide insight into how discourse and classroom interactions shape the nature of a learning community, as well as which aspects of the classroom culture may be consequential for learning. The participants in this study include two teachers who are implementing a new environmental science program, Global Learning through Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), and interacting with 54 children in an urban middle school. Both qualitative and quantitative data are analyzed and presented. To gain a better understanding of the inquiry teaching within classroom communities, we compare and contrast the discourse and interactions of the two teachers during three parallel environmental science lessons. The focus of our analysis includes (1) how the community identifies the object or goal of its activity; and (2) how the rights, rules, and roles for members are established and inhabited in interaction. Quantitative analyses of student pre- and posttests suggest greater learning for students in one classroom over the other, providing support for the influence of the classroom community and interactional choices of the teacher on student learning. Implications of the findings from this study are discussed in the context of curricular design, professional development, and educational reform. 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 00: 00-00, 2004
Clustering-Based Method for Developing a Genomic Copy Number Alteration Signature for Predicting the Metastatic Potential of Prostate Cancer

The transition of cancer from a localized tumor to a distant metastasis is not well understood for prostate and many other cancers, partly, because of the scarcity of tumor samples, especially metastases, from cancer patients with long-term clinical follow-up. To overcome this limitation, we developed a semi-supervised clustering method using the tumor genomic DNA copy number alterations to classify each patient into inferred clinical outcome groups of metastatic potential. Our data set was comprised of 294 primary tumors and 49 metastases from 5 independent cohorts of prostate cancer patients. The alterations were modeled based on Darwin's evolutionary selection theory and the genes overlapping these altered genomic regions were used to develop a metastatic potential score for a prostate cancer primary tumor. The function of the proteins encoded by some of the predictor genes promote escape from anoikis, a pathway of apoptosis, deregulated in metastases. We evaluated the metastatic potential score with other clinical predictors available at diagnosis using a Cox proportional hazards model and show our proposed score was the only significant predictor of metastasis free survival. The metastasis gene signature and associated score could be applied directly to copy number alteration profiles from patient biopsies positive for prostate cancer.
Technical clarification to Silbert and Thomas (2013): "decisional separability, model identification, and statistical inference in the general recognition theory framework".

We offer a minor technical correction to the published proof of part (ii) of the main theorem in Silbert and Thomas (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 20, 1–20, 2013) that somewhat limits the scope of the equivalence observed in that work. Specifically, in order for a mean shift integrality with decisional separability to be mimicked by a perceptually separable but nondecisionally separable configuration, one needs to assume stimulus invariance. This holds when all of the covariance matrices in the stimulus configuration are equal to each other. We note that part (i) of the theorem is unaffected by this modification; an empirical finding of perceptual separability and the failure of decisional separability can be mimicked by a perceptually nonseparable, decisionally separable configuration without restricting the covariance matrices to be equal. We also note that stimulus invariance is often assumed in simple designs (e.g., Macmillan & Ornstein in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 97, 1261–1285, 1998), due to the implausibility of different perceptual correlations being present within stimuli perched very closely in perceptual space.
EPITOPE RECOGNITION OF RECOVERIN IN CANCER ASSOCIATED RETINOPATHY : EVIDENCE FOR CALCIUM-DEPENDENT CONFORMATIONAL EPITOPES

Recoverin, a photoreceptor-specific calcium-binding protein, is a target for antibodies in human cancer-associated retinopathy. We have studied the binding properties of antirecoverin human autoantibodies and rat monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The majority of antibodies to recoverin, both in human disease and in animals immunized with recoverin, are directed against the same major immunodominant region, the sequence within the residue 64-70 in proximity to the calcium-binding domain EF-hand 2. The immunodominant epitopes consist of linear and conformational components. Our data demonstrate that the reactivity of autoantibodies was dependent on conformational changes induced by the binding of calcium to recoverin. Some patients' antibodies could be detected by immunocytochemical methods and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); however, their binding was abolished on Western blots; their epitopes were sensitive to SDS treatment. Immunization of Lewis rat with purified recoverin induces antibodies with properties strikingly similar to human autoantibodies. Comparison between the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and native autoantibodies showed that the calcium-induced changes in conformation were critical for specificities of the antibody generated. The recoverin region within the sequence 61-82 is a key region for antibody binding; it also contains a major T-cell epitope, and it is highly uveitogenic in Lewis rats.
Toxicity of seven monoterpenoids to tracheal mites (Acari: Tarsonemidae) and their honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) hosts when applied as fumigants

Laboratory bioassays were conducted to characterize the acute toxicity of 7 monoterpenoids to tracheal mites, Acarapis woodi (Rennie), and their honey bee, Apis mellifera L., hosts. Citral, thymol, carvacrol, a-terpineol, pulegone, d-limonene, and menthol were applied as fumigants to mite-infested honey bees. Thymol and menthol were the most toxic compounds to honey bees, and a-terpineol was the least toxic. Menthol, citral, thymol, and carvacrol were more toxic to tracheal mites than to honey bees. Pulegone, d-limonene, and a-terpineol were more toxic to honey bees than to tracheal mites. Menthol was 18.9 times more toxic to tracheal mites than to honey bees at the LCso concentrations; however, as the concentration increased, bee mortality increased more rapidly than mite mortality, and men­ thol was only 5.7 times more toxic at the LCgo concentrations. Probit regressions for bee and mite mortality were parallel for citral and thymol. Citral and thymol were 2.9 (2.5-3.3) and 2.0 (1.0-3.6) times more toxic to tracheal mites, respectively, at all concentrations estimated.
Joint design of Dynamic Scheduling and Pricing in wireless cloud computing

In this paper, we consider a wireless cloud computing system in which a profit-maximizing wireless service provider provides cloud computing services to its subscribers. In particular, we focus on batch services, which, due to their non-urgent nature, allow more scheduling flexibility than their interactive counterparts. Unlike the existing research that studied separately demand-side management and energy cost saving techniques (both of which are critical to profit maximization), we propose a provably-efficient Dynamic Scheduling and Pricing (Dyn-SP) algorithm which proactively adapts the service demand to workload scheduling in the data center and opportunistically utilizes low electricity prices to process batch jobs for energy cost saving. Without the necessity of predicting future information as assumed by some prior works, Dyn-SP can be applied to an arbitrarily random environment in which the electricity price, available renewable energy supply, and wireless network capacities may evolve over time as arbitrary stochastic processes. It is proved that, compared to the optimal offline algorithm with future information, Dyn-SP can produce a close-to-optimal longterm profit while bounding the job queue length in the data center. We also show both analytically and numerically that a desired tradeoff between the profit and queueing delay can be obtained by appropriately tuning the control parameter. Finally, we perform a simulation study to demonstrate the effectiveness of Dyn-SP.
Permanent dipole moment and charges in colloidal semiconductor quantum dots

The presence of a large permanent dipole moment has important implications on our understanding of nanocrystalline materials. We report the results of dielectric dispersion studies of CdSe, ZnSe, and metal nanocrystals. Due to the polar nature of the wurtzite lattice, a permanent dipole moment may be expected for CdSe nanocrystals. However, dielectric dispersion studies reveal a similar magnitude of the dipole moment, as well as its dependence on size, in zinc-blende ZnSe nanocrystals. These dipole moments may be intrinsic attributes to all nonmetal nanoparticles with surface localized charges. We show evidence for thermally induced charging of both semiconductor and metal nanocrystals and present a simple picture to describe the linear dependence of dipole moment on the size in semiconductor nanocrystals.
Molecular dynamics simulations of spontaneous spreading of a nanodroplet on solid surfaces

The dynamics of spontaneous spreading of nano-sized droplets on solid surfaces were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The spreading behavior was analyzed in terms of the temporal evolution of instantaneous spreading diameter and contact angle for surfaces with different wetting characteristics. The computational model was validated through qualitative comparison with existing numerical and experimental data, including correlations for the variation of dynamic contact angle and spreading diameter. The results indicated that the spreading dynamics are mainly governed by surface and viscous forces. The spontaneous spreading process on a wettable surface can be described by three different stages, namely the initial, intermediate and final stages. The initial stage is characterized by the development of a precursor film, which moves ahead of the droplet, whereas the intermediate and final spreading stages are governed by a balance between surface and viscous forces. Simulations were used to develop correlations for the temporal variation of contact angle and spreading diameter for wettable, partially wettable and non-wettable surfaces. These correlations were found to be closer to those based on the molecular kinetic model than to those based on the hydrodynamic model. The results were further analyzed to obtain correlations for the effect of droplet size on the spreading parameters. These correlations indicated that the normalized spreading diameter and contact angle scale with non-dimensional drop diameter as Dm/D0 ∝ D0−0.6 ± 0.04 and θR ∝D00.67 ± 0.12 and the normalized spreading time scales as t ∝ D00.25 ± 0.05. Global surface energy and viscous dissipation energy considerations were used to provide a physical basis for these correlations. Significant differences were observed between the dynamics of spontaneous and forced spreading, especially with respect to the effect of droplet size on the spreading behavior.
Clinical and Laboratory Features of Pertussis in Infants at the Onset of a California Epidemic

We report clinical characteristics and outcome of infants <3 months of age hospitalized with pertussis compared with viral respiratory infection (respiratory syncytial virus and influenza). Patients with pertussis more often were afebrile, had more visits before admission, and had longer hospital stays. Household coughing contacts were common.
Highly Reliable and Low Resistive Cu/Low-k Dual Damascene Interconnects by Using TaTi Barrier Metal

Novel barrier metal of TaTi alloy has been developed for highly reliable Cu/low-k DD interconnects. TaTi barrier metal with higher Ti concentration improved EM performance, however, it showed both step coverage degradation and line resistance increase. Then, control of Ti diffusion amount from the barrier metal into Cu, determined by Ti concentration in the PVD target, was found to be a key to keep both low line resistance and high reliability. Limited Ti content in the TaTi of Ta-2wt%Ti showed good step coverage, adequate barrier property and better wettability to Cu than Ta. Furthermore, Ta-2wt%Ti achieved 10 times longer EM lifetime than Ta without penalty of line resistance. Thus, Ta-2wt%Ti is one of the promising candidates of barrier metal for highly reliable Cu/low-k interconnects without resistance increase in the future generations.
Vaccination with Irradiated Tumor Cells Engineered to Secrete Murine Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Stimulates Potent, Specific, and Long-Lasting Anti-Tumor Immunity

Abstract To compare the ability of different cytokines and other molecules to enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cells, we generated 10 retroviruses encoding potential immunomodulators and studied the vaccination properties of murine tumor cells transduced by the viruses. Using a B16 melanoma model, in which irradiated tumor cells alone do not stimulate significant anti-tumor immunity, we found that irradiated tumor cells expressing murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulated potent, long-lasting, and specific anti-tumor immunity, requiring both CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Irradiated cells expressing interleukins 4 and 6 also stimulated detectable, but weaker, activity. In contrast to the B16 system, we found that in a number of other tumor models, the levels of anti-tumor immunity reported previously in cytokine gene transfer studies involving live, transduced cells could be achieved through the use of irradiated cells alone. Nevertheless, manipulation of the vaccine or challenge doses made it possible to demonstrate the activity of murine GM-CSF in those systems as well. Overall, our results have important implications for the clinical use of genetically modified tumor cells as therapeutic cancer vaccines.