cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Tube Dynamics Perspective Governing Stability Transitions: An Example Based on Snap-through Buckling

Abstract The equilibrium configuration of an engineering structure, able to withstand a certain loading condition, is usually associated with a local minimum of the underlying potential energy. However, in the nonlinear context, there may be other equilibria present, and this brings with it the possibility of a transition to an alternative (remote) minimum. That is, given a sufficient disturbance, the structure might buckle, perhaps suddenly, to another shape. This paper considers the dynamic mechanisms under which such transitions (typically via saddle points) occur. A two-mode Hamiltonian is developed for a shallow arch/buckled beam. The resulting form of the potential energy—two stable wells connected by rank-1 saddle points—shows an analogy with resonance transitions in celestial mechanics or molecular reconfigurations in chemistry, whereas here the transition corresponds to switching between two stable structural configurations. Then, from Hamilton’s equations, the equilibria are determined and linearization of the equations of motion about the saddle is obtained. After computing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the coefficient matrix associated with the linearization, a symplectic transformation is given which puts the Hamiltonian into normal form and simplifies the equations, allowing us to use the conceptual framework known as tube dynamics. The flow in the equilibrium region of phase space as well as the invariant manifold tubes in position space are discussed. Also, we account for the addition of damping in the tube dynamics framework, which leads to a richer set of behaviors in transition dynamics than previously explored.
Progress towards the broad use of non-peptide synthetic macrocycles in drug discovery

We discuss progress towards addressing three key questions pertaining to the design of screening libraries of synthetic non-peptidic macrocycles (MCs) for drug discovery: What structural and physicochemical properties of MCs maximize the likelihood of achieving strong and specific binding to protein targets? What features render a protein target suitable for binding MCs, and can this information be used to identify suitable targets for inhibition by MCs? What properties of synthetic MCs confer good pharmaceutical properties, and particularly good aqueous solubility coupled with passive membrane permeability? We additionally discuss how the criteria that define a meaningful MC screening hit are linked to the size of the screening library and the synthetic methodology employed in its preparation.
EFFICACY OF A COPPER-LYSINE COMPLEX AS A GROWTH PROMOTANT FOR WEANLING PIGS

Eight 28- or 35-d experiments involving, 1,301 crossbred pigs weaned at 30 +/- 2 d of age (7.0 to 7.9 kg initial weight) were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a Cu-lysine complex (CuLys; CuPLEX 80 in Exp. 1 to 5, and CuPLEX 100 in Exp. 6 to 8) at dietary concentrations of 50, 100, or 200 ppm as a growth promoter for weanling pigs. CuPLEX 80 contained 50% Cu in the complexed from (1 mol Cu:2 mol lysine) and 50% Cu as CuSO4.5H2O (CuSO4). All the Cu in CuPLEX 100 was in the complexed form. In general, the addition of Cu from CuSO4 or either CuLys source improved pig performance. Overall, averaged across Cu sources, there were no differences between 100 and 200 ppm of Cu in the magnitude of improvement over controls for daily gain (14.0 vs 14.3%), daily feed (12.1 vs 10.7%), or feed:gain ratio (1.6 vs 3.0%). Averaged across levels of Cu supplementation, the percentage improvements from CuLys additions were greater than those for CuSO4 for growth rate (16.8 vs 11.5%; P < .03) and feed intake (14.1 vs 8.7%' P < .01), but not for efficiency of feed utilization (2.2 vs 2.4%). These trends were similar for both sources of CuLys. Liver Cu concentrations of pigs receiving 200 ppm of Cu in the totally complexed form (CuPLEX-100) were lower (P < .025) than concentrations in those receiving 200 ppm of Cu from CuSO4 (111 vs 221 ppm).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Transforming growth factor superfamily ligands and links to tumorigenesis.

Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily formed by homodimerization of Inhibin-β A (INHBA), plays a major role in cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, ...
Ecology of Microorganisms in Saline Waters (Seas and Oceans)

The waters of the seas and oceans of the world contain large amounts of solutes; mainly, salt of about 3.5 g/L, occupy about 71% of the earth’s surface and have an average depth of 3.8 km. The photic zone of seas and oceans, about 200 m deep, is the region permeated by sunlight where photosynthesis can take place. It has the greatest biodiversity, and all food for the marine population arises from the photic zone; such food includes marine snow which consists of globules of mucopolyssacharides containing dead and living microorganisms floating downward toward the deep ocean. Marine organisms are adapted to the unique conditions found in the marine open sea (pelagic zone) environment: high salinity (3.5 g/L), low temperature (about 4°C), and high barometric pressure of up to 500 bar depending on the depth. Thermophilic organisms grow near the occasional hot thermal vents where hot magma spews out onto the ocean floor.
What Explains State Variation in SSDI Application Rates

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applications and receipts vary greatly by state. This paper investigates the extent to which this geographic variation in SSDI applications reflects differences in health, demographics, and employment characteristics, state policies, and politics. We find that demographic, health, and employment characteristics of the state have the greatest effect on state-level variations in SSDI application rates, explaining over 70 percent of the variation. State policy concerning mandated employer-sponsored disability insurance (also known as temporary disability insurance or TDI) has a small negative effect on overall SSDI applications. This finding supports the principle underlying many recent SSDI reform plans: temporary disability insurance coverage could save the SSDI program considerable funds in the long run. Further, when we look to explain variation within a state, we find that state changes in health insurance regulation are negatively correlated with the SSDI application rate. This could be an indication that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have spillovers to the SSDI program.
Accelerated inactivation in a mutant Na+channel associated with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation

Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) can cause sudden death in both adults and children. One form of IVF (Brugada syndrome), characterized by S-T segment elevation (STE) in the electrocardiogr...
Information Flow and Knowledge Creation: The Roles of Structural Embeddedness and Knowledge Embeddedness in Alliance Networks

Researchers have not yet investigated how alliance networks influence the value of a firm's patents (inventions), despite evidence that this is an important contributor to financial performance. Our paper addresses this gap in the literature. Specifically, we suggest that characteristics of the knowledge contained in a firm's inter-organizational network and the structure of the network will both affect the value of its inventions. Two different dimensions of a firm's network are important. A firm's position within a network, i.e. its structural embeddedness, determines its access to information circulating among members. Characteristics of a firm's direct contacts describe its knowledge embeddedness and determine its access to more fine-grained (tacit, complex) knowledge. We propose that the context (e.g. the difficulty of learning from external sources) and the type of innovation being considered (e.g. entrepreneurship as brokerage versus creation) have implications for how structural and knowledge embeddedness affect invention value. Longitudinal patent and alliance data from the pharmaceutical industry provides support for these ideas.
Angus Deaton: The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality

Angus Deaton’s book, The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality, is a thoughtful and optimistic consideration on why some nations are wealthy, and thus healthy, and why others are not. Deaton purposefully chose the title to juxtapose his vision of progress with The Great Escape (1963) in which Steve McQueen and other POWs try to escape Nazi imprisonment–some make it and some do not. Wellresearched, deftly argued, and entertaining throughout, academics and laymen alike will benefit from understanding Deaton’s point of view. Students of development and health economics will find in this book a clear introduction to modern debates in economics regarding statistical measurement, inequality, aid, and institutions. Of specific interest to the Austrian economist is Deaton’s aversion to the “hydraulic” approach to development and foreign aid (272). The hydraulic approach is the idea that complex social interactions can be reduced to machine-like processes where one can simply pull levers or push buttons to improve outcomes. According to Deaton, many economists view foreign aid as if it were water flowing through a system of lead pipes. Interactions in the social and political world are much more complex. Deaton’s quest is one of understanding the world around him as opposed to a more interventionist one, which he believes may do more harm than good. The book’s optimism, which should be commended, comes from Deaton’s continued acknowledgement that most people living today are healthier than their forebears in any previous generation–a point that many forget when focusing on specific failures of development policy or on perceived inequality. The gains in health come in the form of longer, more productive, and happier lives. Deaton’s story of the great escape is one of success in that more people have been raised out of poverty in the last two centuries than ever before. But it is a story of failure as well, in that many still face the burden of poverty and disease. For example, why is it the case that many children today are “... dying from the same diseases that killed European children in the seventeenth and DOI 10.1007/s11138-014-0269-5
Prevention and Control of Hypertension: JACC Health Promotion Series

Hypertension, the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease, originates from combined genetic, environmental, and social determinants. Environmental factors include overweight/obesity, unhealthy diet, excessive dietary sodium, inadequate dietary potassium, insufficient physical activity, and consumption of alcohol. Prevention and control of hypertension can be achieved through targeted and/or population-based strategies. For control of hypertension, the targeted strategy involves interventions to increase awareness, treatment, and control in individuals. Corresponding population-based strategies involve interventions designed to achieve a small reduction in blood pressure (BP) in the entire population. Having a usual source of care, optimizing adherence, and minimizing therapeutic inertia are associated with higher rates of BP control. The Chronic Care Model, a collaborative partnership among the patient, provider, and health system, incorporates a multilevel approach for control of hypertension. Optimizing the prevention, recognition, and care of hypertension requires a paradigm shift to team-based care and the use of strategies known to control BP.
Suicide in the Military: Understanding Rates and Risk Factors Across the United States' Armed Forces

This paper presents data from the United States Department of Defense Suicide Event Report System for years 2012-2015 to detail descriptive, longitudinal rate data and risk factor profiles associated with military suicide. The annual findings were aggregated from all U.S. military suicide deaths and suicide attempts. Data elements included the most common method of suicide (firearms), most common behavioral health diagnoses (substance abuse/dependence), common life stressors (failed intimate-partner relationships), and an individual's history of operational deployment. Age- and sex-adjusted rates for the Services were compared with rates for the U.S. adult population. Results showed that the current reporting period (2015) is similar to patterns that have been observed over the preceding years and to patterns reported in the overall U.S. adult population. Suicide rates remain elevated but stable for both the Active and Reserve Components of the Military Services compared to historical levels observed prior to 2003. Finally, we discuss common errors and misinterpretations that can occur when analyzing surveillance data.
Sympathetic Transduction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Approximately 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) develop hypertension. Recent work also indicates greater blood pressure (BP) excursions throughout the day in T2D. Collectively, th...
Becoming Cosmographer: Co-designing Worlds

StudioLab’s third mission is to remix performative values. This call for adventure entails entering the fourth space of thinking and acting, the community field where transmedia knowledge becomes civic discourse and expert knowledge finds new grounds in common knowledge and participatory research. Collaborating with community partners, critical design teams use transmedia knowledge to address local needs and desires and explore how values of cultural efficacy, technical effectiveness, and organizational efficiency shape partners’ experiences of the world. The call to action here: become cosmographer or co-designer of worlds; use the design-thinking frame to collaboratively harmonize human desirability, technical feasibility, and financial viability by orchestrating performances and actualizing imagined worlds.
Self-Assembled Metal-Organic Biohybrids (MOBs) Using Copper and Silver for Cell Studies.

The novel synthesis of metal-containing biohybrids using self-assembly methods at physiological temperatures (37 °C) was compared for copper and silver using the amino acid dimer cystine. Once assembled, the copper containing biohybrid is a stable, high-aspect ratio structure, which we call CuHARS. Using the same synthesis conditions, but replacing copper with silver, we have synthesized cystine-capped silver nanoparticles (AgCysNPs), which are shown here to form stable colloid solutions in contrast to the CuHARS, which settle out from a 1 mg/mL solution in 90 min. Both the copper and silver biohybrids, as synthesized, demonstrate very low agglomeration which we have applied for the purpose of applications with cell culture methods, namely, for testing as anti-cancer compounds. AgCysNPs (1000 ng/mL) demonstrated significant toxicity (only 6.8% viability) to glioma and neuroblastoma cells in vitro, with concentrations as low as 20 ng/mL causing some toxicity. In contrast, CuHARS required at least 5 μg/mL. For comparative purposes, silver sulfate at 100 ng/mL decreased viability by 52% and copper sulfate at 100 ng/mL only by 19.5% on glioma cells. Using these methods, the novel materials were tested here as metal–organic biohybrids (MOBs), and it is anticipated that the functionalization and dynamics of MOBs may result in building a foundation of new materials for cellular applications, including cell engineering of both normal and diseased cells and tissue constructs.
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ACEI/ARB) are Associated with Improved Limb Salvage after Infrapopliteal Interventions for Critical Limb Ischemia.

ABSTRACT Objective Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ACEI/ARB) reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). However, their effect on limb-specific outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of ACEI/ARB on patency and limb salvage in patients undergoing interventions for critical limb ischemia (CLI). Methods Patients undergoing infrainguinal revascularization for CLI (Rutherford 4-6) between 06/2001-12/2014 were retrospectively identified. Primary Patency (PP), Secondary Patency (SP), Limb Salvage (LS), major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and survival rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression. Results A total of 755 limbs in 611 patients (311 ACEI/ARB, 300 No ACEI/ARB) were identified. Hypertension (86% vs 70%, P Conclusions ACEI/ARB are associated with improved limb salvage in CLI patients undergoing infrapopliteal interventions, but not after femoropopliteal interventions. ACEI/ARB had no impact on patency rates. They were also associated with a trend towards improved survival and freedom from MACE. Our findings suggest that the use of ACEI/ARB may improve outcomes in the high-risk CLI patient population.
An update on familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer

Familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer (FNMTC) constitutes 3-9% of all thyroid cancer cases. FNMTC is divided into two groups: syndromic and nonsyndromic. Nonsyndromic FNMTC is more common as compared with syndromic FNMTC. In syndromic FNMTC, patients are at risk of nonmedullary thyroid cancer (NMTC) and other tumors, and the susceptibility genes are known. In nonsyndromic FNMTC, NMTC is the major feature of the disease and occurs in isolation with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and variable penetrance. New data have emerged on the genetics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients with FNMTC that may have clinical relevance in the management of patients. In this review, we focus on newly characterized syndromic FNMTC entities, criteria for screening and surveillance of nonsyndromic FNMTC, and the classification of nonsyndromic FNMTC as well as the genetic background and heterogeneity of nonsyndromic FNMTC.
A phase II study of anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody (Nivolumab) administered in combination with anti-LAG3 monoclonal antibody (Relatlimab) in patients with metastatic melanoma naive to prior immunotherapy in the metastatic setting.

TPS10085Background: Novel checkpoint inhibitors are a promising treatment for advanced melanoma, as only a fraction of patients have durable responses to current FDA-approved immunotherapy. Lymphoc...
Thrombolysis Before Thrombectomy in Acute Large Vessel Occlusion: a Risk/Benefit Assessment and Review of the Evidence

Recent evidence has shown an overwhelming benefit of mechanical thrombectomy for acute anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO). Whether there is any additional benefit of IV tPA treatment prior to thrombectomy over thrombectomy alone is unproven in randomized trials. In this review, we summarize the available evidence for and against pre-thrombectomy treatment with IV tPA. In clinical trials demonstrating efficacy of thrombectomy, the majority of included patients were eligible for (and treated with) IV tPA. Systemic thrombolysis prior to thrombectomy is fraught with potential disadvantages: delay in thrombectomy, increased risk of systemic hemorrhagic complications and angioedema, and limitation of endovascular treatment options in patients who require more vigorous antithrombotic treatment (for instance due to stent placement). Two randomized clinical trials comparing outcomes of patients treated with IV tPA + thrombectomy versus thrombectomy alone have recently reported their outcomes. The DIRECT-MT investigators found no difference in functional outcomes or mortality among patients pre-treated with IV tPA prior to thrombectomy, while the SKIP investigators found similar rates of good functional outcome and mortality between treatment groups--although they failed to demonstrate non-inferiority. The limitations of these trials are reviewed here. Therefore, much of our understanding relies on indirect comparisons between patient groups, whereby patients treated with IV tPA + thrombectomy were compared with IV tPA-ineligible patients who underwent thrombectomy alone. Limited meta-analysis data suggest equipoise between combination therapy over a direct-to-thrombectomy approach for patients with acute LVO who meet criteria for IV tPA. Further confounding the picture is the emergence of IV tenecteplase as a potentially superior alternative to alteplase as a pre-thrombectomy systemic lytic agent in patients with LVO. While thrombectomy offers a more effective means of reperfusion in acute LVO compared with IV tPA alone, definitive evidence is lacking that thrombectomy without prior IV thrombolysis is equivalent (or superior) to thrombectomy preceded by IV tPA. While recent trial evidence has suggested non-inferiority of direct MT, given that IV thrombolysis has been established as a standard of care in acute ischemic stroke, IV tPA should be given in all eligible patients with disabling deficits for whom thrombectomy is not immediately available. Results of further, ongoing randomized trials will hopefully clarify what (if any) additional benefit there is for intravenous thrombolysis prior to thrombectomy, in what subgroups (if any) withholding IV thrombolysis prior to MT is beneficial, and furthermore, which agent (alteplase or tenecteplase) is the optimal drug for this indication.
Build an arc (accounting resource center) and they will come…or will they?

The authors present one university’s experience creating drop-in, peer tutorial services for students in an introductory accounting class. First, data suggest that students most in need of tutoring...
Legal Informatics: Metamorphosing Law Students into Legal Professionals Based on Empirical Evidence of Attorneys’ Information Seeking Behaviors

Law students' practical ability to seek information by researching and to organize the complex layers of legal and non-legal information will not be enhanced without the law school's special efforts to provide pedagogies of practice in their remaining two years. In other words, the lack of more practical pedagogy prevents the law students from changing and extending their cognitive maps until they have a real job, where they do research, draft documents, advocate and counsel, and negotiate. This study attempts to find answers to the questions by investigating the extension and enlargement of young lawyers' cognitive maps and their process to solve a difficult, uncertain situation. I believe that unraveling the mystery of their information seeking will contribute on law librarians' efforts to develop an appropriate curriculum specifically for 2L and 3L students and further, how to design the advanced legal research and upper-level writing classes.
Speciation and Heat Release Studies during n-Heptane Oxidation in a Motored Engine

The low-to-intermediate temperature oxidation of n-heptane was investigated by means of speciation and heat release analysis using a motored single-cylinder engine. The experiments were conducted u...
Establishing a baseline for water, sanitation and hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices in rural Ethiopia

Although improvements have been made since 1990, access to safe sanitation and improved water in Ethiopia remains low, contributing to the burden of preventable illnesses like diarrhea, trachoma and soil transmitted helminthes. In May 2012, the Ethiopia Outreach student organization, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, conducted a household survey to measure water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) knowledge, attitudes and practices to better understand the social and structural determinants of health. While 65.4% of households reported having access to safe water and 100% reported having access to a latrine, only 6% of latrines were improved facilities. A knowledge score was created to determine individuals’ understanding of sanitation, hygiene and disease transmission. The Knowledge Score is the sum (maximum score= 33) of all the correct responses for each of seven knowledge questions. It was determined that those who kept their latrines sealed, did not keep animals in their homes, had attended a community meeting within the last year and reported cell phone use had significantly higher knowledge scores than those who did not. This data provides a foundation for understanding the contributors to the burden of preventable disease in Aleta Wondo and a starting point for the design of further research and possible interventions.
Determining the role of thrombospondin-1 in a mouse model of breast cancer

1039 Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) has been shown to be an effective anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic protein in vitro and in many xenograft mouse models. These models are limited in the information they provide because they don’t recapitulate the natural progression of the tumor at the correct body site. We were interested to know how TSP-1 affects breast cancer progression in vivo. The approach we decided to take was to develop a transgenic mouse model for breast cancer in order to enable us to study tumor progression at different stages (ie. initiation to metastasis). We crossed TSP-1 +/+ and TSP-1 -/- female mice with male polyomavirus middle T Antigen (PyT)/mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) transgenic mice to generate progeny that are PyT +/-, TSP-1 +/+ and PyT +/-, TSP-1-/-. At 60 days of age when tumors are becoming palpable, we found that tumors in the PyT +/-, TSP-1 -/- mice are 35% larger than tumors found in the PyT +/-, TSP-1+/+. In our preliminary analysis on blood vessel density, TSP-1+/+ mice at 60 days of age have fewer tumor vessels per mm2. This suggests that TSP-1 may play role in inhibiting early tumor progression through an anti-angiogenic mechanism. By contrast, at 90 days of age when tumors are well established, tumors from the PyT +/-, TSP-1 -/- mice are only slightly larger than tumors found in the PyT +/-, TSP-1 +/+ mice, and while vessel density isn’t significantly different, vessels are larger in the PyT+/-, TSP-1-/- mice. Surprisingly, we found that there is a higher incidence of overt lung metastasis in the PyT +/-, TSP-1+/+ mice suggesting that TSP-1 plays an important role during lung metastasis in this model. This data has been confirmed using real time PCR on RNA isolated from the lungs and we are able to detect higher PyT expression in PyT +/-, TSP-1+/+ mice at 60 and 90 days of age. Furthermore, we were only able to detect PyT expression in cells isolated from the blood of 45 day old PyT +/-, TSP-1+/+ mice indicating that TSP-1 may be enabling intravasation during early tumor growth. Since TSP-1 is known to activate TGF-beta, we determined the level of both active TGF-beta and latent TGF-beta using an ELISA. We find that while active TGF-beta levels did not differ between the two genotypes at 90 days of age, the level of latent TGF-beta is significantly higher in the PyT+/-, TSP-1+/+ tumors. Finally, we have stained tumor sections with the F4/80 antibody to detect the presence of macrophages in the tumors. At 90 days of age, PyT +/-, TSP-1 +/+ tumors have a large amount of necrosis and the macrophages are found predominantly within the tumor mass either in the matrix or in the cystic, necrotic lesion. By contrast, the PyT+/-, TSP-1 -/- mice contain fewer cystic and necrotic tumors and most of the macrophages are found in the periphery of the tumor. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that TSP-1’s role in tumor progression is very complex and differs at key points during tumor progression and endogenous TSP-1 appears to support breast cancer metastasis.
The Bounded Rationality Bias in Managerial Valuation of Real Options: Theory and Evidence From it Projects

Managers are often faced with the cognitively challenging task of assessing the value of prospective project opportunities in highly uncertain business and technological contexts. Recent developments in real options theory provide a powerful aid to help managers integrate information about not only the easily quantifiable benefits (such as those that can be computed in a traditional net present value analysis) but also the less easily quantifiable real options that may be embedded in a prospective project. Although real options theory normatively suggests that managers should associate such real options with project value, little field research has examined whether they suffer from systematic biases in doing so. We draw on the notion of bounded rationality in managerial decision-making to explore this understudied phenomenon. Using data collected from managers in 88 firms, we show that managers exhibit what we label the bounded rationality bias in their assessments: They associate real options with value only when the project's easily quantifiable benefits are low, but fail to do so when they are high. The primary contribution of the study lies in showing how managers' valuation of real options are systematically biased by their bounded rationality. The study also contributes the first set of empirical measures for all key types of real options. The theoretical and normative implications of our findings are also discussed.
Incidence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungemia in hospitalised patients administered Saccharomyces boulardii probiotic.

BACKGROUND Bloodstream infection is an untoward effect of probiotic administration described by case reports and a cited reason to avoid using in the critically ill. The incidence rate of bloodstream infection in a population administered probiotics remains unknown. METHODS A retrospective observational analysis of incident Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungemia in a population of hospitalised patients administered Saccharomyces boulardii for primary prevention of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection. Adult patients admitted to an inpatient medical unit for 48-h or more between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019 are included. Facility medication administration records and microbiology records were evaluated for S boulardii probiotic administration and incidence of S cerevisiae positive blood cultures. Microbiologic identification methods were unable to distinguish S cerevisiae from S boulardii. RESULTS Administration of S boulardii probiotic occurred in 16,404 of 46,729 patients analysed. S cerevisiae fungemia was identified in 18 probiotic recipients (0.11%). The observed incidence of fungemia attributable to S boulardii administration is 1.70 cases per 10,000 patient-days. Central-line days numbered 52,949 yielding an incidence of 0.26 cases of S cerevisiae per 1,000 central-line days. Intensive care unit admission was significantly associated with an increase in the risk of S cerevisiae (OR 6.55, CI 2.28-18.87), incidence rate of 0.47 cases per 1,000 patient-days. CONCLUSION The risk of bloodstream infection as a result of S boulardii probiotic use appears restricted to S boulardii recipients. The risk for probiotic-related bloodstream infection does not appear greater than the risk of any hospital-acquired bloodstream infection both inside and outside of the intensive care unit.
A User Modeling Design Tool Based on a Cognitive Architecture for Comparing Interfaces

Usability evaluation has long been recognized as an indispensable part of the development of interactive software. Evaluation can still be a difficult and labor intensive task with conventional tools and user studies, however. Results can vary with the knowledge and experience of the evaluator and with the subjects. We describe an approach to evaluation, based on cognitive modeling, that will alleviate some of these problems. We are building a general-purpose, cross platform architecture in which user performance in an interactive environment is simulated by a cognitive model. The results of the model can be analyzed and fed back into the development lifecycle. This project is still preliminary, but progress is accelerating.
Array-based methods for identifying protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions

Publisher Summary Genetic assays have been developed in yeast to identify candidate protein-protein (two-hybrid), DNA-protein (one-hybrid), and RNAprotein (three-hybrid) interactions. These screens can be configured such that an ordered array of yeast transformants, each expressing a unique open reading frame (ORF), is searched rapidly to uncover potential interactors. For protein-protein interactions, these associations can lead to the construction of large-scale interaction maps reflecting the networks that underlie such processes as signal transduction, replication, transcription, and RNA processing. The array that have been constructed to conduct two-hybrid screens is a spatially ordered set of separated transformants, each potentially expressing one of the ∼6000 open reading frames (ORFs) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a fusion to the Gal4 AD. To screen the array, a mating strategy has been used whereby a strain expressing a protein as a fusion to the Gal4 DBD (the “bait” protein) is mated to each of the array transformants. The chapter describes the construction, maintenance, and use of the large-scale arrays in screening experiments.
Investigation of Supersonic Turbulent Mixing Layer with Zero Pressure Gradient

The effect of compressibility on the mixing layer was investigated at Mach number 2.47. Pitot pressure, static pressure, and hot-wire surveys were conducted to investigate the mean flow and the fluctuation quantities. Similarities between supersonic and incompressible mixing layers were observed in normalized velocity profile, normalized power spectral density distribution, and convection velocity distribution. Spreading rate, normalized shear stress, and velocity fluctuation were found to be appreciably smaller than the respective incompressible results; e.g., the momentum thickness growth rates are 0.0073 and 0.035 for supersonic and incompressible flows, respectively. The difference between free and wall-bounded mixing layers is discussed. Development of turbulence structure of mixing layer with increasing Reynolds number was also investigated.
Pollakiuria, Extraordinary Daytime Urinary Frequency: Experience in a Pediatric Practice

Pollakiuria1,2 (pollakis: Greek, meaning often), or increased daytime frequency of urination, has been reported recently.3-5 This article documents pollakiuria with a prospective 1-year study in a general pediatric practice; compares its incidence with that of lower urinary tract infections in the same practice; describes a method of determining etiology; notes anxiety-producing situations, such as fear of death, as possible precipitating factors; and discusses an approach to therapy. The desirability and practicality of avoiding invasive and/or expensive procedures is emphasized. Pollakiuria, with urination as often as every 5 to 10 minutes, occurs during the waking hours only, and most commonly in children of preschool or kindergarten age.
The presence of field geologists in Mars-like terrain

The presence of human geologists is held by some to be essential to the conduct of field geology on remote planetary surfaces, so a field study was conducted to observe and characterize the nature of that presence. This study was conducted in the Mojave Desert of Southern California at the Amboy lava field, a landscape that is analogous to terrain on Mars. Two experienced planetary geologists were interviewed and observed during the conduct of surface operations. Each subject then wore a head-mounted video camera/display system, which replaced his natural vision with video vision, while attempting to conduct further surface explorations. In this study, methods of ethnographic observation and analysis have been coupled with object-oriented analysis and design concepts to begin the development of a clear path from observations in the field to the design of virtual presence systems. The existence of redundancies in field geology and presence allowed for the application of methods for understanding complex systems. As a result of this study, some of these redundancies have been characterized. Those described are all classes of continuity relations, including the continuities of continuous existence, context-constituent continuities, and state-process continuities. The discussion of each includes statements of general relationships, logical consequences of these, and hypothetical situations in which the relationships would apply. These are meant to aid in the development of a theory of presence. The discussion also includes design considerations, providing guidance for the design of virtual planetary exploration systems and other virtual presence systems. Converging evidence regarding continuity in presence is found in the nature of psychological dissociation. Specific methodological refinements should enhance ecological validity in subsequent field studies, which are in progress.
An improved ranked set two-sample mann-whitney-wilcoxon test

The authors present an improved ranked set two-sample Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for a location shift between samples from two distributions F and G. They define a function that measures the amount of information provided by each observation from the two samples, given the actual joint ranking of all the units in a set. This information function is used as a guide for improving the Pitman efficacy of the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test. When the underlying distributions are symmetric, observations at their mode(s) must be quantified in order to gain efficiency. Analogous results are provided for asymmetric distributions.
Global Marketing Ethics: A Communicative Approach

Due to the globalization of markets and businesses, an everincreasing number of marketers have to deal with ethical issues in cross-cultural settings. This article extends the macromarketing ethics literature by describing the need and search for normative ethics in global markets, reviewing conventional frameworks for ethical analysis and decision making in international settings, and introducing a communicative approach for purposes of framing ethical decisions without the assumption of core values as the ultimate reference point of ethical analysis. Using illustrative examples, potential implications and applications of the suggested communicative approach are provided by juxtaposing it to conventional frameworks.
Subureteral injection of Deflux for correction of reflux: analysis of factors predicting success.

Abstract Objectives To review, prospectively, our experience with endoscopic Deflux injection and evaluate the volume injected, grade, endoscopic appearance after injection, and presence or absence of voiding dysfunction as predictors of success. Subureteral injection of dextranomer/hyaluronic acid copolymer (Deflux) has become an effective treatment of vesicoureteral reflux. Methods A total of 52 patients (50 females and 2 males; 80 ureters) were treated with a single subureteral injection of Deflux. The mean patient age was 7.6 years (range 14 months to 22 years). The presence or absence of voiding dysfunction was evaluated with a preoperative questionnaire and patient history. The volume of Deflux injected in each ureter was recorded. The endoscopic appearance after injection was recorded as “volcano” or “other.” Success was defined as no reflux on postoperative voiding cystourethrography. Results The success rate by grade of reflux in individual ureters was 82%, 84%, 78%, and 73% for grade 1, 2, 3, and 4 vesicoureteral reflux, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in the cure rate by grade ( P = 0.76). The overall cure rate by ureter was 80% and by patient was 71%. New contralateral reflux developed in 12.5% of patients. No statistically significant difference was found in the cure rate with respect to the volume injected or the presence or absence of voiding dysfunction. The ureteral cure rate with volcano and alternate morphology was 87% and 53%, respectively ( P = 0.004). Conclusions Mound morphology was the only statistically significant predictor of a successful outcome, with an associated cure rate of 87%. Concomitant voiding dysfunction did not have an adverse effect on the cure rate. In our experience, no statistically significant difference was found in the cure rate for grades 1 through 4 vesicoureteral reflux after a single injection of Deflux.
Activation of crotoxin B by volvatoxin A2.

Abstract Of the two proteins making up volvatoxin, a mushroom toxin, the smaller, volvatoxin A2, of molecular weight 25,000, is able to synergistically increase the low neurotoxicity of crotoxin B, the larger basic component of the Crotalus durissus terrificus neurotoxin, crotoxin. No other combination of volvatoxin and crotoxin components shows this effect. Gel filtration suggests that the stable complex is composed of one molecule of each, crotoxin B and volvatoxin A2, although highest activation may be favored by the presence of an additional molecule of crotoxin B. Upon sucrose density gradient electrophoresis, the complex of volvatoxin A2 and crotoxin B behaves as a single species of greater anodic mobility than volvatoxin A2 alone. The complex formation between these two toxin components is not a nonspecific interaction of an acidic with a basic protein, since crotoxin B is not activated, nor complexed by other proteins of similar isoelectric points to volvatoxin A2.
The high-pressure melting curve of Allende meteorite

Laser-heated diamond-cell experiments on Allende meteorite, a natural analog for undifferentiated terrestrial planetary mantles, yield a melting curve increasing from ∼2200 to 3200 K over the pressure range of 15–70 GPa, significantly below that of peridotite that is representative of the Earth's current upper mantle. Samples quenched from high temperatures and pressures reveal structures that may mimic the initial stages of differentiation between core and mantle materials. Micron-scale chemical analyses support the idea that sulfur is enriched, and silicon, oxygen and aluminum are depleted, in the (potentially core-forming) metal relative to the silicate phases.
Agency, political economy, and the transnational democratic ideal

James Bohman’s Democracy across borders: from demos to demoi is a rich and deep text. It is also deceptively short in length in comparison to those authors he engages and compactly reconstructs. Bohman puts forward strong normative arguments for a ‘reconstructed’ ideal of transnational democracy and provides models for realizing these ideals that also aim to meet standards of practicability. Bohman articulates the minimum necessary conditions for any democratic ideal in terms of freedom from domination and freedom to initiate and engage in efficacious democratic deliberation across the borders of currently existing political communities. The argument charts a novel democratic ideal in terms of the global deliberative situation that is fundamentally different from the authors he discusses in light of existing facts about globalization, institutions, and the pluralism of demoi. In these comments I will focus on two main areas. (Published: 5 February 2010) Citation: Ethics & Global Politics, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2010, pp. 37-45. DOI: 10.3402/egp.v3i1.4852
Transcriptional regulation of Th1/Th2 polarization.

Abstract The two polarized T helper (Th) subsets Th1 and Th2 are identified by their signature cytokines, interferon γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) respectively. Understanding the transcriptional regulation of cytokine expression is therefore critical for elucidating the process of Th cell differentiation. Ubiquitous and tissue-specific transcription factors, as well as chromatin remodeling of genomic loci have been implicated in IL-4 and IFN-γ regulation. We propose a model of Th1/Th2 polarization based on the balance between Th1- and Th2-specific transcription factors.
Fast three-dimensional hybrid-dual-Fourier tomography using a radiative transfer forward model

A linear forward model of light propagation in turbid media for three dimensional (3D) optical tomography is formed based on the analytical cumulant solution of the Boltzmann radiative transfer equation., for time resolved, CW, and frequency-domain measurements in parallel slab geometry. This forward model is more accurate than the forward model based on the diffusive approximation. An inverse algorithm is developed, based on a fast 3D hybrid-dual-Fourier tomographic approach using multiple detectors and multiple sources in parallel geometry, which incorporates the cumulant radiative transfer model. The inverse algorithm runs fast that can produce a 3D image of a turbid medium with more than 20,000 voxels in 1-2 minutes using a PC computer. A 3D image is presented using simulated data.
Heteroligated PtII Weak-Link Approach complexes using hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbene–thioether and phosphino–thioether ligands

Herein we demonstrate a stepwise synthesis of heteroligated PtII Weak-Link Approach complexes with hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbene–thioether (NHC,S) and phosphino-thioether (P,S) ligands. These complexes, with both tweezer and triple-layer geometries, can be toggled between open, semiopen, and condensed states through the abstraction or introduction of Cl−. All species were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and, in many cases, by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Because the condensed tweezer and triple-layer species exhibit dynamic behavior at room temperature, the tweezer complex was studied by variable temperature NMR spectroscopy, revealing two species at low temperatures thought to be diastereomers resulting from thioether inversion. The relevant thermodynamic parameters for this exchange were determined. Competition experiments were performed to probe the lability of the P,S ligand, and the ligand scrambling that occurs in WLA systems with entirely P,S ligands was not observed in these NHC,S/P,S heteroligated complexes. In contrast to the halide-induced ligand rearrangement reaction, in which heteroligated complexes form when the electron donating abilities of the “weak links” are different, the stepwise assembly strategy described here does not require different electron-donating abilities of the “weak links”, as it makes use of a non-labile N-heterocyclic carbene–metal interaction instead.
From design to design automation

I had the pleasure to work at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) as a summer intern in 1987 with Dr. Bryan Preas. One of the many valuable lessons that I learned through that summer internship is that as a researcher in electronic design automation (EDA), there is a tremendous value to be had from an involvement in VLSI circuit and system designs. This involvement guarantees a first-hand opportunity to discover and formulate new and insightful EDA problems, and to develop practical and impactful solutions. This experience had a great influence on my career as an EDA researcher. In this paper, I would like to share several examples of research projects that I directed at UCLA which followed the principle of starting from design to gain insight and inspiration for design automation.
Cry analysis detects subclinical effects of prenatal alcohol exposure in newborn infants

The threshold, latency, and peak fundamental frequency (basic pitch) of crying were sensitive to the subclinical effects of prenatal alcohol exposure through the first month of postnatal life. Whereas infants with prenatal alcohol exposure showed a lower cry pitch and higher cry threshold at 2 days of age, higher pitched cries, typical of nervous system insult, were evident at 14 and 28 days. A longer latency was also evident at 14 days.
Vitamin D and assisted reproduction: should vitamin D be routinely screened and repleted prior to ART? A systematic review

Purpose To review the current literature regarding the role of vitamin D status in pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) and to assess cost-effectiveness of routine vitamin D deficiency screening and repletion prior to initiation of ART.