cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A progesterone receptor affinity chromatography reagent: 17α-Hexynyl nortestosterone sepharose

Abstract Several affinity chromatography reagents have been proposed for purification of progesterone receptor (PgR), and significant results have been achieved with some of these. None, however, have approached the results achieved in affinity chromatography of estrogen receptor. We have therefore synthesized a number of new 19-nortestosterone derivatives capable of chemically stable linkage with Sepharose beads, and have identified one with very high PgR affinity for further study. We first synthesized the epoxides of 17α-allyl nortestosterone, by analogy with the estradiol derivatization of Greene and Jensen. The relative affinity of these epoxides for PgR from T47D human breast cancer cells, however, was only around 5% that of R5020, and affinity beads prepared from them bound very little PgR. We then reacted appropriately protected 17α-ethynyl-nortestosterone with a series of diiodo alkanes, and found that 17α-(6'-iodohex-1'-ynyl)nortestosterone had an affinity of 22% relative to R5020, equal to the affinity of progesterone itself. Reaction with Thiopropyl-Sepharose 6B yielded hexynyl-nortestosterone-Sepharose beads with a ligand density of about 7 micromoles/ml beads. One-hundred μ l of these beads adsorbed 71% of the PgR present in 1 ml ofcytosol from T47D cells. This adsorption was inhibited by 10 μM progesterone but not Cortisol, indicating the specificity of the binding. Comparisions with NADAC and Sterogel, other affinity beads used for PgR purification, show that the former takes up much less receptor, while the latter takes up and releases similar amounts of receptor but more extraneous protein, and is less stable. We therefore believe that hexynyl-nortestosterone-Sepharose, having a high density of a high affinity ligand, and having chemically and biochemically stable covalent bonds, should be a good reagent for affinity purification of PgR.
Effects of Academic Achievement and Gender on Academic and Social Self‐Concept: A Replication Study

Female and male eighth-grade students representing very high, moderately high, and average levels of achievement were compared on measures of academic and social self-concept. Most of the differences were in academic self-concept, which was positively related to level of academic achievement. There also was an interaction of gender and academic achievement on academic self-concept. Average achieving girls had lower academic self-concept scores than all other groups of students. In addition, boys scored higher than girls on measures of academic self-concept and job competence. There were no significant differences on any of the social self-concept measures. The counseling implications of these findings for gifted students and girls of average achievement are discussed.
Annual bonus schemes and the manipulation of earnings

Abstract Using confidential data of executive-specific short-term bonus plans, we investigate the extent to which executives manipulate earnings to maximize the present value of bonus plan payments. As such, this paper extends the work of Healy (1985). Like Healy, we find evidence consistent with the hypothesis that managers manipulate earnings downwards when their bonuses are at their maximum. Unlike Healy, we find no evidence that managers manipulate earnings downwards when earnings are below the minimum necessary to receive any bonus. We demonstrate that Healy's results at the lower bound are likely to be induced by his methodology.
EEGVIS: A MATLAB Toolbox for Browsing, Exploring, and Viewing Large Datasets.

Recent advances in data monitoring and sensor technology have accelerated the acquisition of very large data sets. Streaming data sets from instrumentation such as multi-channel EEG recording usually must undergo substantial pre-processing and artifact removal. Even when using automated procedures, most scientists engage in laborious manual examination and processing to assure high quality data and to indentify interesting or problematic data segments. Researchers also do not have a convenient method of method of visually assessing the effects of applying any stage in a processing pipeline. EEGVIS is a MATLAB toolbox that allows users to quickly explore multi-channel EEG and other large array-based data sets using multi-scale drill-down techniques. Customizable summary views reveal potentially interesting sections of data, which users can explore further by clicking to examine using detailed viewing components. The viewer and a companion browser are built on our MoBBED framework, which has a library of modular viewing components that can be mixed and matched to best reveal structure. Users can easily create new viewers for their specific data without any programming during the exploration process. These viewers automatically support pan, zoom, resizing of individual components, and cursor exploration. The toolbox can be used directly in MATLAB at any stage in a processing pipeline, as a plug in for EEGLAB, or as a standalone precompiled application without MATLAB running. EEGVIS and its supporting packages are freely available under the GNU general public license at http://visual.cs.utsa.edu/ eegvis.
FAGE Determination of Tropospheric HO and HO

Abstract FAGE (fluorescence assay with gas expansion) was developed as a sensitive technique for the detection of low-concentration free radicals in the atmosphere. The application of FAGE to tropospheric hydroxyl (H0) and hydroperoxyl (H02) radicals has yielded calibrated measurements of both species in both clean air and highly polluted urban air. For HO calibration, a continuously stirred tank reactor provides a uniform external HO concentration, which can be measured by gas chromatography of an HO-reactive hydrocarbon. The aerodynamics of the air-sampling process has been modeled computationally, with results that agree with empirical observations of the effects of nozzle diameter on HO loss during sampling. The authors have also modeled airborne fluid dynamics of a FAGE probe. They have recently obtained FAGE sensitivity as high as ± 1 × 106 cm−3 for a 6-minute averaging period, during field studies in highly polluted Los Angeles air, yielding a 7:1 signal-to-noise ratio near midday. Multipass excita...
How does ketamine elicit a rapid antidepressant response

A single sub-psychotomimetic dose of ketamine, an ionotropic glutamatergic n-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, produces a fast-acting antidepressant response in patients suffering from major depressive disorder. Depressed patients report alleviation of core symptoms within two hours of a single low-dose intravenous infusion of ketamine with effects lasting up to two weeks. The rapidity of ketamine action implies that major symptoms of depression can be alleviated without substantial structural plasticity or circuit rewiring. Therefore, the ability of ketamine to exert a rapid effect provides a unique opportunity to elucidate the types of acute synaptic plasticity changes that can be recruited to counter depression symptoms.
Structure of an auxilin-bound clathrin coat and its implications for the mechanism of uncoating

Clathrin-coated pits invaginate from specific membrane compartments and pinch off as coated vesicles. These vesicles then uncoat rapidly once released. The Hsc70 molecular chaperone effects the uncoating reaction, and is guided to appropriate locations on clathrin lattices by the J-domain-containing co-chaperone molecule auxilin. This raises the question of how a local event such as ATP hydrolysis by Hsc70 can catalyse a global disassembly. Here, we have used electron cryomicroscopy to determine 12-A-resolution structures of in-vitro-assembled clathrin coats in association with a carboxy-terminal fragment of auxilin that contains both the clathrin-binding region and the J domain. We have located the auxilin fragment by computing differences between these structures and those lacking auxilin (described in an accompanying paper). Auxilin binds within the clathrin lattice near contacts between an inward-projecting C-terminal helical tripod and the crossing of two 'ankle' segments; it also contacts the terminal domain of yet another clathrin 'leg'. It therefore recruits Hsc70 to the neighbourhood of a set of critical interactions. Auxilin binding produces a local change in heavy-chain contacts, creating a detectable global distortion of the clathrin coat. We propose a mechanism by which local destabilization of the lattice promotes general uncoating.
Reconfiguring the Border of Fortress Europe in Hans-Christian Schmid's Lichter

On 1 May 2004, the external border of ‘Fortress Europe’ was shifted to the east to bring Poland into the fold of the European Union. Hans-Christian Schmid's 2003 film Lichter (Distant Lights) is a contemporary German film produced at the cusp of this development. It presents a shift away from the dominant mode of depicting the German-Polish borderlands guiding discourse in Germany during the decade prior to the EU enlargement. Throughout the 1990s, the German-Polish border had been depicted as a barrier protecting the German (European) self from a non-European other defined by endemic economic underdevelopment, social malaise, and criminal propensities. Schmid's film transcends this East-West divide by shifting the categories of spatial identity to global vs. local. Lichter generates a new portrait of the German-Polish borderland as a transnational but nonetheless local space situated at the disenfranchised margins of a new global order—one in which Warsaw joins Berlin as a privileged seat of wealth, powe...
Public Opinion and Media Coverage of Labor Unions

Public opinion about labor unions is influenced by a variety of factors, including media coverage. The type of media coverage unions receive provides a cognitive foundation for judgments about them and media coverage of unions has often been characterized as biased. This study examines media coverage of unions between 1946 and 1985 and shows that it became increasingly concentrated on strike activities and exaggerated the frequency of strikes. Moreover, strike-centered coverage has its strongest negative influence on individuals who lack ideological and group attachments to unions.
Effects of Moisture on the Toxicity of Inorganic and Organic Insecticidal Dust Formulations to German Cockroaches (Blattodea: Blattellidae)

Toxicity of boric acid (40–99% [AI]), silica gel, eugenol, and deltamethrin dust formulations to adult male German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), was evaluated at five different relative humidities ranging from 0 to 100% and in the presence of 0 to 1 ml of water. Victor boric acid dust was generally the most toxic boric acid formulation at all relative humidities, despite having the lowest percentage (40%) of boric acid; however, this was the only formulation to have sucrose and other edible ingredients. There was no consistent effect of relative humidity on dust toxicity; LT50 values of Roach Prufe (98% boric acid), Victor, and Drione (silica gel and synergized pyrethrins) increased significantly linearly with relative humidity, whereas other formulations were unaffected. The LT50 values of all boric acid-based dust formulations declined exponentially when wetted with increasing volumes of water. Water did not affect the toxicity of deltamethrin and eugenol dusts, but it caused a linear decline in toxicity of silica gel (Dri-Die). The toxicity of a formulation containing silica gel and synergized pyrethrins (Drione) increased exponentially with increasing amounts of water. Moisture in the form of relative humidity does not strongly affect the toxicity of most insecticidal dust formulations. Presence of water, however, increases the toxicity of boric acid dusts and Drione. Toxicity of the hydrophobic deltamethrin (DeltaDust) and eugenol (EcoPCO D) dusts were unaffected by water.
Visual neuroscience: Illuminating the dark corners

Recent experiments suggest that our perception of lightness involves a sophisticated interpretation of illumination and shadow. This finding challenges common notions about hierarchical processing and the neural basis of perception.
Settlement and capacity planning in multi-service provider infrastructures

Service providers are increasingly turning to federated approaches to meet customer demand while limiting the risk of large-scale computing infrastructure investments. In such models, service providers could meet the demands of peak processing periods or specialized application environments by offloading to a partner provider. While a number of distributed systems initiatives, including Grid computing, rely on such cooperatives, models for effective capacity planning and settlement in such environments has largely been ignored. In this paper, we develop a model for settlement and capacity planning in a multi-provider computing cooperative. We introduce two pricing tariffs - linear and burstable pricing - that are commonly used in the industry, and compare their relative merits.
Reduced Thermal Budget Borophosphosilicate Glass (BPSG) Fusion and Implant Activation Using Rapid Thermal Annealing and Steam Reflow

Highly dense next generation dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices impose severe restrictions on the times, temperatures and atmospheres of all thermal process steps following the source-drain implantation. BPSG reflow and source-drain implant activation are two of the process steps that contribute significantly towards enhanced overall thermal budget during the fabrication of DRAM devices. In this paper, we present the results of an optimized thermal budget process using a combination of steam reflow and rapid thermal annealing (RTA). We demonstrate that this approach produces better reflow characteristics than the best RTA or reflow cycle alone. The processes will be compared on p-channel CMOS devices and the differences in various electrical characteristics will be highlighted. The results of BPSG reflow and dopant outdiffusion will be presented. Experimentally obtained data on junction depth from SIMS analysis will be correlated with corresponding RTA simulation results.
How to Search for Information on Transcultural Nursing and Health Subjects: Internet and CD-ROM Resources:

With the proliferation of electronic resources available to search for subjects related to transcultural nursing and health, nurses must keep abreast of computer-based tools that enable them to quickly and efficiently obtain information on a variety of topics. This article provides suggestions for narrowing and focusing a search on transcultural nursing and related subjects using key terms indexed in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, International Nursing Index, Medline, Index Medicus, and Psychological Abstracts/PsychLit. Information about accessing the Native American Resource Information Service, Education Resources Information Center, Infotrac/Expanded Academic Index, and Sociological Abstracts also is provided. In the article, selected examples of Internet sites of interest in transcultural nursing and health are identified with their universal resource locator, and they are annotated. Web sites for U.S. government agencies, organizations, and commercial groups that concer...
Self‐Assembly of Thermally Responsive Nanoparticles of a Genetically Encoded Peptide Polymer by Drug Conjugation

Chimeric polypeptides (CPs) that are derived from elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) can self-assemble to form nanoparticles by site-specific covalent attachment of hydrophobic molecules to one end of the biopolymer backbone. Molecules with a distribution coefficient greater than 1.5 impart sufficient amphiphilicity to drive self-assembly into sub-100 nm nanoparticles.
Developmental toxicity evaluation of diethyl and dimethyl phthalate in rats

Diethyl phthalate (DEP) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP), phthalic acid ester (PAE) plasticizers, were evaluated for developmental toxicity because of reports in the literature that some PAE were embryotoxic and teratogenic. A previous study (Singh et al., '72) suggested that an increased incidence of skeletal defects in rats might result from gestational exposure to DEP (0.6-1.9 g/kg) or DMP (0.4-1.3 g/kg), ip, on gestational days (gd) 5, 10, and 15. In the current study DEP (0, 0.25, 2.5, and 5%) or DMP (0, 0.25, 1, and 5%) in feed (approximately 0.2-4.0 g/kg/day) were supplied to timed-mated rats from gd 6 to 15. Treatment with 5% DMP resulted in increased relative maternal liver weight. Also, animals exhibited reduced body weight gain during treatment (5% DEP or DMP) and during gestation (5% DEP). Weight gain corrected for gravid uterine weight was also reduced in animals fed 5% DEP. However, high-dose treatment with either DEP or DMP resulted in changes in food and water consumption paralleling the body weight reductions, suggesting that apparent toxic effects on maternal body weight may reflect PAE/feed unpalatability. Treatment with 2.5% DEP resulted in only transient changes in body weight during early treatment. The only maternal effects at 0.25 or 1% DMP were minor changes in food and/or water consumption, and there were no effects at 0.25% DEP. Thus, the NOAELs for maternal toxicity were 1% DMP and 0.25% DEP. In contrast to the observed maternal toxicity, there was no effect of DEP or DMP treatment on any parameter of embryo/fetal development, except an increased incidence of supernumerary ribs (a variation) in the 5% DEP group. These results do not support the conclusion of other investigators that DEP and DMP are potent developmental toxicants. Rather, they suggest that the short-chain PAE are less developmentally toxic than PAE with more complex substitution groups, e.g., di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and butyl benzyl phthalate.
Effect of health beliefs on delays in care for abnormal cervical cytology in a multi-ethnic population

CONTEXT: Women from racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have higher rates of cervical cancer and present with later stage disease compared to whites. Delays in care for abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) smears can lead to missed cases of cervical cancer or late-stage presentation and may be one explanation for these differences.
Unmasking Novel Sporulation Genes in Bacillus subtilis

The Bacillus subtilis transcription factor sigma(E) directs the expression of a regulon of 262 genes, but null mutations in only a small fraction of these genes severely impair sporulation. We have previously reported that mutations in seven sigma(E)-controlled genes cause a mild (2- to 10-fold) defect in sporulation. In this study, we found that pairwise combinations of some of these seven mutations led to strong synthetic sporulation phenotypes, especially those involving the ytrHI operon and ybaN. Double mutants of ybaN and ytrH and of ybaN and ytrI had >10,000-fold lower sporulation efficiencies than the wild type. Thin-section electron microscopy revealed a block in cortex formation for the ybaN ytrH double mutant and coat defects for the ybaN single and ybaN ytrI double mutants. Sporulating cells of a ybaN ytrI double mutant and of a ybaN ytrHI triple mutant exhibited a pronounced loss of dipicolinic acid (DPA) between hours 8 and 24 of sporulation, in contrast to the constant levels seen for the wild type. An analysis of the spore cortex peptidoglycans of the ybaN ytrI and ybaN ytrHI mutants showed striking decreases in the levels of total muramic acid by hour 24 of sporulation. These data, along with the loss of DPA in the mutants, suggest that the developing spores were unstable and that the cortex underwent degradation late in sporulation. The existence of otherwise hidden sporulation pathways indicates that functional redundancy may mask the role of hitherto unrecognized sporulation genes.
Adolescents' Experience with and Response to Suicidal Peers

The present study investigated a sample of 325 suburban high school students' knowledge of suicidal peers, whether they had ever talked to a suicidal peer, and, if so, what they actually did in that situation. Sixty-eight percent of the females and 42.5% of the males reported knowing a teen who had committed or attempted suicide. Ninety-seven students reported having talked to a peer who was definitely considering suicide; of these, 63% talked to their peer about his or her concerns, 24.7% told an adult, and 12% did nothing in response to the encounter. Ninth graders were significantly more likely to do nothing as compared to eleventh graders. A mixed pattern of results was found as to the relationship of the response of youth to suicidal peers and their general experience with suicidal peers. The results confirm the importance of adolescents themselves for the prevention of youth suicide, and the need to convince adolescents to report at-risk peers to an adult.
Single Ribosome Dynamics and the Mechanism of Translation

Our current understanding of the mechanism of translation is based on nearly fifty years of biochemical and biophysical studies. This mechanism, which requires the ribosome to manipulate tRNA and step repetitively along the mRNA, implies movement. High-resolution structures of the ribosome and its ligands have recently described translation in atomic detail, capturing the endpoints of large-scale rearrangements of the ribosome. Direct observation of the dynamic events that underlie the mechanism of translation is challenged by ensemble averaging in bulk solutions. Single-molecule methods, which eliminate these averaging effects, have emerged as powerful tools to probe the mechanism of translation. Single-molecule fluorescence experiments have described the dynamic motion of the ribosome and tRNA. Single-molecule force measurements have directly probed the forces stabilizing ribosomal complexes. Recent developments have allowed real-time observation of ribosome movement and dynamics during translation. This review covers the contributions of single-molecule studies to our understanding of the dynamic nature of translation.
Okadaic acid augments utrophin in myogenic cells

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a fatal childhood disease caused by mutations that abolish the expression of dystrophin in muscle. Utrophin is a paralogue of dystrophin and can functionally replace it in skeletal muscle. A potential therapeutic approach is to increase utrophin levels in muscle. One way to achieve this aim is to increase the expression of the utrophin gene at a transcriptional level via promoter activation. In this study, we have shown that utrophin A mRNA levels can be induced by okadaic acid in murine myogenic C2C12 cells. We have found that a utrophin A promoter reporter can be induced by Sp1 in C2C12 myoblasts, but not in myotubes. This activation can be enhanced by okadaic acid treatment. Our data suggest that this induction is due to Sp1 phosphorylation during myogenesis and thus, utrophin expression in muscle could be regulated by treatment with phosphatase inhibitors. Control of utrophin promoter activation could then be used to increase the expression of utrophin, and thus ameliorate the symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Nitrate uptake and growth of Chaetoceros sp. in large outdoor continuous cultures1

Diel variations in the growth and nutrient uptake rates of Chaetoceros sp. were observed in 2,000-liter outdoor continuous cultures. Nitrate uptake was continuous and independent of the light-dark cycle at dilution rates of 1.5 day-’ and less. At a dilution rate of 2.0 day-l, nitrate uptake and net cellular organic nitrogen production varied in synchrony, peaking early in the photoperiod and decreasing to a diel minimum during the dark period. Growth appeared to be limited by nitrate uptake at the slower dilution rates and by the rate at which nitrogen could be incorporated into new protoplasm at the highest dilution rate. The latter Gas probably light limited.
The Development of Musical Pattern Perception in School-Aged Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether children's development of musical pattern perception is a function of their audiation ability, as measured by the Intermediate Measures of Music Audiation (IMMA). The IMMA is a test of children's ability to compare short tonal and rhythmic musical patterns (Gordon, 1982). All elementary children (N = 48) at a private elementary school participated in musical activity from January 1998 through May 1998. Children sang songs; played songs on recorder and hand drum; performed in an Orff Schulwerk orchestra; read selected rhythmic patterns using syllables from the French conservatory system; and sang and signed selected melodic patterns using solfege syllables and Curwen hand signs, one hour weekly from January through May, 1998. A univariate repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with tonal pretest and posttest as dependent variables, audiation group as factor and age as covariate, showed a significant main effect for audiation group, F (1, 45) ...
Analogy in Scientific Discovery: The Case of Johannes Kepler

Analogy is often linked with scientific discovery. In this paper I lay out a theory of analogical processing and apply it to the work of Johannes Kepler. Kepler is striking not only for the magnitude of his discoveries but because of the articulateness with which he laid out his reasoning processes, including his frequent and extended use of analogies. I discuss four analogical subprocesses - highlighting common structure, projecting inferences, re-representing relations, and noticing alignable differences - by which analogy brings about newideas and show how they apply in Kepler’s work. I focus particularly on a central extended analogy in which he used the phenomenon of the light from the sun, which travels to the planets and illuminates them, as a base domain for a new ontological entity (a precursor of gravity) - the vis motrix, that causes the planets to move.
A Spatiotemporal Method for the Monitoring of Image Data

Machine vision systems are increasingly being used in industrial applications because of their ability to quickly provide information on product geometry, surface defects, surface finish, and other product and process characteristics. Previous research for monitoring these visual characteristics using image data has focused on either detecting changes within an image or between images. Extending these methods to include both the spatial and the temporal aspects of image data would provide more detailed diagnostic information, which would be of great value to industrial practitioners. Therefore, in this article, we show how image data can be monitored using a spatiotemporal framework that is based on an extension of a generalized likelihood ratio control chart. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through computer simulations and experimental studies. The results show that our proposed spatiotemporal method is capable of quickly detecting the emergence of a fault. The computer simulations also show that our proposed generalized likelihood ratio control charting method provides a good estimate of the change point and the size/location of the fault, which are important fault diagnostic metrics that are not typically provided in the image monitoring literature. Finally, we highlight some research opportunities and provide some advice to practitioners. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A three-dimensional model to analyze drug-drug interactions

Nearly four generations of investigators have studied combined drug effects. Their methods of generating and analyzing data have changed dramatically over the years but the basic problem has not. This review examines the inherent difficulties in analyzing combined drug effects and evaluates modern methods of describing these interactions. Researchers have traditionally used two-dimensional (2-D) methods to approximate the actual three-dimensional (3-D) nature of drug interactions. We conclude that these 2-D methods are often inadequate when used to analyze synergistic and antagonistic drug interactions in antiviral and anticancer chemotherapy. We propose a direct and pragmatic 3-D approach to the problem, made possible by microcomputers and sophisticated graphics programs. This procedure directly elucidates the shape of the dose-response surface, identifies the regions of statistically significant synergy and antagonism, and quantitates these effects. It also greatly simplifies the problem since a 3-D surface presents complete drug interactions in a way that can be easily interpreted. We will show that understanding the shape of the resulting 3-D surface is essential to an understanding of complex drug interactions. This new method facilitates the rigorous analysis of drug-drug interactions and offers investigators powerful new tools to analyze combinations of antiviral and anticancer drugs.
On impact of non-conformant flows on a network of droptail gateways

In this paper we evaluate rate distributions between competing flows in a network of droptail queues. Specifically we look at the case when some of the flows are non-conformant or mis-behaving and it's effect on conformant flows. Our results show in a network of droptail queues mis-behaving flows can have significantly higher bandwidth allocations at the cost of conformant flows. Further this unequal sharing worsens in a multi-bottleneck scenario where conformant flows may consistently time-out. However the distribution of rates improves if RED is used at the bottleneck thus suggesting deployment of RED. In this paper we also look at the fairness from the network's perspective rather then end-user's. As such we propose an analytical model for managing non-conformant or mis-behaving flows by manipulating congestion penalties conveyed to them. We show that this penalty transformation can map a user's utility function, U/sub s/, to any objective utility function, U/sub obj/. These penalty transformation modules can be completely implemented at the edge and can also work with droptail queues. We have analyzed the framework and evaluated it for both single and multi bottleneck scenarios.
Error propagation in blind sequence estimation

We demonstrate how error propagation may occur with blind sequence estimation based on the Viterbi algorithm (BSE-VA). We further show that differential encoding can be used to alleviate this error propagation in blind sequence estimation. In addition, we compare the BSE-VA with a much simpler differential correlation approach (DCA) method for differentially encoded input symbols.
Use of a support vector machine for categorizing free-text notes: assessment of accuracy across two institutions

Background Electronic health record (EHR) users must regularly review large amounts of data in order to make informed clinical decisions, and such review is time-consuming and often overwhelming. Technologies like automated summarization tools, EHR search engines and natural language processing have been shown to help clinicians manage this information. Objective To develop a support vector machine (SVM)-based system for identifying EHR progress notes pertaining to diabetes, and to validate it at two institutions. Materials and methods We retrieved 2000 EHR progress notes from patients with diabetes at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (1000 for training and 1000 for testing) and another 1000 notes from the University of Texas Physicians (for validation). We manually annotated all notes and trained a SVM using a bag of words approach. We then used the SVM on the testing and validation sets and evaluated its performance with the area under the curve (AUC) and F statistics. Results The model accurately identified diabetes-related notes in both the Brigham and Women's Hospital testing set (AUC=0.956, F=0.934) and the external University of Texas Faculty Physicians validation set (AUC=0.947, F=0.935). Discussion Overall, the model we developed was quite accurate. Furthermore, it generalized, without loss of accuracy, to another institution with a different EHR and a distinct patient and provider population. Conclusions It is possible to use a SVM-based classifier to identify EHR progress notes pertaining to diabetes, and the model generalizes well.
Turbidity interferes with foraging success of visual but not chemosensory predators

Predation can significantly affect prey populations and communities, but predator effects can be attenuated when abiotic conditions interfere with foraging activities. In estuarine communities, turbidity can affect species richness and abundance and is changing in many areas because of coastal development. Many fish species are less efficient foragers in turbid waters, and previous research revealed that in elevated turbidity, fish are less abundant whereas crabs and shrimp are more abundant. We hypothesized that turbidity altered predatory interactions in estuaries by interfering with visually-foraging predators and prey but not with organisms relying on chemoreception. We measured the effects of turbidity on the predation rates of two model predators: a visual predator (pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides) and a chemosensory predator (blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus) in clear and turbid water (0 and ∼100 nephelometric turbidity units). Feeding assays were conducted with two prey items, mud crabs (Panopeus spp.) that rely heavily on chemoreception to detect predators, and brown shrimp (Farfantepenaus aztecus) that use both chemical and visual cues for predator detection. Because turbidity reduced pinfish foraging on both mud crabs and shrimp, the changes in predation rates are likely driven by turbidity attenuating fish foraging ability and not by affecting prey vulnerability to fish consumers. Blue crab foraging was unaffected by turbidity, and blue crabs were able to successfully consume nearly all mud crab and shrimp prey. Turbidity can influence predator-prey interactions by reducing the feeding efficiency of visual predators, providing a competitive advantage to chemosensory predators, and altering top-down control in food webs.
The Large Leaf Spot of Chestnut and Oak Associated with Monochaetia Desmazierii

Arthur H. Gravesx in 1912 described a leaf disease of chestnut and oak and ascribed it to Monochaetia Desmazierii. This dis? ease is characterized by large, more or less circular, leaf spots with concentric zones of varying gray, yellow, and brown. These spots vary in size, but frequently attain the diameter of one inch. Graves reported the disease on Castanea dentata in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, and on Quercus borealis maxima in North Carolina. The writer has had this disease under observation since 1912 and finds that it cccasionally causes considerable injury to the foliage of trees. The injury, however, usually occurs late in summer after the trees have made their growth, which no doubt greatly lessens the efTect on the trees. Monochaetia Desmazierii is constantly present on the leaf spots caused by this disease, but its parasitism has never been proven. In order to show the range of this disease and of Monochaetia Desmazierii, the states from which specimens have been collected are given, which are as follows: On Acer rubrum2 in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. On Castanea dentata in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ten? nessee, and Virginia. On Hamamelis virginiana in Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia. On Hicoria alba in Tennessee.
Safety of high-dose doripenem in adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Background High doses of β-lactam antibiotics have been advocated for acute pulmonary exacerbations caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) secondary to high minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the infecting organisms. Some β-lactam antibiotics have increased elimination in CF patients. This case series examines the safety of high-dose doripenem (HDD), 2 g intravenously every 8 hours, which is 4 times the labeled dose, in CF patients. Methods This was a retrospective, single site, chart review of all CF patients given HDD during a 3-year period. Adverse events were prospectively defined using labeled definitions within the package insert and the medical literature. A standard case report form was used to collect demographic details, antibiotic lengths of therapy and adverse events. Results A total of 17 patients (9 males), with a median age of 24 years, contributed 43 unique visits and 382 HDD exposure days. Mean duration of inpatient doripenem use was 8.9 days. Concurrent antibiotics were common, with a median number of additional antibiotics per admission of three. The median number of adverse effects documented was two. The most common adverse event was anemia, which was identified in 41 of 43 visits, but was present on admission in 31 instances. One patient developed leukopenia for 1 day, but returned to normal without dose adjustment. There were three instances of Clostridium difficile infection. One patient was documented to have an allergic reaction that led to discontinuation, but was ultimately rechallenged without adverse effect. Other common adverse events were gastrointestinal in origin. No other possible adverse effects led to discontinuation of the drug. Conclusions In adult patients with CF, HDD in combination with other antibiotics did not lead to adverse effects necessitating discontinuation. HDD should be considered in this selected patient population, particularly when high MIC organisms are identified.
A Checklist for Alternatives in City–county Consolidation Decisions: From Separation to Unification

Conversations on local governmental efficiency typically suggest that fragmentation—having “too many” local units—is the primary deterrent to efficient and effective regional governance, and that c...
[Analysis on epidemiology and the main clinical symptoms of viral encephalitis in Gansu, 2009-2011].

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and the main clinical symptoms of viral encephalitis in Gansu.Methods A total of 322 viral encephalitis patients were recruited from province sentineled hospitals in Gansu province from 2009 to 2011,and their basic information were collected as well as their serum samples and cerebrospinal fluid samples.296 out of the 322 cases were qualified for our study.Based on the patients' epidemiological characteristics and clinical features,we determined the detection of the virus types (at least one kind of virus detection was carried out for each case).ELISA was applied to test the IgM antibody of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus (JEV),enterovirus (EV:including Coxsackie virus,echovirus,enterovirus 71),mumps virus and herpes simplex virus (HSV)in cerebrospinal fluid and serum specimen.The difference of positive detected rate between types of virus,among patients from different regions,time,or at different ages,as well as the different clinical symptoms between JE patients and other viral encephalitis patients,were analyzed and compared.Results The positive detected rate of virus in the 296 patients was 27.03％ (80/296) ; the positive rate of JEV,EV,mumps virus,HSV detected was separately 7.53％ (22/292),8.75％ (23/263),13.84％ (22/159) and 15.09％ (40/265),and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =10.849,P ＜ 0.05).90.91％ (20/22)of the JEV positive cases were distributed in Tianshui,Longnan and Pingliang,and 95.45％ (21/22)patients were infected from July to September.All the 23 EV detected positive patients were infected from April to December,while the ages of patients ranged from 1 to 44 years old.Mumps virus,HSV testing positive cases had onset every month.Logistic regression analysis showed that the patients who had the symptoms as disturbance of consciousness (OR =15.487,95％ CI:2.266-105.852),somnolence (OR =11.659,95％ CI:1.783-76.242),convulsions (OR =11.062,95％ CI:1.687-72.530) were more likely to infect JEV.Conclusion HSV was the principal pathogen of viral encephalitis in Gansu.An obvious central tendency in the regional and time distribution was found in JEV infection; and the clinical symptoms of JE patients were more severe. Key words: Encephalitis, viral; Epidemiology; Signs and symptoms
Development of MOEMS Devices and Their Reliability Issues

It is believed that MOEMS along with the development of MEMS are expected to have a major impact on our lives, much like the way that the integrated circuit has affected information technology. Some typical MOEMS devices were introduced in this chapter. Their structure and mechanisms were briefly discussed. Some of the failure mechanisms of the MOEMS were also discussed. It is believed that MOEMS failure mechanisms studies and the development of novel stiction, friction, wear, and residual stress reduction techniques will become critical for commercialization of MOEMS.
Unsettled: Cambodian Refugees in the New York City Hyperghetto, by Eric Tang

Book Review: Unsettled: Cambodian Refugees in the New York City Hyperghetto By Eric Tang Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2015, 220 pp.
In Vitro Generation of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes against MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 Derived From Healthy Donors.

Abstract Abstract 4079 Poster Board III-1014 MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 are cancer testis antigens that are expressed on a number of malignant tumor cells, but not by normal cells, except for male germ cells which lack HLA expression. Therefore, MAGE cytotoxic T lymphocytes are strictly tumor-specific. Adoptive transfer of antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) provides immediate graft-versus tumor effects while minimizing risk for graft-versus-host disease. The aim of the current study was to find ideal conditions for expansion of CTL targeting tumor-associated antigens from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy donors to be used in allogenic cell therapy. In this study we investigated the ability to generate MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 specific cytotoxic T cells using autologous dendritic cells (DC) loaded with MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 overlapping peptides. CTL lines specific for MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 were established by stimulating CD8 T cells from healthy donors with autologous dendritic cells loaded with MAGE A1 or MAGE A3 overlapping pooled peptides in round-bottomed, 96-well plates. CD8+ T cells were restimulated with the same ratio of peptide pulsed DC on days 7 and 14 in the presence of IL-2 (50 U/ml), IL-7 and IL-15 (5 ng/ml). These microcultures were screened 10 days after the third stimulation for their capacity to produce interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) when stimulated with autologous EBV-transformed B lymphocytes (BLCL) transduced with lentivirus(LV) encoding MAGE A1 or MAGE A3 and autologous BLCL transduced with LV encoding GFP. MAGE A1 and MAGE-A3 specific IFN-gamma producing cells were rapidly expanded in OKT3 and IL2. The specificity of the rapidly expanded MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 specific T cells was confirmed by IFN-gamma production as measured by intracellular cytokine staining and ELISA as well as antigen specific cytotoxicity by a standard 51chromium (51Cr) release assay. We successfully generated MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 specific CTL lines from healthy donors using this method. Specific CTL lines showed cytotoxicity in vitro not only to target cells pulsed with MAGE A1 or MAGE A3 peptides but also to target cells transduced with LV-MAGE A1 or LV-MAGE A3. Specific cytolytic activity was accompanied by IFN-gamma secretion. These data indicate that tumor antigen specific CTL can be expanded using overlapping peptides regardless of an individual's HLA specificity. The ability to generate tumor specific CTL from donors of various HLA backgrounds provide a rationale for utilizing MAGE A1 and MAGE A3 overlapping peptides for expansion of antigen specific T cells for adoptive T-cell therapy against MAGE A1 or MAGE A3 expressing tumors. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Aging Wisely, Strategies for Baby Boomers and Seniors, by Robert A. Levine: Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2014, 336 pages, hardcover, $42.00.

Everyone ages, yet not everyone ages well. To age well, we must find satisfaction in what we do and in the time we have left. The purpose of Aging Wisely, Strategies for Baby Boomers and Seniors is...
On the Question: Is Copyright the Way to Gain Intellectual Property Protection for DNA Sequences?

Q&A Session with Dr. Andrew W. Torrance of the University of Kansas School of Law and Christopher M. Holman, Executive Editor, Biotechnology Law Report.
Thermally Informed Bending: Relating Curvature to Heat Generation Through Infrared Sensing

The process of bending flat ductile surfaces such as metal sheets into curved surfaces that match a precise digitally predefined geometry so far has required either using a mold or a predetermined gauge and alloy-based predictive model to determine the necessary bending arc. Instead, our approach relies on the material itself to report its bending state during a simple actuation movement enabled by a robotic arm. We detect spontaneous heat generation triggered by the transition from elastic to plastic deformation using an infrared camera in real time. This information is used to determine the motion path of the robotic arm in order to reach the desired final geometry in one movement rather than incrementally. The bending process is generated through a RAPID code with a trap loop to guide the robot and a Processing script to control the thermal sensing and trap loop activation. Results for an IR sensor-guided geometric trap loop and the determination of a meaningful threshold for the onset of plastic deformation are discussed. This method’s efficiency and applicability to large scales of production and to a wide array of ductile materials with varying elastic modulus, suggest a potentially significant contribution to the fabrication of curved architectural skins.
Sleep Quality and Dietary Patterns in an Occupational Cohort of Police Officers

We examined the association between self-reported sleep quality, sleep duration, and dietary patterns among police officers in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Stress (BCOPS) study.422 police officers aged 21-74 (2004-2009).We used a cross-sectional study design and obtained sleep quality and duration from responses to the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Using 46 energy-adjusted food groups derived from a 125-item food frequency questionnaire, we identified dietary patterns using exploratory factor analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations of sleep quality and duration with the derived dietary patterns.We identified major dietary patterns: fruits and vegetables (FV), dairy products, starches and fried foods, and meat and eggs. Individuals with poor sleep quality had a lower average FV score than those with optimal sleep (β [SE] = -0.32 [0.13]; p = .01). Significant interactions were observed between sex and the FV and dairy products dietary patterns, where women with poor sleep quality had a lower mean FV score compared to women with optimal sleep quality (β [SE] = -0.81 [0.29]; p = .01). Women with < 6 hours sleep duration had a lower mean dairy score compared to women with ≥ 7 hours sleep duration (β [SE] = -0.69 [0.29]; p = .02). We did not observe these associations among men.Among women, good sleep quality and long sleep duration were associated with a dietary pattern high in consumption of both fruits and vegetables and dairy products.Abbreviations: BCOPS: Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Stress study; BMI: body mass index; FFQ: food frequency questionnaire; FV: fruits and vegetables; KMO: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test; MET: metabolic equivalent of task score; PSQI: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire.